Belize Crewed Yacht Charters

The Belize Barrier Reef is the largest in the Northern Hemisphere, second only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. It is nearly 200 miles down the country’s coast.

A typical Belize yacht charter covers around 130 nautical miles of that reef and the cayes inside it.

Many of the destinations that bring travelers to Belize are located offshore. The Great Blue Hole, a 400-foot perfect circle of deep water at Lighthouse Atoll, is visible from the air.

See nurse sharks and stingrays gather around the boats in waist-deep water at Shark Ray Alley. Enjoy wall dives at Turneffe, and watch the whale sharks at Gladden Spit each spring.

Each one is a long day trip from shore, but you can stop by each one from a private crewed yacht.

Key Highlights:

• Best time to charter: The dry season runs from November through April, with calm water, light winds, and the clearest visibility for diving and snorkeling. Whale-shark season near Gladden Spit peaks in March, April, and May.

• Getting there: International flights land at Philip Goldson International Airport (BZE) outside Belize City. Charters typically start from Belize City, San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, or Placencia in the south.

• Best places to visit: The Belize Barrier Reef, the three atolls (Turneffe, Lighthouse, Glover's), and the Great Blue Hole. Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley are short hops from Ambergris Caye.

• Who it suits: Diving and snorkeling-focused travelers, families wanting calm water and shallow reef, couples after quieter anchorages than the busier Caribbean.

Why Charter a Yacht in Belize

Belize is primarily a diving destination.

People come to see the reefs, the atolls, the Blue Hole, and the reserves, and all of them are located well offshore. From a hotel, it’s a 45-minute to two-hour boat ride to each site every morning, and the same back.

By taking a Belize yacht charter, you can sleep on board, receive dive briefings while having breakfast, and be in the water before the first dayboat reaches the reef.

Taking a yacht charter also gets you onto cays without hotels, such as Goff's, Tobacco, Bluefield Range, or the smaller cuts in the Drowned Cays.

Most of them are inside the reef, so moving between them is easy. The water in the reef stays flat the whole week, even when the open Caribbean is rough.

The Belize coast sees a fraction of the charter traffic of the BVI, the Bahamas, or the Leeward Islands, so you usually have those anchorages to yourselves.

The Belize Barrier Reef and the Great Blue Hole

Guests visit Belize for the reef and the Blue Hole.

The Belize Barrier Reef is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere, second only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It stretches from the Yucatán nearly to Honduras, and it’s close enough to the coast that a yacht can move along it caye to caye.

Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley, both off the southern tip of Ambergris Caye, are the two best-known dive and snorkel stops. The coral there is some of the healthiest left in the Caribbean, thanks to the network of marine reserves.

The Great Blue Hole is another draw. It's a sinkhole at Lighthouse Reef Atoll. At roughly 1,000 feet across and 400 feet deep, it was formed when a limestone cave system collapsed at the end of the last ice age.

An aerial photograph of the place - a perfect dark circle inside a ring of pale turquoise reef - is what made it world-famous. Scenic flights depart from San Pedro, and non-diving groups prefer the aerial view to the boat trip.

The dive itself is a 130-foot descent to the stalactites in the cavern walls, which requires an Advanced Open Water certification.

Marine life inside the hole is sparse, and most divers describe it as eerie rather than colorful. The reef diving at Half Moon Caye Wall is better.

It involves a sheer drop into clear blue water and is widely considered one of the finest wall dives in the Caribbean.

When traversing by yacht, an overnight trip to the Blue Hole is recommended over a day trip: sail out in the late afternoon, anchor at Long Caye or Half Moon Caye, and dive in the morning when the visibility is at its best.

The Best Cays and Anchorages of Belize

Most cays in Belize are small, low-lying, and built around a few dive shops and a handful of restaurants. A weeklong charter typically stops at four or five.

Ambergris Caye is the largest and most developed cay. San Pedro, at its southern end, is the only real town on the cayes, with dive shops, restaurants, beach bars, and a small marina along the waterfront. Most Belize trips start there: it serves as the base for flights, dive operations and charters.

Caye Caulker sits just south, smaller and sandier. It’s so small that there are no cars to get around the island - only golf carts, and restaurants sit right on the sand.

Goff's Caye covers a single acre of palm-shaded sand on the reef edge, a short distance off Belize City. Day-trippers like to visit in the middle of the day, but the crowds clear by late afternoon, so yachts have the anchorage to themselves.

Tobacco Caye is even smaller than Goff’s and is on the barrier reef itself, halfway down the coast. Snorkeling starts a few feet from shore. A handful of simple guesthouses are the only thing on it.

