Driving in Belize: Useful Tips And Information

Upon arriving in Belize City for our two weeks Belize holiday, we received an e-mail from the Belize Tourism Board advising us to refrain from using public transportation if possible due to the ongoing Covid19-pandemic. So renting a car and driving ourselves in beautiful Belize would be a much better idea.

Of course, renting a car is a lot more expensive. But you also gain much more flexibility in moving by being totally independent of things you can't control, like timetables, routes and such.

But what is driving in Belize like? What are the rules compared to Europe or the US? How do Belizeans behave? What are the road conditions? Are cities and towns well connected?

So here's a guide on driving in Belize with our personal experience and recommendations.

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DISCLAIMER: This blog post contains affiliate links, which means we earn a tiny commission every time you book through one of our links at no additional cost for you 

First Things First: Is Driving in Belize Recommended Or Even Safe?

During our year-long world trip, we did quite some road trips in countries with very different driving styles like Croatia, Greece, Costa Rica or Jordan.

While we love a good road trip (like an epic one in Scotland, or a cultural one in Catalonia), the experience is a very new one with each country we visit. Not necessarily more difficult, just different.

Belize showed us that, despite having a British past (check out our full Belize Guide for more information on Belize's history), rules and driving behaviours actually differ quite a bit from the United Kingdom.

That doesn't mean that it's harder or more dangerous. On the contrary. After having experienced some nasty and aggressive drivers in the Dominican Republic, driving in Belize was actually pretty relaxing.

Also, given that the official language is English, road signs are pretty easy to understand so that's a factor you won't have to worry about.

So the short answer is: yes, it is recommended to rent a car in Belize and it's perfectly safe. Read on for more details.

How To Get to Belize?

Before even thinking about driving in Belize, you have to get there.

Multiple major airlines such as American Airlines, British Airways, Air France or KLM and others have direct flights to Belize.

Best is to check and compare prices on Skyscanner, by far the best site for flights out there, as they will find the best possible deals for you by comparing different flight providers.

Things To Know Before Renting a Car in Belize

General Information

Documents needed

When renting a car in Belize, all you need is your passport, your regular driver's license and a credit card for the deposit and to pay possible extra fees (for example additional coverage or a second driver).

An international driver's license is not required but you will need to have liability insurance: it's mandatory in Belize. Either buy it beforehand by choosing a full package through general renting sites such as Rentalcars or with an agency on site.

Just beware that prices are generally higher when you book a car at the airport.

Also, Rentalcars lets you compare between different providers and spares you the hassle of negotiating insurances with possibly dishonest companies.

Cost

Renting a car in Belize is relatively expensive.

We paid 835,79 € / 997,35 US $ for twelve days with Alamo. That's about 69,60 € / 83 US $ a day.

While it included full coverage and an additional driver (we always choose this option), it was still a lot of money compared to other central American countries.

Also, it was a smaller car, a Ford EcoSport, no 4WD. That is a good car: despite its size it's very spacious and a little bit higher inside than you would expect - which is good for Belizean roads that have tons of speed bumps. 

Petrol stations

Petrol or gas is expensive in Belize. While we only had to fill up two or three times during the whole trip - Belize is a tiny country - it can add up pretty quickly.

The price per gallon for unleaded is currently (February 2023) at approximately 7,14 € / 7,66 US $. 

Major international gas stations such as Shell/Puma but also regional ones can be found in and near every bigger town in Belize.

However, if you head out to the countryside, make sure to fill up beforehand as stations tend to get scarce. 

The Cayes

The 'Cayes' are Belize's islands on the Caribbean coast. Most of these islands are exclusively pedestrian and only allow golf carts and bikes.

So if your plan is to chill and do some seaside-stuff on, say, Caye Caulker or Ambergris Caye, leave the car in Belize City. Don't rent for the whole stay.

Where To Rent And What To Watch Out For

If you plan on visiting Chetumal in Mexico or Tikal in Guatemala while driving around in Belize (both are close by), make sure you declare this to the rental car company. There is an additional fee to pay and a letter of approval needs to be signed for border crossing that is approximately 30 € / 35 US $ for Alamo for example (cost may vary - check with the agency).

You should always purchase the Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) when renting a car online. At the agency, they will ask if you want it, in case they can't see that you already bought it.

