Orientation

Caye Caulker [1] is cut into two pieces. The “split” or “cut” separates the southern inhabited part of the island from the northern mangrove swamps. This feature earned its name after Hurricane Hattie widened the channel in 1961. Travelers and locals come to the split to swim, snorkel, and sunbathe on the concrete blocks (there is no beach).

Moving south on Front Street, the street that skirts the eastern shore (there are two more north–south streets: Middle and Back), you’ll find seven sandy roads that cross three blocks to the other side of the island and Back Street.

On the western pier, there’s a fuel pump. Sailors exploring nearby cayes can anchor in the shallow protected waters offshore; the body of water here is open ocean but is still often referred to as a “lagoon.”

Front Street’s south terminus dead-ends by the cemetery, and you have two choices: Follow the narrow beach path along the water, or turn right and then left, and you’ll find another dusty avenue that leads to the airstrip. Bordering the airstrip is a rapidly develop-ing neighborhood called Bahia Puesta del Sol, which has a grocery store, a fruit stand, and a new high school. The land north of the split consists mostly of mangrove swamps, with a narrow strip of land along the east coast; this hasn’t stopped people from building off-the-grid homes, though.