This post will share everything you need to know about visiting Tobacco Caye, an affordable, remote tropical island on the Belize Barrier Reef. We’ll share travel logistics like how to get there, where to stay and what to do on this slice of undiscovered paradise!
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Why visit Tobacco Caye?
The Caribbean Sea off the coast of Belize is full of hundreds of islands, or cayes as they are known locally.
Some are large and developed, like Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye. Others are small, housing ultra-luxury resorts that would set you back hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars a night.
Then there is Tobacco Caye. The perfect balance, right in the middle of the spectrum.
Tobacco Caye is just 120 metres (400 ft) long and 60 metres (200 ft) wide, easily satisfying the ‘deserted tropical island’ criteria and fulfilling the Castaway vibe!
It houses a handful of rustic but comfortable accommodations, that allow you to have the private island experience without the price tag. It’s not luxury, but you don’t need it when you have the Belize Barrier Reef on your doorstep, palm trees swaying overhead and golden sunrises and sunsets to enjoy.
Tobacco Caye is the ultimate island destination for those looking to get off the beaten path in Belize and enjoy an idyllic tropical paradise without the high price tag.
It was a highlight of our time in Belize and I still day dream about our blissful time on this tiny little island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea!
Tobacco Caye quick facts
- 🛥️ How to get there – a 30 – 45 minute boat road from the city of Dangriga in central Belize. Your accommodation will help you organise transport to and from the island.
- 🛏️ How long to stay – we stayed on the island for three nights and we wouldn’t have wanted to do any less. Although it doesn’t seem like there is much to do, you quickly fall into the slow pace of life, and the days pass very quickly. If you’re eager to relax, and you have the time, I would say 4 – 5 nights is the ideal time on the island.
- 🗓️ Best time to visit – is during the dry season, which is typically December – May. Of course, being the tropics it can rain anytime, but if you visit during these months you should avoid any ongoing rain or hurricanes.
Tobacco Caye map
Tobacco Caye is located 16 kilometres (10 mi) off the coast of Dangriga.
It is one of just a handful of cayes that sit directly on the Belize Barrier Reef. As you can see from the photo above, there is a rocky barrier sheltering the island from the reef, with an inner channel of water.
At just over three acres in size, this tiny egg-shaped caye houses a permanent population of only 30 people! Tobacco Caye is inside the Southwater Caye Marine Reserve, spanning over 100,000 acres of protected marine area.
Where to stay on Tobacco Caye
I usually start my travel guides with things to do and leave accommodation options until the end. But in Tobacco Caye, where you stay is the most important element. Given the size of the island, your accommodation is also your restaurant, your activities centre and your transport!
Because Tobacco Caye is part of the protected Southwater Caye Marine Reserve, all guests are required to pay a national park fee. The fee is $10 BZD / $5 USD per day or $30 BZD / $15 USD for a week. These fees may be included in your accommodation rate, if not, you may be required to pre-pay in advance or pay a ranger when you’re on the island. A small price to pay to protect paradise! Confirm payment details with your accommodation.
Tobacco Caye Paradise
Tobacco Caye Paradise is the place to stay on Tobacco Caye. It’s where we stayed and we can’t recommend it more highly! It’s the only accommodation option with a significant number of overwater bungalows. These rainbow cabins jutting out over the blue Caribbean Sea are something seriously special.
There are just six overwater bungalows available, so you don’t want to leave this one too late to book. Some bungalows are one bedroom, others are two bedrooms with a double bed in one room and two singles in the other.
Each has a private bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower. Showers are cold, but the pressure is strong and if you time your rinse-off accordingly you’ll be thankful for the refreshing cool-off.
By far the best part of the bungalows is the balcony, floating over the sea. All balconies have a table and chairs, and a hammock strung up. Some of the cabins share a balcony with a partition between them, while others are completely stand-alone.
You’ll spend a lot of time on your balcony! We spent hours swinging in our hammock, reading books and watching Spotted Eagle Rays and giant Caribbean Stingrays glide past in the shallows.
