Ambergris Caye Belize: A Vacation Spot for EveryoneIf you’re the big city sort, you may think that friends who consider a journey perfection only if they can roam a solitary beach without seeing another person for days on end are clueless! You love people. You love excitement. You might be in the mood for a moonlight stroll with your love, but bring on the colors, the lights and the tropical vibe–an apt description for Ambergris Caye, the largest, liveliest Belize island of all. Perched on the edge of the Caribbean Sea, Ambergris has become such a popular destination, it’s to get its own international airport down the road. Come see why travelers can’t stay away.
San Pedro Town, The Capital of Ambergris CayeFounded in 1848, San Pedro is the colorful capital of Ambergris Caye. Way back in 1986, the world-famous singer Madonna visited San Pedro, which inspired her to write the hit song “La Isla Bonita,” which currently has over 85 million views on YouTube. The video for that song was filmed in San Pedro and many locals appear in the background behind the singer.
Officially, the population of San Pedro is only around 20,000 people, but Ambergris Caye is the most popular tourist destination in the country, bringing in hundreds of thousands of people every year. Locals are known as San Pedranos, most of whose ancestors came from Mexico. Today, most people in San Pedro speak English as a first language but are conversant in basic Spanish.
San Pedro is a lovely town, and because it’s on an island, the most popular form of transportation is by bicycle or electric golf cart. San Pedro has everything a visitor might want, including resorts, hotels, high-speed internet, banks, shops, swimming pools, and even a gourmet farmer’s market. The town has its own airstrip with regular connections to the mainland as well as a water taxi dock with connections to Belize City and nearby islands such as Caye Caulker.
And because San Pedro is a popular gateway to the nearby Belize Barrier Reef, it is home to fantastic seafood restaurants serving lobster, conch, fish, and other delights fresh-caught daily and prepared to order. San Pedro is also where you’ll find dive centers that rent equipment and offer PADI certification as well as dive/snorkel tour operators for trips to the reef, including the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley.
Popular activities in San Pedro include windsurfing, kiteboarding, sea kayaking, bird watching, fishing, sailing, snorkeling and scuba diving. San Pedro sits at the southern tip of the island, but most of the central and northern end is undeveloped, making it an ideal location for spotting birds and indigenous wildlife.
San Pedro is home to several exuberant festivals throughout the year, including a raucous Carnival, a Lobsterfest in June, and the International Costa Maya Festival in August, a week-long combination beauty pageant, street fair, and live music concert.
Because San Pedro is on an island, living expenses are much higher than anywhere else in Belize. Property prices for a beachfront condominium can exceed $500,000, and a one-bedroom apartment rental can exceed $1,000 a month. Electricity and gasoline are also more expensive in San Pedro.
A Brief History of Ambergris Caye BelizeThough it is now a haven for travelers from around the world, Ambergris Caye is also steeped in history.
Ambergris Caye’s position on the Southen tip of the Yucatan Peninsula meant that it began life as an important trading post for the Maya people who once ruled the region. Indeed, about 1,500 years ago, they decided to create a more optimal trading route between the Yucatan coast and Belize by creating the Bacalar Chico channel which now separates Ambergris Caye from Mexico.
The Ambergris Caye area continued to be used primarily for trading purposes until around the 16th or 17th century. By this time, the Maya people had begun to retreat further and further inland in an effort to avoid making too much contact with the European settlers who were now arriving more frequently.
In the absence of the Maya, the Europeans took ownership of Ambergris Caye. Indeed, according to local lore, pirates from the Netherlands, France, and Great Britain would regularly use the region’s many coves as hiding spots when ambushing rival Spanish ships. This story is given more credence by the fact that a number of small treasure collections have been discovered on the island – potentially left behind by those European pirates.
By the 19th century, the European pirates had left Ambergris Caye, but the region was beset by the War of the Castes. This conflict in the Yucatan drove the Mestizo and Maya people across the Bacalar Chico channel and on to the island. In 1848, these new residents formed the town of San Pedro – which is still the largest settlement on the island.
In 1869, a wealthy Briton named James Hume Blake purchased the ownership rights to Ambergris Caye for the princely sum of $625. Mr. Blake and his wife, Antonia Andrade, transformed the island into a coconut plantation and conscripted many of the island’s residents to work for them.
Though the coconut business was a successful source of income for the island for almost a century, it was eventually destroyed by a series of devastating hurricanes in the 1950s. Soon after, the Belizean government purchased Ambergris Caye from its private owners and redistributed its ownership rights to the people who called the island home.
Many of the islanders then turned to the fishing business in search of an income for their families. Lobster, in particular, proved to be a popular catch. Before long, the people of San Pedro had formed a lobster cooperative and even built a freezer plant on the island.
