Harvest Caye, Belize

Located in Southern Belize fairly close to the Southern Guatemalan border in a relatively sparsely populated area you will get to Harvest Caye. Harvest Caye is one of Norwegian Cruise Line’s two private islands and one of the few private islands outside of The Bahamas. Like most private islands it has a very nice beach but the things on the island are a little different than other islands partially due to Belizean laws. We have only been there once on a 5 day Norwegian cruise to Harvest Caye and Cozumel from Miami in 2022.

Island Information

The island is located pretty far South in Belize and is about 7 acres in size. Its the only private cruise island in Belize and the only cruise line private island in Central America. Central America is warm year round being fairly close to the equator so you will need to be prepared for temperatures in the 80s-90s. Being so close to the rainforest you should prepare for mosquitoes but I do not remember dealing with any bites on the island itself. Harvest Caye is the cruise port in Belize with a dock as Belize City is a tender port so you don’t have to deal with weather issues as much causing you to miss your port and its quicker to get onto the island. If you stand up on the deck the approach to the island is interesting to avoid reefs and hazards. It circles past the island down towards a port in Guatemala and then turns North to approach the dock. You get to see the mountainous and rugged jungle terrain in the area.

Country Information

Belize is located in Central America and has a warm tropical climate. Rain is pretty common in the country so it is something to be prepared for. We have encountered rain each time we have been to Belize (3 separate times). Belize is a former British Colony that was once called British Honduras. Its the only country in Central America that is English Speaking. The currency is the Belizean Dollar that when I was there was worth half a US Dollar. Its a small country with a population of around 500,000 people. Its largest city is Belize City that is farther North from Harvest Caye. The capital is the small city of Belmopan. The country has a lot of rainforest and is mountainous in areas. Its a developing country so the roads and infrastructure is not what you might be used to in the US. There is a decent amount of crime especially in Belize City so if you find yourself in that area take some precautions and be aware. Belize is home to the second largest barrier reef in the world and is a hotspot for water sports. It is also home to many ancient Mayan Cities throughout the country. Some product you might want to try in Belize is their beer (Belikin) and their hot sauce (Marie Sharp’s) is really good. The local food is great including the Carne Asado and fried Plantains.

Amenities on the Island

Harvest Caye has a lot of nice activities for its cruise guests. There is a nice and long beach with plenty of lounge beach chairs you can relax on. They have a zip line that goes from a built lighthouse. There are plenty of shops from the locals and we got some Belizean hot sauce from a company that came all the way from Belize City to sell products on the island. They are more than willing to take US dollars and some might have credit card available for payment. For food on the island Norwegian has an agreement with Belize to make sure they do not provide food and that if you want food on the island you will need to buy it from a local restaurant on the island. This gives the locals in the area a chance to make a little money. I always try to help the locals on my travels so it can be impactful for them as well. One of the most unique things on the island to me is they have a small nature trail/zoo that has a few different tropical birds, a butterfly habitat and some other animals. They have some great shore excursions that include snorkeling in the reefs, Mayan Ruins and excursions like we took that we went up the Monkey River into the jungle and did a hike. Its a nice island to visit on a cruise to Central America and the Yucatan.

What we thought about the Island

We only got a quick glance of the island itself since we took advantage of the great Monkey River Excursion but we did get a chance to go to the shops and also walk through the nice small nature trail area. Its a nice island that is a great spot to visit on cruises to the Western Caribbean. We thought the excursion we had was wonderful and was an adventure (in a good way). The excursion took us further South to mainland Belize where we went through mangroves to reach the Monkey River. There we sailed through dense jungle where we saw iguanas and many different birds. We had a tropical downpour on the way into the jungle but it stopped once we got to our hiking spot. Like out of a movie a giant spider was near the dock on the way into the jungle. From there we hiked looking for howler and other types of monkeys. We heard monkey’s moving in the trees but didn’t see any on the hike itself. The mosquitoes were intense in the jungle but we were prepared with our Insect Shield anti insect shirts and some deep woods off. After our nice hike we headed back on the river and the monkey’s came out as we saw them in the trees. We made a quick stop at the small fishing village of Monkey River Town where they in the past few years got electricity and water. Our guide said they used to have to boat up river where the water is not brackish to get water for the village. We shopped at a small shop and then headed through the mangroves back to the island. We really enjoyed the tour and would do it again. It felt like we were on a real life version of the Disney Jungle Cruise. Harvest Caye gives you a great opportunity to see Southern Belize that is more remote and wild than other areas of the country. Its well worth giving Harvest Caye a try!