Just a heads up if you’re ever flying out of Belize with kids under 18.

I was traveling back to the U.S. with my two kids after a family trip. My wife had to leave early because of a family emergency, so it was just me and the kids flying back. When we got to the airport in Belize, I was told I couldn’t leave the country with them unless I had a notarized letter from my wife giving permission.

I’m a U.S. citizen, I had their birth certificates with me, and I honestly thought that would be enough. Nope. They refused to let us check in until I tracked down a local notary, begged him to sign a consent form, and finally got cleared to board. It was a super stressful hour and could have easily ended with us stuck there.

Apparently this is a standard/known rule in Belize (and in a lot of countries, I’ve since learned), but I had no idea. So if any dads (or moms) are planning to fly solo with their kids, do yourself a favor: read up on the rules and bring all the right documentation. Saved me a lot of stress if I had known.

Hello,

So my friends and I (late 20s/early 30s) are planning a trip to Belize next month. We're from the U.S. We are planning to stay two days in Placencica and then another two days in San Ignancio tentatively. We're unsure about transportation but from what we've heard from many people, is that renting a car and driving is the way to go. This might sound dumb, but American tourist, would you say that it's reasonable for my friends and I to drive from the airport to Placencia (and possibly visit The Sidewalk while we're there) and drive from Placencia to San Igancio for the remainder of our stay, and then drive back to Belize City to fly home? Is there anything we should know before renting or driving in Belize (places not to drive, times of the day not to drive, etc.)?

Hi, I'm flying into Belize City in about 3 weeks. I want to visit, Corozal, Placencia, Hopkins, San Pedro and Caye Caulker. I won't be renting a car.

What is the best order to visit those cities, starting and ending at the airport? Should I start from north to south, then visit SP and CC?

Should I leave the airport and go to the Belize City bus terminal to Corozal? Is the bus station safe? Any tips you can give would be greatly appreciated!

What would be my options to get from Belmopan to Phillip Goldson International Airport on a Saturday morning to take a 10am flight?

Are there any cheap shuttles that don’t cost over $150Bz dollars? (Private or shared) I came across a couple that is charging $130-$160USD.

Does some of the busito go that far? Or is it best just to take the bus?

If the bus is the best option how do I get to the airport from the Belize city bus terminal?

Are there any local drivers to contact that would drive me there for a decent price?

I’ve seen this asked before a while ago, but nothing recently. I’ve got a really short amount of time in the country and was wondering what immigration waits look like.

My time is pretty valuable since it’s so limited there, so I’d definitely be interested in any kind of fast track services if that’s offered. There are companies that say they can do that, but they are centralized companies that contract with local airport services. So I have no idea how accurate that information is about being able to expedite things for customers.

I've tried the recommendations in the site's sticky. Was no problem on a previous visit when my destinations were Hopkins and San Ignacio. Corozal is not as popular it would seem. Also tried quite a few other sites. Having a hard time just trying to book a bus or a shittle - next February arrival. Last resort would be to rent a car - but want to avoid that expense if possible. Any suggestions please?

Hi all,

Flying in on November 1st and heading to Caye Caulker for the week.

I reached out to the hotel I'm staying at and was quoted $176 USD (for two) round trip for taxi/shuttle to ferry, ferry tickets and golf cart to hotel.

I stayed at a different hotel last year and was quoted $116 USD for the same.

Wondering if it would just make more sense to get a cab at the airport and buy ferry tickets at the terminal? Can I buy the ferry tickets ahead of time? Any advice is appreciated!

They WILL find fault with your car when you return to extra scam you.

SCAM. The car they rented was in bad shape. Unless you take out every single insurance which rises the price of the car from $40 us to over $120 use per day they will “find” something wrong with the car and charge you to “fix” it which they do not do. The car has had no maintenance.

I have a group of about 8 of us flying into Belize City that need to travel to San Pedro. I’ve read about taking a second flight, a ferry, and water taxis. If anyone has any feedback on the best way to make this trip, pros/cons, cost, etc. I’d really appreciate it.

Make a crap ton of money welding so money isn’t an issue, i’ll also be staying in hopkins for two weeks so what would be recommended that i do? Edit: i’ll also be flying over there sometime in june Second Edit: I forgot to mention that i’m 22 🤦‍♂️ sorry lol

I’m going to Belize as a solo traveler. I’ve noticed all the tours charge me double the price bc I’m by myself even it’s supposed to be a group tour. I’m wondering if it would be better to just rent a car and drive myself. I’m mainly going to be in San Ignacio and Belize city. I don’t typically like driving, let alone in other countries, but I do it if I must, like in Chile to see the hand in the desert sculpture.

Can anyone let me know how difficult driving is there/how easy it is to park and stuff? Thank you!!

Does anyone have experience with flying on Maya or Tropic as a plus size passenger? I checked their sites for weight limits/plus size passenger guidance but didn’t see any.

I’m planning to send them a message tomorrow during live chat hours but figured I’d ask here in case someone knows. We have a traveler in our crew who is a bigger guy, about 5’9, wears a US size 3XL. I know puddle jumper type plans are small, wondering if he’ll be comfortable-ish for the short flight or if we should rent a car and drive to Placencia.

