On the dock at the Belize Marine Terminal, bags are stacked along the planks and the boats idle in the harbor, bound for the cayes. Everyone in line is asking the same thing: boat or plane to San Pedro? Both work. The water taxi crosses the sea in about an hour and a half, and Maya Island Air flies the route many times a day to the town’s airstrip.
How do you get from Belize City to San Pedro?
The usual way is the water taxi, a ferry that leaves from the Belize Marine Terminal at #111 North Front Street and reaches San Pedro, on the southern coast of Ambergris Caye, in approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. San Pedro Belize Express runs multiple daily departures, so you can fit the crossing around your arrival rather than building your day around a single boat. Tickets can be booked online, and the company also accepts most major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover) for walk-in purchases at its terminals.
The ride is a sea crossing, and you spend it watching the mainland shore fade behind you. Caye Caulker sits between the two, which matters if you want to split the trip. The boat from Belize City to Caye Caulker takes approximately 45 minutes, and from Caye Caulker on to San Pedro is about 30 minutes more. Many travelers pair the two islands for that reason.
From the international airport to the dock
If you land at Philip Goldson International Airport, shared transportation to the Belize City water taxi terminal is available. The fare is listed at US$25.00 for the first person and US$10.00 for each additional person, one way. That makes a pair or a small group noticeably cheaper per head than a solo traveler.
Once you reach the terminal, the ticket office is right there at the Belize Marine Terminal, so you can buy or collect your seat without going elsewhere. The office can be reached by phone at 011-501-223-2225 or by email at [email protected] if you have a question about a particular departure.
Bags, bikes and what you carry
Small to medium luggage is welcome on board, and the allowance on the Belize City route is one carry-on and two checked bags per passenger. A table keeps the extra charges straight.
| Item | Fee (BZ$) |
|---|---|
| Each extra checked bag | 5.00 |
| Each oversized item (over 50 lbs or larger than 24x18x12 inches) | 15.00 |
| Boxes or coolers shipped as cargo, per item | 10.00 |
| Bicycle, per bike | 20.00 |
Pets travel in a kennel, and live animals ride in a special section of the vessel. Keep sunscreen and insect repellent in your hand luggage rather than in a checked bag, since you will want them as soon as you step onto the island.
Traveling with children
Infants and toddlers under age 1 ride free as lap children on the domestic routes between Belize City, Caye Caulker and San Pedro. Children aged 4 to 10 pay a children’s rate, and anyone older than 10 pays the regular fare. The same company also serves Chetumal, Mexico, from Belize City, and on that international route everyone aged 1 and above pays the regular rate.
Arriving in San Pedro
San Pedro is the main town on Ambergris Caye, the largest of the cayes off the coast of Belize, and the arrival puts you straight into a town of beachside restaurants serving international cuisine. The island’s barrier reef is a 20 minute boat ride from town, and Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley lie close by, so many people drop their bags and head for the water soon after landing.
Which operators run the water taxi?
San Pedro Belize Express is the operator the water taxi route is built around, running multiple daily trips between Belize City, San Pedro and Caye Caulker. Its Belize City ticket office stands at the Belize Marine Terminal on North Front Street, and the same company runs the boats on to Chetumal, Mexico, from Belize City.
San Pedro Belize Express
This is the ferry most visitors will meet at the dock, and it covers the whole chain of islands in one service. You can go straight from Belize City to San Pedro, stop at Caye Caulker on the way, or travel between the two cayes. The Belize City to San Pedro crossing is approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, and the Caye Caulker to San Pedro leg is approximately 30 minutes.
Booking works two ways. You can buy tickets online ahead of time, or pay at the terminal, where most major credit cards are accepted for walk-in purchases. For questions, the company lists a phone number, 011-501-223-2225, and an email address, [email protected]. The company’s baggage and pet rules, covered above, apply on its Belize routes.
The terminal at the San Pedro end
On arrival, boats come in to the Saca Chispas Water Taxi Terminal in San Pedro Town, which is operated by the Belize Border Management Agency. It has 6 berths for small water taxis, tour boats or marine tenders. The terminal also handles cross-border passenger traffic between San Pedro and Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico, so you may see travelers with different itineraries sharing the dock.
