1. ADO Express Bus
In September 2011, the Mexican bus company ADO began two new daily services to Belize City – one from Cancun and one from Merida. The ADO buses are first class with 44 comfortable seats, video, toilet and air conditioning that seems to have only two settings, off and freeze, so dress warmly. In Belize City, buses arrive at and depart from the Belize City bus terminal (commonly known as Novelo’s) located on West Collet Canal. These buses do not go to Chetumal in either direction. The bus runs shall not affect the services provided by Belizean transport providers.
On the Cancun route, stops include Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Corozal and Orange Walk, but passengers are not allowed to use these buses to travel within Belize, for example, to travel from Belize City to Corozal. Passengers can board the buses at Orange Walk and Corozal only if their final destinations are in Mexico. On the Belize City to Cancun route, the bus stops at the Cancun airport.
On the Merida route, also known as the Hospital route, stops include the most important hospitals in Merida.
Cancun to Belize City
Departs from Cancun bus terminal daily at 10:15 pm; from Playa del Carmen at 11:40 pm; from Tulum at 12:45 am.
Fares to BC: MX$492 from Cancun; MX$456 from Playa; MX$396 from Tulum.
Trip time: 8:10 hours.
Belize City to Cancun
Departs from BC bus terminal daily at 7:30 pm with stops at Orange Walk (9:00 pm), Corozal (10:00 pm), Tulum (4:00 am), Playa del Carmen (5:00 am) and Cancun Airport (6:30 am). Arrives at Cancun bus terminal at 7:00 am.
Fares: BZ$55.00 to Tulum; BZ$63.00 to Playa del Carmen; BZ$79.00 to Cancun (one way).
Merida to Belize City
Departs from Merida Terminal Alta Brisa daily at 9 pm with stops at Corozal and Orange Walk.
Fare to BC: MX$492
Trip time: 8:30 hours.
Belize City to Merida
Departs from BC bus terminal daily at 7:00 pm with stops at Orange Walk (8:30 pm), Corozal (9:30 pm), and the most important hospitals in Merida (ORAM, Juárez, Clínica Mérida, Star Médica). Arrives at Terminal Alta Brisa at 6:00 am.
Fare: BZ$79.00 (one way).
Here’s the link to the ADO website:
http://www.ado.com.mx/ado/index.jsp
Other contact telephone numbers:
ADO Cancún: +52 (998) 887-1149
ADO Chetumal: +52 (983) 832-9877
Belize City: +501-600-8100
Orange Walk: +501-302-2240, +501-624-8200
Corozal: no ticket agent.
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2. San Juan Travel Services, a Guatemalan company, provides Express bus service between Flores, Belize City and Chetumal. In Belize City, buses arrive at and depart from the Marine Terminal on North Front Street near the Swing Bridge, and are not scheduled to stop anywhere else in Belize. Buses operate on Sundays and public holidays. Not all buses are air-conditioned. The agent in Belize City for these services is Mundo Maya Travel located at the Brown Sugar Market Place on North Front Street, Belize City. Phone: (501) 223 1200 / 663 5957. Email: mundomayatravels@yahoo.com
Belize City to Chetumal (161 km / 100 miles / about 3 hours)
Foreign bus companies are not allowed to pick up passengers in Belize and take them to Chetumal.
Chetumal to Belize City (161 km / 100 miles / about 3 hours)
San Juan bus departs daily at 7:00 am; US$10.00
The bus waits outside the ADO terminal. It goes to Belize City, then continues to Flores, Guatemala arriving about 4 pm (400 pesos from Chetumal to Flores). Confirm the departure time when Mexico switches to daylight saving time.
(updated: 20 January 2012)
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3. Regular Buses Between Corozal and Chetumal
Several bus companies (BBOC, Chell, Gilharry, Russell, Tillett, T-Line, Venus) provide Regular bus service between Corozal and Chetumal. The buses are mostly used Bluebird school buses; most of them are not very comfortable, not air-conditioned and are not well equipped to handle luggage, but they are cheap!
Buses to Chetumal depart from Corozal bus terminal about every half hour beginning at 7:00 am; last departure at 8:00 pm. Most of the buses that go to Chetumal have come from Belize City and Orange Walk. There are also small mini-buses that go from Corozal to the border.
Buses to Corozal depart from Chetumal Nuevo Mercado (New Market; about 1 km from the ADO terminal) about every half hour beginning at 4:00 am. I don’t know the exact departure time of the last bus from Chetumal Nuevo Mercado, but it is between 5:45 and 6:30 pm (Belize time); this bus connects with the last bus to depart from the Santa Elena border at 7:15 pm.
Duration and cost: about 45 minutes (mainly due to the time it takes for a bus load of people to get through two immigration points), and about BZ$3.00.
Map of Chetumal showing the locations of the bus terminals and the water taxi pier (click on image to enlarge)
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4. Water Taxi Between Ambergris Caye and Chetumal
There are two water taxi companies providing service between San Pedro and Chetumal (see websites for schedules & fares):
a) San Pedro Water Jets International:
http://www.sanpedrowatertaxi.com/index.html
b) San Pedro – Belize Express:
http://www.belizewatertaxi.com/
Trip time: 90 minutes.
Both services have same day connecting water taxis between San Pedro and Caye Caulker.
In Chetumal, water taxis use the main pier, “Muelle Fiscal”, which is close to the big Government building, “Palacio Gobierno”, at the waterfront. Check the map of Chetumal above for the locations of the ADO bus terminal and the pier. The pier is also visible on Google Earth.
If arriving in Chetumal at the ADO bus terminal, there is a little booth inside the terminal where you can get water taxi information. There is (or at least there once was) a water taxi sign and a person who speaks English. You could probably buy a ticket there, but you might get pushed into an overpriced taxi. I’d just go outside to get a taxi, and buy a ticket at the pier.
