7 Amazing Things to Do in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye and One to Avoid

If you are looking for white sand beaches, you will be disappointed in Ambergris Caye. However, I think the other things to do more than offset this. Here are 7 amazing things you can do there, and one which is overrated.

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1. Snorkel/Dive

This is probably THE best thing to do. I checked out a number of popular snorkel sites including Mexican Rocks, Hol Chan and Shark/Stingray Alley. Mexican Rocks is less buys but I think there are less fish and corals to see so there is a tradeoff. Hol Chan is by far the more popular spot, but its very busy. In the end, if you have time, you should do both, but if I had to pick one, I think Hol Chan is worth the crowds. Shark/Stingray alley is also worth it and is usually included with one of the others on most tours.

2. Eat the Freshest Ceviche Ever

This one is related to #1 because our guide prepared the freshest conch ceviche I’ve ever had (and delicious). He basically dove down to bring up a live conch and prepared it on the boat in front of us. It was perfect and the local tortilla chips he served alongside were perfectly seasoned. When you book your tours for #1, make sure to ask if this is included.

3. Have some ice cream. Two places we tried were both good. The first, Sugar Shack Ice Cream, was lighter and less sweet, and run by a French gentleman who we had a great conversation with.

The second was also delicious though sweeter and more dense in texture. This was near the airport and called Paradice Cream.

4. Get golf cart drive through coffee. This might be the only golf cart drive through coffee place in the world! The coffee was good, and so are the whole beans which I bought a bag of to take home. As an early post mentioned, golf carts are the preferred mode of transport on Amergris.

5. See the Blue Hole (and amazing shipwrecks) – The Blue Hole is best seen from the air as you cannot really see the “whole” thing from the sea. I chartered a private tour so that we could maximize the time and photos. Along the way, our pilot pointed out a shipwreck which was really cool to see. The charter company we used was called Caribee which we booked through an agency. The main airlines on the island, Maya and Tropic, also offer tours. I found that booking through an agent was cheaper.

6. Use Tropic Air like Uber and island hop. We did a day trip to Caye Caulker which has an atmosphere totally different from Ambergris. Its more chill and laid back. Its also much smaller, and you can walk the entire island. You can get there by ferry (there are two companies which operate) and it takes just under an hour. However, I read online that the ferries are often delayed, cramped, and hot. A flight on Tropic Air takes only about 5 minutes, and when we took it, was always on time. It was like having Uber but plane.

To me a couple hours (2-4) or a day is sufficient to explore the island.

7. Have BBQ while watching planes take off – This is related to #6 and #3. In the same plaza where Paradice Cream is, there is a BBQ restaurant which has a fantastic view of the runway, and good BBQ. Its called Carlo and Ernie’s. You can go for lunch prior to a day trip flight to Caye Caulker, then have ice cream.

ONE TO AVOID

Secret Beach – due to the lack of beaches on Ambergris, a lot of people will recommend Secret beach. Its about 45 minutes by golf cart from San Pedro. The best part is the nice drive to get there (if you like long breezy drives). However, once there, the beach is nothing special and is really just a collection of beach clubs which offer, food, drinks, and chairs. There is a lot of live music and DJ music. If you want to spend the day chilling, drinking, or partying, this may be for you. However, for me, its not the greatest beach and the bars and restaurants did’t really appeal to me. If you are short on time, you can skip this.

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