In addition to the overwater cabins, Tobacco Caye Paradise has a handful of other rooms set back from the water, in a shared building. When I say back from the water, it’s no more than 10 steps from your door to the water, so the rooms are not a bad substitute if you can’t get a bungalow!
These budget-friendly rooms share a bathroom and offer a cheaper alternative if the overwater cabañas are too pricey for your budget. I would still 100% recommend a stay at Tobacco Caye Paradise, even in these rooms.
For families or larger groups, there is a two-bedroom family studio located on the second floor of the dining building. It has a private bathroom and enjoys views over the rainbow bungalows to the sea.
There is a large open communal area filled with palm trees, hammocks, tables and chairs. Even if you’re not staying in the bungalows, there are plenty of beautiful places to hang out and relax.
Check current rates for Tobacco Caye Paradise here
ISLAND LIVING 🏝️
There’s no doubt Tobacco Caye is a slice of idyllic paradise. But don’t forget this is a very small, very remote caye that doesn’t have all the luxuries of the mainland.
Most accommodations will have Wi-Fi, usually for a fee, but don’t expect it to work well (or at all). We had a local SIM card with Digi and the reception was mostly good. If you need to stay connected, get a SIM in advance.
The electricity used to turn off on the island during the day, but as of 2024, most accommodations have power on 24/7. Solar panels provide enough energy throughout the day, and a generator is used in the mornings and evenings to substitute. The power occasionally flicked on and off during the night, but this wasn’t a problem for us.
There is no air conditioning, but the breeze coming off the reef and the way the rooms are designed will keep you cool. We had a pedestal fan in our room at Tobacco Caye Paradise but it wasn’t really necessary.
Our showers were cold, but the pressure was good. Toilets were as per usual (a vast improvement from our time sailing and camping through other remote cayes!).
Other accommodation options
We’re biased, but the overwater bungalows at Tobacco Caye Paradise are just too dreamy to beat! But there are a handful of other very nice accommodation options on Tobacco Caye.
- 🏝️ Windward Lodge: the largest option on the island, spanning both the east and west coast. They don’t have any overwater bungalows, instead, they have a set of beachfront cabins with balconies and hammocks overlooking the ocean. There are a number of other budget rooms in the main building. Their Sunset Bar is a fantastic spot to hang out, whether you’re a guest here or not.
- 🏝️ Reef’s End Lodge – situated at the southern end of the island, Reef’s End Lodge looked absolutely lovely. They only have one special overwater bungalow, but they do have cabins set right on a sandy beach. They also have ocean-view rooms in a shared building behind the cabins. Their restaurant area is gorgeous, and they have a nice dock with a palapa to hang out on.
- 🏝️ Joe Jo’s By The Reef – tucked away on the eastern side of the island, if you’re not staying there you probably won’t have any reason to pass by it. They have one special overwater bungalow, ‘the honeymoon suite’, in addition to a number of standalone cabins, some set on the beach, some behind. They have a large building that comprises more affordable rooms on the lower level, and two larger ocean-view suites on the top floor.
Costs vary depending on accommodation and season. Some of the accommodation options offer an all-inclusive price with meals, while others separate the costs. Expect to pay anywhere from around $25 USD per person, all the way up to $60 USD per person for accommodation only.
Eating and drinking on Tobacco Caye
Forget having a range of restaurants, cafes and bars to choose from like you do in Caye Caulker. One of the unique things about Tobacco Caye is that there are no restaurants! Let me explain how and what you will eat on the island.
MANDATORY MEAL PLANS
Unsurprisingly due to its size, there are no restaurants on Tobacco Caye. Instead, each accommodation requires you to purchase a mandatory meal plan. Depending on where you are staying, this plan ranges from $40 – $50 USD per person per day.
I think it works in a similar way no matter which accommodation you’re in, but I can detail our experience at Tobacco Caye Paradise.
