I live in northern Belize on the island of Ambergris Caye, where I have for the past six years run a dive centre. I recently visited Thatch Caye in mid-southern Belize (9 miles off Dangriga) and was very impressed by it. Whilst there I dived in several different locations, and also visited several local cayes. I apologise if what follows sounds like a commercial, but most people have never heard of this resort and i thought some information would be helpful.
My diving was essentially in two areas, both outside the meso-American barrier reef – just to the south of Tobacco Caye, and to the south of Southwater Caye. These two areas were quite different. The reef near Tobacco Caye gave pleasant shallow dives with no very great interest – I don’t think I exceeded 50ft on any of them, not because I didn’t want to but because it wasn’t possible. A good place for early training dives or refreshers after a break, but not a place I’d want to spend a holiday.
South of Southwater Caye in the Marine Park (a protected area) was a completely different story. The five or six dives I did there were all on a wall that went down to a shelf at around 170ft, and then on to the abyss. Although the dives did vary according to where they were conducted, they were all on walls that went almost vertically from just below the surface (30ft was typical) down to the shelf, with some delightful shallow “coral gardens” just on top. There were lots of hard corals and sponges on the wall, just as can be found on the walls at Ligththouse and Turneffe. Whilst I wasn’t dazzled by animal marine life I did see free-swimming morays, lots of spotted eagle rays, a sole manta, the occasional turtle, and several dolphins. Plus of course lots of “brightly coloured fish” (you can tell I’m not a marine biologist!). I took down a camera and got lots of rewarding shots. I could well imagine a week’s diving there being a very satisfying experience.
The reef there doesn’t have the spur-and-groove formations that I’m well used to and love off Ambergris Caye, but equally we don’t have true wall dives up here – we have to take 5-6 hour round trip excursions to see those. From Thatch Caye they’re 15 minutes away. And there are lots of local shallow areas suitable for training, approached from attractive sandy beaches. Because of the shape of Thatch Caye there is always calm water to be found on at least one side of the island.
Thatch Caye’s diving isn’t restricted to these walls, superb though they are, although they are all I had time to visit in my ever-so-short stay. Not far away is what they call the “Black Hole”, a smaller and shallower version of the famous “Blue Hole”. Glover’s Atoll is 45-60 minutes away, south Turneffe (the Elbow, the best diving offered on that atoll) 60-75 minutes away, and the two southern cayes on Lighthouse Atoll which offer superb dives also undertaken from Ambergris Caye are 100-150 minutes away. The wide variations in timings reflect the wind/currents which impede outbound journeys but speed the return. The whale sharks at Gladden Spit when in season can be reached in (I believe) around an hour, about the same timing as from Placencia but an easier journey.
I had the opportunity to spend a few hours on Tobacco Caye, Southwater Caye, and Thatch Caye’s close neighbour Coco Plum Caye. Seeing the first of these was quite a revelation - from the hype I had expected a tropical paradise, small but perfect, and quite affordable. What I actually saw was tantamount to squalor, with semi-derelict wooden buildings offering extremely basic accommodation crammed all over a small island, washing lines where you’d expect a vista of the ocean, and absolutely nothing to attract me. There seemed to be lots of ramshackle competing businesses. Nor did it seem to be cheap, starting with the US$35 water taxi round trip to get there. Regardless of whatever prices were being charged, I can’t see this as being acceptable for anyone other than young backpackers prepared to “rough it” – and I’m sure they could find better value elsewhere.
Southwater Caye was much better, but not really a place you’d be likely to go to visit for a holiday. Like Tobacco Caye it also had a number of separate businesses on the island. A bigger island with a much smaller population it did have room to breathe, but I think you’d only be likely to go there if you had a specific reason – there is for example a popular teenagers’ “summer camp” there, with classrooms and basic bunkhouse accommodation. There were no students there when I visited so I didn’t see how it operated.
My visit to Coco Plum Caye was very brief and I didn’t see a lot of it, but what I saw was attractive and several levels above what I’ve described above. An excellent place for a laid-back holiday on a private island.
