Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
W
digicell.bz). On the cayes, including in San Pedro,
you'll also find smaller companies that offer mobile-
phone rental; inquire at your hotel or guesthouse. The
cheapest option of all, of course, is to take advantage
of a wi-fi connection to use a service such as Skype.
Until 2013 the Belizean government blocked all such
systems, but they're now readily accessible
throughout the country.
The country's phone system is of good quality
and easy to use, and payphones continue to be
fairly plentiful.
Belize Telecommunications
Limited (BTL)
, the dominant telephone service, has
its main o
ce (for international calls, fax, email and
internet access) at 1 Church St, Belize City (Mon-Fri
8am-5pm;
W
belzietelemedia.net).
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
January 1
New Year's Day
March 9
Baron Bliss Day
Good Friday
varies
Holy Saturday
varies
Easter Monday
varies
May 1
Labour Day
May 24
Commonwealth Day
September 10
National Day (St George's
Caye Day)
September 21
Independence Day
October 12
Columbus Day (Pan America
Day)
November 19
Garifuna Settlement Day
December 25
Christmas Day
December 26
Boxing Day
Time
operates normally. Note that if the actual date of a
particular holiday falls mid-week, the holiday will
sometimes be observed the following Monday.
Belize is on Central Standard Time, six hours behind
GMT and the same as Guatemala and Honduras.
Belize does not observe Daylight Savings Time,
though Mexico does. This means that when DST is
in operation (during the summer) the time in Belize
is an hour earlier than in Mexico - something to
bear in mind when you're crossing the border.
Phones
There are no area codes in Belize, so wherever you're
calling within the country you'll need to dial just the
seven-digit number. There is
mobile (cell)- phone
coverage across most of the country and you can
easily rent a mobile starting at around Bz$10-20 per
day, plus an activation fee. If you rent a car, it's often
possible to rent a phone along with it, while specialist
companies offering mobile-phone rental include
Cellular Abroad (
W
cellularabroad.com) and DigiCell
Tourist information
The o
cial
Belize Tourism Board
website,
W
travel
belize.org, is packed with information about the
country, from outdoor adventures to accommoda-
tion. At the main o
ce in Belize City (see p.54), you
can pick up city and regional maps, transport
USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS
CALLING BELIZE FROM ABROAD
The international direct dialling (IDD) code (also known as the country code) for Belize is
T
501. To call a number in Belize from abroad, simply dial the international access code (listed
in your phone book), followed by the country code (501) and the full seven-digit number
within Belize.
USEFUL NUMBERS WITHIN BELIZE
Directory assistance
T
113
Operator assistance
T
115
International operator
T
114
CALLING HOME FROM BELIZE
Note that the initial zero is omitted from the area code when dialling the UK, Ireland, Australia
and New Zealand from abroad.
Australia
international access code + 61
New Zealand
international access code + 64
UK
international access code + 44
US and Canada
international access code + 1
Ireland
international access code + 353
South Africa
international access code + 27
