4. OTHER TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS

Taxi

Taxis in Belize usually don’t have any markings, and I haven’t yet seen one with a meter. They can be identified by a green license plate that displays, in white, the letter “D” followed by four digits. Most are sedan type cars with a maximum capacity of 4 passengers, but there are some van type vehicles with seating for up to about 9 passengers. The standard fare for short trips in most cities and towns is BZ$5.00 to $7.00 per taxi (not per passenger). Fares for longer distances are sometimes negotiable.

Taxi License Plate

In some towns, there are also shared taxi vans (sometimes called colectivos in other countries) that provide transportation to smaller villages. These vans usually wait near bus terminals, and don’t depart until they are nearly full. The fares depend on distance, and are cheaper than taxi fares.

Shared taxi van – this one can can carry 6 passengers.

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Water Taxi

A water taxi is a boat, with seating for up to about 80 passengers, providing transportation across water. Water taxi trips are sometimes cancelled in rough conditions.

1. Water taxi services between Belize City, Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye (see websites for schedules & fares).

a) Caye Caulker Water Taxi Association
http://www.cayecaulkerwatertaxi.com

b) San Pedro Water Jets Express
http://www.sanpedrowatertaxi.com/index.html

The abovementioned services operate from the Caye Caulker Water Taxi terminal on North Front Street beside the Swing Bridge. The schedules on each website currently show the combined schedules of the two services.

c) San Pedro – Belize Express Water Taxi
https://belizewatertaxi.com/

SP-Belize Express operates from the Brown Sugar Market at 111 North Front Street, a few hundred metres from the CCWT terminal.

d) Topic Ferry
http://www.tropicferry.com/

Tropic Ferry offers pick-up at the airport, private a/c shuttle transport to their boat (a 3 minute drive to a marina located across the highway from the airport), boat transport directly to your dock on Ambergris Caye, and they throw in all the rum punch you can drink.

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2. Water taxi service between Corozal and Ambergris Caye

The “Thunderbolt” departs from Corozal daily at 7.00 am, and departs from San Pedro daily at 3:00 pm. However, try to confirm if the boat is operating. I’ve observed that on some Sundays, it hasn’t made the trip, and departures have been cancelled in the low tourist season.

The water taxi will stop in Sarteneja on request.

Cost: BZ$45 one way; purchase ticket at the pier before departure.

Duration: 2 hours

Thunderbolt Water Taxi

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3. Water taxi service between Independence and Placencia.

The “Hokey Pokey” departs from Independence (Kingfisher Landing) daily at 6:30 am, 7:30 am, 8 am, 11 am, 12:00, 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm (except Sunday) and 5:30 pm (except Sunday). It departs from Placencia (MnM Hardware/Fuel Dock) at 6:45 am, 7:45 am, 10 am, 12:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 4 pm, 5 pm & 6 pm (except Sunday).

Telephone number for information: 523-2376 (Owner), 606-1501 or 601-8897.

www.aguallos.com/hokeypokey

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4. Water taxi providing service for Ambergris Caye:

Coastal Xpress Water Taxi: http://www.coastalxpress.com

Tel: 226-2007, 226-3007

Also offers cargo deliveries and private charters

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Flight

Here are the links to the two Belizean airlines, a private charter company, and a helicopter service:

a) Maya Island Air, http://www.mayaregional.com/

b) Tropic Air, http://www.tropicair.com/

c) Javier’s Flying Service, http://www.javiersflyingservice.com/

d) Astrum Helicopters, http://www.astrumhelicopters.com/

Here are the links to two airlines operating in Central America:

a) TACA Airlines (has flights to Belize), http://www.taca.com/

b) Copa Airlines (no flights to Belize), http://www.copaair.com

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Car Rental

This site has a list of car rental companies:
http://belizeretirement.org/travel-rentals.shtml

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Transfer Service

An option for getting to many destinations is a transfer service. Here are some companies that offer a transfer/shuttle service:

a) Belize VIP Transfer Service, http://www.belizetransfers.com

b) George & Esther Moralez Travel Service,
http://www.gettransfers.com

c) Gibson’s Tours and Transfers,
http://www.gibsonstoursandtransfers.com/index.html

d) William’s Belize Shuttle, www.parrot-nest.com/belize_shuttle.html

e) Discounted Belize Shuttles and Tours,
http://discountedbelizeshuttlesandtours.com/index.html

f) ABC Shuttle (details below in a newspaper ad, March 2009)

Advetisement for ABC Shuttle – March 2009 (click on image to enlarge)

g) Cayo Adventure Tours, http://www.cayoadventure.com/

Cayo Adventure Tours can provide an airport transfer service. Contact details are on their website.

Advantages of a transfer service:
– they pick up from almost anywhere, some even at the Cancun airport
– they take you directly to your destination
– they can make stops along the way for food, toilets, sightseeing
– comfort; the ones I’ve seen have new looking vans with a/c
– prompt service; no waiting for buses or negotiating with taxi drivers
– the drivers I’ve seen are informative and professional looking
– assistance with the border/immigration procedures
– safety; I’ve never heard of any negative incidents

Here’s a link to some more information about these services …
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?messageID=15499278&#15499278

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Cruise Ship

Here’s a link to the cruise ship schedule that I have included as information for some visitors who might want to avoid tourist destinations on the days when cruise ships are here:

http://cruisett.com/ports.php?PortID=62&date=45

http://cruiseportinsider.com/belizeschedule2012.html