Turneffe Atoll

The biggest of the three atolls: mangrove cayes, walls and flats, and very few people.

Illustration

About Turneffe Atoll

Turneffe is the nearest atoll to the mainland and the largest: a ring of mangrove cayes and lagoons that is mostly water and birds. There is no town. You stay at one of a small number of lodges, and the boat to dinner is the boat to the reef.

We send divers here for the walls and the currents at the southern tip, anglers for the flats, and couples who want a few days of real remoteness without the long crossing to Lighthouse Reef.

Best for

Divers of every level
Fly-fishing for bonefish, permit and tarpon

Couples who want remote
Pairing with Ambergris or Caulker

What to do

The southern walls

Steep drop-offs and current dives for confident divers, with gentler reef inside.

The flats

Long, wadeable flats for catch-and-release fishing.Check before you travel

Mangrove lagoons

Kayaking among the cayes for birds, juvenile fish and the occasional crocodile.

Marine reserve

Turneffe Atoll is protected as a marine reserve; rules and fees apply.Check before you travel

Lighthouse Reef by boat

The Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye are a long, weather-dependent day trip from here.

Night sky

No town glow at all. Bring a star app.

Getting there

Lodge boat from Belize Cityabout 1 to 1.5 hoursCheck before you travel

Boat and flight times are ranges and depend on the weather and the operator. How we get around

Where to stay

We choose places to stay for the setting, the people running them, and how they fit your plans.

An all-inclusive atoll lodgeDiving and fishing packages, meals and boats included.

Worth knowing

Lodges here are all-inclusive by necessity, and the boat schedule is set by the lodge and the weather. If the wind is up, the crossing is bumpy and some dive sites are off.

There's very little to do that isn't in or on the water. For divers and anglers that's the point; for a non-diving partner, say so and we'll plan accordingly.

Experiences here

The atolls by private boatTurneffe and Lighthouse Reef on your own boat and your own timetable, including the Blue Hole, framed honestly.
Fly-fishing the flatsPermit, tarpon and bonefish on the flats, catch and release, with guides who've fished them for years.
A private caye or atoll lodgeGlover's Reef, South Water Caye or Turneffe: a few rooms, the reef off the beach, and nobody else.