It’s about 3.5 km from the ADO terminal to the pier. A taxi should take about 10 minutes, and cost MX$15 (that’s pesos). The taxi driver might not know about the water taxi, but he/she will know the pier. Write it down if you can’t pronounce it.
(updated: 24 November 2011)
Entrance to the Pier in Chetumal (click on image to enlarge)
Water Taxi Offices beside the entrance to the pier (click on image to enlarge)
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5. Flight Between Cancun and Belize
For several months in 2010 and 2011, Maya Regional / Maya Island Air had flights between the international airport in Belize City (PGIA) and Cancun airport. Currently, the route has either been temporarily suspended or discontinued completely. Check the website for updates: http://www.mayaregional.com/home
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6. Renting a Car in Mexico and Driving to Belize
I have no personal experience with this, but here are the names of two car rental companies that allow vehicles into Belize:
a) Cancun Rent a Car: http://www.cancunrentacar.com/
b) Europcar: http://www.europcar.com.mx/
In Chetumal, the Europcar Central office is located at or near Sam’s Club, and I think they have an office at the airport. They have one or two cars that are allowed into Belize.
In Belize, you must have insurance. Insurance can be purchased at the border.
Here’s a link that should be helpful for anyone driving a rental car from Mexico to Belize:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1865946&tstart=0
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7. Chetumal Bus or Taxi then Belizean Bus or Taxi
It is possible to get to the border with a Chetumal bus or taxi. The bus fare is about MX$10, and terminates at the border control point. A taxi from Chetumal city to the border takes about 15 minutes and costs MX$60 or MX$70. Depending on the driver, the taxi might not continue across the bridge, or it might proceed across the bridge and continue to the Belizean customs/immigration building. Wherever it stops, it should be easy to find a Belizean bus/minibus or Belizean taxi to continue to Corozal. The bus fare is BZ$1 or $2, and the taxi fare is BZ$25 (but possible to negotiate a lower fare).
Chetumal City Bus — this one goes to Calderitas (click on image to enlarge)
2009/11/14 at 07:27 |
I want to take the bus from Belize City to Cancun – can you give me departure times / schedules and cost
2009/11/14 at 18:38 |
1. Belize City to Chetumal
The best bus is the Premier express. They depart Belize City at 6:00 am, 9:00 am and 11:00 am daily, and arrive at the ADO terminal in Chetumal. Trip time about 3 hours. Cost BZ$16.
If you don’t get one of those express buses, there are hourly bus departures from the bus terminal, but they will be uncomfortable Regular buses.
2. At the ADO terminal, change to an ADO express bus to Cancun. There are several departures daily. Check the ticketbus site for schedules and fares.
https://www.ticketbus.com.mx
2009/12/27 at 13:41 |
Hi, on January 14, 2010 I plan to travel from Tulum to Belize City by way of Chetumal. I’ve done this in the past w/o any problem but this time I’m having trouble verifying service between the Chetumal ADO terminal and Belize City. When I check the National Transport Belize site it doesn’t list any schedules for buses departing from Chetumal. Can you tell me if service on that route still exists?
Thanks for the great info.
Don
2009/12/27 at 14:27 |
Hi Don,
Yes, the express buses are still operating from the ADO terminal to Belize City.
On the National Transport site, the buses are Premier buses (see column on right), and the departure point says Santa Elena border rather than Chetumal. The buses depart from Chetumal an hour earlier than the times shown for the border. The times I got a month ago are:
Depart Chetumal: 10:30 am, 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm daily
2010/01/01 at 12:20 |
We have completed our trip to Belize. The information we received on this blog was very helpful. Thank you for all the info
2010/01/01 at 15:27 |
Thanks for your comment. Is there anything you would like to add or correct?
2010/01/06 at 21:55 |
Hello,
Is there a way to get to Flores from Placencia? Any advice would help. Thank you
2010/01/07 at 10:13 |
The easiest way would be to fly — Placencia to Belize City, then to Flores by another flight, or by Linea Dorada express bus. Check the airline websites for flights; the bus details are on the blog.
By bus, first get a bus from Placencia to Belmopan. I don’t have schedules for those buses, but there is a James bus schedule on the hickatee link:
https://www.hickatee.com/belize_bus_times.html
James buses depart from Independence/Mango Creek, and you have to take the Hokey Pokey to get there.
At Belmopan, change to a west bound bus to Benque.
At Benque, take a taxi to the border, cross the border, and get a Guatemalan bus to Flores. If you time it right, you could get the Linea Dorada express bus when it crosses the border.
2010/01/19 at 16:30 |
Hello,
Thank you very much maintaining this site. I have found it very useful and appreciate that you take the time for this.
I have a question and I was wondering whether you could help me out? I need to take a bus from Belize City to Chetumal on a Friday evening. The problem is that I won’t be able to leave Belize City until 5:00pm at the earliest. Do you know of any bus lines that still have runs to Chetumal at that time of day? If I were able to get a bus to Corozal, are there buses that run from Corozal to Chetumal later in the day (like at 9pm)?
If there are no bus routes, is it safe to take a bus to the Santa Elena border in the evening, walk across, and get a taxi on the Mexican side? Are there many taxis on the Mexican side?
Thank you
2010/01/19 at 21:27 |
There are Regular buses (no expresses) to Corozal that depart Belize City up until 7:30 pm. The schedule shows that they continue to the border. If in doubt, ask the conductor.
If the buses don’t go right through to Chetumal, you can walk across the border, and get a taxi into Chetumal. I think the taxi fare is about MX$50.
I’ve never done it this way, but I think it’s safe.
2010/01/27 at 08:09 |
Hi Belizebus,
On several blogs we read about a watertaxi service between Chetumal and San Pedro. It is hosted by San Pedro Watertaxi and should be departing from the Chetumal Municipal Pier. I turned the internet upside down, but I did not find any clue as to where the Municipal Pier is. Even Google Maps leaves us in the dark.
