7 Ridiculously Fun Things to Do in San Pedro, Belize

Last Updated on: 18th March 2023, 11:06 pm

Last month, I went to San Pedro, Belize, and met up with three of my best friends for an awesome girls’ vacation. We ate delicious food. We drank fruity, blended things. We flirted with beautiful men.

All in all, it was exactly what a girls’ vacation should be. Plus hammocks! And while I went there with the explicit purpose of having a pure fly-and-flop vacation, I was surprised to see how many awesome things to do in San Pedro, Belize there are!

Read next: What to Pack for Belize

There are so many Awesome Things to Do in San Pedro, Belize

From snorkeling to scuba diving, to eating local chocolate while staring at the perfect crystal waves, here are my favorite things to do in San Pedro.

Read:  The Ultimate Belize Packing List: What to Wear & What to Pack for Belize

San Pedro, an Introduction

You will fall in love with San Pedro. Everyone does.

The city is located on the island of Ambergris Caye. This, along with Caye Caulker, are the two islands you hear about most frequently on travel blogs. This advice pretty much sums up my experience as well:

If you’re new to the island, leave about two thirds of your clothing at home, bring swim suits, sun block, sandals, and a hat. I struggled hard to find a single evening I could wear long pants in an entire two week stay.

This is one very relaxed place. Most people step off the plane, and struggle for about three days to slow down. It’s hot and fragrant and moist, the wind is cooling, and, well, things just don’t seem so urgent.

How to Get to San Pedro

We flew into Belize City, took a cab to the Water Taxis, and the Water Taxi to the island. This is a pretty common way to get there. There is a small airport on the island, so you can fly in directly if you choose. Prepare for it to take longer than you expect.

Read: Belize City to San Pedro: How to Get from the Airport to Ambergris Caye & Back

Things to Do on Ambergris Caye

There’s a lot to do in a town like San Pedro, and you can’t get to all of it in a week. Here are the seven things we did that were my absolute favorite, but just know you can’t go wrong once you’re there. Slow down, relax, and make time for some fun. There are no rules about how to have the best time in a place like this.

There are a few things that are outside of the city on the island, so you should note where you need transportation. I’m including these here because they are can’t miss if you’re going to this part of Belize.

Walking the Beach Path & Going for a Swim

The town is longer than it is wide because of the geography of the island. There’s a beautiful path that’s lined with the Caribbean on one side and hotels and businesses on the other. There’s the occasional bar, but not as many as you might expect (so plop down once you see one you like).

There are a few spots along here that are good for a swim. Even if you’re not planning on going into the water though, walking the path is a beautiful way to spend some time while you’re in town.

Tooling around on a Golf Cart

Not an activity per se (although they list it as one here), just a good mode of transportation. San Pedro is small and there aren’t tons of cars. Tourists and locals tend to hop around on golf carts. We rented one for 5 days for $200, which for us was $10 per person per day.

You can walk San Pedro without one (though I wouldn’t be too late at night) and there are a good amount of cabs, so it’s not an absolute necessity. But it was awesome to have for convenience. More than that though, it was super fun!

I mean, isn’t it every little kid’s dream that their parents let them drive around in a golf cart? It was for me. We rented ours from a local company called Avis (but not THAT Avis), and we got rates way lower than the published ones by asking. San Pedro isn’t super-haggley, but you can always ask for a better deal.

Hanging out at Secret Beach 

Question: How NOT a secret is Secret Beach?

Answer: There’s a taco truck. DJed tunes. A restaurant. A palapa. A second pier. Bathrooms. Wifi. And multiple signs pointing to its location.

But it’s still awesome. So awesome, we went back a second time.

Getting there is kind of a chore, which is why it’s kept its name. So even though everyone around you knows all about it, its remoteness keeps it more chill. Especially on weekdays during the off-season. A cab out there is about $50 each way, which is another handy reason to have a golf cart around, at least for a day or so.

Read Next: How to Visit Secret Beach

When you get there, you’ll have the aforementioned amenities, although you won’t see much civilization on the way. You’ll also have crystal-clear blue water that’s standing depth for a long way out with views of mangrove islands in the distance.

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving on Ambergris Caye

I wrote about my experience snorkeling with the Pro Dive Center for this piece on the Belize Barrier Reef System. This was an activity we added on the tail end of the last day, but in a lot of ways, it made the trip.

There are tons of other water adventure activities available as well. If that’s your thing, Belize can make it happen. From scuba diving to parasailing, San Pedro has every kind of aquatic adventure you might want.

This is one of the reasons you’ll want to bring an underwater camera with you to Belize. You can check out some models here.

Read: Snorkeling the Belize Barrier Reef System at Hol Chan

Trying Delicious Things at the Belize Chocolate Company

Local chocolate. Turned into a milkshake. Drank while staring at the Caribbean. There’s literally nothing about that situation that isn’t perfection.