The terminal’s general manager can be reached at (501) 822-1061, and the office lists the email addresses [email protected] and [email protected]. The mailing address is # 3 Flamboyant, Belmopan, Belize C.A. These are useful if your question concerns the terminal itself rather than your ticket.
Choosing your crossing
- For the most direct route, take the boat from Belize City to San Pedro and settle in for the approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.
- To see two islands in one trip, ride to Caye Caulker first, then continue to San Pedro on the 30 minute hop.
- If you are coming from Chetumal, Mexico, the same company’s international route connects with Belize City, and the San Pedro terminal also receives cross-border traffic.
Can you fly to San Pedro?
Yes, you can fly, and it is the other main way to reach the island. Maya Island Air offers 11 daily flights from Belize City to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, landing at San Pedro Municipal Airstrip (SPR).
Maya Island Air from Belize City
With 11 daily flights on the route, flying gives you a range of departures through the day, much as the water taxi does with its multiple sailings. The airline is the domestic carrier that connects the mainland with the island, and its flights end at the municipal airstrip, which serves San Pedro itself.
A plane is a different way to see the coast. Instead of a sea crossing, you look down on the shallow water and the long line of the barrier reef, and you arrive on an island that is Belize’s largest, at the southernmost tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. Which of the two you pick comes down to what you want from the journey itself: the boat for the gradual approach by water, the plane for the aerial view.
Flights from Corozal
If you are starting in the north, Maya Island Air also offers 3 daily flights from Corozal to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. That gives northern travelers a direct way to the island without going through Belize City first.
Either flight ends at the same place, San Pedro Municipal Airstrip, so your plans on the island look the same once you have landed. From town you can head out toward the reef, Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Shark Ray Alley, or the lagoon on the western side of the island, where there is birding and flat fishing for tarpon, bonefish and permit.
What waits after you land
The shallow waters of Hol Chan Marine Reserve are described as a perfect place for snorkeling and novice divers. Shark Ray Alley, an area with typically only eight feet of water, is described as a perfect place for snorkeling and swimming for the entire family, with friendly nurse sharks and stingrays. North of town, Bacalar Chico Reserve is described as an adventurer’s paradise, and at the south end of the island you will find the Maya site of Marco Gonzalez.
Divers who want something deeper look toward the Great Blue Hole, which offers a dive 130 to 150 feet deep to stalagmite formations. In the evening, the beachside restaurants in San Pedro town offer sophisticated international cuisine.
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, which matters for a trip across open water and by air to the cayes. Keep sunscreen and insect repellent in your carry-on, since the boat’s checked baggage is not where you will want them when you arrive. Paying by card is possible at the water taxi terminals for walk-in purchases, and for anything about your ticket the ticket office phone and email are the place to ask.
Sources
- San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi, San Pedro (https://belizewatertaxi.com/destinations/san-pedro/), checked October 11, 2026
- San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi, Schedule (https://belizewatertaxi.com/schedule/), checked October 11, 2026
- San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi, FAQ (https://belizewatertaxi.com/information/faq/), checked October 11, 2026
- Tropic Air, San Pedro (https://www.tropicair.com/san-pedro/), checked October 11, 2026
- Maya Island Air, San Pedro flights (https://www.mayaislandair.com/belize-flights-san-pedro/), checked October 11, 2026
- Belize Port Authority, San Pedro terminal (https://portauthority.bz/belize-port-facilities/san-pedro-terminal/), checked October 11, 2026
- San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi, Travel tips (https://belizewatertaxi.com/travel-tips/), 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
To plan your stay
- Best Time to Visit Belize City: Weather by Month, Hurricane Season and What to Do
- Things to Do in Belize City: Museum of Belize, Nearby Cayes, Day Trips and Local Food
- Where to Stay in Belize City: Haulover Creek, Ladyville, the Cayes and Hotel Taxes
- Know Before You Go to Belize City: Entry Papers, Money, Getting Around and Health