Could you help us out? We will arrive at the ADO busstation in Chetumal around 2PM and the boat leaves 3PM.
I tried to contact San Pedro Watertaxi, but they didn’t respond…
Thanks in advance, warm greetings from a cold Holland,
Alex
2010/01/27 at 10:19 |
The pier is located at the south of the city.
Latitude: 18 degrees, 29 minutes, 30 seconds North
Longitude: 88 degrees, 17 minutes, 57 seconds West
On Google Earth, the pier is quite visible. I think Google Maps uses the same images.
The bus terminal is in the north part of the city, so a taxi is advisable.
I’ll add the pier to the image of the Chetumal map on my blog.
2010/02/07 at 11:18 |
Hi, Thanks for your blog to help decipher the mysteries of buses in/out Belize. I have a couple of questions. 1) We will be arriving at the Belize City airport from the US on Thurs Feb 18 about 11:30 am. Is it likely we will be able to make the San Juan bus to Flores departing at 2:30 pm? Can we make advance reservations? 2) Would the SJ bus let us out in Remate; if not, since it will be pretty late when we arrive, would you recommend spending the night in Flores? 3) I read on another website that you can avoid the Belize departure tax if you leave Belize within 24 hours of arriving. Since we’ll be returning to Belize and leaving via Punta Gorda to Guatemala (again) about a week or so later, this would be a boon to our travel budget. It’s also an incentive to leave for Flores/Tikal right after arrival. I appreciate your advice.
2010/02/07 at 20:25 |
Hi Jody,
1) Getting from the plane to Belize City should take about 1 hour, so lots of time to make the bus. You will have to contact Mundo Maya Travel to see if you can make a reservation. Their contact details are above.
2) I’m fairly certain that the SJ bus will let you off anywhere you want in Guatemala. I can’t recommend where to stay.
3) You can’t avoid the departure fee. If you are exiting Belize, and have been in Belize for LESS than 24 hours, you have to pay the departure fee of BZ$30.00 (or US$15.00), but you don’t have to pay the PACT fee of BZ$7.50.
If you are exiting Belize, and have been in Belize for MORE than 24 hours, you have to pay the departure fee of BZ$30.00 AND the PACT fee for a total of BZ$37.50, payable in BZ$ or US$.
You’re going to be paying the departure fee twice.
This site will explain the fees more:
http://www.bmabz.com/
2010/03/05 at 20:41 |
Hi,
I’m traveling from Chetumal to Flores and have short time for holiday. If I arrive at 1.30 pm to Chetumal, is there a way i can get to Flores that same day?
2010/03/05 at 21:11 |
Possibly.
If you get one of the Belizean buses from Chetumal to Belize City (3 hours with Premier Express bus, or 3.5 to 4 hours by Regular bus), and then immediately get a westbound bus to Benque, you could get to the border by about 8pm. Then you would have to get a Guatemalan bus or taxi, and I don’t have any information on those. From the border to Flores, it’s about 3 hours, and you’ll be travelling at night.
If it was me, I’d take the early morning Linea Dorada bus from Chetumal.
2010/04/08 at 16:18 |
Thanks for all the info.
Next week we plan to take the ADO bus from Playa del Carmen to Chetumal with the intention of catching a plane to San Pedro booked at 1:30 pm from Corozal airport.
Looking at the connections on the Premier bus it seems we don’t get to Chetumal in time.
When we did this a few years ago we had some difficulty getting a taxi to take us to the border.
What is the situation now and how much should the taxi cost? Are there alternatives?
2010/04/08 at 20:51 |
If you can’t get a Premier bus, you could get one of the Regular buses that depart about every half hour from Nuevo Mercado (New Market). The trip should be about 45 minutes to the Corozal bus terminal, where you can get a taxi to the Corozal airstrip (BZ$8 to 10).
Or you could get a taxi (probably from the ADO terminal) to the border for 50 pesos, and then walk over the bridge. I’ve never done the trip this way.
On the Belize side, you could get a taxi to the airstrip (maybe BZ$25), or get a bus to the bus terminal (BZ$3 or 4) and then get a taxi to the airstrip (BZ$8 to 10).
Don’t forget to go through immigration, and that Mexico is on Daylight Saving Time, so there is a 1 hour difference between Mexico & Belize.
2010/04/10 at 10:28 |
Hi! I arrive in Belize at 12:00 pm on May 1. I need to get to Chetumal on May 1. Is this possible? Please let me know the best route. Thanks!
2010/04/10 at 12:05 |
Hi Joanne,
I assume that you will arrive at Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (PGIA) in Belize. Correct?
You will be able to get to Chetumal, but I think you will arrive too late to get an express buses.
So there are a couple of options assuming you want to go by bus…
1. From the airport, you could get a taxi to the bus terminal in Belize City, and get a Regular bus to Corozal, then onto Chetumal. The trip will probably take about 4 hours and cost BZ$50 for the taxi and about BZ$13 for the bus.
All these buses go past the airport on their way to Corozal, so a cheaper option is…
2. To avoid that huge taxi fare, you could walk or taxi from the airport to the Northern highway (about 2.5 km), and wait for a bus. As you approach the intersection with the highway, Corozal and Mexico are to your left, so you have to cross to the other side of the highway and wait. When you see a bus coming, wave your arm up and down to get it to stop; Express buses will not stop. All buses will be going to Corozal and they’ll be the same buses that originate from the terminal in Belize City so you save BZ$50. (You could donate that $50 to me
In Corozal, the bus you are on might continue to Chetumal or you might have to change. All buses have a driver & conductor, so just ask.
2010/06/02 at 15:43 |
To Whom it may concern:
What I want is the electronical application form to obtain a Mexican Card to go to Chetumal. This card I can present it at the Mexican border rather than fill a visa application everytime I go . I hope you understand me .Thank you.
