Note: This route and these prices are as of December 2023
Through Belize to Flores on a Budget
Getting around Central America using public transportation can sometimes seem a bit daunting – as we were planning our backpacking trip and how we would get from place to place, lots of people were recommending using the shuttles. However, we are on a budget and didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg for a shuttle transfer if we could use the public buses, so welcome to our guide on how to get to the popular backpacking destinations in Belize, and onward to Flores, Guatemala with as little money as possible!
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If you’re backpacking Belize, you’re likely going to the main backpacker hotspots of Caye Caulker and San Ignacio, and probably continuing on to Flores in Guatemala afterwards (or maybe you’re doing this in the other direction – in that case this blog post should still be helpful to you, just do it backwards!).
Check out our articles on the best things to do in Caye Caulker and San Ignacio!
How to Get from Belize City Airport to Caye Caulker
Getting from Belize City airport to Caye Caulker is a breeze. The first step is to get to downtown Belize City where the water taxi terminals are. Unfortunately, there are no buses connecting the airport to downtown, so you’ll need to grab a taxi, which will cost around 25 USD.
There are two water taxi services out of Belize City: San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi and Ocean Ferry. We used San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi and it was pretty good, just be aware that it can get crowded at popular ferry times. Once you’re at the terminal, buy a ticket for the ferry. We recommend NOT booking these tickets in advance online because we found them to be much more expensive. Also, you should buy a round trip ticket, as that will be cheaper than two one way tickets. If you’re traveling to Caye Caulker and not sure when you’ll be back, you can buy an open ended ticket! The ferries run pretty frequently; check out the schedule below!
How to Get from Caye Caulker to San Ignacio
Once you’re ready to depart from beautiful Caye Caulker, you’ll take the ferry back to Belize City.
When you’re looking for how to get from Belize City to San Ignacio, you may be tempted to look into the shuttle transfers. When we did, we were looking at a price of at least 25 USD a person, which we were simply not ready to dish out for a couple hours of transportation.
Instead, we landed in Belize City and headed straight to the bus terminal, which can be found on Google Maps as “W Collet Canal St / King St”.
When we arrived, someone asked where we were going, we said San Ignacio, and he told us the next bus was in about an hour. After that time had passed, the bus arrived, and people packed onto it. I’m not gonna lie, it was a mad dash to board the bus, though at the end of it all everyone had a seat. Don’t worry about payment yet; someone will come around once the bus is moving to collect money. Also, you’ll take your bags with you to board the bus – hopefully you’ll have a full seat for you and your bag, but there is also overhead storage on most buses.
Keep in mind that in most of Central America, chicken buses (old American school buses) are used. They’re certainly not the most comfortable, but it was totally fine for our couple hour trip! Once we were boarded, the journey to San Ignacio took about 2.5 hours, with just one stop along the way. Overall, not a bad trip, and the bus only cost 10 BZD (or 5 USD) each – much better than if we had taken the shuttle!
Check out all Belize public bus schedules here. If you’re heading from Belize City to San Ignacio (and onward), you’ll want to use the Western Bus Schedule. If you click on the Western Bus Schedule map, a PDF will come up and you’ll want to scroll down to the East to West timetables. Note that buses may not always be on time, but this will give you a rough idea of when to expect them.
How to Get from San Ignacio to Flores, Guatemala
Getting from San Ignacio to Flores is a bit more challenging than the journey from Belize City to San Ignacio, but still not bad.
Getting to the Border
The first step is grabbing a bus to the border. When you’re ready to leave San Ignacio, you’ll head down to the bus station (where you got off when you arrived) and wait for one of the buses heading west to Benque Viejo del Carmen, the border town of Belize. When you get to the station, you will likely be approached near the bus station by some taxi drivers who will offer to drive you all the way to the border for 10 USD a person. We wanted to take the bus, and waited about 20 minutes until the next bus came (they come pretty often). The ride to Benque took about 30 minutes and cost 5 BZD (or 2.50 USD) each.
Once you arrive in Benque, you can either walk to the border or take a quick taxi ride. We walked, which would have taken about 40 minutes if we went without stopping, but we took a quick break to grab some food and use up our extra Belizean Dollars. Once you get to the border, people will approach you to exchange money. I’ve read that they usually give you a pretty decent rate, so that’s an option if you have a lot of leftover cash.
Crossing the Border
Once you get into the border building, you’ll just have to get your passports stamped and pay the Belize departure fee, which amounts to 40 BZD (or 20 USD) per person. We paid in cash; I’m not sure if they take card, so I recommend that you plan on using cash. Once you get through that, you’ll head over to the Guatemala side and into the big blue building on the left to get stamped into Guatemala. The whole border crossing process took only about 5 minutes, and it was super easy!
Getting to Flores
Once you enter Guatemala, you’ll likely need to withdraw some money. In that case, walk about 10 minutes down the main road to Banrural Fallabon. Be warned that the ATM fee here is 50 quetzals (about $6.50), but there really aren’t many other ATM options in Melchor de Mencos.
Tip: Avoid ATM fees with the Charles Schwab debit card! This is what we use while we’re traveling, and it’s saved us a lot of money.
After you get some cash, you can wait right at the bank/gas station for the bus to Flores. We only had to wait about 10 minutes until a bus going to Flores came by and picked us up. They run often, so you shouldn’t have to wait long. The bus we traveled in was small and pretty crowded, but it was only a two hour ride to Flores and cost 40 Quetzals (or about $5) per person.
When you arrive in Flores, the bus driver will drop you off on the mainland of Flores. From there, you can take a tuk tuk to the island or walk 20 minutes. We definitely recommend walking – it’s a beautiful little walk!
Overview
And there you have it! Now you’ll be able to use public transportation to get from Caye Caulker to San Ignacio to Flores with ease. Not only are you getting the experience of traveling like a local, but your wallet will thank you as well! Spending only 5 USD to get from Belize City to San Ignacio and 7.50 USD to get from San Ignacio to Flores is truly a win for the wallet!
Keep Exploring Belize….
Our Favorite Travel Resources
Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.
Flights: We recommend using Skyscanner to find the cheapest and best flights.
Ground Transport: We use 12Go and Omio for buses and private transfers, and rentalcars.com and Discover Cars for rental cars.
Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.
International Medical Insurance: We highly recommend SafetyWing for Digital Nomads and HeyMondo for those not traveling full-time, or who frequently engage in higher-risk adventure activities.
eSIM: We recommend Airalo or Holafly for getting data internationally.
Check out our Travel Resources Page for more of our favorite travel-related products and services!
