Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting there
Most visitors to Belize fly in to Philip
Goldson International Airport (see p.52),
about a twenty-minute drive from Belize
City centre, but it's also possible to arrive
by bus, boat or regional flights from
neighbouring countries. Several
domestic airlines facilitate transport
around Belize once you arrive.
Airfare prices from the US rise during the high
season (December to early April, especially around
Christmas and Easter) and also in July and August
for flights originating in Europe. For cheaper prices,
try flying midweek.
Flights from Australia, New
Zealand and South Africa
From Australia and New Zealand, you'll have to fly
via the US, generally and least expensively through
Los Angeles. For most Australasian airlines, low
season is mid-January to the end of February and
October to the end of November; high season is
mid-May to the end of August and December to
mid-January.
From Australia, the cheapest fares (from Sydney and
most of the eastern state capitals) via Los Angeles to
Belize City (on Qantas and Delta) generally start at
Aus$2900 (low season) and Aus$3700 (high season).
Similar prices are offered on Continental via Houston.
Departing from Perth or Darwin can be Aus$400-650
higher. From New Zealand (Auckland) the cheapest
flights to Belize City are via Los Angeles (on Air Tahiti
Nui or Air New Zealand and Delta), at around
NZ$2800/3500. Flying to Cancún or Mexico City from
any of these cities is several hundred dollars cheaper
than flying into Belize.
From South Africa , you can fly to the US or to the
UK and continue your journey from there.
Flights from the UK and Ireland
Flights from the UK and Ireland go via the US;
round-trip fares from London cost around
£500-550 in low season and £700-1000 in high
season. Another option is to fly to Mexico and
continue overland . Several European airlines fly
directly to Mexico City or Cancún, often a consider-
ably cheaper route than flying through the US; fares
from London to Cancún cost around £400. From
Mexico City, you can fly directly to Chetumal with
Interjet for around £100, and continue by bus to
Belize from there. Tropic Air also offers flights
between Cancún and Belize City, while there are
regular buses from Cancún to Chetumal (5hr).
Fares from Belfast or Dublin to Belize (via the US)
are similar to those from London. Alternatively, you
can also fly direct from Ireland to Mexico and
continue overland or by getting another flight to
Chetumal or Belize City.
Overland from Mexico
Buses travel between every Mexican city and the
capital, Mexico City, and from there, regular buses
connect to the town of Chetumal (around 22hr),
close to the Belizean border. From Chetumal,
several Belizean and Guatemalan bus companies
depart for Orange Walk and onward to Belize City.
Buses leave generally throughout the morning,
with fewer in the afternoon.
Travelling overland from the US through Mexico
is a long, two- to three-day haul, but allows you to
see some of the country on the way. Greyhound
Flights from the US and Canada
A wide variety of US airlines fly nonstop and/or
direct to Belize, including American Airlines, Conti-
nental, Delta and US Airways. El Salvador-based
TACA also has nonstop flights from Houston. Air
Canada offers direct flights from Toronto and other
main Canadian cities. Average flight times are two
hours from Miami to Belize, two hours thirty minutes
from Houston, and five hours from Los Angeles.
Typical prices from the US are around US$650
(low season)/700-900 (high season) from New York;
US$650/900-1200 from Seattle; US$500/800-1000
from Houston; and US$650/800-1200 from LA. From
Canada (Toronto, Montréal and Ottawa) expect to
pay around Can$930 (low season)/1100 (high
season) and from Vancouver Can$850/940-1600.
A BETTER KIND OF TRAVEL
At Rough Guides we are passionately
committed to travel. We believe it helps
us understand the world we live in and
the people we share it with - and of
course tourism is vital to many
developing economies. But the scale of
modern tourism has also damaged some
places irreparably, and climate change is
accelerated by most forms of transport,
especially flying. All Rough Guides' flights
are carbon-offset, and every year we
donate money to a variety of
environmental charities.
 
 
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