Belize City to San Ignacio: Buses, Driving and the Road West

Early in the morning at the Belize City bus terminal, travelers with daypacks and hiking boots line up for the westbound buses, headed for caves, ruins and the Macal River. San Ignacio sits in the western hills, and the trip there is a straightforward run along the road west through Belmopan. A scheduled bus, a taxi or your own wheels all get you there.

How do you get from Belize City to San Ignacio?

You go west by road: San Ignacio lies about 63 miles west of Belize City, and the westbound buses, a taxi or a car all make the trip. There is no need to think about boats or planes for this stretch, because the road is the link between the coast and the Cayo hills.

The buses are the simplest answer for most travelers. Westbound buses from Belize City serve the Western Zone, with stops at Belmopan, San Ignacio and Benque Viejo del Carmen, and they leave between 5AM and 9PM. That wide window means you can leave soon after an early arrival or set off after a slow morning in the city.

Starting from the airport

Many travelers begin at Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport, in the village of Ladyville, about 30 minutes by car (9 miles, or 9.3 miles) northwest of Belize City center. From there, the trip west means first reaching the city or the road onward, then picking up your bus, taxi or rental car for the run to San Ignacio.

Taxis in Belize are identified by green license plates, which helps you recognize an official one at the curb. Uber and Lyft are not available in Belize, so the ride-hailing apps you use at home will not help you here.

What waits at the end of the road

San Ignacio is a small town on the banks of the Macal River, joined to its sister town Santa Elena by the one-lane Hawkesworth Bridge, Belize’s only suspension bridge. Together the twin towns make up the third largest urban area in the country. It is the base for the Maya ruins of Caracol, Xunantunich, Cahal Pech and El Pilar, and for caves such as Actun Tunichil Muknal and Barton Creek Cave.

Nature lovers also use the town as a starting point for the Chaa Creek Nature Reserve and the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. A day trip to Mountain Pine Ridge takes in several hikes, waterfalls, caves and Maya ruins, so the ride from the coast opens onto a full menu of outings.

What are the ground options?

Ground travel means a westbound bus, a taxi with green plates, or a car you drive yourself. Each one follows the same road, so the choice comes down to how much of the driving you want to do.

The westbound bus

Buses run from Belize City to the Western Zone from 5AM to 9PM, calling at Belmopan, San Ignacio and Benque Viejo del Carmen. Because the line continues beyond San Ignacio, you stay on until the town’s name comes up. Belmopan, the capital, sits on the way, so you pass through it before the hills close in.

The bus is the choice for anyone who would rather watch the countryside than the road. It also connects onward: from San Ignacio, Belmopan is 26 miles away and a bus takes one hour, and Hopkins is 87 miles away, with a bus via Belmopan taking three hours. That is useful if your trip continues toward the coast after the Cayo hills.

Taxis

A taxi, recognizable by its green license plates, is the door-to-door option when you do not want to wait for a departure. The ride covers the same 63 miles as the bus. Since Uber and Lyft do not operate in Belize, a taxi is the only on-demand car with a driver.

Driving yourself

If you take the wheel, drivers in Belize keep to the right, as at home. Valid U.S. or international driver’s permits are accepted for three months after you first enter the country, which covers a typical vacation.

Road conditions in Belize range from two-lane paved roads to dirt or gravel tracks, and roadside assistance is frequently unavailable. Cyclists commonly ignore red lights and stop signs and often ride against traffic, so keep an eye on the shoulder as you go through towns and villages.

What road do you take?

You follow the road west out of Belize City toward Belmopan and continue on to San Ignacio, which lies about 22 miles beyond the capital. Belmopan is 50 miles inland from the Caribbean, so the first stretch is the climb away from the coast.

Belize City to Belmopan

The city sits on a small peninsula pushing into the Caribbean, and the road leaves the sea behind as it heads inland. Belmopan is the capital that replaced Belize City after Hurricane Hattie in 1961 destroyed about three quarters of the houses and businesses in low-lying, coastal Belize City. Its National Assembly Building, with grey stone walls and broad steps, is designed to resemble a Pre-Columbian Maya temple.

Belmopan stands at 249 feet above sea level, a gentle rise from the coast. The wet season runs there from May through January, and temperatures stay fairly constant through the year, between 73 and 82 °F. Wet roads are part of the picture for much of the year.

Belmopan to San Ignacio

From the capital the road continues west to San Ignacio, which sits on the Macal River. As you arrive, the town and Santa Elena face each other across the water, linked by the Hawkesworth Bridge, built in 1949. The bridge has one lane, so traffic takes turns crossing.

Driving at night is strongly discouraged in Belize, so plan the run west while there is daylight. If you need medical care in town, the San Ignacio Hospital is a regional clinic, and La Loma Luz Adventist Hospital in Santa Elena is the main hospital of the twin towns.

Good to know before you go

The U.S. State Department rates Belize Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, because of crime, and says the south side of Belize City has historically had the highest concentration of violent crime.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and the wet season in the Cayo hills stretches from May through January, so rain on the road is a real possibility for much of the year. Keep your plans flexible if the weather turns.

Allow the daylight hours for the drive, since night driving is strongly discouraged, and remember that a flat tire or breakdown may leave you without roadside assistance. The Tourism Village in Belize City is only open when a cruise ship is in town, so do not count on it as a stop before heading west.