Unlike in Mexico or like we experienced in Santo Domingo, in Belize they won't try to sell it by saying things like "it's not the same as what you already booked with Rentalcars". It is the same. But Belizeans aren't the kind of people that will try to rip you off on this.

Which Car And Which Rental Company in Belize?

We booked through Rentalcars with Alamo and it was a very easy, friendly and smooth experience. No rip-offs, very polite, thorough in their checks without trying to pin damage on you that you aren't responsible for.

From what we heard from fellow travellers, Crystal Auto seems to be a cheaper and also quite reliable Belizean agency. Just make sure you have all the insurances you need.

In general, a 4WD is not necessary as even the unpaved roads in the countryside are rather easy to drive on. If you plan on visiting hard-to-reach sites like the Maya ruins of Caracol or the fascinating Crystal Cave, you will need an experimented driver with a proper pick-up anyway because even with a 4WD, chances are you get stuck in a less frequented, puma-infested area.

Some bloggers recommend getting a 4WD to reach the Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve but we managed to get there easily with our 2WD Ford EcoSport.

It might be a different story during heavy rainfalls but I guess that hiking in these conditions isn't fun either, so you might not head there anyway in that case.

General Rules And Information on Driving in Belize

Driving in Belize is nothing like other central American countries. Compared to, say, Mexico, it's actually very 'civilised' when it comes to driving style.

Belizeans respect the rules in general and, while traffic might be a little more dense in cities like Belize City or the capital Belmopan, you will most likely be totally alone in the countryside.

Metric or imperial?

Just like the former ruler Great Britain, Belize uses the imperial system, measuring distances and speed limits in miles. To us Europeans with our metric system, this can sometimes be confusing, but Americans are used to this.

Speed limits

Speed limit in Belize is generally 55 mph (88 kmh) on highways, 25 mph (40 kmh) in cities and villages. Belizeans drive a bit faster than this but you are on holiday so you shouldn't let them rush you. 

Driving on the right side

Despite the British heritage, driving in Belize is on the right-hand side of the road.

Wearing seatbelts

Is mandatory.

Turning left

This is something that the lady at the Alamo desk told us and which we were totally unaware of: in Belize, when you are driving on the highway and you want to turn left, you have to pull on to the right side first, but with your left indicator flashing. Then you have to wait, and check if nobody wants to pass, and once it's clear both ways, you can go.

In Europe, we just stop on the road with our left indicator on and the cars behind us stop as well. Nobody will try to pass at that moment. And if so, the car passing will be responsible for any accident.

In Belize, you are responsible if someone crashes you from behind when you were about to turn left and the car overtakes you at that same moment.

How To Navigate The Country

GPS And Timing

Highways in Belize are just one lane so there is no high-speeding and passing everyone on the way. Also, driving through villages and towns should be done slowly for safety reasons. Even if you don't care about the safety of others, there are enough speed bumps to keep you at a leisurely pace anyway.

But this means also that the duration time of a route indicated by the GPS should not be taken at face value. You will most likely need more time than planned.

Other than this, despite not always having road signs or full addresses, we didn't find it difficult to navigate the country with Google Maps.

We also use the app Mapsme which provides offline maps that are sometimes more accurate in terms of timing than Google's offline maps.

Road Signs And Getting Directions

Like I mentioned above, road signs - if there are any - are in English as this is the official language, despite being surrounded by hispanic countries such as Mexico and Guatemala.

This also means that there is no language barrier, in case you are lost and need to ask for directions. Unlike in Jordan, for example, where we had some issues with this.

Road Conditions in Belize

Except for the major highways connecting cities, most roads in Belize are unpaved and their general condition varies a lot from area to area.

Highways

The major roads like the Northern Highway, going from Belize City to Mexico, or the Western Highway, leading from Belize City to Guatemala, are in good condition for the bigger part.

The same goes for the Southern Highway that leads down to Punta Gorda. We actually loved this specific drive because it traverses beautiful green hills and the road conditions are good enough to relax a bit and enjoy the scenery while driving.

Main roads connecting towns

Road conditions outside of the highways vary greatly. For example, in the areas around Placencia, wealthy tax-paying expats are probably the reason the roads here are in excellent condition. 

