Boat, Ferry, and Water-Taxi Travel

Several private boats make the run from Dangriga to Tobacco Caye for BZ$35 per person one-way. They leave Dangriga around 9:30 am and return from Tobacco Caye midmorning. Check at the Riverside Restaurant in Dangriga or ask your hotel on Tobacco Caye.

Other than that, you're generally left to your own devices for private boat transportation to the cayes. You can charter a small boat with driver—typically BZ$400 and up a day—or negotiate a one-way or round-trip price, up to BZ$600 or more one-way to the atolls. You'll have little luck renting a powerboat on your own, as boat owners are reluctant to risk their crafts, and new laws require that you need a captain's license before you can operate a boat in Belize waters (sailing charters are excepted).

Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker

Two water-taxi companies, with fast boats that hold up to 100 passengers, connect Belize City with Ambergris Caye (BZ$25 one-way) and Caye Caulker (BZ$15 one-way), each with 8 to 10 departures a day. Caye Caulker Water Taxi boats depart from the Marine Terminal near the Swing Bridge; San Pedro Belize Express boats leave from the nearby Tourism Village dock. It's a 45-minute ride to Caulker and 75 minutes to San Pedro. Boats stop on demand at Caye Chapel.

North Ambergris Caye

There aren't any cabs on North Ambergris; to get there from San Pedro, you can take a water taxi. Scheduled service is available roughly hourly on the Island Ferry during the day until 10 pm. Rates are BZ$14 to BZ$50, depending on the destination. After 10, you can arrange a custom pickup at higher rates. Coastal Xpress provides scheduled ferry service up and down the island, it offers service between Pelican Reef hotel in the south and Blue Reef Island Resort in the north, with about a dozen stops en route. Currently, service starts at 5:30 am and ends at 2:15 am. Prices range from BZ$8 to BZ$40. San Pedro Belize Express also operates a twice-daily water taxi from Corozal Town to San Pedro, at the cost of BZ$45 one-way.

Contacts

Caye Caulker Water Taxi Association. Caye Caulker Water Taxi boats (despite the name they go to San Pedro as well as Caye Caulker) depart from the Marine Terminal at 10 North Front Street near the Swing Bridge. They arrive at the Main Public Pier on Front Street on Caye Caulker, and on San Pedro they arrive at the Texaco Marina. Marine Terminal, 10 N. Front St., near Swing Bridge, Belize City. 223/5752 in Belize City; 226/0992 in Caye Caulker. www.cayecaulkerwatertaxi.com. BZ$20 between Belize City and Caye Caulker; BZ$30 one-way between Belize City and San Pedro.

Coastal Xpress. Coastal Xpress provides scheduled ferry service up and down the island. It offers about a dozen daily trips between the Amigos del Mar pier in town and Pelican Reef hotel in the south, and the same number between Amigos del Mar and Blue Reef Island Resort in the north, with stops and pick-ups on demand at all private docks and hotels and restaurants. At this writing, service starts at 5:30 am and ends around 2:15 am. Coastal Xpress also offers charter boat service to many cayes and coastal locations. Amigos del Mar Pier, Beachfront, San Pedro. 226/2007. www.coastalxpress.com. From BZ$8 to BZ$40; weekly pass also available.

Water Jets International. Water Jets International boats, also confusingly known as San Pedro Water Jets Express, leave from the Marine Terminal at 10 North Front Street. On both Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye the Water Jets International terminals are on the back (lagoon) side of the islands.

They also provide daily service between the Muelle Fiscal or municipal pier in Chetumal, Mexico, and San Pedro and Caye Caulker. Black Coral St., Dock next to soccer field on back side of island, San Pedro. 226/2194. www.sanpedrowatertaxi.com. BZ$24, one-way between BelizeCity and Caye Caulker; BZ$35 one-way between Belize City and San Pedro;.

San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi. On Caye Caulker, San Pedro Belize Express boats arrive at the pier near the basketball court on Front Street, and in San Pedro they arrive at the pier at on Black Coral Street on the east (sea) side of the island, next to Wahoo's Bar & Grill. They also provide daily service between the Muelle Fiscal or municipal pier in Chetumal, Mexico and San Pedro and Caye Caulker. 111 N. Front St., San Pedro. 223/0225; 983/119-1431 in Mexico. www.belizewatertaxi.com. BZ$20 one-way between Belize City and Caye Caulker; BZ$30 one-way between Belize City and San Pedro.

Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt has daily service between Corozal Town and San Pedro. The trip takes 90 minutes to two hours, depending on weather conditions and whether there is a stop in Sarteneja. In Corozal, the Thunderbolt leaves from the Reunion Pier in the center of town; it arrives in San Pedro at the dock on Black Coral Street on the back side of the island near the soccer field. Dock on back side of island near soccer field, San Pedro. 610/4475. BZ$45 one-way.