Anyone ever driven from Cancun to Belize?
May 26th, 2004, 08:26 AM
#1
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Anyone ever driven from Cancun to Belize?
I am considering flying into Cancun, much cheaper than Belize City, and driving down to Belize. Has anyone done this and how long does it take and has anyone found a company that allows you to cross the border with a rental car? please let me know. thanks.
May 26th, 2004, 09:01 AM
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I want to split my trip between Ambergris and Central Belize. I would need to leave the car somewhere for a couple of days and ferry to Ambergris. I understand that this is probably not feasible, but I figured that it couldn't hurt to ask. Once again, any info would really be appreciated.
May 26th, 2004, 09:47 AM
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On our last trip to Belize/Mexico, we flew into Belize City and home from Cancun. We flew from San Pedro to Corozal, then hired a cab to take us to the bus station in Chetumal. Then an easy bus ride up Highway 307. We were only going as far as Tulum, took about three hours on the bus. Figure about two more hours to get to Cancun.
If the savings are considerable, I'd consider taking the bus to Corozal, then renting a car there. Or flying direct from Corozal to Ambergris Caye, then getting a car in BZE after the island part of your trip. No sense paying to have a rental car sitting somewhere while you're in San Pedro.
Jean
If the savings are considerable, I'd consider taking the bus to Corozal, then renting a car there. Or flying direct from Corozal to Ambergris Caye, then getting a car in BZE after the island part of your trip. No sense paying to have a rental car sitting somewhere while you're in San Pedro.
Jean
May 26th, 2004, 12:24 PM
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I've done the trip many times by road and no getting around it-its long and boring. First Class bus is fine and comfortable. Cross the border into Belize at Corozal, taxi to the local airstrip 10 mins. away and then catch the next us$35.00pp/25 min flight to Ambergris. From there, travel to the mainland (flights are $26.00/15 mins, water taxi costs less and takes more time), rent a vehicle and drive around. You'll have to leave the vehicle in Belize City or pay a drop off fee if you leave it in Corozal. I know rental cars enter Belize from MX because I see them frequently. Or hire a private driver, but that defeats the purpose of flying into Cancun to save money.
May 26th, 2004, 03:43 PM
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Like Katie, I've seen rental cars from Mexico in Belize, but you have to scout around for the rare company that will do it, plus buy Belize insurance at the border and find a safe place to leave your vehicle in Belize if you are going to San Pedro.
short answer: it's not worth it.
Just take a bus (which are very nice, A/C, reserved seats, bath, video, under Us$20, to Chetumal, then change to a Novelo's bus and cross into Belize (about a buck). There, you can rent a car from Copa Banana guest house, or have one dropped to you from Belize City (maybe Us$35 to $50 drop fee). Or as Katie suggests fly (Us$35) or take the water taxi (Us$22.50) from Corozal to San Pedro, if that's the only place you want to go.
--Lan Sluder
www.belizefirst.com
short answer: it's not worth it.
Just take a bus (which are very nice, A/C, reserved seats, bath, video, under Us$20, to Chetumal, then change to a Novelo's bus and cross into Belize (about a buck). There, you can rent a car from Copa Banana guest house, or have one dropped to you from Belize City (maybe Us$35 to $50 drop fee). Or as Katie suggests fly (Us$35) or take the water taxi (Us$22.50) from Corozal to San Pedro, if that's the only place you want to go.
--Lan Sluder
www.belizefirst.com
May 3rd, 2005, 07:02 AM
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You can rent a rental car in Belize from www.corozalcars.com just over the border from Mexico, south of Chetumal. Angel Riverol, the owner, can probably assist you in getting a ride from the border to his rental car agency which is 6 miles south of the border, or he can call a cab for you.
NOTE - there are no cabs sitting at the border waiting for you in Belize and no payphones in the lobby of Belize Customs. You need to make these arraingements in advance.
If you have an unlocked GSM phone you can buy SIM cards for use in Mexico from Telecel and for Belize from Digicel. The White Saphire in the south end of Corozal sells the cards, phones etc. A Belize SIM card is $25us with $10 of that going to paid minutes. Having the cell is a great assest if you are going to be in Belize for any length of time. Mexican service does work in the north part of Belize for a few miles. But Telecel is for Mexico and Digicell is for Belize.
NOTE - there are no cabs sitting at the border waiting for you in Belize and no payphones in the lobby of Belize Customs. You need to make these arraingements in advance.
If you have an unlocked GSM phone you can buy SIM cards for use in Mexico from Telecel and for Belize from Digicel. The White Saphire in the south end of Corozal sells the cards, phones etc. A Belize SIM card is $25us with $10 of that going to paid minutes. Having the cell is a great assest if you are going to be in Belize for any length of time. Mexican service does work in the north part of Belize for a few miles. But Telecel is for Mexico and Digicell is for Belize.
Jun 17th, 2005, 03:23 PM
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In January 2001, Juan Ojeda of Yucatan Travel http://www.yucatantravel.com/ejop.html
made arrangements for us with a local Cancun rental agency which waived their usual restriction of Mexico-only to allow our party of 3 to take their car from Cancun to Majahual, Xcalak, Chetumal, Belize City and San Ignacio before returning to Cancun through Tulum. LanSluder is correct when he writes that there is bureaucratic paper work at the border (45-60 minutes). You also need to have the car fumigated ($5 insecticide spray under car). Extreme care needs to be taken to avoid auto theft. We made arrangements with an airport official to allow our car INSIDE the security gates (where the employees park)in order to take a flight to Caye Caulker.
We rented a compact Toyota which was adequate -- though we had to go around some huge ruts in the country roads up near Coppola's resort Blancaneaux. Cost was maybe $260-300 for 2 weeks? I don't remember.
made arrangements for us with a local Cancun rental agency which waived their usual restriction of Mexico-only to allow our party of 3 to take their car from Cancun to Majahual, Xcalak, Chetumal, Belize City and San Ignacio before returning to Cancun through Tulum. LanSluder is correct when he writes that there is bureaucratic paper work at the border (45-60 minutes). You also need to have the car fumigated ($5 insecticide spray under car). Extreme care needs to be taken to avoid auto theft. We made arrangements with an airport official to allow our car INSIDE the security gates (where the employees park)in order to take a flight to Caye Caulker.
We rented a compact Toyota which was adequate -- though we had to go around some huge ruts in the country roads up near Coppola's resort Blancaneaux. Cost was maybe $260-300 for 2 weeks? I don't remember.
Jun 17th, 2005, 03:27 PM
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Oh yes, I forgot... you have to buy insurance for your rental car, too, but the agencies are right there at the border. I think it was perhaps $30-50 for the 2 weeks - not much.
We looked into car renting just in Belize but the fees were much higher than in Cancun.
We looked into car renting just in Belize but the fees were much higher than in Cancun.
