Getting around Belize: transport and apps

Buses

• Belize has four highways and the bus network follows them. Converted American school buses, cheap, frequent on the main routes, no air conditioning, pay the conductor on board.
• They stop everywhere on the local runs; the express services are worth the small extra.
• They stop running in the early evening. Plan to be where you are sleeping before dark.

Planes

• Tropic Air and Maya Island Air connect everywhere that matters on 12-seat aircraft, and it is not a luxury option - a flight to Placencia costs a fraction of what the equivalent hop would cost anywhere else and saves five hours on a bad road.
• Baggage limits are real on those aircraft.

Boats

• Water taxis link Belize City, Caye Caulker and San Pedro several times a day. They stop in the late afternoon.
• Book the return in high season rather than turning up.

On the cayes

• Golf carts are the transport. San Pedro has roads and traffic; Caye Caulker has sand streets and a sign that says "Go Slow", which is both a speed limit and the local philosophy.
• Walking covers Caye Caulker entirely.

Driving

• The FCDO is direct about the roads: potholes, unpaved sections, poor lighting, common accidents and no emergency services to speak of.
• Do not drive at night. Unlit vehicles, animals and speed bumps that arrive without warning.
• Rentals are expensive and four-wheel drive is genuinely needed off the highways.