Backpacking Belize - All information and tips for your trip

Fancy backpacking Belize? With our trip to the Caribbean, we fulfilled a dream. Finally, the infatuation was over, and we were able to explore this country in real life. If you’re planning a trip to Belize, you can now read our following guide in more detail. By the way, we’ve summarized all of the Belize Highlights here!

Perhaps you’ll find a few useful travel tips and Belize insider information here and there. For us, the Belize trip was one of the most beautiful adventures of the last three years. The country is small but incredibly impressive. So sit back and come with us to one of the most exciting countries in Central America.

What else you should know:

What else you should know:
General information about Belize
Climate and travel time
Arrival in Belize
Entry and visa
Vaccinations & Insurance
Backpacking Belize – Money and Budget
Bus Travel in Belize
Accommodation in Belize
Food and Drink
Belize Sights
Safety and Crime
Backpacking Belize – Costs
Our Best Belize Tips
Impressions

General Information about Belize

Belize was formerly the British colony of British Honduras and lies between Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala in Central America. What has always fascinated us most of all: the Caribbean Sea with its many coral islands. That’s exactly where we wanted to go! Belize is also home to the second largest barrier reef in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Google Belize and look at the pictures. You’ll probably spot the Great Blue Hole in one of the pictures pretty quickly. Amazing, isn’t it? It looks simply beautiful.

Belize boasts an intact natural environment, some of which is still completely untouched. The rainforests cover 40% of the country and thus ensure a great diversity of animal and plant species. Belize is unique! Tapirs, pumas, monkeys, and jaguars live here, among others. We saw and encountered howler monkeys for the first time in our lives. We will probably never forget this experience. The country also boasts ancient Mayan cities, stunningly beautiful islands, a diverse culture, and incredible charm.

For us, what made Belize special was the mix of water and land. For example, we visited a deserted island in the Caribbean Sea, explored the underwater world, climbed through caves in the rainforest, and took a boat trip to a Mayan site. Belize is small and currently has only around 397,000 inhabitants. The infrastructure in the country is not particularly good, but according to some locals, it is getting better and better. They say that more and more money is being invested in tourism infrastructure.

Climate and Travel Time

Belize’s climate is tropical and humid, with quite a lot of rainfall along the coast. According to the climate table, the dry season runs from the end of November to mid-April. During this time, it rains less, and at the same time, there are naturally more tourists in the country. Therefore, you can expect higher prices. However, the number of tourists is still limited. The rainy season begins at the end of May and beginning of June, which is also a very good time to travel to Belize.

Fewer tourists, lower prices, and still few rainy days. Between July and November, violent storms and hurricanes can occur. We recommend the months of January and February, as well as May and June. Temperatures are warm to hot year-round. Due to the heavy rainfall, you should also expect high humidity. Since the wind usually blows along the coasts, the temperatures and humidity are quite bearable. More on this here: Best time to travel to Belize.

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Getting to Belize

Getting to Belize by plane is actually quite easy, but you need to allow time. There are no direct flights. Most trips go via Canada or the USA. We flew from Amsterdam with Air Canada to Toronto and then continued on to Belize the next day. We paid just €250 per person for the flights. Crazy, right?

These flight bargains to Belize are quite rare, so you should generally expect to pay between €700 and €800. The flight time is around 12 hours with a stopover. The cheapest flights in Germany are from Frankfurt, Munich, and Düsseldorf.

You could, for example, combine your trip to Mexico with a trip to Belize. However, you’ll need to allow some time for that. Taking a bus from Mexico to Belize and then on to an island takes time. For a short detour, you should allow at least 5 days.

The bus connections to Mexico are great. Florida/Miami is also only a 2-hour flight from Belize. We flew from Toronto to Belize in just 4 hours. So once you’ve crossed the pond, the last leg to Belize is a breeze.

Entry and Visa

You do not need to apply for a visa to enter Belize. With a valid passport, you are granted permission to stay in the country for a maximum of 30 days (Source: Federal Foreign Office). You do not pay an entry fee in Belize, but there is an exit fee of USD 18.75. This is already included in the price of your plane ticket. If you are leaving the country overland, you must pay this fee at the border.

If you wish to stay in the country for longer than 30 days, you can get a stamp for an additional 30 days at the local immigration office for $25. (Note: You are not allowed to fly a drone in Belize without official permission. Larger drones will be confiscated at the airport.) Update 05/2020: Drones are apparently still prohibited without official business permission.

Vaccinations & Insurance

Officially, you do not need any mandatory vaccinations to enter Belize. The Federal Foreign Office recommends the generally recommended standard vaccinations, in particular up-to-date vaccinations against tetanus (lockjaw), diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), measles, and a basic immunization against poliomyelitis/polio. Depending on your age and health, there may be additional recommendations.