Thatch Caye, where I stayed for a week, is another private island and was absolutely superb. I can’t think of any people I know back in England who wouldn’t be delighted to stay there, and there are very few places in Belize I can say that of. There are separate and well-separated cabanas spread up this long and thin island (a mile long, and nowhere wider than 100ft or so). All cabanas have been meticulously and attractively designed and engineered to take full advantage of the natural environment and cause as little impact upon it as possible, with electricity for most purposes silently generated by solar-electric cells and stored in massive batteries under each cabana, the water for showers in the cabanas being stored rainwater (though totally clean and odourless, and always available scalding hot), seawater being used to flush toilets. My cabana was over the sea with most accommodation being on the second floor. The third was a roof garden with hammocks, a delightful place to snooze away the afternoon after morning dives and a satisfying lunch until it’s time to think about drinks before dinner.
All meals and the bar are located in a central large cabana, a delightful place with a dome roof which is only a short walk from any of the cabanas. At night your way is illuminated by small photo-electric lamps at intervals along the clearly marked sandy paths. The food and presentation are best described as “farmhouse” style, with lots of fresh vegetables and salad stuffs (all too rare in Belize) and different dishes each meal. No choice is routinely offered, but I saw special meals being prepared for children and served at a time convenient to those families, and I am confident that any special dietary requirements or preferences would competently and willingly be provided. Supplies are brought in every few days, so the lead time to provide something quite different is never longer than that. At Thatch Caye you eat fresh food prepared freshly from fresh ingredients – nothing is pre-prepared. And of course all the food is covered by your room charge – only beers and other drinks are extra.
If diving isn’t your thing there are many opportunities for snorkelling, off one of the island beaches or by boat, and the resort has a fleet of professional-grade sea kayaks for rental by guests. The resort offers land excursions just as readily as they might be found on Ambergris Caye. They provide free transfers to the mainland for residential guests, and minivan transport thereafter. I went on one such excursion, to Caves Branch to go cave tubing, and the whole process was simpler and quicker than it would have been for a visitor to Ambergris Caye.
To visit Thatch Caye you arrange it with them beforehand, then simply fly into Dangriga airstrip. You’re collected in their minivan and taken to their boat for your nine mile boat ride, all free if you’re going to be staying there. No $35 water taxi rides, or struggling with your baggage.
While I was there a succession of privately chartered catamarans moored off the island and the occupants used the restaurant facilities on the island. Some also availed themselves of other guest services such as diving. I don’t know what they were charged but they kept coming back and seemed pretty happy with what they were getting.
So, far be it from me to discourage anyone from visiting us on the northern cayes and diving here, but if you fancy a change and a touch of real luxury at an affordable price, plus some world-class diving, give Thatch Caye a try.
My diving was essentially in two areas, both outside the meso-American barrier reef – just to the south of Tobacco Caye, and to the south of Southwater Caye. These two areas were quite different. The reef near Tobacco Caye gave pleasant shallow dives with no very great interest – I don’t think I exceeded 50ft on any of them, not because I didn’t want to but because it wasn’t possible. A good place for early training dives or refreshers after a break, but not a place I’d want to spend a holiday.
South of Southwater Caye in the Marine Park (a protected area) was a completely different story. The five or six dives I did there were all on a wall that went down to a shelf at around 170ft, and then on to the abyss. Although the dives did vary according to where they were conducted, they were all on walls that went almost vertically from just below the surface (30ft was typical) down to the shelf, with some delightful shallow “coral gardens” just on top. There were lots of hard corals and sponges on the wall, just as can be found on the walls at Ligththouse and Turneffe. Whilst I wasn’t dazzled by animal marine life I did see free-swimming morays, lots of spotted eagle rays, a sole manta, the occasional turtle, and several dolphins. Plus of course lots of “brightly coloured fish” (you can tell I’m not a marine biologist!). I took down a camera and got lots of rewarding shots. I could well imagine a week’s diving there being a very satisfying experience.
The reef there doesn’t have the spur-and-groove formations that I’m well used to and love off Ambergris Caye, but equally we don’t have true wall dives up here – we have to take 5-6 hour round trip excursions to see those. From Thatch Caye they’re 15 minutes away. And there are lots of local shallow areas suitable for training, approached from attractive sandy beaches. Because of the shape of Thatch Caye there is always calm water to be found on at least one side of the island.
Thatch Caye’s diving isn’t restricted to these walls, superb though they are, although they are all I had time to visit in my ever-so-short stay. Not far away is what they call the “Black Hole”, a smaller and shallower version of the famous “Blue Hole”. Glover’s Atoll is 45-60 minutes away, south Turneffe (the Elbow, the best diving offered on that atoll) 60-75 minutes away, and the two southern cayes on Lighthouse Atoll which offer superb dives also undertaken from Ambergris Caye are 100-150 minutes away. The wide variations in timings reflect the wind/currents which impede outbound journeys but speed the return. The whale sharks at Gladden Spit when in season can be reached in (I believe) around an hour, about the same timing as from Placencia but an easier journey.
