Caye Caulker is an island in Belize, just 130km from Belize City. It’s often a first or last stop for those travelling Central America with Mexico being the previous or next destination respectively.
Chetumal is the closest Mexican city to the Belizean-Mexican border and has great onward travel connections to the rest of Mexico. After nearly a week on Belize’s Caye Caulker, I was headed to Mexico and Chetumal was my entrance point.
This post will cover the three main ways to reach Chetumal from Caye Caulker.
The route you pick will most likely depend on your budget and how much time you have.
1) Ferry from Caye Caulker to Chetumal
The ferry from Caye Caulker to Chetumal is the quickest and most expensive way.
The two companies, San Pedro Express and Water Jets, ferry the route and have every other day departures. Between them there is a boat every day. The boat leaves at 7am, costs $55 and takes approx 3.5hrs. Water Jets told me 2hrs – I’d say it’s longer!
Note: If you’re coming from Mexico and would like to take the direct boat to Caye Caulker, it leaves at 3pm.
Total transport cost: $55USD
2) Boat to San Pedro and then to Corozal
The second boat option is cheaper than the first and goes via San Pedro.
Boats to San Pedro take half an hour and cost $10.
From San Pedro, there is one boat departure every day at 3pm to Corozal with Thunderbolt. It costs $25 and takes around 2hrs. The last boat you can take to San Pedro is the 11.15am.
Once in Corozal, you’ll need to take a colectivo ($2) or taxi to the border and then connect on to Chetumal. From the Mexican border, the colectivo to Chetumal costs 14 pesos.
Note: Remember Belize has an exit tax of $20USD or $41BZ.
Total transport cost: $38USD approx
3) Return to Belize City and take a bus to Chetumal
This last option is the most cost effective, but the longest.
You’ll need to get a boat back to Belize City. It’ll cost $20/22BZ, depending on boat company, for a one way journey. If you’ve bought a return, it’ll be around $17BZ.
Tip: You can get a one way ticket with San Pedro Belize Express for $17BZ. Look for guys wearing green shirts walking the main street, they’ll give you a discount voucher.
From Belize City’s bus terminal, catch a chicken bus to Corozal/the border. They leave frequently and cost $9BZ.
Once you’re in Mexico, catch a colectivo to Chetumal for 14 pesos (£0.60 approx).
Note: You could also look into getting an ADO bus (Mexico bus company). I think they have a morning and evening departure. They do cost more than the chicken buses.
Total transport cost: $13USD
Final thoughts
So, there’s the three ways to reach Chetumal from Caye Caulker.
As I mentioned earlier, the route you pick will likely depend on budget and time. I opted for the last route, returning to Belize City and then the bus. It was much easier and quicker than expected. I was lucky and my chicken bus wasn’t overfull with people and I was able to put my big rucksack under the bus.
I also saved money which is always a good thing!
However you do it, it’s great to have several options to choose from!
Note: When going through Mexican immigration, you might be asked to pay a departure tax in advance. I haven’t fully got my head around what it is but it’s in the region of 550 pesos ($30 approx). I’d been told to take printed proof of my departure flight from Mexico to avoid paying the tax as it was included in my exit flight ticket. This didn’t work for them as, despite the fact I was leaving by air, I was still arriving by land. I managed not to pay at the border; however, am sure I’ll need to pay it before leaving the country – annoyingly! I’ve met people who, by showing their printed exit flight with a breakdown of the flight cost, were able to not pay the tax. I’m still very confused by the whole thing. If you have a flight out of Mexico booked, my best tip to avoid the tax would be to go to the border with your flight confirmation and itemised receipt printed and be confident. Unfortunately, even then it’s not guaranteed.