Hopkins, on the other hand, is the kind of road where you will most certainly feel your hands shaking from gripping you steering wheel. But hey, free back massage!

Roads leading to major attractions

Here's where it gets tricky: some of the sites are quite easily accessible even without a 4WD. Some people don't recommend driving to the Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve without a 4WD but we did and it was fine. It's an unpaved earth road with roots and some minor potholes but quite frankly, we've seen a lot worse.

You just have to check with your rental car company beforehand if you are allowed to drive on these roads without a 4WD. There might otherwise be some insurance issues.

Driving yourself to the Maya ruins of Caracol, on the other hand, is not recommended at all. Even our driver Fernando, with his huge 4WD pick-up and over twenty years of experience doing this 2hour-drive to the site, barely made it through. It was a little bit stressful feeling the wheels just burying themselves deeper and deeper into the mud.

Also, this area is known for being a beloved playground for pumas. You really don't want to get stuck here all by yourself. Get a guide for this trip!

Cities and towns

Just like with cities in general, Belize City is probably the most stressful area to drive through. Traffic is a lot denser and streets very narrow. Also, people in cities tend to be more stressed and thus aggressive when driving.

Still nothing compared to what we witnessed in Santo Domingo...

Anyway.

Then there are towns like Placencia or Hopkins which are very quiet. San Ignacio is something else, though: narrow streets in some kind of labyrinth and lots of pedestrians crossing everywhere. Still, nothing compared to Belize City.

Dangers on The Road

Police checks

Unlike Mexico or the Dominican Republic where corrupt police officers just LOVE to mess with tourists in the hope of hustling a bribe, police checks in Belize are nothing to be afraid of.

It's no different from Europe or the US where they will most likely just do a normal inspection to see if you have the papers you need.

Speed bumps

Here's one of the reasons you should never be speeding, not even on the highways: Belizeans love their speed bumps, also called 'sleeping policemen'. They can be really nasty and you will definitely feel it (and potentially destroy your axle) if you don't take them slow enough.

Driving to Placencia is especially annoying: there are just so many of them! Then again, you are driving through residential areas that are made for expats and they really don't want people to speed nearby their homes. 

Get used to the rattling 'brrt-brrt'-noise.

Driving at night

We occasionally drove after sunset but only within the same town, for example Hopkins or San Ignacio.

Highways in Belize aren't well lighted and even in cities (the smaller ones), streets can be pitch black.

I would say that this is the major concern when driving in Belize at night: the visibility is very bad. And with lots of night-active wildlife but also pedestrians crossing without even looking, we would recommend not doing longer trips during the night. Always book an accommodation* beforehand to avoid that.

Also: don't forget the 'brrt-brrts' : they're even harder to spot at night!

*This is an affiliate link, which means that we earn a tiny commission if you book through this link, at no additional cost for you.

Wildlife and other crossing

Driving in Belize sometimes resembles driving through an open zoo. I mean, being very wild and less urbanised than other countries is a big part of Belize's charm.

But this also means that the chances of encountering various animals on the road are very high. 

Sebi, for example, was so sad when he realised he accidentally drove over a snake that wasn't fast enough in its road crossing endeavour.

And that is only a small, soft animal that won't cause any damage to your car. Tapirs, Coati and monkeys are bigger. So are stray dogs.

Pedestrians also love to just cross without looking and there are even warnings for little - and slow! - horse-carriages on the highway due to a rather big community of conservative Mennonites.

In Conclusion: Driving in Belize Is Safe AND Recommended

Even without a lot of experience with road trips in foreign and exotic countries, I would say that driving in Belize is perfectly safe. 

There are a few things to know beforehand and you should always get a good insurance before renting a car but, in general, it is not that stressful to sit behind the wheel in Belize.

Just take your time, don't be rushed and always plan ahead in order to not get stuck somewhere out in the sticks because you ran out of gas.

We felt absolutely safe there and didn't encounter any issues while driving in Belize and we would recommend this to anyone looking to explore the country freely without being restricted by timetables, be it from buses, tour-organisers or flights.

I hope this guide serves you well and feel free to comment or message us with any remark or question on this topic.

Also, please pin and share this post for others to see and to support us.

As ever

xx

Cyn

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