Though the island’s lobster industry has gone through some ups and downs over the past five decades or so, it remains one of the largest sources of income for the people of Ambergris Caye. It coupled with tourism and real estate are some of the main drivers behind the ongoing success of the island today.
San Pedro Town, The Capital of Ambergris CayeFounded in 1848, San Pedro is the colorful capital of Ambergris Caye. Way back in 1986, the world-famous singer Madonna visited San Pedro, which inspired her to write the hit song “La Isla Bonita,” which currently has over 85 million views on YouTube. The video for that song was filmed in San Pedro and many locals appear in the background behind the singer.
Officially, the population of San Pedro is only around 20,000 people, but Ambergris Caye is the most popular tourist destination in the country, bringing in hundreds of thousands of people every year. Locals are known as San Pedranos, most of whose ancestors came from Mexico. Today, most people in San Pedro speak English as a first language but are conversant in basic Spanish.
San Pedro is a lovely town, and because it’s on an island, the most popular form of transportation is by bicycle or electric golf cart. San Pedro has everything a visitor might want, including resorts, hotels, high-speed internet, banks, shops, swimming pools, and even a gourmet farmer’s market. The town has its own airstrip with regular connections to the mainland as well as a water taxi dock with connections to Belize City and nearby islands such as Caye Caulker.
And because San Pedro is a popular gateway to the nearby Belize Barrier Reef, it is home to fantastic seafood restaurants serving lobster, conch, fish, and other delights fresh-caught daily and prepared to order. San Pedro is also where you’ll find dive centers that rent equipment and offer PADI certification as well as dive/snorkel tour operators for trips to the reef, including the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley.
Popular activities in San Pedro include windsurfing, kiteboarding, sea kayaking, bird watching, fishing, sailing, snorkeling and scuba diving. San Pedro sits at the southern tip of the island, but most of the central and northern end is undeveloped, making it an ideal location for spotting birds and indigenous wildlife.
San Pedro is home to several exuberant festivals throughout the year, including a raucous Carnival, a Lobsterfest in June, and the International Costa Maya Festival in August, a week-long combination beauty pageant, street fair, and live music concert.
Because San Pedro is on an island, living expenses are much higher than anywhere else in Belize. Property prices for a beachfront condominium can exceed $500,000, and a one-bedroom apartment rental can exceed $1,000 a month. Electricity and gasoline are also more expensive in San Pedro.
A Brief History of Ambergris Caye BelizeThough it is now a haven for travelers from around the world, Ambergris Caye is also steeped in history.
Ambergris Caye’s position on the Southen tip of the Yucatan Peninsula meant that it began life as an important trading post for the Maya people who once ruled the region. Indeed, about 1,500 years ago, they decided to create a more optimal trading route between the Yucatan coast and Belize by creating the Bacalar Chico channel which now separates Ambergris Caye from Mexico.
The Ambergris Caye area continued to be used primarily for trading purposes until around the 16th or 17th century. By this time, the Maya people had begun to retreat further and further inland in an effort to avoid making too much contact with the European settlers who were now arriving more frequently.
In the absence of the Maya, the Europeans took ownership of Ambergris Caye. Indeed, according to local lore, pirates from the Netherlands, France, and Great Britain would regularly use the region’s many coves as hiding spots when ambushing rival Spanish ships. This story is given more credence by the fact that a number of small treasure collections have been discovered on the island – potentially left behind by those European pirates.
By the 19th century, the European pirates had left Ambergris Caye, but the region was beset by the War of the Castes. This conflict in the Yucatan drove the Mestizo and Maya people across the Bacalar Chico channel and on to the island. In 1848, these new residents formed the town of San Pedro – which is still the largest settlement on the island.
In 1869, a wealthy Briton named James Hume Blake purchased the ownership rights to Ambergris Caye for the princely sum of $625. Mr. Blake and his wife, Antonia Andrade, transformed the island into a coconut plantation and conscripted many of the island’s residents to work for them.
Though the coconut business was a successful source of income for the island for almost a century, it was eventually destroyed by a series of devastating hurricanes in the 1950s. Soon after, the Belizean government purchased Ambergris Caye from its private owners and redistributed its ownership rights to the people who called the island home.
Many of the islanders then turned to the fishing business in search of an income for their families. Lobster, in particular, proved to be a popular catch. Before long, the people of San Pedro had formed a lobster cooperative and even built a freezer plant on the island.
Though the island’s lobster industry has gone through some ups and downs over the past five decades or so, it remains one of the largest sources of income for the people of Ambergris Caye. It coupled with tourism and real estate are some of the main drivers behind the ongoing success of the island today.