The cheapest way to get to Belize is not to fly to Belize but to fly to Cancun (or Cozumel/Playa del Carmen) and then bus from there. There are many charter flights into Cancun from the U.S., Canada and even Europe, often at fares that are one-third to one-half what they are into Belize. From Cancun or Playa del Carmen, you can take a bus to Chetumal (four and a half to six hours and US$15 or less for a nice, comfortable reserved seat, with air conditioning and TV). Picture Above: ADO Bus from Cancun to Belize.
The North America to Cancun, and from there to Belize via ADO Bus is the best option at this time for saving money. You will spend a day extra or a little less making the link up with ADO but if the bottom line is what matters, this is the best way.
The best part of the ADO run is that from Cancun to your destination in Belize, you will be in a first-world bus from point to point, and not the ratty, chicken bus that is the Belize Bus system.
You have the choice of getting off the ADO bus in Corozal Town, and from there catching a short commuter flight to Ambergris Caye of points further in Belize.
Or you can catch the daily water taxi to Ambergris Caye from Corozal Town, or transfer to the local chicken bus to continue your journey.
You can also just stay on the ADO bus to Belize City, from there enjoy more options, such as the many water taxi runs (much shorter compared to the water taxi from Corozal) to Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. Of course from Belize City you can go to the Municipal Airstrip (about ten minutes taxi ride from the center of Belize City). From the Municipal you have a wide range of hourly commuter flights to any part of Belize.
Belize Water Taxi Information And Schedules
Belize VIP Transfers (the Menzie’s) has been offering transfers from Cancun to Belize for the past 30 years. You can check their reasonable prices on their web site at http://www.belizetransfers.com.
For an inter island ferry, see http://www.cayecaulkerwatertaxi.com/
Here are the inter island schedules and rates for the water taxi’s or ferries:
Origin
Destination
Time
Caye Caulker To Belize City
6:30 am -- 7:30 am -- 8:30 am -- 10 am -- 12 noon -- 1:30 pm -- 3 pm -- 4 pm & 5 pm only on Friday, Saturday, Sunday & holidays
San Pedro To Belize City
7 am -- 8 am -- 9:30 am -- 11:30 am -- 1 pm -- 2:30 pm -- 3:30 pm & 5:30 pm only on Friday, Saturday, Sunday & holidays
San Pedro To Caye Caulker
7 am -- 8 am -- 9:30 am -- 11:30 am -- 1 pm -- 2:30 pm -- 3:30 pm & 4:30 pm only on Friday, Saturday, Sunday & holidays
Belize City To Caye Caulker
8 am -- 9 am -- 10:30 am -- 12 pm -- 1:30 pm -- 3 pm -- 4:30
Belize City To San Pedro
8 am -- 9 am -- 10:30 am -- 12 pm -- 1:30 pm -- 3 pm -- 4:30
Caye Caulker To San Pedro
7 am -- 8:45 am -- 10 am -- 11:30 am -- 1 pm -- 2:30 pm -- 4 pm -- 5:30 pm
Water Taxi Fares One Way / Round Trip
Caye Caulker to/from Belize City
$10.00 US / $17.50 US
Caye Caulker to/from San Pedro
$10.00 US / $17.50 US
San Pedro to/from Belize City
$15.00 US / $27.50 US
Belize City to/from Caye Chapel
$7.50 US / $15.00 US
Belize City to/from St. George’s Caye
$12.50 US / $25.00 US
Belize City to/from Long Caye
$15.00 US
* all prices are in US $ per person over 10 years, children 5-10 yearshalf price, large or caged pets $2.50
Charters are available upon request.
Tickets also available for a bus to Tikal and Flores ($8). The bus meets the water taxis and leaves from the Marine Terminal.
Websites for the water taxi companies operating between Belize City & the Cayes:
a) Caye Caulker Water Taxi Association:
http://www.cayecaulkerwatertaxi.com
San Pedro – Belize Express Water Taxi:
http://sanpedrobelizeexpress.com/index.html
c) San Pedro Water Jets Express (operating from a terminal at Birds Isle, Belize City):
http://www.sanpedrowatertaxi.com/index.html
Maya Island Air has discontinued an ill-fated commuter run to Cancun, Guatemala City, and Honduras next month. The flop was apparently due to equipment being too big and expensive for this run.
As of this writing, another airline Tropic, has stepped into the breach with their own Belize-Cancun service, but at BZ $300. plus tax, this really does not offer a real advantage if you are looking for the cheapest way to Belize.
Effective March 25th, 2013, Tropic Air launched 6 weekly flights (daily except for Saturday) between Belize City’s Phillip Goldson International Airport (BZE) and Aeropuerto Internacional de Cancún, Mexico (CUN). Tickets on sale cost about $309 round trip from Belize City to Cancun for travel between March 25th, 2013 and December 15th, 2013. Fuel surcharge, taxes and other conditions may apply.
Cancun is Tropic’s first destination in Mexico and its third international route. Last year, Tropic added Belize City to San Pedro Sula, Honduras service to complement its existing daily Belize City to Flores, Guatemala route. This is in addition to its 11 domestic destinations within Belize.
Tropic Air's schedule between Belize City International and Cancun:
DEPARTS TIME ARRIVES TIME
Belize City Int’l (BZE) 11:30AM Cancun, Mexico (CUN) 1:15PM
Cancun, Mexico (CUN) 2:15PM Belize City Int’l (BZE) 4:00PM
DAILY (Except Saturday)
ALL TIMES LOCAL
The new service bookable via the web at www.tropicair.com, via e-mail at reservations@tropicair.com, by phone at (501) 226-2012.
There is a boat between San Pedro (Ambergris Diver’s Dock) and Chetumal (Chetumal Municipal Pier) started Oct 30 2009. It leaves San Pedro at 8:30 for Chetumal and returns at 3pm. It is run by San Pedro Belize Express price US$20 one way. For more information call Belize 226-3535 or 223-2225.
Travel To Belize Without Going Through TSA In The U.S.
At times we get inquiries about flights from Cancun to Chetumal that is the big Mexican City right on Belize's norther border with Corozal. Regretfully, international flights into Chetumal are few and not any real savings. Due to low volume, it cannot compete with Cancun.
It is easy to get to Cancun on holiday charter flights, but also to get to Cancun from Mexico city. Mexico city has many international connections, so people coming from Europe now have a way to get to Belize without going through the U.S.A.
This route avoid all the eye scanning, fingerprinting, lack of transit facilities,TSA harassment and profiling and just general chaos that having to travel through the U.S.A entails, when you don’t actually want to go there at all.