2010/06/05 at 11:06 |
You have to apply for the card at the Mexican immigration building, and I think only Belize citizens can obtain one.
If you’re crossing from Corozal to Chetumal, the building is on the right just after crossing the bridge.
2010/06/07 at 11:39 |
Hi my name is Anita , i would like some information on how
much it cost to travel from chetumal mexico to tampico mexico
or villahermosa ?
can anybody help-me with this information?
i need price on how much it cost .
2010/06/07 at 12:13 |
Hi Anita,
I just checked the ticketbus site, and it said there were no departures to Tampico. That might mean there are no direct buses, and you would have to get a bus to an intermediate town and change to another bus.
The site shows 6 departures to Villahermosa; all cost 392 pesos and take about 8.5 hours.
Hope this helps.
2010/07/09 at 21:17 |
hi i am wondering if there is any way to get from tikal to belize city after 5pm at night? if so what is the cost? thanks for the website, has helped alot!
2010/07/10 at 10:12 |
Hi Kelly,
I don’t think there are any express buses at that time. The 2 express buses I know both depart Flores in early morning. There is a Fuente del Norte express, but I don’t know what time it departs Flores. There might be non-express “chicken” buses from Flores to the border (Melchor de Mencos).
You could hire a taxi to get to the border. Or try asking a driver of one of the tours from Belize; they usually return to San Ignacio.
After crossing the border, you should be able to get a taxi to Benque, and then a bus. The buses stop running late at night so you’ll have to check the schedules on my blog (Section 3).
2010/08/31 at 18:53 |
Hi
I am looking to travel by bus down to Belize City from Chetumal airport in the near future. My flight will arrive roughly midday. Unfortunately many of the sites i have visited have conflicting bus schedules and I am also having trouble getting through to any of the bus companies to find out the details. Could you please let me know the best possible bus routes.
Thank you
Best wishes
Ceci
2010/08/31 at 20:22 |
Hi Ceci,
I prefer the Premier express buses because they are air-conditioned and the trip is only 3 hours. The buses depart from the ADO terminal in Chetumal daily at 10:30 am, 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm. Note: these times are Belize time; there will be a 1 hour difference when Chetumal is on daylight saving time.
If you can’t get the express bus, then go to Nuevo Mercado and get one of the Regular buses.
Another option…
get a taxi from the airport to the border, cross over and get a taxi/minibus to Corozal where you can get a bus to Belize City.
2010/09/06 at 16:16 |
Hello,
Thank you so much for all the wonderful information posted here. We will be traveling to Belize in a few weeks from Cancun to Chetumal. I think we will have to spend the night in Chetumal and then would like to leave as early as possible to start our day. I see that the express bus leaves at 10:30 and is about 3 hours. Do you know much about the other bus that leaves as early as 5am? Is it usually packed and how much longer would it take to get into Belize City? I am having trouble getting the nationaltransportbelize website to work. Do you have any information on that?
We will be arriving on Sept 21, which I see is the Belize Independence Day. Are a lot of things shut down on that day, or should we still be able to get around ok?
Thanks so much for your help!!
2010/09/06 at 17:32 |
Hi Holly,
If you are arriving in Chetumal on a bus from Cancun, then you’ll probably arrive at the ADO bus terminal. Before you exit the terminal, check the departure times of the buses to Belize because Mexico is currently on daylight saving time, so the Premier express bus will depart at 11:30 am (Mexico time, which is 10:30 Belize time – hope I got that right).
The early morning San Juan express bus also takes 3 hours to Belize City. It’s a smaller bus and is sometimes full, but this isn’t the peak tourist period — be early anyway.
Can’t help with getting the NTSL website to work. It’s not working for me right now — looks like they haven’t paid their fee and is temporarily off-line. That happens occasionally.
Sept 21 is a public holiday in Belize. Most shops and many restaurants will be closed, but the buses do run on public holidays — at least they have in previous years.
Hope this helps.
2010/10/11 at 21:23 |
Is it possible to depart from guatemala(east cost) to Chetumal.
How much would it cost? and how long would it take?
Thank you very much
Endo
2010/10/12 at 08:27 |
I don’t know of any transportation that goes direct from east Guatemala to Chetumal.
There are daily water taxis from Puerto Barrios to Punta Gorda (Belize), then buses to get to Chetumal. You’ll find more information about this route on BelizeBus.
2010/11/04 at 10:33 |
Hello, thank you so much for your very informative Blog! I would like to travel from Chetumal to Belize City the 29th of November..As the national transport Belize site is down, could you please let me know what time the Bus leaves the ADO terminal in Chetumal? Thanks a lot in advance!
2010/11/04 at 17:19 |
Hi Marco,
Did you read this part on my blog…
Premier Lines Express Bus Service (an affiliate of the Belizean bus company, National Transport Services) provides Express bus service between Belize City and Chetumal. In Belize City, buses arrive at and depart from the Belize City bus terminal (commonly known as Novelo’s) located on West Collet Canal. In Chetumal, buses arrive at and depart from the ADO bus terminal. The buses are a bit better than the Bluebird school buses, and some are first-class type; all have air-conditioning though it might not function.
Depart Chetumal daily at 10:30 am, 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm.
If possible, confirm times before heading to the bus terminal.
Duration & cost: about 3 hours & BZ$16.00
2010/11/22 at 09:13 |
I’ve heard rumors about a bus going from Belize City straight to the Cancun airport, is there any truth to this?
2010/11/22 at 09:37 |
Hi Awhtgyl,
Last year, ADO was seeking approval to operate between Chetumal and Belize City. So far, I haven’t heard if it has been approved.
Currently, all the buses coming from Belize terminate in Chetumal, then you have to change. I haven’t heard anything about a BC to Cancun service offered by a single bus company.