We had three meals a day included, which were served family-style in the dining room. We were asked on arrival if we had any dietary requirements, and the chef could cater to whatever you need.
Guests are called for mealtime with a conch shell (tropical island vibes at their finest!). We could hear that other accommodations had different signals, so we always knew the conch shell was for us!
The kitchen dished up all the food on a bench in the dining room, and we all lined up and served ourselves. It was delicious, home-cooked food and felt like we were eating at somebody’s house. All the guests sat and ate together, which was a lovely vibe, and we had some great chats with other travellers from all over the world.
Breakfast was served around 8 am each day, with coffee and tea available earlier from around 6:30 am. The meals were different every day, but some of the things we had over our three mornings were fry jacks with eggs, bacon, beans and cheese, French toast and always a side of fruit.
Lunch was around 12:30 pm, and was a pretty substantial meal. We had things like quesadillas, salads, baked chicken, rice, roast vegetables, fish, always with fruit and a dessert.
Dinner was usually served between 6:30 – 7:00 pm. We had some delicious options, with plenty of flavoursome chicken, fish, pasta, salads, potatoes and veggies. As with lunch, there was always a dessert option.
For drinks, there was coffee and tea available in the mornings, and on request throughout the day. There was filtered water and a range of concentrated juices you could mix up yourself at any time. At mealtime, there was usually freshly squeezed juice served too.
We wondered before arriving if we should have come prepared with some snacks between meals, but we weren’t hungry at all. All three meals are big and very filling and we ate nothing between.
You can definitely bring some non-perishable snacks with you though if you think you might be hungry. The office at Tobacco Caye Paradise also sells basic snacks like chips and biscuits.
OTHER FOOD OPTIONS
The restaurant at Reef’s End Lodge is the only other place where you can order snacks if you’re not a guest. They offer things like ceviche, seafood fritters, chips and salsa, and fries from 2 – 5:30 pm. All are priced in USD and it wasn’t overly cheap, but considering the location, it wasn’t too bad.
It is possible to go and dine there for meals, but you wouldn’t need to, as meal plans are mandatory for all accommodations.
DRINKING SPOTS
Food options are minimal, but there are two places on the island where you can get a drink!
The Sunset Bar at Winward Lodge is a great option, opening each day from around 2 pm – 9 pm. They serve drinks only, with a big beautiful bar stocked with all kinds of spirits and mixers. The cocktails were good, and pretty reasonably priced at around $15 – $30 BZD. As the name suggests, this is a great spot to watch the sunset.
The other option is the Reef’s End Bar and Restaurant at Reef’s End Lodge which I mentioned earlier. The drinks were substantially more expensive here, but it is still a nice spot to check out. You can see the sunset from here too, but it is partially obstructed. The bar is open to non-guests from around midday.
Things to do on Tobacco Caye
Despite its size, there is plenty to do on and around Tobacco Caye. We didn’t even do half the activities on offer, as we were enjoying relaxing so much!
Explore the island
It will take you all of five minutes, but it’s worth going for a wander around the tiny island when you arrive.
At first, it can be a bit confusing about where you can walk, and where is private property. There is a pretty clear path that runs from north to south, and you can walk out onto all the piers. You’ll see signs indicating private areas in resorts, and try not to go in the backyards of the local’s houses. But everyone is pretty chill!
Be sure to stop by the Tobacco Caye Marine Station. These guys are a not-for-profit organisation doing amazing research and work on the reef. They host study abroad groups of high school and university students, teaching them about marine biology and conservation.
When they don’t have a group visiting, they run plastic clean-ups, lionfish culling and reef monitoring. They’re lovely people to chat with and it’s very interesting to learn more about their work. If you want to support them, they have a little shop where you can buy t-shirts, stickers and handmade art.
Go swimming
Despite being a tropical island, there aren’t actually any sandy beaches on Tobacco Caye. But that doesn’t mean you can’t swim!
The area in front of the bungalows at Tobacco Caye Paradise is a great spot for a dip. There is a very small sliver of sand where you can walk into the water, or you can jump off the dock if the tide is right.