On the Robert Koch Institute website, you can find detailed information on vaccinations for Belize. Medical care in the country is not as well-developed as in other countries. In most cases, you will have to pay your bills locally. However, with the right insurance, this is not a problem. International health insurance is essential for travel outside the EU. It usually costs only €8 to €10 per year and covers you for trips of up to 6 weeks at a time (or more).

Backpacking Belize – Money and Budget

In Belize, you can pay with the Belize Dollar or the US Dollar. 1 USD is always equal to 2 BZD, making conversion quite easy. You can even pay with both currencies at the same time – this is completely common practice there. You’ll almost always find an ATM locally, unless it’s broken (which can happen quite often).

It’s best to use a bank ATM. These seem more secure than street ATMs. You shouldn’t exchange your money with just anyone on the street. They’ll offer you a really bad rate. It’s best to use a credit card and get your cash that way. You can find a detailed article on this topic here: Belize Currency.

Belize is really expensive compared to other countries like Mexico or Honduras. This is especially noticeable in the costs of food, drinks, and excursions. Bus transportation is relatively inexpensive. Accommodation prices are also good in the middle range. For two weeks, we spent a total of around €570 per person (excluding travel).

That’s quite a lot of money, but it paid off in the end. We invested most of our money in tours and excursions. You should expect to spend between €40 and €60 per person per day (cheaper and more expensive options are always available, of course). Here you’ll find a complete and detailed overview of the costs for Belize.

Bus travel in Belize

The infrastructure in the country isn’t the best, but you can still get from A to B easily. Of the 3,000km of roads in the country, around 600km are paved. There are also many small airports in the country from where you can take off in small propeller planes. Public buses are a good way to get from A to B in Belize.

Since these buses travel slowly, a trip like this ends up taking a bit longer than expected. You also have to change buses on certain routes. This can lead to you suddenly finding yourself standing in the middle of an intersection, in the middle of nowhere. There, you simply wait for the next bus. Sounds more complicated than it actually is.

We took various bus routes. In Belize City and Belmopan, there’s a kind of central bus station from which you can travel in all directions. From there, you can get to Orange Walk Town, Mexico City, Belmopan, San Ignacio, Dangriga, Placencia, or even Hopkins. On average, we usually paid €2 to €5 – depending on the route.

To do this, simply hop on the bus, sit down, and wait until one of the employees collects the money. It’s even better if you know roughly how much the ride will cost in advance. However, we never felt like we were being ripped off. There are the “regular runs,” which are cheaper and slower. And then there are the express runs, which are faster but also a bit more expensive. Further information on routes and times can be found here: Belize Bus Guide.

Routes and prices (as of February 2018)

Belize City to Orange Walk (88km) – 5 Belize dollars (2.02€)
Belize City to San Ignacio (114km) – 10 Belize dollars (4.05€)
San Ignacio to Belmopan (42km) – 6 Belize dollars (2.40€)
Belmopan to Dangriga (88km) – 12 Belize dollars (4.80€)
Dangriga to Placencia (82km) – 7 Belize dollars (2.80€)
Placencia to Hopkins (65km) – 6 Belize dollars (€2.40)
Hopkins – Dangriga (32km) – 5 Belize dollars (€2.02)
Belmopan – Belize City (78km) – 12 Belize dollars (€4.87)

Accommodation in Belize

Depending on the time of year, you can expect different prices. In the interior of the country, you can get a private room for as little as €15. On the islands, it’s a bit more expensive. On average, you can expect to pay €25 to €30 per night. Of course, more comfort also means higher prices.

In addition to bungalows, guesthouses, and guesthouses, there are also some hotels, hostels, and private Airbnb accommodations in Belize. We booked our accommodations in advance (due to peak season) and almost always used Booking.com or Airbnb. We’ve had only positive experiences with both platforms.

Our accommodations in Belize:

San Ignacio: J&R Guesthouse (€15 per night)
Placencia: Airbnb SeaSpray Hotel (€34 per night)
Caye Caulker: Sophie’s Guesthouse (€27 per night)
Hopkins: Airbnb Seafish (directly on the sea) (€52 per night)
Orange Walk Town: Ricky’s Apartment (€16 per night)

Food and Drink

Since Belize is located between Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala, it’s no surprise that the local food is well-diversified. You’ll find Mexican, Caribbean, Creole, and international dishes. Burritos and tacos can be found almost everywhere for €1 to €3. Fry Jacks and rice with beans, chicken, beef, or fish are especially popular. Those who like fish and seafood will, of course, find the full range here.

Vegetarians and vegans have it a bit more difficult. Unfortunately, the selection isn’t particularly extensive. Fresh fruit and vegetables are also available in Belize (pineapple, bananas, papaya, watermelon, mangoes, etc.). Salads, pizza, fries, and burgers are also offered in many restaurants.

