Guatemala

How to Guatemala

I thought that I should write this blog for people like me who spend hours doing research so when I roll into a place I know exactly where I am going and how I am getting there to avoid looking like a tourist. Well I have a backpack on and blonde hair but you know what I mean. Please note all money is in local currency. 

Boarder crossing from Belize

The bus you take in Belize brings you to a town called Banque where you can take a $5 taxi or walk the easy 2km to the boarder. Note if you are originating in San Ignacio and are not travelling solo you can take a taxi for $5 each from there, however it is only $2 to take the bus and walk. It seems silly but $3 adds up fast, whenever possible I walk.

Once you get to the boarder you have to pay a $40 exit fee (they will also accept American Dollars here but no other currency) Once you get your exit stamp ignore all the people offering you taxis. Walk past the weird tunnel thing and to you left is where you collect your entrance stamp to Guatemala. 

Now if you're like me and know the best exchange rate comes from ATMs there is one located over the bridge and up the road to the right. About a 5 minute walk it is located inside a Pharmacy and charges a 31.20Q fee. Which is steep so I took out 1,500Q  which it let me even though the highest option onscreen was 1,000Q. I have now found out that the maximum amount you can withdraw at one time is 2000Q.

Now you need to get where you're going, I was headed to Flores and there are collectivos on the first road to the left after the bridge, if you went to the bank this road would be on your right and the last one before the bridge to the boarder. For 30Q (yep less than the bank fee) they will take you to Flores. This "station" is located down the street on the right. You can't miss it and there will probably be some children there to help you along.

Now this bus (large van) picks up all sorts of people along way so I recommend sitting in the back corner so you don't have to get in and out constantly as people are getting on and off. 

Leaving Flores I did not bother shopping around because the first place I stopped at told me they would pick me up from my hostel and take me to Lanquin for 90Q. Turns out this was a better deal than everyone else got who had shopped around. Lucky me.  This bus departs at 08:00 and shows up to get you where ever you are in the que. We arrived in Lanquin around 16:00 and not to worry they stop 3 times along the way, once for gas (10 minute break) once just at a store (15 minute break) and once for lunch in Coban and McDonalds (30 minute break)

Once we were in Lanquin there was a truck that took us all to our respective hostels free of charge, be prepared for a rough ride! 

There isn't a whole lot in the shops in town so if you have a restricted diet or you're on a budget I highly recommend doing your shopping at the supermarket in the mall that the stop in Coban.

Also a good thing to note is the trucks shouldn't cost you more than 15Q to get around, some of them will even take ten make sure you clarify this before getting on the truck. Also the tourist shop in town has the best prices for booking a shuttle on to the next destination, and the guy that runs it speaks excellent English.

How-To Belize

So here is what I learned thus far while in Belize....

All money is in local currency unless otherwise stated.

Belize City Airport to San Ignacio 30.50 USD

The taxi from the airport to Belize City is 25 USD. Not 30 USD which the guy told us after we had already got in the taxi because for some reason we were in some big hurry to leave the airport without loading maps of the city or anything. He told us some tale about how yes it used to be $25 but gas prices went up... this was a lie because everyone else we talked to said they only paid $25. I guess kudos to that jerk for ripping us off. He did offer to drive us all the way to San Ignacio for $140 (American) but there was no way that seemed like a better offer than the bus. Also note the 25 USD is for two people so you may be charged 50 USD if there are four of you.

We were fortunate enough to catch the express bus to San Ignacio, as the buses are the main source of transportation for the locals they are quiet full, we lucked out and got seats together and overhead room for our bags on a bus that got fuller and fuller as we made our way out of the city. As we were on the express bus it only took two hours, the normal bus which stops everywhere for everyone takes around 3. We paid 5.50 USD for the bus ($11 Belize) Well worth the extra money especially as the bus was extremely crowded, and all the windows were up because it was pouring rain, so also very humid. 

Once we arrived in San Ignacio there is actually free wifi at the bus terminal, which I was trying to connect to so I could look up directions to our hostel. However my adorable travel buddy was rather worried we were going to be robbed or sold into sex slavery did not want to stand at the bus stop for even a second. So off we went. Turns out the people of San Ignacio are pretty amazing, friendly and welcoming. We asked a guy selling tours if he could point us in the direction of our hostel and he was more than happy to oblige. In all fairness too, the guy on the bus (taking the fares) also asked us where we were staying and came to the conclusion taking us to the main bus station was the best place. Our hostel was literally just up the road from there.

Cost to self tour Xuanantunich $14

Me forever being the frugal traveller was not keen to do any tours so we decided to make our own way to Xuanantunich. This was easily accomplished by taking the bus headed to Banque. Literally runs every half hour, and for $2 takes you to the ferry crossing. From there its a moderate 1.6 km walk up the mountain to the entrance and for $10 you get to experience what is probably the most breathtaking of the ruins in Belize (or so lonely planet tells me) It was a blue bird day and you could see for miles from the top. For me it was well worth the money just for the hike. The little village where the bus lets you off is quaint enough and we got ourselves some ice cream and wandered up the road a bit to wait for the bus. The will pick you up from anywhere along the highway and take you back to San Ignacio for $2. Typically the buses are headed to Belize City. We had standing room only but it was a mere twenty minute ride, so not a big deal.

San Ignacio to Placencia $19

Getting to Placencia was a bit of a guessing game on our part. We just sort of thought we would wait to get a bit later of a start on the day and hopefully miss the commuting traffic, no such luck however we were just on a short hop to Belmopan, we ended up on an express bus so it cost $4. There we met a local of Dangriga who accompanied us and chatted my poor friends ear off all the way to Dangriga, for $7, where we were fortunate enough to only have to wait thirty minutes for the bus to Placencia. The bus to Placencia only cost us $8 but the wind stole away my two dollar note so it ended up costing me ten. However the man who collected our money came by when we were closer to our destination to find out where were were staying and let us off literally right in front of the property. He even took our bags down from the overhead rack and carried my friends all the way to the door for her. 

Placencia to Hopkins $7

Hopkins was our next stop and this was also a guessing game, the lady at our accommodations told us the bus leaves at 10:00, however it leaves at 10:30 from the bus stop in the town. This bus cost $7 and took us right into Hopkins. Note there are other bus options that drop you at turn off for Hopkins it is a quite a walk into the actual village.

Hopkins to Belize City $17

To get from Hopkins to Belize City cost $17 the bus we took left at 11:45 and although we went back to Belmopan we were not required to change buses which was nice, however the bus had no roof racks and sitting with my bag on my lap made for an uncomfortable ride. 

Getting to the Islands

There are a series of options for water taxis to get you over to the Islands, they all have websites. However it is worth noting that they will leave early if they are full. Prices for these are also posted online

Oceanferrybelize.com - this company is the cheapest but does not have as many sailing times, however they do have a secure free place to store your luggage if you are early or even on your way out if you want to explore the city a bit before continuing on. They also have free bathrooms in the terminal.

belizewatertaxi.com - definitely more expensive but have more frequent sailings. They leave early if they have enough people so this is something to note. Also when leaving Belize City they have two lines, one for Caye Caulker & one for San Pedro. Make sure you are in the correct line because they won't be looking for you if you aren't. Also you buy your ticket at one window then have to go to the window to the left of that one to validate it. So be prepared to wait in two lines before lining up for the taxi.