Scuba-certified travelers on a backpacker's budget will be hard-pressed to find a vacation destination superior to Caye Caulker, Belize. Located just off the coast in the tranquil Caribbean Sea, the town (also known as "Hicaco" and "Corker") was once a Mestizo refuge and shipbuilding community. Today, the small island, which stretches only about four miles across, plays host to a steady stream of outdoor adventurers who prefer the town's inexpensive accommodations to the ritzier resorts on nearby Ambergris Caye. Catch a boat out to the Barrier Reef for world-class snorkeling, diving, and fishing, then return to the relaxed village for a relaxed dinner of blackened snapper or fresh shellfish.