There are two other docks on the western side of the island. A small one near Windward Lodge, and a longer one further south. You can jump in and swim around both these docks, and there are stairs to climb out again.
Snorkelling
One of the best things to do in Tobacco Caye is to go snorkelling. The caye is right on the Belize Barrier Reef, so within a few minutes of entering the water, you’re amongst tons of life.
It’s not possible to go snorkeling in Caye Caulker from the beach, so this was a refreshing change.
Your accommodation will either include snorkel gear in their package or rent it out for a small fee. When we visited Tobacco Caye Paradise, they charged a flat $20 USD fee for a set with a mask, snorkel and fins for your entire stay.
The main snorkel entry point is located within Reef’s End Lodge, here. You’ll see signs directing you to a set of stairs leading into the water of the inner channel. Just a short swim around the tip of the rocky barrier will have you on the reef.
Depending on the weather, the visibility can be a little hazy as there are some waves where the open ocean crashes into the reef. But we saw a huge range of fish, more than anywhere else in Belize!
If you want a chance to snorkel with some of the rays that you see gliding around from above the water, jump in at Tobacco Caye Paradise. This area is shallower, with more seagrass so you won’t see the same diversity of corals and fish. But seeing the huge gentle rays seemingly fly by is pretty special.
We saw the same Spotted Eagle Ray over and over again, from in and out of the water. He was huge and looked quite old, so he was very relaxed in the water when we were snorkelling near him. I think he has been a long-time resident of Tobacco Caye!
If you want to up the snorkelling experience, Tobacco Caye Paradise (and presumably other accommodation options), offers tours out on the boat. You will visit different parts of the reef inaccessible from the island, ranging from local spots to more distant areas in the Southwater Caye Marine Reserve. Cost and duration depend on the snorkel site and how many other passengers are on the boat. Local snorkel tours start from $45 USD per person.
Tobacco Caye Paradise also offers the chance to take a night snorkelling tour. Jumping into the water in the dark is a really unique experience, and there is a huge contrast in marine life compared to during the day. Different critters are active and hunting at night, and you’ve got a great chance of seeing lobsters, eels and octopuses. The cost of the night snorkel tour depends on the number of people, but expect around $35 USD per person.
Kayak or stand-up paddleboard
Tobacco Caye Paradise, and most of the other accommodations, offer stand-up paddleboards and/or kayaks for guests to use. If this isn’t included in your room package, the cost to rent both kayaks and paddleboards at Tobacco Caye Paradise was $35 USD per day, or $10 USD per hour when we visited.
Although kayaking all the way around the island sounds difficult, in reality, it’s likely to take you less than 20 minutes! Be sure to stick inside the barrier of the island, and don’t venture out into the reef (oops!). We mucked that one up and had to backtrack against some rough waves crashing over the reef.
We stuck to the area around Tobacco Caye Paradise with the stand-up paddleboards. It was so fun just to get a different perspective of the island from the water, and look down on fish and rays swimming past in the clear water. The current and waves around there are very calm as it is sheltered from the reef by the rocky barrier.
Scuba diving
There are a number of different dive sites around Tobacco Caye. Tobacco Caye Paradise and Reef’s End Lodge are certified PADI dive operators and can organise both certified dives and Discover Scuba dives for first-time divers.
There are three major sites you can choose to dive into. Local dives around Tobacco Caye are obviously the cheapest, and closest, and you will spend your surface time back on the island. Tobacco Caye is at the northern end of the Southwater Marine Reserve, and there is the opportunity for some deep dives, being right on the edge of the reef. There is also the opportunity to do a local night dive.
A little further afield is Southwater Caye, located at the southern end of the Southwater Caye Marine Reserve. Surface time is spent on the resort island of Southwater Caye, and the area offers some fantastic wall diving.
