Exploring Belize - Non guided

[katie6242]

Hello cruisers,

 

Has anyone had experience touring Belize without a guide? Maybe a small more intimate group with a guide? We were thinking of catching a puddle jumper to Ambergris Caye and from there just figuring it out but if anyone has suggestions or experiences to share that would be great. Thanks in advance!

[flames9]

Wife and I spent a week on San Pedro and we enjoyed it!! Very relaxing time! Not sure if it would be something I would do for such a short time on a cruise! Snorkeling was top notch. San Pedro itself is not that exciting! No real beach to chill on and right by the shore, its covered in a green grass! Don't get me wrong it is a beautiful area---After you have been to a few souvenir shops, you have been to them all, as they all sell the same stuff. Was a short 15-20 min flight from the airport to the island. We had a blast, but we relaxed a lot too.

[pdmlynek]

Hello cruisers,

 

Has anyone had experience touring Belize without a guide? Maybe a small more intimate group with a guide? We were thinking of catching a puddle jumper to Ambergris Caye and from there just figuring it out but if anyone has suggestions or experiences to share that would be great. Thanks in advance!

 

Yeah, I’ve done that. What would you like to know? How much time do you have? Are you with a cruise, or not? What do you like to do (snorkeling, diving, hiking, nature, Mayan ruins)?

 

As far as catching a flight to Ambergris Caye (“San Pedro” in local parlance, only newbies call it “Ambergris Caye” :) ), catch a cab to the Belize City airport (TZA) which is about 4-5 km from the port, not to the Goldson International Airport (BZE) which is about 20 km away. And flights from TZA are typically cheaper than from BZE. You can either buy tickets ahead, or just show up 10-15 minutes before the flight. There is not much difference between Tropic Air (flies TZA>San Pedro nominally every hour from 7:30 to 17:30), Maya Air (TZA>San Pedro, same schedule). Flights back are on top of the hour.

 

If you catch a 7:30 or 8:30 flight to San Pedro, you should be able to make the 9:00 snorkeling trip to Hol Chan & Shark Ray Alley, or to Mexico Rocks, or a snorkel/sail to Caye Caulker. We did a full day Hol Chan/Shark Ray Alley/Caye Caulker with Searious Adventures, but there are other outfits that do this. The prices between the different outfits is comparable.

 

If you want to do Mayan sites on your own, you can do either Altun Ha, Xunantunich, or Lamanai on your own, but you wont be able to combine nay two of them. Altun Ha is the easiest and closest -- it is straight forward to get there. For Xunantunich, it is a long drive, but it is relatively fast because of the good quality of the Western Highway; you’ll have to allow extra time to get through Santa Elena/San Ignacio, because the route west is not well marked (the “temporary” bridge across Macal River became a permanent one, and all the locals know where it is, but you wont). To get to Lamanai, you’ll need to get to the bridge on Northern highway that crosses the New River and catch a boat down to Lamanai, or drive all the way to Lamanai (you’ll need to study satellite images of how to get to Lamanai through Shipyard -- a lot of maps of the area are simply wrong or outdated).

[rachb16]

There are lots of things you can do for a 'self-guided' tour. I would recommend going to San Pedro (Ambergris Caye) or Caye Caulker as its best not to rent a car with a short amount of time.

 

If you go to Caye Caulker (the more quiet island) you can swim at the split, go on snorkel/diving tours, or enjoy the local food.

 

San Pedro has a great 'downtown' with tourist shops, art galleries, ect.

 

You can either take the flight (by the time you get to the airport, ect. it doesn't really save you that much time) or the water taxi.

 

Have a great time in Belize!

[GORDONCHICK]

We have a great guide when we go to Belize. His name is Maurice and he's lived there all his life (even when it was British Honduras) and loves his country. He always has a nice van with AC. He doesn't do the water stuff, but will take you out to Altun Ha and tell you all the history of it while most tours just drop you off. He also took us into the jungle looking for the howling monkeys and huge iguanas. His email is adventurebzetours@yahoo.com

[BrotherCraig]

Did Caye Caulker and it was great. Took the water taxi over to that island and enjoyed the beaches and food.

[CathyK2]

As others have said, it will depend on how much time you have in port. For us a few months ago, we took the ferry to the first stop which was Caulker Cay. I believe they said that Ambergriss was another 1/2 hour from there.

 

I've heard wonderful things about Ambergriss and many will say that Caulker Cay is a smaller version. I only went to Caulker, so can't compare, but we had a beautiful day there. You are away from all the hustle and bustle of the mainland and there are on cars on the island. You can rent a golf cart to get around if you choose, but we ended up walking. They are dirt roads with a lot of cute shops, restaurants and beautiful beaches.

 

If you have the time to get to Ambergriss, by all means, do it, but if you feel you could be just a little pressed for time, Caulker would be a good option.