On the dock at the Belize Marine Terminal on North Front Street, travelers stand with duffel bags and snorkel gear while the boats for the cayes load one after another. A few miles away, small planes lift off from the airport runway toward the same islands. Getting around Belize comes down to three modes: boats for the cayes, light aircraft for longer hops, and two-lane roads for everything on the mainland.
How do you get around Belize?
You get around Belize by mixing three kinds of travel: a scheduled flight or road transfer from the airport, a water taxi or small plane to the cayes, and the road network for towns and the interior.
Arriving at the international airport
The Philip Goldson International Airport is the only international airport in the country. It sits in Ladyville, 10 miles outside Belize City, and it receives flights from the United States, Canada, Central America and the Caribbean.
American Airlines flies in from Charlotte, Dallas, Miami and Los Angeles. Alaska Airlines connects with Seattle and Los Angeles, and Delta with Atlanta and Minneapolis. Southwest serves Denver and Houston (HOU), and COPA links Belize with Panama City. Tropic Air adds scheduled international flights to San Salvador, San Pedro Sula, Roatán and Cancún.
Small planes inside the country
Maya Island Air is the domestic airline in these pages, and its network reads like a map of the coast and the north. Its flights go to Belize International (BZE), Belize Municipal (TZA), Blue Hole Tour (SPH), Caye Caulker (CUK), Corozal (CZH), Dangriga (DGA), Placencia (PLJ) and San Pedro on Ambergris Caye (SPR). Belize City has two airports, and both are served by the airline.
From the international airport, Maya Island Air also offers connecting flights to Kanantik, Savannah and Punta Gorda, along with Dangriga (for Hopkins), Placencia, Corozal, Caye Caulker and San Pedro. Multi-city itineraries can be booked online through its booking system, which suits a trip that chains a caye, the coast and the south.
Contacts for the airport and the terminal
A few direct lines are worth having before you land. The domestic airline has a terminal at the international airport, the water taxi company has its own office and email, and a travel agency operates inside the airport.
| Who | Phone |
|---|---|
| Maya Island Air terminal, international airport | 501-225-2219 or 501-225-3347 |
| San Pedro Belize Express | 011-501-223-2225 |
| All in One Travel Service, international airport | +(501) 225 – 2016 or +(501) 620 – 2267 |
How do you reach the cayes?
Both options serve Caye Caulker and San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, so the choice is between the water and the air.
By water taxi
San Pedro Belize Express runs multiple daily trips between Belize City, San Pedro and Caye Caulker. Its ticket office in Belize City is at #111 North Front Street, at the Belize Marine Terminal. The boat to Caye Caulker stops before the longer run to San Pedro, and a boat can also link the two islands directly.
| Route | Boat ride (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Belize City to Caye Caulker | 45 minutes |
| Caye Caulker to San Pedro | 30 minutes |
| Belize City to San Pedro | 1 hour 30 minutes |
Walk-in purchases at the terminals accept most major credit cards, namely Visa, Mastercard and Discover. The same company also serves Chetumal, Mexico, from Belize City.
Traveling with children on the boats
Families get their own fare rules on the domestic routes between Belize City, Caye Caulker and San Pedro. Babies ride as lap children, and there is a children’s rate for the school-age group. Anyone older than that pays the regular fare.
| Age | Fare on domestic routes |
|---|---|
| Under 1 year | Free, as a lap child |
| 4 to 10 years | Children’s rate |
| Over 10 years | Regular rate |
By small plane
Flying from the international airport turns the crossing into a view of the reef and the turquoise water. Maya Island Air serves Caye Caulker and San Pedro, and it also offers a Blue Hole Tour flight code (SPH) among its destinations. Belize Municipal (TZA) in the city is the second airport used for these flights.
| Flight from Belize International | Direct flight time |
|---|---|
| Caye Caulker | 10 minutes |
| San Pedro, Ambergris Caye | 15 minutes |
| Corozal Town | 35 minutes |
From the airport to the water taxi terminal
Shared transportation links the international airport with the Belize City water taxi terminal, so you can go from your arrival gate to the dock without a rental car. The price is set per person, with a first-person rate and a lower rate for each person who joins.
| Airport to water taxi terminal (one way) | Cost |
|---|---|
| First person | US$25.00 |
| Each additional person | US$10.00 |
Roadwork and dredging are underway on the airport access road, which brings slower traffic and uneven surfaces. Drivers are asked to reduce speed, follow the flaggers in the work zone, and watch for dredging equipment and workers near the roadway.
How do you get around on land?
On land you travel by road, and the roads vary a great deal, from two-lane paved highways to dirt or gravel tracks. Vehicles drive on the right side of the road, as at home, but the surface and the traffic around you can change quickly from one stretch to the next.
Driving
Driving at night is strongly discouraged, and roadside assistance is frequently unavailable. Plan each drive so that you arrive before dark and so that a breakdown on a quiet road does not leave you waiting for help that may not come.
Valid U.S. or international driver’s permits are accepted only for three months after your initial entry. On Caye Caulker the village has its own traffic office routines, such as a learner’s permit that must be held for at least one month before the practical test and license printing on Wednesdays after 3:00 p.m. Those details matter to residents more than to visitors.
Rental desks at the airport
Two car rental companies operate at the Philip Goldson International Airport: Hertz/Safari Belize and Crystal Auto Rental. Both can be reached by phone, and Crystal also takes reservations by email. A travel agency at the airport can help with other arrangements.
| Company | Phone |
|---|---|
| Hertz/Safari Belize | +(501) 225 – 3300 |
| Crystal Auto Rental | +(501) 223 – 1600 |
Taxis, bicycles and the people on the road
Taxis in Belize are identified by green license plates, which is the quickest way to tell a taxi from a private car at an airport curb or a town square. The color is the one detail every traveler can check before getting in.
Cyclists share the roads and often behave in ways you may not expect. They commonly ignore red lights and stop signs, and they often ride against traffic. Drivers entering a town should watch for them near intersections and along the shoulder.
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.
Prices on the transfer and boat details are in U.S. dollars where a rate is given. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, so a trip from early June through the end of November falls inside it, and a plan that links a flight, a boat and a road leg is worth building with that in mind. The airport road is under construction, so every leg that starts or ends at the international airport depends on that stretch.
Sources
- San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi, FAQ (https://belizewatertaxi.com/information/faq/), checked October 11, 2026
- San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi, Schedule (https://belizewatertaxi.com/schedule/), checked October 11, 2026
- Tropic Air, Belize International Airport (https://www.tropicair.com/belize-international-airport-bze/), checked October 11, 2026
- Maya Island Air, Belize flights (https://www.mayaislandair.com/belize-flights/), checked October 11, 2026
- Maya Island Air, International flights (https://www.mayaislandair.com/belize-international-flights/), checked October 11, 2026
- Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (Belize), Travel and ground transportation (https://www.pgiabelize.com/passenger-info/travel-ground-transporation/), checked October 11, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Belize Travel Information, Traveling and transportation (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 11, 2026
- Caye Caulker Village Council, Traffic (https://www.cayecaulkervillagecouncil.org/traffic), checked October 11, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Belize Travel Advisory, Level 2, March 11, 2026 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 11, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 11, 2026