The less visited and more remote Glovers Atoll is worth the 38 kilometre (24 mi) boat trip from Tobacco Caye. Glovers is the furthest atoll from the popular destinations of Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker and Belize City, so it is relatively untouched. Expect to find some pristine reefs in this protected marine reserve, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The cost for dives is pretty reasonable in comparison to operators on Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye. Prices depend on the site, and gear rental is not included. Expect around $50 USD per day to rent all your gear, with two tank dives ranging from $110 to $235 USD as you increase in distance from Tobacco Caye.
Sunset drinks
As mentioned, there are two bars on the island to grab a drink. This was the perfect way to end the day, watching the sunset with a drink in hand before we heard the conch shell, calling us to a delicious dinner.
Bring a book or some cards, enjoy the music no doubt blasting from the speakers and watch the sky glow up! And don’t forget to give the friendly island dogs a scratch. Spike at Windward Lodge is a cutie!
Relax in a hammock
This is a very important activity on Tobacco Caye! You are going to spend a lot of time swinging in a hammock. Whether that be on the balcony of your overwater bungalow at Tobacco Caye Paradise, under a palm tree in the sand, or on a dock overlooking the water.
Be sure to set aside plenty of time to RELAX. It’s the beauty of Tobacco Caye.
If you didn’t come prepared with a book, Tobacco Caye Paradise has a shelf full of them in their dining room. There are also plenty of games to keep you occupied in the evenings.
How to get to Tobacco Caye
To get to Tobacco Caye, you first need to get to the small city of Dangriga in central Belize. It is well connected to other destinations around the country by bus or car.
If you are coming from Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker, you first need to get back to Belize City and travel overland from there.
This is a rough estimate of travel times:
- Belize City – 2 hours
- San Ignacio – 2 hours
- Belmopan – 1.5 hours
- Hopkins – 0.5 hours
- Placencia – 1 hour
There are also flights to Dangriga, but it is such a short drive, I’d encourage you to opt for a bus or car as a more sustainable option.
Once you’re in Dangriga, you need to take a boat for about 30 – 45 minutes to Tobacco Caye.
The bumpiness of the ride totally depends on the weather, but we had a very smooth and quick ride. You’ll be in a motorised skiff-style boat.
There is no regular ferry service to Tobacco Caye as there is for more popular islands like Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker. You won’t find a schedule or timetable.
Instead, your accommodation will help you organise boat transport. They try to coordinate guests and collaborate with other resorts and locals to share boat transfers.
Usually, a boat departs from Dangriga before lunchtime, and one returns from the island in the morning, but it totally depends on the needs of the guests and island staff.
Your accommodation will let you know in advance what time a boat is departing from Dangriga on your arrival date, and when one is set to leave on your departure date.
Our best advice is to remain flexible on your arrival and departure time to and from Dangriga, and not have a flight to catch immediately after your visit, as boat schedules change frequently.
If you are joining a scheduled boat with your accommodation, you can expect to pay around $35 USD per person.
If you do need to charter a boat for a specific time, this will be approximately $150 USD for up to 4 passengers. If you schedule a boat for a specific time, and Tobacco Caye Paradise is then able to arrange for other guests to join, they will revert the charter to a standard shared boat and refund the difference.
We actually arrived on Tobacco Caye by boat, being dropped off on the final day of our Ragga Sailing Adventures tour where we sailed for three days from Caye Caulker to Dangriga.
On our return to Dangriga, we picked up a rental car and headed to the Hummingbird Highway, approximately 45 minutes from the dock in Dangriga.
Our route to and from Tobacco Caye was a bit unusual, but it worked perfectly for us and we highly recommend following our Belize itinerary.
Tobacco Caye Belize: Worth it?
We adored our stay on Tobacco Caye and I’m so glad I stumbled across this hidden gem online when planning our time in Belize.
Tobacco Caye is the perfect off-beat tropical hideaway, with enough comforts to enjoy a few days of bliss, without the price tag.
Have you ever stayed in an overwater bungalow? This has to be one of the cheapest places in the world to do it!
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