Transportation, Belize style

There are three ways to get to Belize: by air, by road and by ferry. The ferry runs from Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, which has its own access challenges. Amazingly, with an area the size of New Jersey the country only has two entrances by road, one via Guatemala Rt. 13 which arrives at the border near San Ignacio (Cayo), Belize, roughly central in the western border. The other entrance is at the extreme northern border near Chetumal, Mexico. That’s where I entered when I came here.

Most people come to Belize to visit, and come by air. There are international flights that arrive at the international airport near Belize City from Miami, Texas, Newark and possibly Charlotte, North Carolina. Continental and American Airlines are most active, Delta and US Air may also have flights, but as I write this (with Word) the internet is so slow I can’t check easily. Taca Airlines, a Central American airline, also has connections with Flores, Guatemala, near the Tikal Myan ruin, and possibly Miami.

An alternative way to fly, especially from points outside of North America, is to take a flight to Cancun. There is a lot of rate competition going there, but a connecting flight to Belize via Maya Island Air might offset those savings. Or, from Cancun you can take a comfortable bus to Chetumal, where you enter Belize. But enough of getting here, I wanted to write about in-country transportation.

In another year I expect the international airport that is being built on the mainland just west of the head of the Placencia Peninsula will be in use, and the game will change.

Air – Amazingly, there are two competing airlines that serve the air strips in the country. Both Tropic Air and Mayan Island Air fly aircraft with capacities of 6 to 20 passengers. They only fly in daylight, and although they have scheduled service, they don’t bother to stop at an airstrip if there are no passengers to drop off of pick up. If you Google them, you can see where they go and what their rates are.


Rail – There are no railroads in Belize, although there were once several short lines that served the banana or logging industries, taking those products to ports on the coast. There are still signs of the banana line, which was shut down in 1937. Although the rails were taken up, bridges over major steams and rivers were converted to use on the roads that replaced the railroads. Some of those are still in use. They are one, narrow lane wide, I would guess about 8-1/2 feet, with three or four foot high sidewalls. If a pedestrian or bicyclist is crossing one, vehicles have to wait because there is not enough room for both.


Buses – I think buses are the major means of intertown transportation in the country, and it is a very politicized system. To be allowed to provide service between towns, the owner has to apply to the government for a “concession”. They are awarded to loyalists of the party in power. Some of the buses in use are comfortable ones like Greyhound or Trailways, and those are often used for express runs. Most of the buses are former school busses brought to Belize from the U.S. Most are the long ones with “flat’ fronts. I think they are popularly known as “chicken busses” by young travelers from the U.S. That name might be appropriate in other areas of Central America, but I don’t think buses are used widely to haul produce or livestock to market in Belize. They aren’t particularly comfortable, especially on unpaved roads. But there are lots of them. The non-express busses have designated stops, but will also drop off or pick people up elsewhere when flagged down.

Unfortunately, and unlike Guatemala, where there are lots of the shorter type of school busses, the busses in Belize are painted in the colors of the bus company, with no frills. I recall the busses in Guatemala were quite colorful, but also were operated much more dangerously, which has to do with the landscape there.

Auto – Belize has a very low rate of vehicle ownership in relation to the population. I’ve had a series of dental appointments (with the Tooth Fairy – no kidding!) in Dangriga, about 2 hours away on the sole north-south highway in the last month or so. I don’t think I’ve ever passed more than two dozen vehicles going in the opposite direction, outside of Dangriga. The landscape in Guatemala is very hilly, with very curvy two lane roads and lots of traffic. Drivers there use a left directional signal to indicate to following drivers that it is safe to pass. Belize, on the other hand, has long, straight roads, with lots of visibility, and drivers tend to go too fast. That Belize is English speaking is also convenient for English speakers – signs are in English, although there aren’t many of them.

When I drive into Placencia village, about 5 miles south from where I live, there might be one or two vehicles coming in the opposite direction. In Placencia Village, the pavement narrows so that it is a little more than 2 vehicles wide in most places, and lots of vehicles there. When you add to that the great number of bicycles and lots of pedestrians, and lack of sidewalks, and cars parked along the edge of the road, driving in the village is tricky. I’ve wanted to take a photo of what a driver faces to post here, but I can’t do so in safety. Often two vehicles can’t pass, but have to take turns threading through this mix of pedestrians, bikes and parked cars. Buses and large trucks face their own challenges.


Many vehicles are Izuzu or Mitsubishi pickups, or older Toyotas and other mini-pickups used by vendors bringing fruit into town. Wide trucks, like my Ford F-150, are the exception. It takes skill to drive in the village, and knowledge of the physical limits of what you are driving. Gasoline costs $9.78/gallon in Belize dollars, which is why I converted my truck to butane.

No mention of the roads should leave out the speed bumps. On the main north-south road there are raised pedestrian crossings at villages along the way, preceded by raised rumble strips. These were built some years ago, so in some cases the warning signs are missing. At night, they can come up with some surprise, and you really don’t want to cross them going faster than 10 mph. Here on the peninsula with the new paved road, there are lots of the raised pedestrian crossings, generally 6” high, and you don’t want to cross them faster than 5 mph. There are signs, but no warning rumble strips. In Placencia Village the speed bumps are short and high, not to be taken faster than 2 or 3 mph. Because I drive the route frequently, I know where they are, and slow down even when I can’t see them.



Taxis – Really a sub-category of Autos. There are lots of taxis of varying ages and qualities. Frequently they are mini-vans like Toyotas. There are no meters, the rates are point to point, and should be agreed upon before the trip starts. You can take a taxi from the international airport near Belize City to anywhere in the country. Many of the higher end resorts also have vans or mini-busses to shuttle their patrons.


ATVs – There is also a variety of ATVs in use, either by homeowners, or local wholesale businesses, or by tourists who rent them from a vendor near the airstrip. Some have roofs and/or even windshields.

Bicycles – Everyone rides bikes. Standard heavy framed basic bikes with no fenders or gears, but occasionally with baskets or child seats. You see people riding bikes carrying infants, or lumber, or butane (propane) tanks, or 5 gallon plastic pails hanging from the handle bars, or friends. Lots of skill shown there. No helmets. Locals ride ‘em, ex-pats ride ‘em, tourists ride’em.


Legs - Some folks walk. People in Seine Bight Village walk to work at resorts a half mile or more down the road. Others who go into Placencia Village and miss the shuttle bus or do not get picked up by helpful drivers, walk the five miles along the road into the village. Although it has not happened here (yet), I read in the papers every now and then of pedestrians on other roads in the country being killed by cars while walking along highways.

So that’s the long story about travel in Belize. I’m glad I have my truck because of the flexibility it gives me to get around the country.