There is an ADO express bus from Chetumal direct to Cancun airport. Check the ticketbus site for schedule & fares.
2010/11/22 at 10:01 |
how far is the bus terminal in chetumal from the water taxie. Thanks
2010/11/22 at 10:56 |
Hi Funseeker,
Here’s the text from my site (you must have missed it)…
It’s about 3.5 km from the ADO terminal to the pier. A taxi should take about 10 minutes, and cost MX$15 (that’s pesos). The taxi driver might not know about the water taxi, but he/she will know the pier. Write it down if you can’t pronounce it — “Muelle Fiscal”, which is close to the big Government building, “Palacio Gobierno”, at the waterfront.
2010/11/27 at 13:39 |
Hello! We are going to travel from Yaxha to Belize city on 24 of December. Think that from Yaxha to the frontera we can take taxi or a bus. And could you please tell: 1. how long does it takes to go from the frontera to Belize city? 2.how can we get there (are there any direct buses)? Thanks
2010/11/27 at 16:00 |
Hi Natalia,
There are a few express buses that operate between Flores and Belize City, but you might not be able to board until you get to the border because the express bus probably won’t stop anywhere else on the route. You could try to wave down a bus? The San Juan bus might stop?
If, at the border, you board one of the express buses from Flores, then it’s about 2 hours to BC because the bus won’t stop anywhere on the way.
If you don’t get an express bus, then you have to get a taxi or minibus from the border to Benque Viejo (the first town in Belize), then get a Belizean bus to Belize City. Ask if there’s an express (maybe 2.5 hours) because a Regular bus (stops anywhere along the way) will be closer to 3 hours.
More details of this trip are in the section:
9. TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN BELIZE AND GUATEMALA
2010/12/21 at 22:21 |
Thank you for all the great information and willingness to help everyone.
My daughter is trying to reach Belize City by about 10 am on this coming Friday, Dec 24th, originating in Merida. It looks like she has a choice of (a) taking an ADO bus into Chetumal arriving the previous afternoon/evening and then staying in a hostel and catching the early San Juan Express bus or an early bus – maybe around 6 a.m or 7 a.m. from the market – or else (b) taking the night bus to Chetumal, arriving at around 4 a.m. and then waiting for the 5 a.m. San Juan Express from the ADO terminal.
Her own preference is night travel (save money on lodgings, save daylight hours, etc.) My question is how safe is it for her to be in Chetumal on her own at that hour of the early morning – will the bus station be open and populated at 4 a.m., while she waits for the connection to the San Juan Express bus? Or if she goes for one of the local buses, how safe is the travel to the marketplace at that hour? Is there a hostel or safe/reasonable hotel that would be well situated for getting to the market to catch the local bus early in the morning?
Thanks – from a worried mom.
2010/12/22 at 10:18 |
Hi,
She should be fine.
I frequently stay in Chetumal and consider it very safe.
I’ll send a more complete answer later by email.
2010/12/27 at 07:52 |
Hello,
I need to get from Belize City to Chetumal and I noticed you said that Premier busses might not be running anymore. Is there any other way I can get there?
Thanks
2010/12/28 at 12:09 |
There are Regular buses departing frequently from the bus terminal.
The Premier buses were express while the Regular buses stop for passengers anywhere along the route. At the terminal, ask if there are any other express buses to Chetumal or Corozal.
You might also try the San Juan bus from the water taxi terminal.
2011/01/26 at 09:06 |
Hi, if I take the OCC/ADO bus at 830pm from Cancun to get to Chetumal, will I be able to purchase a ticket to Belize for the 5am San Juan bus when I get into Chetumal at 3am, or do I have to get it beforehand somehow?
2011/01/26 at 09:23 |
I think you buy the ticket directly from the bus driver — the bus terminal staff should be able to help you.
2011/01/30 at 10:59 |
hello im trying to get from belize city to tullum mexico by buss whats the best way ? where can i find a scedual ?
best regards from san pedro
2011/01/30 at 19:19 |
Hi Oskar,
All the information you need is on this site.
Go to the bus terminal in Belize City and get a bus to Corozal/Chetumal. Buses depart hourly.
In Chetumal, go to the ADO bus terminal and get a bus to Tulum. They depart about every 2 hours.
The ADO schedules & fares are on the ticketbus site.
2011/02/24 at 18:43 |
I want to travel by express bus within Belize. I want to depart Belive City on March 8, 2011 and travel to San Ingnacio, Cayo. I can’t find an epress schedule and wondered how much it would cost, please help
2011/02/24 at 19:55 |
Go to Section 3. BELIZE BUS INFORMATION AND SCHEDULES.
Scroll down a bit and you’ll see an image of the bus schedule.
Click on the image to enlarge it.
A Regular bus is about BZ$7, so an Express will probably be BZ$2 or $3 more.
2011/02/24 at 18:46 |
What about a water taxi or ferry to Ambergris Caye from Belize City? How much and where do I go? Thanks, Jerri
2011/02/24 at 19:58 |
Go to Section 4. OTHER TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS.
Scroll down a bit until you get to Water Taxis.
The links to the water taxi services are there.
One terminal is beside the Swing Bridge, another is a short walk further along the street, and the third is at Bird’s Isle, at the other end of the City.
2011/05/03 at 15:58 |
i´m traveling to cancun next saturday i ll depart guatemala at 9pm to arrive to flores peten from there i will take the bus to belize city, i really dont know at waht time ill be arriving, and i dont know if there is transportation to chetumal, and if there is one at what time will depart and the cost thank you for your information
2011/05/03 at 19:38 |
Hi,
I would suggest the San Juan bus from Flores because it goes all the way to the ADO bus terminal in Chetumal. San Juan isn’t the best bus (Fuente del Norte is the best), but if you get the Linea Dorada or FdN bus from Flores, then you have to get a Belizean bus from Belize City to Chetumal. If you get a Regular bus, it will be 4 hours and BZ$12. If there’s an express bus, it will be 3 hours and BZ$16. I think the last express bus departs from the bus terminal at 11:00 am. Check at Mundo Maya Travel inside the water taxi terminal (that’s where you arrive) because I’ve heard that the express bus stops at the water taxi terminal.
