San Pedro Town

The largest of the 200-plus islands of Belize, Ambergris Caye is a twenty five-mile long island made up of three main areas – mangrove swamps, lagoons, and sand. Ambergris Caye (pronounced Am-BUR-gris or Am-BUR-grease Key) is the largest of some 200 cayes that dot the coastline of Belize. Ambergris is 25 miles long and a little over a mile wide in some places. It is located in the clear shallow waters of the Caribbean Sea just off the tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Her coastline is protected by the 190 mile long Barrier Reef, the second largest living coral reef in the world. The Barrier Reef lies about a half mile to the east of Ambergris Caye, running the entire length, with the reef and the land touching at the northeast of the island at Rocky Point.

Ambergris Caye is the name of Belize’s largest island. In Mayan times, Ambergris Caye was a trading post. The Marco Gonzalez ruins at the southern tip of the caye and the Basil Jones site to the north, give evidence to a former Maya population of 10,000. The narrow channel that separates Mexico and Belize was dug by the Maya to provide a trade route from the bay of Chetumal to the Caribbean. Following the Maya came the whalers and buccaneers and the ancestors of present day residents who were fishermen and workers in the coconut plantations. In present day, Ambergris Caye depends on tourism.

San Pedro Town is not the only inhabited area on the island. The atmosphere is that of a small bustling fishing village. The town is clustered with wooden homes; some with Mexican decor, others Caribbean, and some still remain with the English colonial architecture. Gift shops, boutiques, bars, cafes, and restaurants adorn Front And Middle streets (now named Barrier Reef Drive/Pescador Drive).

While taking a short walk through town, you will feel the friendliness of the people and enjoy their daily lifestyle. Barefoot, t-shirts, and shorts is the typical island dress code. We invite you to stay with us at the Blue Tang Inn to experience this wonderful, unique culture!