Finding My Happy Place in Tobacco Caye, Belize

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Updated: 3/30/23

If you find yourself needing a tropical escape during those cold winter months, Tobacco Caye is the perfect island. I’ve made it my mission to escape winter as much as possible. After rewarding myself upon finishing grad school with a trip to Panama, I’ve created a new winter tradition for myself. 

Leaving the dreary, cold winter weather and landing in warm, tropical Belize brought me back to life.  After spending a couple days in Caye Caulker scuba diving, I met my family in Tobacco Caye—the highlight of my Belize trip and a place I will return to the next time I need to unplug and unwind.

We spent four sun-filled days in Tobacco Caye, a small—only 4 acres—island off the coast of Dangriga, Belize.  There are currently only 3 small hotels on the island, one of which, Tobacco Caye paradise, offers overwater bungalows for only $90 USD per night.

Tobacco Caye Accommodations

Currently, there are only a few small hotels on Tobacco Caye. During my visit, I stayed in an overwater bungalow at Tobacco Caye Paradise.

Tobacco Caye Paradise is perfect for a budget-conscious traveler with comfortable but basic amenities.  

The hotel is very environmentally conscious.  Water tanks collect rain water so there isn’t hot water, but I found taking a shower in late afternoon was warmer given the tanks got some heat from the sunlight.  Electricity is solar-powered with back-up generators at night.   The staff asks that you kindly conserve the electricity at night to prevent a blackout.  

There were no restaurants on the island, but there’s no need as food is provided by your accommodations. At Tobacco Caye Paradise, meals were served three times a day: breakfast at eight, lunch at noon, and dinner at six.  Meals are served family style, like a buffet, and feature traditional Belizean dishes.  My favorite was the conch soup!  

Things to Do in Tobacco Caye

As far as things to do, relaxation is number one.  The sand, sun and sea are the featured attractions.  Snorkeling equipment, as well as kayaks and paddle boards, are available to rent.  We saw many string rays, eagle rays, coral and fish just snorkeling off the shore of the island.  

There is one dive shop on the island located at Reef’s End Lodge.  The weather made the waves a little choppy while I was there so my dives were close to shore, but I still had a great time seeing the tropical fish and coral.   It all looked so magical swaying in the current, like an enchanted forest. 

There are a couple little bars on the island, but things shut down pretty early in the evening—no wild parties here!  It’s the perfect spot to cool off with a nice cold Belikin and lay on the deck on a sunny afternoon. 

Weather in Tobacco Caye

Belize is a tropical country with temperatures being consistently warm throughout the year. Temperatures range from the high 70s to 80s Fahrenheit.

The best time to visit Belize and Tobacco Caye is during the dry season which ranges from January to May. During this time you will have consistently warm, sunny days.

The rainy season falls between June and December, though you will likely only see a few afternoon showers from June to August. The months of September and October are the wettest.

How to get to Tobacco Caye: 

To get to Tobacco Caye you’ll first need to make your way to Dangriga.

The fastest way to get to Dangriga from Belize City is by a Tropic Air flight. The flight was pretty exciting in its own right being the first time I’d ever been in such a small plane before. The flight was about 15 minutes.  You could also take a bus from Belize City to Dangriga. The bus trip takes approximately 3.5-4 hours.

Dangriga to Tobacco Caye

Tobacco Caye is located approximately one hour by boat from Dangriga. The boat dock is located across the street from Riverside Cafe. To make arrangements with a boat captain, contact your hotel.

Unless you’ve made previous arrangements with a boat captain, the boats generally run from Dangriga to Tobacco Caye from morning through noon.  If you arrive later you may need to spend the night in Dangriga or Hopkins. 

Caye Caulker to Tobacco Caye

To get from Caye Caulker to Tobacco Caye you will first need to make your way to Belize City.

Ferries run from Caye Caulker to Belize City 6 times a day. From Belize City, you’ll need to travel to Dangriga. You can do this by taking a 15 minute Tropic Flight or a 3.5-4 hour bus ride. From Dangriga, you’ll catch a water taxi to Tobacco Caye.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to relax and get off the grid, Tobacco Caye is the perfect place.  Even though our accommodations were fully booked, we didn’t run into that many people.  It almost feels like you’re on a private island.  I would have never thought that I would have booked an all-inclusive type of trip for myself, but Tobacco Caye Paradise was the perfect all-inclusive for the non-all-inclusive traveler.  It had a similar vibe to my San Blas trip last year in Panama in that food, accommodations, and activities were all in one place, but in a back-to-basics, off-the-grid type setting.