Sunrise/Sunset on Caye Caulker

One of the top activities on Caye Caulker is watching the sunrise and sunset.

Sunrise

I’d like to pretend that we are such cool people, that we purposefully got up to watch the sunrise. This was not the case. We had a tour on the mainland, and needed to catch the first water taxi of the day. We arrived to the water taxi dock to find that it wasn’t open yet. We noticed people here and there meandering to the waterfront; some carrying fancy cameras and tripods. Yuma’s Hostel, which looked like a great place to stay if you’re on a backpackers' budget, had guests lined along the balcony. 

We realized that people were up and out to watch the sunrise. Since we had time to kill, we settled down at a vacant picnic table to witness the first rays of sunlight dance across the water.  

It was an excellent way to begin what would turn out to be an amazing day. 

I’m happy that we got to experience the sunrise. We should probably plan to do it more often in our future travels.

There is something about physically watching the sun awaken that really puts the fact that you are beginning a new day, a day that is completely unique, a single day that will come and go, a day you will never have again, into perspective. 

Sunset

We experienced the sunset two ways while on Caye Caulker. 

The Fun Way

The Split is a famous spot on Caye Caulker. It has calm waters, which are perfect for swimming and snorkeling. A bar called The Lazy Lizard, 

provides an expanse of docks with perfectly placed tables, that make an ideal spot for viewing the sunset.

The Split is the happening place to be at sunset.

Prior to our trip, I read several blog posts and reviews that complained that The Split was crazy, noisy, and raucous. I’m not sure if we just happened to be there during a calmer time, or if the people writing the reviews had never accidentally stumbled into the Santa Pub Crawl in Philadelphia, but the scene at The Split seemed pretty tame to us.  People were just genuinely having a good time. There was corn-hole to play. One night there was salsa music, and a couple got up to showed off some impressive dance moves. 

Everyone was smiling, chatting, laughing, but no one appeared to be overly inebriated. There were no crazy shenanigans of any kind.

The Lazy Lizard offered half-priced sunset drinks. Of course we had to get their signature Lizard Juice. When we asked the bartender what was in it, she laughed and replied,

“Rum, rum, and rum.” 

I’m still not sure what attributed to the drink’s neon green color.

The Lazy Lizard is also the place where you can find restrooms, located in their own, separate, building. The first time I went to use the restroom I thought, this should be interesting, but I was surprised by how clean the ladies room was (Shannon said the men’s room was not quite as clean). In one of the stalls I read a note that said, “I enjoyed puking in this bathroom.” That's quite the endorsement.

For two nights in a row, Lizard Juices in hand, we had no trouble finding a couple of free spots on the dock. 

While we were hanging out on one of the nights, we saw a stingray jump out of the water. He jumped so high, there was a second or two of hang-time in the air before he fell back into the water. It was totally awesome! 

There was a nice comradery amongst the sunset watchers. 

It was a great celebration of a day well spent and a hopeful night filled with good food and good friends.

The Contemplative Way

On the backside of the island (around where Terry’s Grill is located), there are some spots where the sunset can be watched. There are no drinks, or music, there are still people there, but less of them. 

It’s a place to quietly contemplate the ending of a day as opposed to celebrating it. A place to think about if you made the most of the hours you were given, and a place to admire the artistry of nature.

We divided our time. We watched the sunset twice at The Split, and twice at the backside beach area. If you are on the island, I recommend doing both as each offers its own unique experience.