The island is small–you can walk from one end to another in about half an hour. There are several beaches, including 2 where you can watch the sunset, a nature path, a bird observatory, a dock, and a fallen lighthouse. The island is all yours to explore and enjoy. Dive boats do dock during the day, but they depart early the afternoon and the visitors are not allowed in the basecamp.
The Camp:
The basecamp consists of ~11 tent cabanas on the beach, an open mess hall and lounge structure, a free standing kitchen where the chef makes amazing food, and an outhouse structure with multiple compost toilet stalls. The only electricity is in the kitchen and mess hall and you will be able to charge your devices in the evenings. If you need Wifi, you can purchase it through a donation to the Belize Audubon Society.
Your Tent:
The tents are set up so that you have a view of the sunrise from either your east window or your door. The tents are equipped with either two single or one double bed, a couple of tables for nightstands or storage, and a hanging vinyl shelf unit. You have an indoor clothesline as well as an outdoor one that you will be using constantly to dry your gear. Your windows and door are all screened to let the wind blow through (my preference), or you can close the inner flaps for privacy and/or the outer flaps for weather protection. You are also provided with a small battery powered lantern for your tent. The lanterns used to be kerosene, but apparently that ended in the most predictable way a few years back. No one was hurt 😉 You have a basin for water to rinse your feet before entering your tent, and a broom to sweep out the sand. Best of luck with that!
Toilets:
Many people hear “compost toilets” and they picture the gross porta-potties at music festivals. Well, banish that thought, these facilities are spotless. There is a bucket of wood chips in each stall and after you do your business, you put scoops of chips down the toilet. This aids in the compost processing and there is literally no smell. The toilet paper goes in a bin, and you have sinks for handwashing as you leave. While compost toilets may not by my favorite type of plumbing, they really did not detract from the dream. (There is also a stall for urinating only on the beach behind the tents. You will be really thankful to have this in the middle of the night when you need to pee. And if you don’t need to pee in the middle of the night, you are not drinking enough water!)
Showers:
Next to the toilets, there is a hut few private “indoor” shower stalls, but who wants those when you can shower outdoors in a palm structure open to the sea?? Forget the luxury spa rain showerheads, I’ll take my water from a conch shell with the waves nearby! You can use this to rinse yourself and your gear after being in the water, or you can use it for a full body shower. Placing a towel over the side of the hut signals that you want privacy!
Check out the Gallery page for more pictures of the camp!