I’m trying to plan an escape for the last three weeks in November and first week in December. The plan I am working on is a diving trip where I leave from Denver, CO fly to Belize, spend about a week or so on Ambergris Caye and/or Caye Caulker. Then I was thinking about taking off from Belize and heading for Cuba, spend a week or so there, then moving on to the Bahamas, finish up there and travel back to Florida and on to Denver. I have many questions about:
1) Getting from Belize to Cuba, then to the Bahamas and home from here the cheapest way possible (Ferry/Boat/Plane)? I plan on bringing my dive gear and camera housing, which may make planes more restrictive for me.
2) Cheapest accommodations and diving on the Cayes off of Belize, best budget diving and accommodations in Cuba, and best island(s)/accommodations & diving in the Bahamas, again budget as possible? And
3) If this itinerary is not realistic, then where and what of these three places should I go to and spend most of my time diving at or is there some other plan that is more realistic? My main focus will be on the diving, but I want to have some fun on dry land also that doesn’t entail lying on the beach every day for a month.
Hi Jerry,
You can fly from Cancun to Cuba, but not from Belize.
If you are on a budget, don't even go to Ambergris Caye. Caye Caulker is much cheaper accommodations, and you can dive same sites from there.
Divers Down got the biggest boat and you want that for long boat trip to Blue Hole and the Elbow.
For Cuba, Santa Lucia is really good for bull sharks. There are resorts right on the beach there. Also check out Jardines de la Reina, it more $ but worth evvery penny.
Boris
Regarding Belize, as Boris says, Caye Caulker is much cheaper than Ambergris. The diving in Belize is fantastic but it's expensive ($160US? for 3 dives).
If you can only fly to Cuba from Cancun, you can go by land from Belize to Cancun, although you'll probably have to burn at least a day somewhere. I've done it before by bus but I don't remember the specifics, in other words it was easy and uneventful. If you check the other boards for land travel from Belize to Cancun, someone will have specifics.
Other things you can do in Belize is go to San Ignacio and go caving, tubing, horseback riding, etc. There are a lot of outdoor activities there; I didn't like the town that much though.
San Ignacio
On the way from Belize to Cancun, you could stop in Cozumel, which is another diver hotspot. I don't think it's cheap but the diving is relatively cheap for the region, and Cozy has the best water clearity. If you haven't been to Cozy as a diver, you should really consider it if you are passing by.
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