The schedules are on this site.
2011/05/27 at 20:56 |
hi my fiance and i are marrying in san pedro she is flying from tampico to mexico city to chetumal i am flying from houston can she take a water taxi to san pedro from chetumal and how long is the boat ride and does she need more than a mexican passport
2011/05/28 at 09:11 |
Hi Travis,
I would guess that she can get the water taxi from Chetumal to San Pedro. I’m wondering why you think she might not?
The boat trip is about 90 minutes.
According to the Belize Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mexicans with an official passport can visit Belize:
http://www.mfa.gov.bz/lp.asp?CtNode=34&CtUnit=34&BaseDSD=7&mp=26
By water taxi, immigration and customs are handled at the departure & arrival points.
By land, the border is about 8 km from the airport in Chetumal, and about 13 km from the ADO bus terminal in Chetumal.
A taxi from the airport to the border should not be more than 60 pesos. Don’t know if there are any buses from the airport.
From the border to the Belizean Immigration building is about 1 km.
You can see the border clearly on Google Earth.
2011/06/22 at 10:43 |
Once again, I am hearing of a bus from Cancun directly to Belize City. Can you confirm this as we will be traveling this weekend?
2011/06/22 at 19:00 |
Where are you hearing this?
I’m not aware of any Mexican buses that operate from Cancun to BC — they all terminate at Chetumal. And no Belizean buses go further north than Chetumal.
However, I once came across a “hop on – hop off” bus — Bamba Experience. I don’t know anything about it.
http://www.bambaexperience.com/
2011/07/20 at 07:48 |
Hi,
We are traveling today from Caye Caulker to Belize City then onto Chetumal.
From Chetumal we would like to get to Palenque, do you know the times of the buses?
Many thanks,
L
2011/07/20 at 13:36 |
Hi Louise,
I wish you had contacted me earlier. I would have suggest the water taxi from Caye Caulker to Chetumal.
Anyway, I don’t know the bus times in Mexico. I always go to the ticketbus site for schedules, fares and trip times:
http://www.ticketbus.com.mx/wtbkd/I18n.tb?language=en®ion=US
Click the word “English” to get the site in English.
Or just ask at the ADO bus terminal in Cheumal.
2011/11/18 at 13:20 |
Hi,
I just read Oskars question – travelling from Belize City to Tulum. I have nearly the same question.
We would also like to travel from Belize City directly to Tulum, Mexico. Is it possible to cross the border by one bus company directly from Belize to Mexico?
Or do we have to travel from Belize City to Chetumal and then change the bus and go on to Tulum, Mexico with another bus?
We want to travel the fastest way, because we have not much time – could you recommend which bus companies we should choose.
Thank you for your help.
Christina
2011/11/18 at 22:16 |
Yes, there is an ADO express bus that travels between Belize city and Cancun, and it stops at Tulum. I’d say this is the fastest way.
The details are in Section 2. Updates. Note that there is only one bus daily and it departs from BC at night.
If you don’t want to travel on a night bus, then you have to go to Chetumal and change to another bus.
2011/12/12 at 12:38 |
Hi!
We are goin to travel from san pedro tomorrow with a water taxi to chetumal. Is it goin any ado buses from chetumal to chiapis?
2011/12/12 at 19:50 |
Check the ADO website for bus schedules.
http://www.ado.com.mx/ado/index.jsp
2011/12/16 at 17:13 |
Hi,
We need to be in Playa del Carmen on the 21st of Dec. We are currently in El Salvador. We are planning to go from here to Guatemala City and then to Flores and Belize City. Is this the best route? From Belize City, what would be the best route to get to Playa del Carmen??
Thanks for your help!
Kind regards
Emelie
2011/12/16 at 19:21 |
Get one of the buses or transfer services. All the options are on this site — take your pick.
2011/12/18 at 13:05 |
Hi I’ll go to Belize City in March 2012. I’ll leave Cancun and back in the 6.
I don’t manage book a seat on ADOwebsite.
May I have some help
Thank you for answers
2011/12/18 at 17:10 |
I can’t help with booking a seat. I don’t work with ADO.
2012/01/02 at 14:21 |
My wife and I will be taking the bus from Cancun to Belize City but don’t want to take the express night bus. From other websites I gather that you can take an ADO GL bus at 6am from Cancun to Chetumal, then Premier bus at 2pm and arrive in Belize City at 5pm. Anyone know if this is correct?
2012/01/04 at 13:52 |
From Cancun, there are about 20 express buses per day to Chetumal. Take whichever one suits your schedule.
The Premier bus is no longer in business. You have to get a Regular Belize bus from the Nuevo Mercado.
2012/01/11 at 18:44 |
Hi,
We would like to take the direct bus from Chetumal to Flores on sunday (15 of Jan), what time does it leave, still at 5 a.m.? Do you know the price and how long it takes? Is it the same bus that goes all the way through all three countries?
Such a fantastic informative website! Thanks!
2012/01/11 at 20:06 |
The departure time I have is 5am, but I have heard other reports of 6am and 7am. Please let me know if you get this bus.
Chetumal to BC: 3 hours and US$10
BC to Flores: 4 to 5 hours and US$25
The bus goes via Belize City, but no change is necessary.
2012/01/20 at 20:16
Hi again,
San Juan travel leaves at 7 am and is supposed to arrive to Flores at 3 pm (we arrived around 4:30 pm). The price was 400 pesos. It also drops off passengers in Belize city.
2012/01/20 at 20:37
Thanks for the update Karolina.
