My gf wants to take a trip south before I start turnaround season until end of May. Looking to go for 7 days between Jan 15 to Feb 26.

Out the gate I know I want to dive Blue Hole one day and maybe another day local dives unless there are other bucket list ones I should do.

Would it be wise to split it up half the time in San Pedro and half in Caye Caulker? I know there is a lot to do on the mainland, but these are the two she wants to go to on our first trip to Belize.

Any other info and tips are appreciated!

Are you interested in other things besides diving? If you want to do a full week diving, I would stay on one of the resorts out on the atolls. Diving is way better out there.

No, not a full week of diving. Just wanted to hit BH up since I am there.

Hoyt Ag said:

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No, not a full week of diving. Just wanted to hit BH up since I am there.

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I would consider splitting between San Pedro and Placencia or Dangriga. It is a shorter trip to the Blue Hole and the northern atolls from San Pedro, but you can dive/snorkel with whale sharks at Gladden Spit near Dangriga/Placencia between March and June.

txags92 said:

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Hoyt Ag said:

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No, not a full week of diving. Just wanted to hit BH up since I am there.

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I would consider splitting between San Pedro and Placencia or Dangriga. It is a shorter trip to the Blue Hole and the northern atolls from San Pedro, but you can dive/snorkel with whale sharks at Gladden Spit near Dangriga/Placencia between March and June.

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How consistent are whale shark sightings down there? We have always gone to Isla Mujeres to swim with them, but diving in Isla isn't great.

BSD said:

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txags92 said:

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Hoyt Ag said:

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No, not a full week of diving. Just wanted to hit BH up since I am there.

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I would consider splitting between San Pedro and Placencia or Dangriga. It is a shorter trip to the Blue Hole and the northern atolls from San Pedro, but you can dive/snorkel with whale sharks at Gladden Spit near Dangriga/Placencia between March and June.

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How consistent are whale shark sightings down there? We have always gone to Isla Mujeres to swim with them, but diving in Isla isn't great.

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I haven't been there to see them personally and it was on my list to go. But from what I just read on Scuba Board, it sounds like they are no longer showing up there very reliably. They used to show up within a few days either side of the full moon, but from what one of the operators said, they haven't seen very many, if any on their trips over the last several years.

Hoyt Ag said:

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My gf wants to take a trip south before I start turnaround season until end of May. Looking to go for 7 days between Jan 15 to Feb 26.

Out the gate I know I want to dive Blue Hole one day and maybe another day local dives unless there are other bucket list ones I should do.

Would it be wise to split it up half the time in San Pedro and half in Caye Caulker? I know there is a lot to do on the mainland, but these are the two she wants to go to on our first trip to Belize.

Any other info and tips are appreciated!

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If you are on Caye Caulker or Ambergris Caye (SP), you can make a run to Turneffe Atoll, if you want to do something different. Not sure about it now but there used to be massive lion fish around Turneffe, if wrecking an invasive species with an Hawaiian sling is of any interest. The barrier reef runs all the way from south of Belize up to Mexico, and is about 1/4 mile off shore from both Caye Caulker and Ambergris. There are a LOT of options for diving.

As far as those islands are concerned, Ambergris is way more developed. Tons of hotels, resorts, condos, restaurants, shops, etc. The vibe reflects that - it is more energetic than Caye Caulker. But, it depends on what you're looking for. Caye Caulker feels off the beaten path, does not see the levels of tourism that Ambergris does, and is just more laid back.

FTR, we've been to Belize about 8 times. Most on Ambergris but Placencia once (with return trip scheduled next summer to Placencia). Placencia is a peninsula so mainland excursions are REALLY easy as compared to staying on one of the cayes and day-tripping inland. But diving is not nearly as accessible. 45 minute boat ride to dive spots versus 5-10 minutes. I will say, the diving we did out of Placencia was fantastic. Likely due to less pressure there.

We did a half jungle/half dive trip. The jungle side included a day trip into Guatemala to see Tikal which was super fun. Belize has incredible diving. You can't go wrong.

Oh yeah! Good call. We did the jungle, too. It was a lot of fun.

I also recommend Tikal. We stayed at the San Ignacio Resort just on the Belize side of the border and did a day trip. So cool! There are some Mayan ruins near town as well. The hotel can set you up with guides.

There's also a cool river float trip that goes thru a mountain cave system.

My sis has lived in CC for 7 years and my wife and her own a big bar there. Shes in town through Xmas so I am sure she could hook you up. Shes class of 90, btw. Email me your questions and I'll make sure she gets them. I am seeing her this afternoon

Most of my Belize trips are planned as a split stay between the mainland and the beach or islands. The mainland lodges are truly incredibleI'm especially partial to Hidden Valley and Blancaneux, as they're longtime client favorites.
Lately, I've been booking more stays in Placencia, but that's mostly been for repeat Belize travelers who already have a good sense of what they want to see and do. Everyone who's headed out to the Blue Hole has opted to stay on Ambergris Caye.

If it's an option where you end up, a daytime excursion to the ATM cave (Actun Tunichil Muknal) is highly recommended - definitely in the top 3 vacation excursions we've ever done.