- 1,114Excursions
- 105,308Reviews
- Help Center
Spend your cruise ship stop in Belize in and on the water. Snorkel the reef and get up close to some of the underwater tropical beauty. The reef is teeming with over 250 species of fish, colorful hard and soft coral, and native marine life.
You'll meet your guide just outside your Belize cruise tender terminal who will lead you to the boat's pier just a 2-minute walk. A 45-minute boat ride takes you to the island of Caye Caulker. This narrow island is the second largest in Belize at 5 miles in length and 1/2 mile in width. It's divided in two by a narrow channel with a sandy beach. The south has Caye Caulker Village and the north has a dense mangrove forest and diverse protected bird life. You'll disembark to watch and maybe take part of hand feeding the protected Tarpon fish that can grow to over 300 lbs.
Back on board the boat, you'll be given your snorkel equipment with safety and usage instructions. A short ride gets you to Shark Ray Alley for your first snorkel. This is a 45-minute guided snorkel and you'll be swimming with harmless stingrays and nurse sharks. Both the rays and nurse sharks are accustomed to humans and are not aggressive. You may even be able to touch one with your guide's supervision. The water here is waist deep so if you prefer not to snorkel you can stand and have them swim around you.
The next snorkel spot is at Coral Gardens, a short boat ride away. This spectacular part of the world's second-largest coral reef is alive with colorful fish, coral, sponges, and marine life. The water is crystal clear and you'll be able to see beautiful coral formations like elkhorn, staghorn, and pencil coral flourishing in amongst yellow sponges and purple sea fans. This is another 45-minute guided snorkel. Please note that guests will be snorkeling off the boat in deep water so will not be able to stand on the bottom.
You'll then head back to Caye Caulker where you'll have approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes of free time. In this tiny former fishing village, you can find cafes, stores, and food carts to purchase beverages and lunch. You can poke through the shops, swim, and relax on the beach or explore the island.
When the time comes to an end, the boat will take you back to your Belize cruise port to catch the tender back to your ship.
Times are approximate. The order of stops may be reversed depending on crowds and weather conditions.
A marvelous snorkel opportunity on a barrier reef at Coral Gardens, Shark Ray Alley, and a stop at Caye Caulker Island beach gives you a glimpse at the diverse Belize marine life just feet below the ocean on this unique Belize cruise shore excursion.