2012/01/14 at 18:10 |
Can I go direct to chetumal from Merida?
2012/01/14 at 20:02 |
Probably. Check the ADO website for schedules.
2012/01/16 at 22:52 |
Hello, arriving at Chetumal airport at 11,00 am on saturday the 4th. I would like to travel by bus to Orange Walk (visiting Lamanai the following day): how do you suggest me to get there? The easiest way, does not matter if it’s the cheapest available.
Thanks a lot for your help and congratulations for your site!
2012/01/17 at 10:31 |
Hi Nico,
I don’t know if there is any public transportation (buses) from the airport.
Option 1
Taxi to the Nuevo Mercado in Chetumal (maybe 20 pesos). Get a Belizean bus (they’re the old school buses) to Corozal. The bus might or might not continue to OW. If it doesn’t, just change buses at Corozal. The bus part of the trip will be about BZ$7.
Option 2
Get a taxi from the airport to the border (maybe 70 pesos). Get a Belizean bus after crossing the border.
2012/01/20 at 16:22 |
I have searched your blog looking for departure times Bze-Chet – did I miss it? I know Premier are no longer running this route. My question is: are there still daily Express services at 6am. 9am and 11am?
2012/01/20 at 19:51 |
There are no daily express buses from BC to Chetumal.
The only choice is a Regular bus. See Section 3 — Northern Zone buses, or Section 7, Part 3. All the Regular buses heading north from BC go to Corozal and most, if not all, continue to Chetumal. If you’re on a bus that doesn’t continue to Chetumal, change at Corozal.
2012/01/23 at 16:38 |
Thank you so much for all this information!
I’m looking for a bus schedule to arrive in Punta Gorda on Monday, March 5th by 10:30am at the latest. I’m leaving from Cancun, Mexico. Can you help me out? I can only find a schedule to get to Chetumal but after that, I get lost.
thank you
2012/01/23 at 20:43 |
You won’t be able to start in Chetumal and arrive in PG on the same day before 10:30 am. You’ll have to arrive in PG the day before.
From Chetumal, get one of the Belizean buses from the Nuevo Mercado and go to Belize City. They depart about every hour and the trip will take 4 hours.
At the Belize City bus terminal, change to a James bus to Punta Gorda. That trip is about 6 hours.
There is a link to the James bus schedule…
https://www.hickatee.com/belize_bus_times.html
An alternative…
There’s an overnight ADO express bus from Cancun (departs 10:15 pm) to Belize City (arrive about 6 am). Then get a James bus from the Belize City bus terminal to Punta Gorda. You will arrive in PG after 12:00 noon, so you would have to do this trip on the day before too.
2012/01/25 at 08:57
Thank you for your reply!
I’ve been trying to see the schedule for the overnight express buses from ADO website but I get nothing. What do you enter as the origin? I would like to be able to buy my ticket ahead of time.
2012/01/25 at 11:04
De donde (from): Cancun, Q.R. (select from menu list)
A donde (to): Belice, City
Select: Viaje Redondo (round trip) or Viaje Sencillo (one way)
Select date from calendar
Select “Noche” from the list
Then hit “Consultar”
I’ve never tried to reserve online, so can’t help with that.
2012/01/25 at 13:19
Looks like there are no tickets available anymore so I’m looking for other options.
Where can I find information to travel from Chetumal (or Corozal) to Placencia? I’m looking for a schedule and fares.
Thanks again for all your help!
2012/01/25 at 15:38
Chetumal to Corozal
See Section 7, Part 3. Regular Buses Between Corozal and Chetumal
Buses depart about every hour and go to Corozal. Most, if not all, buses continue to Belize City. If not, then change to a bus going to Belize City.
At the Belize City bus terminal, get a bus to Punta Gorda. There is a link to the James Bus schedule and I’ve already given you the link.
2012/02/22 at 06:04 |
Hi,
I am looking for a direct connection between Chetumal and Belmopan, preferably a “business type” shuttle with comfortable air-conditioned buses.
Can you give me any hints and the link with the schedule?
Thank you
2012/02/22 at 09:15 |
I don’t think there is any regularly scheduled bus/shuttle transportation with a/c.
You will have to arrange transportation with one of the transfer services.
There is a list in Section 4 of this site. Of those, I’d suggest trying…
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, http://www.parrot-nest.com/belize_shuttle.html
e) Discounted Belize Shuttles and Tours,
http://discountedbelizeshuttlesandtours.com/index.html
2012/03/09 at 15:56 |
hi
How difficult is to cross the Mexican border when you are coming back from Belize city to Chetumal with a car rented in Chetumal? does it take too long?
tio
2012/03/09 at 17:02 |
I don’t know how long it takes.
2012/03/17 at 18:07 |
Is it possible to get from Punta Gorda to Cancun all in one day? What time would I have to start the journey, and would there be too much chance of a delay screwing it up? If one day seems to hectic, what would you recommend instead? Thanks.
2012/03/17 at 19:42 |
If you want to start off in the morning…
Get the 6am James Line express bus from PG — arrive at BC bus terminal at 10:45 am.
https://www.hickatee.com/belize_bus_times.html
Change to the 11:00 am bus to Corozal/Chetumal. That trip will be about 4 hours, so you will arrive in Chetumal at about 3pm.
Walk (1 km) or taxi (15 pesos) to the ADO bus terminal, and get an express bus to Cancun. That trip will be about 5.5 hours, so you’ll arrive in Cancun late at night.
The other option is to get any bus from PG to BC and get the ADO express bus from BC to Cancun. Departs from BC bus terminal daily at 7:30 pm with stops at Orange Walk (9:00 pm), Corozal (10:00 pm), Tulum (4:00 am), Playa del Carmen (5:00 am) and Cancun Airport (6:30 am). Arrives at Cancun bus terminal at 7:00 am the next day. Fare: BZ$79.00 to Cancun.
