Travel - Internal
Air
Local services link the main towns. Maya Island and Tropic Air fly 12 times daily from the municipal airstrip at Belize City to Ambergris Caye. Inner-Belize travel by plane is provided by Caribee Air Service, Javier's Flying Service, Maya Island Air and Tropic Air. There are scheduled flights daily to each of the main towns, and charter rates are offered to all local airstrips, of which there are 25. Several companies have charters from Belize City to the outlying districts.
Sea
The sugar industry runs motorboat links along the coast. There is a scheduled boat service from Belize City to Ambergris Caye, Caye Chapel and Caye Caulker. Small boats irregularly ply between the small Cayes off the coast. This transport used to be the only means of travel to the interior, along the Belize, Hondo and New rivers, but services have dwindled since the advent of all-weather roads.
Road
Approximately 1600km (1000 miles) of all-weather roads link the eight towns in the country, though torrential rain seasonally severs these links, particularly at ferry points. Belize has a less developed network of roads than the rest of Central America but it is steadily being improved, especially in the north, as is the Belize stretch of the road to Mexico, while the Belize–Belmopan road is in generally good condition. However, road traffic accidents are still a common occurrence and local driving standards are poor. Traffic drives on the right. Bus: There are good and inexpensive daily bus services to all the large towns, and to both the Mexican and Guatemalan borders. Many of the buses are modern and air conditioned. See the tourist board website for details of schedules (see Contact Address section). Car hire: Auto Rental, Budget, Euphrates, Hertz, Jabiru, National, Pancho's, Thrifty and Vista Auto Rental operate in Belize City and there are many other companies in Ladyville, Dangriga and San Ignacio. 4-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended for excursions south of Belize City. Documentation: A national driving licence is acceptable for three months, after which an International Driving Permit is required.
Travel times
The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Belize City to other major cities/towns in the country.
| | Air | Road | Sea | | Northern Border | 2.20 | - | - | | Corozal Town | - | 2.00 | - | | Orange Walk Town | 1.15 | - | - | | Belmopan | 0.20 | 1.00 | - | | Benque Viejo | - | 1.45 | - | | San Ignacio | - | 1.30 | - | | Dangriga | 0.30 | 3.30 | - | | Punta Gorda | 0.45 | 8.00 | - | | San Pedro, Ambergris | 0.15 | - | 1.30 | | Caye Caulker | - | 0.45 | - | | Placencia | 0.30 | 4.00 | 7.00 |
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