San Pedro, Belize

A great family vacation!

San Pedro is a town on the Ambergris Caye in the northeastern part of Belize.  It is a tropical paradise that can accommodate someone who wants to be active, or someone who simply wants to kick back on the beach with a cold drink. 

The adventure happens immediately as one needs to decide how they want to get to San Pedro.  International flights land at the Phillip S.W. Goldson Airport outside of Belize City.  There are two options to get to San Pedro from Belize City: by air or by water.  There are two regional airlines with multiple flights to San Pedro.  The planes are small (twelve seaters) and the flight takes approximately 20-30 minutes.  There is a ferry that runs from Belize City to San Pedro (with a stop at Caye Caulker), and takes about an hour and a half. 

Once you get to San Pedro, the transportation adventure continues.  With the exception of work trucks, taxis, and service vehicles, there are no cars in San Pedro.  How do the locals get around?  Golf Carts!  There are multiple outlets that rent golf carts and they have many options available (four seaters and six seaters).  All of the streets and parking spaces are made to accommodate golf carts, so it is a very safe (and fun) way to get around.   

There is a vibrant shopping scene in San Pedro.  Chocolate and coffee are very popular, as both are grown in Latin America.  There is a tremendous art scene in San Pedro, which includes artists selling their work, galleries, and museums.  There are rum and cigar stores, as well as a lively flea market. 

San Pedro is a paradise for those who enjoy the water.  There are many dive shops that cater to both snorkelers and scuba divers.  The Hol Chan Marine Reserve is a protected area just off of the coast that has an abundance of marine life.  As it is a marine preserve, one must take a guided trip.  On the trip you will see colorful fish, sea grass and other plant life, and, if you’re lucky, manatees!  The guided trip usually includes a viewing of nurse sharks (they want absolutely nothing to do with humans) and usually a feeding frenzy with fish remnants.  The Hol Chan Marine Reserve also protects a portion of the Belize Barrier Reef, which is the second largest barrier reef in the world (second only to the Great Barrier Reef off of the coast of Australia).   

If you want to go further away from shore a popular spot for divers is the Great Blue Hole.  This is a limestone formation that was a series of caves before the end of the last ice age.  With rising sea levels, the top collapsed and filled with water.  Jacques Cousteau named it one of the top five diving destinations in the world, and it is a UNESCO heritage site.  If you aren’t a diver, but want to get out on the Caribbean Sea, fishing trips are also popular.  It is said that if you don’t know how to fish, you aren’t a true San Pedrano. 

San Pedro faces east toward the Caribbean Sea.  On the west side of the Caye is a place called Secret Beach.  The waters on the western side are bright blue and incredibly clear.  Secret Beach has bars and restaurants that has tables out in the water.  You can sit at a table and eat and drink while the fish swim around your feet and legs.  They also have a water park and amusement park for the kids.  To get to Secret Beach it is about a seven-mile drive from San Pedro.  As you will be riding in a golf cart, it is a 45 minute to one hour drive, but well worth it! 

San Pedro has many, many resorts so if your goal is to simply chill on the beach, that is absolutely an option!  San Pedro is truly a destination for anything from relaxing to an active vacation.