The Best Thing to Do in San Pedro at Night: Relaxing at the Beach Bars

San Pedro is a quiet town, so finding something exciting to do in the evening isn’t the easiest thing in the world. However, my favorite thing to do in San Pedro at night is to mozy over to one of the beach bars.

Up and down the island, several chill beach bars have good tunes, incredibly nice bartenders, and delicious (if a little pricey) fruity mixed drinks of the sort that a good vacation demands. Some also have food. We spent a lot of time at the Dive Bar because it was so close to us, and because the staff was so wonderful. We also went to Pirate’s Treasure and Wayo’s Beach Bar. None of them disappointed.

The Best Restaurants in Ambergris Caye – The local Taco/Yoga/Massage Spot of Course

The Ak’bol Yoga Retreat and Eco-Resort is a little north of town, but worth the drive! My friends went for the yoga but stayed for the tacos. And then went back. And then we all went back two more times.

In fact, it was so delicious that we probably just should have eaten most of our meals there, but we didn’t discover it until halfway through the trip. The food scene in San Pedro isn’t super advanced, but this place should be at the top of anyone’s list of where to eat in San Pedro. The guacamole alone was worth the drive.

They also have massages. And cabins to rent. And a friendly dog. And a really hot waiter, to be honest. The food here was by far our favorite we went to. I ate the fajitas for dinner with tons of guacamole. Then for breakfast, I had eggs and guac and salsa. My friends had pancakes. They had so many kinds of tacos. All four of us on the trip couldn’t stop talking about how good the food was. And less expensive than most of the other restaurants in town.

Because it’s San Pedro, you’re also eating these delicious things (or doing endurance yoga) by a pier with palm trees everywhere. Like a freaking Gaiam workout video in real life. But with tacos.

Most of the places we ate were good, not great, and more of a must-see because of the atmosphere and drinks than the actual food. However Ak’bol was truly a wonderful place to eat for the food alone, but with the added benefit of being in one of the most beautiful settings on the island.

5 Things You Must Have in Your Suitcase

I have an entire post on what to pack for Belize, but if you don’t read it, make sure to have these five things:

• Lonely Planet Belize which is available as a paper copy or in a Kindle edition.
• Mosquito Repellant is the single most important thing you’ll want on you as soon as dusk hits. Have enough to at least get through the first night.
• Full Sized Travel Towel This is the best travel towel in the world. It’s pretty enough for the beach, large enough that you forget it’s a microfibre towel, and quick-drying, which is crucial in super humid Belize.
• A Go Pro for underwater and action photography. Why go all the way to Belize and not be able to capture some of the most exciting parts of your trip?
• Travel Insurance Policy because things happen on the road. I never leave home without travel insurance. I pay for World Nomads, and I happily recommend them. It’s especially important to get travel insurance if you’re going to be doing any snorkeling or scuba diving while in Belize.

I have been a paying customer of World Nomads for travel insurance for two years, and I happily recommend them.  It’s especially important to get travel insurance if you’re going to be doing any water sports, like scuba diving, sailing, or snorkeling, or if you’re going to do anything in the jungle or visit any ancient ruins.

My Best San Pedro Travel Tips

Make sure you run through this Belize Trip Planning Checklist before you leave home.

A good hourly/ninety-minute regimen of sunscreen and bug spray (with DEET!) will go a long way. Skip this even once, and you’ll be sorry. Try to bring some with you, as these are pricey. Make sure to bring Mosquito Repellant, Sunscreen, and After Bite for mosquito bites.

Go inside at dusk. That’s the worst time for the mosquitos.

The off-season has the potential for hurricanes, but the town is a lot emptier with basically the same weather and amenities. In the off-season, there are slightly better prices.

I wasn’t trying to be too budget-conscious on this girls’ week extravaganza, but if you want to do the island on a budget, check out this great post from Eternal Arrival on how to do it as a budget destination.

The Water Taxi is not exactly like a pleasant boat ride. I had a mixed experience. On the way over was terrible and we kept hitting the water so hard it felt like cement. The way back was just crowded and a little hot.

Prices are not as low as on Caye Caulker. We cooked a lot of meals to balance the prices of the high meals out.

It’s an island, so everything is imported. If you want to save money on alcohol, bring a bottle from the Duty-Free Store or from your home supply.

You may need a day or two to adjust to the humidity and heat. Take the first day easy if this is the case. The more you can be in the water, the cooler you’ll be.

If you want to explore more of the country, check out this post on things to do in Belize.

More about Traveling to Belize

• The Ultimate Belize Packing List
• Planning a Trip to Belize: 11 Steps to the Perfect Belize Getaway
• Snorkeling at Hol Chan & Shark Ray Alley in San Pedro, Belize
• Belize City to San Pedro: How to Get from the Airport to Ambergris Caye & Back
• The Secret Beach in Belize: How to Get There & Why You Need to Go ASAP
• How to Get from Belize City to Caye Caulker
• The 17 Most Instagrammable Places in Belize

What are your best tips for traveling to San Pedro, Belize? Are you planning a trip and have questions about things to do in San Pedro? Leave any questions and tips below!

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