#CAR

Those who love being independent and discovering their surroundings will prefer an autotour (tour that includes a car rental). It offers great flexibility and enables you to go to places and sites that are far from the biggest routes without being dependent on tour-operators and other more expensive modes of transportation. 

Move around in Belize

Belize has 4 roads with 2 paved lanes : the NORTHERN Highway between Belize City and the Mexican border, the WESTERN Highway between Belize City and the Guatemalan border, the HUMMINGBIRD Highway from Belmopan to Dangriga and the SOUTHERN Highway that heads south towards Punta Gorda.

Most other roads have one or two lanes and are not paved.

The most frequented roads are in a relatively good state but are sometimes hard to drive on due to heavy rains and this is even more the case in the Mayan Mountains region.

If it is not always necessary to have a SUV to stay further from the great axis, you must however have a vehicle with a high ground clearance (for example, a CHEVY GEO Tracker).

You should be cautious about the following points : On the big roads, look out for erratic drivers that hurry too much. Always be on the lookout. Pay attention to road ‘BUMPS’:  They are sometimes well signaled, but other times not at all.
Outside of the great axis, most roads are not tarred : beware potholes!

A valid driving license issued by your country of origin is accepted for a stay that is less than 3 months long. An international license will be required to rent a car locally. You must drive on the right side of the road.

Speed is limited to 88 km/hr on big roads and 64km/hr in villages and cities.

Golf carts

If you’re spending time at the beach and walking isn’t your forte, you can rent a golf cart. Relatively inexpensive compared to a rental car, they enable you to come and go without exhausting yourself. You can see many of those in San Pedro and a few on Caye Caulker. They function either with gas, or with a battery : the former are more powerful and faster, while the latter are more eco-friendly.

#FLIGHTS

DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

2 local companies, Maya Air and Tropic Air, offer reliable domestic flights at reasonable rates in small aircrafts. They both serve several national destinations, with several daily flights on the main axis :

Belize City–DANGRIGA– Placencia–Punta Gorda

Belize City–CAYE CAULKER–San Pedro

Belize City–San Pedro–Sarteneja–Corozal

Belize City–Belmopan (Tropic Air only)

Belmopan–PLACENCIA (Tropic Air only)

Belize City–Cayo (San Ignacio)

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS

We do not sell plane tickets.
We advise you to consult your travel agency. If you are able to plan your trip 3 or 4 months in advance, you will get better prices. You’ll find below information about airlines serving Belize.

From the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America, direct flights are available from the following cities : Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, Newark and San Salvador.

The main airlines serving Belize are :

Delta Airlines, www.delta.com

American Airlines, www.aa.com

Continental Airlines, www.continental.com

US Airways et AVIANCA

Cancun, Roatan, San Pedro Sula, Merida and Flores in Guatemala are also served by Tropic Air.

Plan for a layover time of 2,5 hrs minimum, due to American safety checks. It is mandatory to have an optical or biometric passport and an ESTA visa.

Flights for Belize City arrive at Philip Goldson International Airport.

#BOATS

There are several maritime links between the continent and the islands (mainly Caye Caulker et Ambergris Caye ’San Pedro’). On the smaller islands, lodges and hotel resorts generally provide transport for their guests.

Among the common routes are :

Belize City–Caye Caulker–San Pedro 2 maritime companies cover those routes, each 4 to 5 times a day, which offer you a great time range. The main one is Belize Express Water Taxi & the second most important is Ocean Ferry Belize.

Corozal–Sarteneja–San Pedro The Thunderbolt company, which is the only one covering this route, provides transportation two times a day in both directions.

Dangriga–Central Cayes No regular links on this route, but taxi-boats often go back and forth – a flexible and attractive mode of transportation when you are travelling in group.

Placencia–Independence The Hokey Pokey Water Taxi company covers the route between Placencia and Independence, thus saving travelers a long detour by the road between Placencia and Punta Gorda.

San Pedro – Caye Caulker – Chetumal (Mexicane Border) Water Jets International covers the route one time per day with only one scheduled trip in both directions.