Belize City and District - The Rough Guide to Belize - page 48

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE BELIZE CITY

1

buses, notably to Flores, Guatemala and some to Sarteneja
and other cities in the north, depart from other street
corners in the centre of the city (see below). Tickets are
usually purchased on the bus; though there is no o cial
bus terminal website, W belizebus.wordpress.com has
helpful info on schedules.
Destinations Belmopan (every 15min; 1hr 15min;
5am-9pm); Benque Viejo, for the Guatemalan border
(at least hourly; up to 3hr; 5am-9pm); Chetumal,
Mexico (10 daily; up to 3hr 30min; 5.30am- 7pm);
Corozal (hourly; 2hr 30min; 5.30am-7pm); Dangriga via
Belmopan (at least hourly; 3hr 30min; 6am-5pm);
Hopkins via Dangriga (6 daily; 4hr; 7am-2pm); Maskall,
for Altun Ha (Mon-Sat 3 daily; 1hr 30min); Orange Walk
(hourly; 1hr 30min; 5am-7pm); Placencia via Dangriga
(4 daily; 4-6hr; 7am-2pm); Punta Gorda via Dangriga
and Mango Creek (8 daily; 5-7hr; 5.30am-3.30pm); San
Ignacio via Belmopan (at least hourly; up to 2hr 30min;
5am-9pm)
Other bus stops From the Caye Caulker Water Terminal,
buses depart to Flores, Guatemala (2 daily; 5hr) and Tikal
(2 daily; 5hr). From Regent St, near the Swing Bridge, buses
travel to Sarteneja via Orange Walk (2 daily; 3hr 30min).

BY PLANE
Belize is served by two airports: Philip Goldson
International Airport, 10.5 miles northwest of the city at
Ladyville, just off the Philip Goldson Hwy; and Belize City
Municipal Airport on the seafront, around 2 miles north
of the city centre. Belize's domestic airlines, Tropic Air
(see p.23) and Maya Island Air (see p.23) make stops at
both; note that domestic flights from the Municipal
Airport are usually around Bz$50-75 less than those
from the International Airport. In general, no matter
where you fly in the country, trips are short - usually
25min to 1hr, and rarely more than that. One-way prices
start at around Bz$70-100; note that both airlines
often offer seasonal deals and discounts. Many major
US airlines fly into Belize, including American and
Delta (see p.21). TACA also flies from Belize City to its
main hub in San Salvador for connections throughout
Central America.
Taxis From the International Airport, a taxi into town costs
Bz$50; if you want to cut the cost, share with other
travellers or walk to the Philip Goldson Hwy (25min) and
flag down one of the frequent passing buses (Bz$2 to the
centre). To get from the Municipal Airport into town, your
only option is to take a taxi (around Bz$10).
Destinations Cancún, Mexico (1-2 daily; 1hr 30min);
Flores, Guatemala (for Tikal; 2-4 daily; 45min); Honduras,
including Roatan (1 daily; 1hr 45min) and San Pedro Sula
(1 daily; 1hr); Punta Gorda (8-10 flights daily; 1hr),
stopping on request at Dangriga (25min) and Placencia
(45min); San Pedro and Caye Caulker (at least hourly, daily
7.30am-5pm; 25min).

BY BOAT
Water taxis Boats to the cayes are operated by the Caye
Caulker Water Taxi Association ( T 226 0992,
W ccwatertaxi.com), departing from the Marine
Terminal near the Swing Bridge, and the San Pedro
Express Water Taxi ( T 226 2194, W sanpedrowatertaxi
.com), with its own terminal on North Front St near
the Tourist Village. From either terminal, it's a short walk
to the city centre and most hotels; otherwise, taxis are
generally waiting for boats. Both offer five to eight daily
departures to Caye Caulker and San Pedro respectively
(8am-6pm; confirm schedules online or via phone;
1hr 30 min; Bz$25 one way, Bz$45 return); both will
also stop at other cayes, like Long Caye and Caye Chapel,
on request. Another smaller boat company that offers
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. Starla Water Taxi operates a
weekly service from the San Pedro terminal to Puerto
Cortés (Fri 9am; Bz$150; 5hr 30min), stopping at
Dangriga along the way. Finally, Tropic Ferry
( W tropicferry.com), among charter boat companies,
travel between the airport and your resort or hotel on
the cayes (starting at Bz$170), with the bonus of rum
punch served on board. Note that it's important to
confirm all boat times as there are often changes to the
schedules.

BY BUS
Main Bus Terminal The city's main bus terminal is on
West Collett Canal St, off Cemetery Rd, west of the city
centre, in what was formerly Novelo's Bus Terminal
(named after a now-defunct bus company). Nearly all
inter-city buses leave from in or around here, plying the
country's main highways: the George Price Hwy (Western
Hwy), the Philip Goldson Hwy (Northern Hwy) and the
Hummingbird and Southern highways. Note that the bus
terminal is in a fairly rundown section of town; though it's
only a mile from the Swing Bridge and you can easily walk,
it's safest to take a taxi, particularly after dark. Transport
peters out at dusk and there are no overnight buses.
Within the terminal, it can all seem very disorganized -
bus schedules are mostly handwritten and simply tacked
to the walls. But though these can be hard to decipher,
there's usually no need to do so - locals and bus drivers
know the schedules well, and can fill you in. Note that
there are dozens of bus companies, with names and
ownership changing frequently. Note, too, that some

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