There’s not much of a chance of screwing it up. If you miss the 11:00 bus from BC, the next one is at 11:30.
Check the ADO website for buses from Chetumal to Cancun.
If it’s too late in the night for you, stop at Chetumal, Tulum or Playa. I prefer to stay in any of those places than Cancun.
2012/04/04 at 08:28 |
Hello!
I’m looking to travel from Cancun to Belize City, but not use the ADO bus that goes overnight (I read an article that it got robbed by armed men last month, and I’m not willing to take the risk!) I know I can go to Chetumal from Cancun, and then switch buses, but I’m hoping you might be able to talk timing — as in when I can leave Cancun to be able to get to Belize City at the earliest time — and possibly prices? I’ve been having trouble with the various sites, and both ADO and ticketbus.com.mx says there are no options for the date I’m travelling (June 11, 2012), but I can’t believe that’s correct. Thank you!
2012/04/04 at 08:57 |
Hi Alexa,
An ADO express bus takes about 5.5 to 6 hours to reach Chetumal, and then it takes about 10 minutes to get to the Market where you get the Belizean bus to BC. The Belizean buses stop crossing the border sometime around 6 or 7 pm. Therefore, you should leave Cancun as early as possible and definitely before 12 noon. The Belizean bus takes about 4 hours to reach BC (about BZ$12).
The problem with the ADO and ticketbus websites is that it will not display schedules more than about a month ahead of the current date. What you have to do is select a date within the next week or two (on the same weekday that you are travelling) and assume the schedule will not change (and it most likely won’t change).
That should allow you to see all the schedules, fares & trip times. Let me know if it doesn’t work.
2012/04/04 at 18:48
Thank you so much for replying!
I keep getting a “session has expired” no matter whether it’s the first thing I’ve typed in it, or if it’s typed as quickly as possible. This is for both ado.com.mx and ticketbus.com,mx, and using April 9 as the date (since it’s also a Monday). None of the phone numbers work for me either, and I have no idea what I’m doing wrong (this is specific to the 800 numbers I’ve found for both sites, at least). I don’t want to leave this to chance, if I can help it, on whether we’ll be able to get down there fast enough. I’d leave at 6 a.m. from Cancun if they ran that early!
2012/04/04 at 19:52
Hi Alexa,
I looked it for you…
Express buses depart Cancun bus terminal at 05:00, 06:00, 08:00, 08.30, 09.30 and 10.30 (a.m.).
Fare: 302 pesos.
Trip time: from 5:45 to 6:10 hours.
Assuming a quick change in Chetumal, you should be in BC before 5 pm.
2012/04/20 at 13:53
Sorry, one last questions — where exactly is the bus terminal in Cancun? Some places say it’s the airport, and then some say it’s Calle Pino, SM23, MZ56, Lt 1 y 2
77500 Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico. I need to know where I should tell the hotel shuttle to take me, please. Thank you in advance!
2012/04/20 at 14:32
The only bus terminal I know in Cancun City is located at the corner of Avenidas Tulum and Uxmal.
Here’s a map showing the location…
http://www.travelyucatan.com/cancun_map.php
The airport is about 15 km south of the centre of Cancun City. ADO buses operate frequently to/from Cancun City and Playa del Carmen, and not so frequently to/from other destinations.
2012/04/04 at 20:40 |
That is incredibly helpful! I don’t know why I couldn’t look it up, but I really appreciate all your help with this… it takes a lot of the stress out of this last leg of our trip! Thank you so much!
2012/04/04 at 21:08 |
Do we need to purchase the tickets ahead of time for the premier bus from Chetumal to Belize City or is there a good chance seats will be available the day of?
Stephanie
2012/04/04 at 21:29 |
The Premier Bus doesn’t run anymore, but it wasn’t possible to buy tickets in advance anyway.
Now, the buses to Belize depart from the Nuevo Mercado (New Market) which is about 1 km from the ADO terminal.
It’s not possible to buy tickets in advance, and there is a good chance that the bus will not be full.
2012/04/08 at 09:12 |
Hello
we plan to go from Belize Caye Caulker to Chetumal and take a flight round 7 am to Mexico city.
What would be the best way to catch the flight outbond Chetumal. Is there a transportation early in the morning befor 6 am getting into Chetumal
Christine
2012/04/08 at 11:16 |
Hi Christine,
Impossible to do on the same day.
The water taxi from Caye Caulker to Chetumal departs at 7 am, so you would arrive too late.
I think there are water taxis to Belize City around 6 am, but then it’s a 4 hour bus trip to Chetumal.
I would suggest spending the night before your flight in Chetumal.
2012/04/23 at 17:47 |
We are renting a car for our time in Mexico. We would like to spend a few days in Belize (hopefully San Ignacio). In regards to rental cars and boarder crossing, we may consider bussing from chetumal into Belize. Is there a safe place to leave our car in Chetumal while traveling in Belize?
2012/04/23 at 20:37 |
You might try and find a hotel with secure parking. Hotel Ucum is a lower budget hotel with a parking area, but the sign says parking is at your own risk.
2012/05/01 at 19:44 |
Hi,
We’re going to be taking the bus from BZE airport to Chetumal and all I have now is US currency, should I exchange BZE currency at the aiport when I get there for the bus? or is it ok to use US currency?
Also, you mentioned that it should be around BZ $13 for the one way?
Thank you!
2012/05/02 at 08:23 |
Hi Daniela,
You can use US$ in Belize, so don’t convert any money to BZ$.
When you use US$ in Belize, you will probably get BZ$ in change. If you’re not coming back to Belize, then exchange any BZ$ to pesos at the border or at a money changer in Chetumal (there are 3 on the main street). It can be difficult to exchange them anywhere else except Playa del Carmen or maybe Tulum.
The Regular bus from Belize City to Chetumal is about BZ$13 (US$6.50).