About 1,200 or so native Jicoqueños (pronounced hee-kaw-KEN-yos, or “Caulker Islanders”) reside on this island 21 miles northeast of Belize City, just south of Ambergris Caye, and less than a mile west of the Belize Reef. The island is four miles from north to south, but the developed and inhabited part is only a mile long, from the Split to the airstrip. The land north of the Split is for the most part uninhabitable, consisting mostly of mangrove swamps with a narrow strip of land along the east coast. Commercial fishing is still very important on Caye Caulker, supplying most of San Pedro’s lobsters.

Yes, there have been many changes and much development on the island as it figures out its place in Belize’s evolving tourism economy, but Caye Caulker is still way cheaper than San Pedro and still as tranquilo as everybody says. It ain’t for nothin’ that Caye Caulker is one of the old-time anchors in Belize’s backpacker trail.

During the rainy season, May–September, sand flies and mosquitoes can get pretty fierce, though some years are better than others.