St. George's Caye

St George's Caye was the settlement's capital before Belize City, occupied by the logwood cutters from the seventeenth century, and it was where the naval engagement of 1798 was fought that settled British control of the coast, still marked as a national holiday every 10 September. The caye is now largely private holiday houses with a small resort and an old cemetery holding graves from the settlement's earliest years.

Background

Spanish speakers call the island Cayo San Jorge, and earlier Spaniards knew it as "Cayo Cocina", or "Kitchen Cay". It lies eight miles east of Belize City, out in the Caribbean Sea, within the Belize District, and its village shares the island's name. A town was settled here in 1650, and through the 17th and 18th centuries it was the largest settlement in the territory, until the growth of Belize City overshadowed it. By 2000 only about 20 people lived on the caye year round. Besides several private homes, it holds St. George's Caye Resort, where activities centre on diving, sailing and snorkeling.

Source: Wikipedia, "St. George's Caye"

Highlights

• The old cemetery - graves from the settlement's first decades.
• The 1798 site - the water off the caye where the engagement was fought.
• The holiday houses - a caye of private wooden houses on stilts.
• The channel - the cut between the caye and the reef, used by the settlers' ships.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and the calmest for the crossing. Around 10 September the national holiday brings events. Boats are charter rather than scheduled.

Practical notes

Most of the caye is private property and there is no public beach to speak of. There is little to see beyond the cemetery. Access requires a charter and there is no regular service.

Nearby

Belize City is southwest, and Goff's Caye is south on the reef.

Key facts