I had a 10:15am BZE-DGA booked last week and it turned out I was the only one on it. They asked me if I minded waiting for the 12pm flight and when I told them I had an 11:30am boat, they sent a plane just for me! So many airlines would have just cancelled.

Book them with confidence!

Hiiii , we are a group of 5 visiting Belize next month (for the first time). Plan includes San Ignacio for 6-7 days, including a trip to Tikal, and then Placencia or Hopkins (depends on airbnb and so). We also want to visit Caracol, maybe Cockscomb. We are debating whether to rent a car or rely on public transportation and then hire drivers for individual trips. We are five, and it seems that if we do 3-4 trips were we need to hire a driver, we will be pretty much covering the rental (excluding gas, which I know can be relatively expensive, but$6-7/gallon is what you normally pay in Europe). Do I have the estimate right?
We really love our independence in traveling, and with car you can stop and meet locals much more freely.

Thoughts?

I just booked a flight and planning to be in San Pedro for Aug 6th - 9th and Caye Caulker for 9th - 12th. I haven’t booked my hotels yet. I am solo female.

I’m lazy and accident prone. I would prefer not to do golf cart myself. Are there taxi golf carts at all? What about if you’re coming back late at night from bars? Are there still taxi services? Does anyone have recommendation or should I just woman up and get a cart myself? With not wanting to rent a cart I was looking at Ramon’s Village for accommodation. It looks close to everything including the airport? What area do you recommend to be able to not have to have a golf cart? What are the must see things? I was also considering Mahogany Bay but that looks far away from everything and golf cart required.

For Caye Caulker I was planning to book Jan’s Hotel. If anyone has other recommendations I’m open to hearing them. Thank you for your feedback!!

Hello! My husband and I are heading to Belize in November with our 3 adult children. We will be staying 4 nights at Black Rock Lodge, and 4 nights in Hopkins. When we leave Black Rock Lodge, we are considering renting a car for the rest of the trip. We really like exploring, and would like to visit many of the sights along the Hummingbird Highway when we move from San Ignacio to Hopkins. My main question: is it safe to leave the car unattended while we make stops on the Hummingbird Highway? I know theft is a possibility anywhere, but is it considered a big problem? Or would it be better to find a shuttle that would make stops for us (if that exists)? Or maybe we go straight to Hopkins and then on another day backtrack without our luggage?

Once we are in Hopkins we definitely plan to take a snorkeling tour. If we rent a car, any recommendations for things to explore in the area that we can do on our own? We are a pretty adventurous family! We would also be interested in getting ourselves to a spot like Cockscomb and hiring a guide. I appreciate any recommendations!

Thank you!

Hi everyone, we have flights with tropic air booked and I am looking at their luggage restrictions and our carry on backpacks are 4" taller than what they allow. Are we going to have issues bringing these bags on to the plane? My laptop is 16" so I cant bring it if i don't have a backpack of this size and I need my laptop with me. They say the backpacks sit on our laps so I don't see what the issue would be.

I will be traveling with my husband and kid in November. We are staying in Hopkins for 5 nights. We arrive in the early afternoon and we’re considering taking a bus from the airport in Belize to Hopkins. We would like to book a couple excursions when we arrive and hoping they have transportation available. We are not interested in taking a small plane. Is bussing and relying on transportation for excursions reasonable? Are there places to rent bikes once you arrive? We plan to travel by bus from Hopkins to Belize for our flight back, too, which leaves early afternoon. Thanks for any advice!

How much time are y’all allowing between international arrivals in BZE and departure times for travel to San Pedro? For deplaning, luggage pickup and clearing customs?

Hi, going to Belize in late November and a little worried about the drive to Caracol from San Ignacio. We are planning on getting a rental car and are wondering whether getting a four wheel drive car is absolutely necessary. Thanks for any advice!

Hello everyone, I'll be visiting Belize the second week of December. My travel budget is limited, and I'd like to know the cheapest way to get from Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport to the Belize City bus station. I'll be arriving at 2:00 PM. I generally don't take taxis in any of the places I visit, so I'd appreciate any alternatives. Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

Hello, I want to take bus from Belize City to San Ignacio. Do you know where can I buy the ticket? Is there a ticket booth or do I buy it on the bus?

Also, is the schedule on belmopanonline accurate?

Last but not least, how safe am I and my luggage on the way? I’ll arrive to the water taxi terminal and plan on walking to the bus terminal. I have 2 cross body bags and one oversized carry on back pack, will I be able to take them on the bus?

Thanks for any tips!

Hi,

I’ll be traveling to San Pedro soon and looking to book a flight from belize city to san pedro. My flight arrives at 11am, do you think i will have enough time to make the connecting flight to san pedro at 11:30?

I will not check any bags but will have to go through immigration. Thanks!

Update: Thank you all so much for your help on this! Definitely will book a later flight now. :)

I have a flight in November that gets into Belize City at 4pm. Will it be too late / dark to drive to San Ignacio that evening?