Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
AMBERGRIS CAYE
prices to and from Belize City (5-8 daily departures,
8am-6pm, confirm schedules online or via phone; 1hr 30
min; Bz$25 one way, Bz$45 return). Both also offer trips
between San Pedro and Caye Caulker (2-4 departures
daily; 1hr; Bz$20 one way, Bz$35 return). Note that both
water taxis often have special seasonal deals; enquire
when booking. Another smaller boat company offering
services to the cayes is San Pedro Water Jets Express (
T
226
2194,
W
sanpedrowatertaxi.com), though it's best to check
ahead, as schedules and departure locations change
frequently. There's also the
Thunderbolt
, which runs
between San Pedro and Corozal, stopping at Sarteneja on
request (daily 7am & 3pm; 1hr 30min; starting at Bz$45
one way, Bz$90 return). The
Thunderbolt
sometimes offers
only limited service in the off season, so call ahead.
Boat docks
Caye Caulker Water Taxi and San Pedro Express
boats pull into (and depart from) their respective water taxi
docks, both near the centre of town, on the front (reef ) side
of the island. The
Thunderbolt
, however, docks at the Back
Dock, at the back of the island at the west end of Black Coral
St, as does the San Pedro Water Jets Express. All docks are
within a few blocks of the centre, marked by the tiny
Central Park, on the seafront along Barrier Reef Drive. Note
that the lagoon side is going through a major overhaul,
with the construction of the ambitious new San Pedro
Sunset Boardwalk and Water Taxi Terminal. Once fully
open, all boats and water taxis will dock here, instead of on
the reef side of the island.
BY PLANE
Flying to San Pedro is the easiest and most popular
approach. Tropic Air (see p.23) and Maya Island Air (see
p.23) both operate flights (at least hourly, daily
7.30am-5pm; 25min) to and from Belize International
Airport (from Bz$144 one way) and Belize Municipal
Airport (from Bz$75 one way). Flights from both airports to
San Pedro call in at Caye Caulker on request. Tropic Air also
flies from San Pedro to Orange Walk (8am & 1.30pm;
20min; Bz$95) and Corozal (5 times daily; 20min; Bz$95).
Maya Island Air offers three daily flights from San Pedro to
Corozal (20min; Bz$95).
Transport into town
Arriving at San Pedro's airport,
you're at the north end of Coconut Drive and about 500yd
south of the centre. It's within easy walking distance of any
of the hotels in town, though golf carts and taxis will be
waiting too. A ride to the centre (or anywhere else in town)
starts at around Bz$8, but verify this before agreeing to a
ride.
3
BY BOAT
From Belize City, boats to Ambergris Caye are operated by
the Caye Caulker Water Taxi Association (
T
226 0992,
W
ccwatertaxi.com), which depart from the Marine
Terminal near the Swing Bridge, and the San Pedro Express
Water Taxi (
T
226 2194,
W
sanpedrowatertaxi.com), based
at the San Pedro Water Taxi Terminal, on North Front St near
the Tourism Village. Both offer similar trip duration and
INFORMATION
Tourist information
The San Pedro Tourist Information
Center (Mon-Sat 10am-1pm, and occasionally in the
afternoon;
T
226 2198) is in a small building next to the
town hall. Be careful with other “information booths”
dotted around town, as they are usually fronts for
timeshares or resorts. Ambergris Caye's o
cial website
(
W
ambergriscaye.com) is a reliable source of
information,
with good maps and links to most of the
island's businesses. The Hol Chan Marine Reserve
Visitor
Center, on Caribeña St (daily 9am-5pm;
T
226 2247,
W
holchanbelize.org), has photographs and informative
maps and models.
Newspapers
Tap into island news via the island's
newspapers,
Ambergris Today
(
W
ambergristoday.com)
and
The San Pedro Sun
(
W
sanpedrosun.com), which cover
everything from new boat routes to restaurants.
GETTING AROUND
On foot
San Pedro is eminently walkable - you can easily
get around on foot throughout town. This includes from the
airport (which is about a 10min walk into town) and the
main boat docks, which are on the main beach, a short
stroll to the centre. It's only when you go beyond the town
centre - to the south and north - that you'll need a golf
cart or bike.
By bike
A number of outlying hotels have courtesy bikes
for guests - something you might want to consider when
choosing a place to stay. You can also rent bikes from Joe's
Bike Rental, on Pescador Drive at Caribeña St (Bz$15/half
day, Bz$80/full day;
T
226 4371).
By golf cart
Golf carts are readily available for rent
throughout San Pedro. General prices are from Bz$30 for
1hr, Bz$80 for 8hr, from Bz$125 for 24hr and from Bz$500
for seven days. Most companies will deliver the cart to
your hotel or pick you up from the airstrip. Among the
companies are: Carts Belize (
T
226 4084,
W
cartsbelize
.com), with a couple of locations, including one a block
north of the airstrip and at
Xanadu Island Resort
(see p.103);
Cholo's Golf Cart Rentals (
T
226 2627,
W
choloscartrentals
.com), on Jewfish St in the town centre; and Moncho's Cart
Rentals (
T
226 3262,
W
sanpedrogolfcartrental.com), at
the airstrip.
QUEEN ANGELFISH, AMBERGRIS CAYE
P.92
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