Tap water is drinkable, but it’s often a bit cloudy, so we recommend buying water at the supermarket. Otherwise, you can also get coffee (not particularly good), tea, and beer in Belize. Unfortunately, Belizeans are also big fans of American-style soft drinks (Sprite, Coke, Fanta, etc.).

Belikin beer is particularly popular, as is wine made from berries, rice, and wood sorrel, which is produced in the villages. In general, we found the cuisine and food in Belize a bit too monotonous. But you definitely won’t starve, that much can be said. You can buy basic groceries at the supermarket: eggs, bread, yogurt, milk, sausage, cheese, spreads, fruit, vegetables, cornflakes, muesli, and the like.

Of course, it’s comparatively expensive at the supermarket because many things have to be imported. Nevertheless, you can easily self-cater for a few days. However, the price is largely the same whether you eat out or prepare something yourself.

Belize Sights

Belize is a diverse and colorful country. There’s truly so much to discover and experience. Whether it’s a secluded island in the Caribbean Sea, trekking tours through caves and rainforest, or diving into the spectacular underwater world – Belize is full of surprises. We’ve already reported on the top highlights and sights in a separate article. We definitely recommend a visit to the small reggae island of Caye Caulker, a sailing trip to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, a trip to one of the Mayan sites (e.g., Lamanai), adventure and action near San Ignacio, a few relaxing days in Placencia, and a tour to the incredible Silk Cayes. height=”683″ src=”https://travel.cdn.express/imgtravel/ankunft-silk-caye-belize-placencia-1024×683.jpg” width=”1024″/>

Safety and Crime

Belize is generally a fairly safe country for tourists. However, we also heard some really bad stories from a local. He said that Belize City, in particular, is very unsafe. For this reason, we didn’t look around there any further. The man told us that drug trafficking and drug transit have been getting worse.

There have also been cases of tourists being victims of armed robberies. While Caye Caulker seems quite safe, he says you shouldn’t necessarily wander around outside at night, and certainly not alone. Tourists should also definitely avoid Belize City at night. As always, the same tourist rules apply as everywhere else in the world.

You should leave your valuables (including jewelry) at home and not carry them with you. Pickpockets are known to be prevalent worldwide. If an incident occurs, you should contact the tourist police. You should also keep in mind that medical care is not adequate in all parts of the country. By the way: Taxis always have green license plates! Don’t forget!

You should politely decline offers from self-proclaimed “tour guides,” and the same applies to free rides. You should never accept drinks from strangers. And while we’re on the subject, never let your drink out of your sight! You certainly don’t want to become a victim of drugs, right?

You shouldn’t pick up hitchhikers if you’re traveling in a rental car. We don’t want to scare you, but there have been a few accidents and incidents. Nothing happened to us during our entire trip, and we never felt uncomfortable. The people were always nice and helpful to us. But unfortunately, there are always a few crooks and criminals everywhere.

Backpacking Belize – The Costs

Compared to other countries, Belize is relatively expensive. According to research and information from friends, it’s much cheaper in neighboring Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. Nevertheless, a trip is definitely worth it. It was worth every single cent! Belize rocked! In a separate post, we’ve outlined all our costs: travel, food, drinks, accommodation, excursions, transportation, and more.

In total, we spent around €820 per person for 14 days (including Airbnb credit / excluding travel). Travel costs vary so much that we didn’t include them (you can find information about this in the cost section). In the end, we spent just under €40 per day per person. That’s a pretty good average for Belize. In general, however, you can expect it to be a bit more expensive. Here you’ll find a cost overview for our round trip..

Our best Belize tips

Belize is an interesting travel destination and has a lot to offer. For us, it was our first time in Central America and our first time in the Caribbean. The two weeks went by far too quickly; we would have loved to stay a few days longer. Nevertheless, everything worked out in terms of timing. We recommend booking your accommodation in advance if you’re traveling in Belize during peak season.

This saved us the hassle of searching on site. You should also definitely pack sunscreen. Firstly, it’s much cheaper here in Germany, and secondly, you shouldn’t underestimate the heat and sun in Belize. Especially on excursions, you’re constantly exposed to the sun without really noticing.

In general, don’t pack too much! In these temperatures, you really don’t need 20 kg of luggage. We got along very well with very little. A few shirts, two pairs of shorts, underwear, sports clothes, sneakers/outdoor shoes, one pair of long pants, a sweater, flip flops, a swimwear, and that’s it!

For the many excursions, a small backpack (e.g., a folding backpack) is also a good idea. For tours, you should take some time on site and compare providers. We went from tour office to tour office, comparing prices and offers. In the end, we took the tour that suited us best.

Impressions