You cannot ride to South Water Caye, and that is rather the point. The reserve covers a stretch of the Belize Barrier Reef some twenty kilometres off the coast, with tiny islands of sand and palm, mangrove cays, turquoise shallows and the deep blue drop beyond the reef crest. It is one of the seven protected areas inscribed in 1996 as the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, part of the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere.
Under the water there are coral gardens, sponges, rays, turtles, nurse sharks and, in the seagrass beds, the occasional manatee. On the islands, frigatebirds and boobies wheel overhead. Carrie Bow Caye, inside the reserve, hosts a long-running Smithsonian marine research station, and Tobacco Caye, a speck of land with a few guesthouses, is a popular base for snorkelling straight off the beach.
The bike stays on the mainland, in Dangriga, the main town of the Stann Creek district. Dangriga is the cultural heart of the Garifuna people, descendants of West African and Caribbean Indigenous peoples who arrived on this coast in the early nineteenth century. Garifuna Settlement Day on 19 November is celebrated with drums, dancing and re-enactments of the landings, and the town's music, punta, and food, such as hudut, fish cooked in coconut milk with mashed plantain, are worth seeking out. Boats to the cays leave from the town and from the nearby coast, depending on the weather.
Getting to Dangriga is one of the best rides in Belize. The Hummingbird Highway runs from Belmopan through the Maya Mountains, past citrus plantations, limestone hills, caves and river crossings, and is paved and winding, with a few narrow bridges. Rain can be sudden and heavy, especially from June to November, which is also hurricane season. The coastal roads south towards Hopkins and Placencia are flatter and sandier.
Dangriga has fuel, shops and simple restaurants. Bring sun protection, plenty of water and a dry bag for the boat ride, and remember that the reef is fragile: no touching corals, and reef-safe sun cream if you have it. Spending a night on one of the cays, with the generator off and the stars out, is a fine way to forget about tyres and chains for a while.