Farther south, Placencia is a Garífuna village on a long sandy peninsula and the gateway to the southern cayes - Ranguana, the Silk Cayes, and Glover's Atoll.

The southern route is different from the northern one, and brokers can suggest which to prioritize based on your trip preferences.

Things to Do on a Belize Yacht Charter

Most guests visit Belize to dive and see the reef. These are other activities worth looking into:

• Flats fishing. The flats around Placencia and Turneffe are some of the best in the world for the grand slam - bonefish, permit, and tarpon caught in a single day. Most charters arrange a half-day with a local guide who picks up guests from the yacht in a skiff.

• Whale sharks. From late March through May, peaking around the full moons, whale sharks gather at Gladden Spit to feed on snapper spawn. It's one of the few places anywhere you can snorkel with them in clear water.

• Mainland excursions. There are two trips worth spending a full day off the yacht. Actun Tunichil Muknal cave is a wet hike through a Mayan ceremonial site with pottery and skeletal remains still where they were originally left. The Mayan ruins at Caracol or Xunantunich are worth a stopover, whether you’re into archaeology or not. Brokers arrange both tours ahead of the trip.

• Wildlife. See the manatees graze in the lagoons around the Drowned Cays, watch the dolphins turn up on the open passages between anchorages. Spot the red-footed booby colony at Half Moon Caye. Because it’s next to the Blue Hole, most charters see both on the same day.

Ritzy Yachts brokers handle the bookings for any of these - the dive operators, the fishing guides, the mainland excursions - before you board. Request a proposal.

Luxury Charter Yachts Available in Belize

Ritzy Yachts’ fleet carries four types of yachts, but most groups choose a sailing catamaran for Belize.

The lagoon inside the reef is shallow, and a catamaran's twin hulls let it anchor close to the cayes and over the reef flats where deeper monohulls can't go. Two hulls also give a flatter, more stable platform for getting in and out of the water between dives.

Monohull sailing yachts are another type, and suit smaller groups who prefer the feel of a traditional sailing trip.

Motor yachts, on the other hand, cover more ground faster when the wind isn't cooperating. Choose this yacht type for shorter weeks aboard or routes that include the Blue Hole.

Superyachts (typically 80 feet and up) can suit larger groups of eight to twelve guests, or longer routes through the southern cays. They run on a plus-expenses basis and come with a full crew and a private chef.

Getting to Belize

International flights land at Philip Goldson International Airport (BZE), about ten miles outside Belize City. Direct flights run from most major US hubs, and immigration is straightforward: Belize is English-speaking and US passport holders don't need a visa for stays under 30 days.

From BZE, charters typically start from one of three places: Belize City itself, San Pedro on Ambergris Caye (a short domestic flight or water taxi from the mainland), or Placencia in the south (a short domestic flight).

Brokers pick the start point based on the route - northern itineraries usually begin in Belize City or San Pedro, while southern itineraries start in Placencia.

Best Time to Sail in Belize

Belize’s dry season runs from late November through April. Trade winds are steady but light, and water visibility is at its best for diving. This is the best time to charter a yacht; it’s the peak window for Belize charters, so the dates fill quickly.

Whale-shark season at Gladden Spit falls inside this window, peaking around the full moons in March, April, and May.

May through July is shoulder season. It’s warmer and slightly more humid, with occasional afternoon rain, but time on the water is still excellent.

August through October is Atlantic hurricane season, and most charter operations pause. Brokers will recommend dates outside this window.

What’s Included in a Belize Yacht Charter and How Much Does it Cost?

Chartering a crewed yacht in Belize covers the following:

• The Yacht

• The professional crew (captain, chef, and one or two crew)

• All meals and a standard bar

• Fuel

• Water sports equipment

• Dockage.

You would not need a sailing license as the captain handles the sailing and navigation.

Sailing catamarans and most sailing monohulls in Belize run on this all-inclusive basis. Motor yachts and superyachts above a certain size run on plus-expenses, where the charter fee covers the yacht and crew, and an Advance Provisioning Allowance (APA) of roughly 20% to 35% of the fee covers fuel, food, beverages, dockage, and other variable expenses.

At the end of the charter, the captain provides a reconciliation of expenses against the APA. Any unused balance is returned, and any shortfall is settled at that time. Crew gratuity is customary at 15% to 20% of the charter fee.

Weekly rates vary by yacht and season.

Ready to Charter a Yacht in Belize? Plan Your Charter with Ritzy Yachts

Ritzy Yachts brokers design each Belize charter itinerary around the cays and reef sites you want to include. Speak with one of our brokers to request a proposal.