I had the opportunity to spend a few hours on Tobacco Caye, Southwater Caye, and Thatch Caye’s close neighbour Coco Plum Caye. Seeing the first of these was quite a revelation - from the hype I had expected a tropical paradise, small but perfect, and quite affordable. What I actually saw was tantamount to squalor, with semi-derelict wooden buildings offering extremely basic accommodation crammed all over a small island, washing lines where you’d expect a vista of the ocean, and absolutely nothing to attract me. There seemed to be lots of ramshackle competing businesses. Nor did it seem to be cheap, starting with the US$35 water taxi round trip to get there. Regardless of whatever prices were being charged, I can’t see this as being acceptable for anyone other than young backpackers prepared to “rough it” – and I’m sure they could find better value elsewhere.
Southwater Caye was much better, but not really a place you’d be likely to go to visit for a holiday. Like Tobacco Caye it also had a number of separate businesses on the island. A bigger island with a much smaller population it did have room to breathe, but I think you’d only be likely to go there if you had a specific reason – there is for example a popular teenagers’ “summer camp” there, with classrooms and basic bunkhouse accommodation. There were no students there when I visited so I didn’t see how it operated.
My visit to Coco Plum Caye was very brief and I didn’t see a lot of it, but what I saw was attractive and several levels above what I’ve described above. An excellent place for a laid-back holiday on a private island.
Thatch Caye, where I stayed for a week, is another private island and was absolutely superb. I can’t think of any people I know back in England who wouldn’t be delighted to stay there, and there are very few places in Belize I can say that of. There are separate and well-separated cabanas spread up this long and thin island (a mile long, and nowhere wider than 100ft or so). All cabanas have been meticulously and attractively designed and engineered to take full advantage of the natural environment and cause as little impact upon it as possible, with electricity for most purposes silently generated by solar-electric cells and stored in massive batteries under each cabana, the water for showers in the cabanas being stored rainwater (though totally clean and odourless, and always available scalding hot), seawater being used to flush toilets. My cabana was over the sea with most accommodation being on the second floor. The third was a roof garden with hammocks, a delightful place to snooze away the afternoon after morning dives and a satisfying lunch until it’s time to think about drinks before dinner.
All meals and the bar are located in a central large cabana, a delightful place with a dome roof which is only a short walk from any of the cabanas. At night your way is illuminated by small photo-electric lamps at intervals along the clearly marked sandy paths. The food and presentation are best described as “farmhouse” style, with lots of fresh vegetables and salad stuffs (all too rare in Belize) and different dishes each meal. No choice is routinely offered, but I saw special meals being prepared for children and served at a time convenient to those families, and I am confident that any special dietary requirements or preferences would competently and willingly be provided. Supplies are brought in every few days, so the lead time to provide something quite different is never longer than that. At Thatch Caye you eat fresh food prepared freshly from fresh ingredients – nothing is pre-prepared. And of course all the food is covered by your room charge – only beers and other drinks are extra.
If diving isn’t your thing there are many opportunities for snorkelling, off one of the island beaches or by boat, and the resort has a fleet of professional-grade sea kayaks for rental by guests. The resort offers land excursions just as readily as they might be found on Ambergris Caye. They provide free transfers to the mainland for residential guests, and minivan transport thereafter. I went on one such excursion, to Caves Branch to go cave tubing, and the whole process was simpler and quicker than it would have been for a visitor to Ambergris Caye.
To visit Thatch Caye you arrange it with them beforehand, then simply fly into Dangriga airstrip. You’re collected in their minivan and taken to their boat for your nine mile boat ride, all free if you’re going to be staying there. No $35 water taxi rides, or struggling with your baggage.
While I was there a succession of privately chartered catamarans moored off the island and the occupants used the restaurant facilities on the island. Some also availed themselves of other guest services such as diving. I don’t know what they were charged but they kept coming back and seemed pretty happy with what they were getting.
So, far be it from me to discourage anyone from visiting us on the northern cayes and diving here, but if you fancy a change and a touch of real luxury at an affordable price, plus some world-class diving, give Thatch Caye a try.
