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Northern: 4 or 5 Nights in Belize

Belize City to Belize City

The short northern route: mangrove channels, the marine reserve at Hol Chan, the beach bars of San Pedro and the slow pace of Caye Caulker. The week most guests pick when they want island life as much as sailing.

4 or 5 Nights Aboard a Crewed Catamaran

The route

From Cucumber Beach Marina (Old Belize) this route runs north into the Drowned Cayes, on to Caye Caulker and San Pedro, then out to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley before turning for home by way of Goff’s Caye. It is the itinerary for guests who want beach bars, restaurants and time ashore, and for families with children who would rather not sail more than a couple of hours a day.

Departs: Cucumber Beach Marina (Old Belize), Belize City · Crew: captain and chef · Transfers: included from Belize International Airport

Day	Anchorage	What the day is for
Day 1: The Drowned Cayes	Drowned Cayes	Kayaking the mangrove channels
Day 2: Gallow’s Reef and Caye Caulker	Caye Caulker	Snorkel the reef, then island time
Day 3: Coral Gardens and San Pedro	San Pedro	Dancing fan corals, then the town
Day 4: Hol Chan, Shark Ray Alley and St George’s Caye	St George’s Caye	Rays, nurse sharks and a page of history
Day 5: Goff’s Caye and Bannister	Goff’s Caye	The sandbar, then the manatee grounds
Day 6: Back to the marina	Cucumber Beach	A leisurely sail home

The five-night route. On the four-night version the opening night in the Drowned Cayes is dropped and the charter begins at Gallow’s Reef and St George’s Caye, with Caye Caulker taken on the Hol Chan day.

Drowned Cayes

Day 1: The Drowned Cayes

The Drowned Cayes are mangrove channels and islands that serve as breeding grounds for much of Belize’s marine life. Pods of dolphins and manatees live here alongside herons, egrets, pelicans, frigates, cormorants and the occasional roseate spoonbill. The anchorage is sheltered and the inlets narrow, which makes it a perfect place to head out kayaking or paddleboarding. Green mangrove against azure water makes for a striking first sunset.

Caye Caulker

Day 2: Gallow’s Reef and Caye Caulker

Sail to the sleepy island of Caye Caulker, fishing along the way and swimming on arrival. No shirt, no shoes, no problem is the island’s motto and it tells you everything: white sand, ocean breezes, fresh seafood and a fantastic stretch of barrier reef on its doorstep. Before you anchor, snorkel Gallow’s Reef — or try your hand at spear fishing for lobster or snapper with your captain guiding you.

San Pedro

Day 3: Coral Gardens and San Pedro

Sail to Coral Gardens for a morning’s snorkel, a spot known for its “dancing fans” corals and colourful schools of tropical fish. Then on to San Pedro to explore the beach and the town, where the options run from a spa treatment to local artisan chocolate at the chocolate boutique, arts and crafts, or a drink at one of the island’s over-the-water beach bars. This is also the best place on the route to eat off the boat — some of the finest restaurants in Belize are here.

St George’s Caye

Day 4: Hol Chan, Shark Ray Alley and St George’s Caye

A morning of snorkelling at Hol Chan Marine Reserve, swimming among shoals of tropical fish, turtles, eagle rays, stingrays, moray eels and grouper. Then a dip at Shark Ray Alley, a site where local fishermen used to clean their catch, which draws the bigger carnivores — southern stingrays and nurse sharks. Afterwards you sail to St George’s Caye, the first capital of the British settlement in Belize, now principally private homes but a fine base for snorkelling, diving or walking the sandy shore.

Goff’s Caye

Day 5: Goff’s Caye and Bannister

Sail to Goff’s Caye, a two-acre island sitting right on the barrier reef — it reminds you why postcards were invented. Snorkel straight off the shore, or stand in the shallows on the sandbar with a cold Belikin. Then up to Bannister Bogue, mangrove islands home to manatees, dolphins and a great many birds. Manatees are gentle plant-eating herbivores whose closest living relatives are elephants and aardvarks; they reach over 13 feet and 3,500 pounds. Swimming with them is not permitted and sightings are never guaranteed.

Cucumber Beach

Day 6: Back to the marina

A leisurely sail back to the marina at Cucumber Beach (Old Belize), with transfers waiting for the airport or Belize City.

Four Nights or Five?

What changes on the shorter charter

On the four-night version the opening night in the Drowned Cayes is dropped and the charter begins at Gallow’s Reef and St George’s Caye, with Caye Caulker taken on the Hol Chan day. Outside the festive season the minimum stay is four nights; between 19 December and 5 January it is seven. Your broker will tell you which yachts are free for the dates you have in mind.

What’s Included

One rate, almost everything in it

One rate covers the catamaran and a dedicated crew of captain and chef / first mate, all meals from breakfast through canapés to dinner and dessert, an open ship’s bar with beer, rum cocktails and wine at dinner, air-conditioned queen cabins with private bathrooms, and the full kit for snorkelling, kayaking, paddleboarding and fishing. Private road transfers from Belize International Airport are included. Outside the rate sit crew gratuity, scuba diving, specialty fishing and anything off the boat — spa treatments and restaurant dinners ashore.

Before You Book

How fixed is the route?

This route is a sample. The sailing is shaped by the weather, the sea state, what your group feels like doing and the judgement of your captain. Charters are planned around a midday arrival and a midday departure, and the minimum stay is four nights outside the festive season.

FAQ

It is the one we suggest most often for them. The northern route keeps the passages short — rarely more than a couple of hours a day — and there is something to do ashore almost every day: Caye Caulker, San Pedro, the marine reserve at Hol Chan.

Four nights is the minimum outside the festive season; between 19 December and 5 January the minimum is seven. Charters are planned around a midday arrival and a midday departure, so a late flight shortens the first day.

No. Every charter is tailored — the pre-arrival preference form shapes the week, and the sailing is then adjusted day by day for weather, sea state and what your group feels like doing. Your captain knows which anchorage will be comfortable on any given night.

Yachts for this itinerary

Belize Sample Itineraries

Yacht Charter Itinerary (Belize)