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Posted By: CA Jen Walk me through getting to SP by water taxi - 06/29/08 06:41 PM
I am more than a little freaked out about our July trip. I know everything will be fine, but it is totally outside my comfort zone. I will already be stressed from flying and I don't do well when I don't know what is going on.

We plan on taking a water taxi to SP but what can I expect? How do we go about getting it? Do we take a taxi from the airport to the water?

Walk this poor person through it please.
If your landing at international air port and you must be. you will exit from picking up your bags and passing thur customs at doors to the outside where dozens of cab drivers will be waiting to take you to the water taxi terminal at the swing bridge in Belize city.
I think its about a 25.us taxi ride. the water taxi terminal office will sell you a ticket to San Pedro and It will take about an hour to get over by boat. where you dock in the center of town. More taxis will be waiting to take you to your hotel.
unless your hotel is one of the many on the other side of the cut , ...What hotel are you staying at?
Your picking the water taxi ride to San Pedro isn't the best way, but if your real flight-O-phobic then thats the only other way.
Tropic Air is easier and cheaper .
I agree with Elbert....if you want to lug your bags around three or four times AFTER you get to Belize International, go for the water taxi...but if you want a seamless trip without lugging your bags, take a 17 minute Tropic flight. The water taxi takes about an hour and a half. I am not a big fan of large airplanes, but I love the little ones that fly around the country here.....
The water taxi is the "best" way as far as I'm concerned. I would venture "best" is dependant on what you are looking for. The water taxi is a beautiful way to get to the island and provides an opportunity to see a bit of Belize City. It takes a bit longer but that is the part I like. After buying your ticket at the water terminal, while waiting for the water taxi to arrive you can wander around the area a bit. Be sure and buy a bag of fried plaintains from one of the little kids wandering around selling them and enjoy them with your first Belikin while you wait.

I am pretty certain the water taxi costs less than either Maya Island Air or Tropic, especially if there is more than one person.
Its the price of the Taxi from Ladyvill to belize city that brings the price up , do you remember what you paid for the taxi and the water taxi?
....and don't forget that while you are "wandering around the area", you'll get to lug your bags with you.....
Thanks for the responses. I would prefer to take the flight - seems like less hassle - but DH really wants to take the boat. I'm just not sure how to get to the boat.
Originally Posted by elbert
If your landing at international air port and you must be. you will exit from picking up your bags and passing thur customs at doors to the outside where dozens of cab drivers will be waiting to take you to the water taxi terminal at the swing bridge in Belize city.
I think its about a 25.us taxi ride. the water taxi terminal office will sell you a ticket to San Pedro and It will take about an hour to get over by boat. where you dock in the center of town. More taxis will be waiting to take you to your hotel.
unless your hotel is one of the many on the other side of the cut , ...What hotel are you staying at?
CA tell DH, once you are on Ambergris Caye, you will have all kinds of opportunity to "take boats" or water taxi's up and down the island, snorkeling, diving, fishing, Caye Calker, mainland for tours. Get there and enjoy Paradise! Relax it will be great!
Elbert, last time I took the water taxi there were 4 of us. Taxi ride from airport was $25US and I think water taxi was $15US. That is the best I can recall and I could be wrong, but it was definately cheaper.

Shuffles, I have taken the water taxi at least 6 times. NEVER have I had to lug my suitcases with me while walking around Belize City. They were well-tended by the water taxi terminal staff. Once when the terminal was kind of crowded I paid a young man to watch our bags. We travel pretty light and Camera, cash, etc are kept in my purse with me. Everybody's comfort level with this sort of thing is different.
I agree with shuffles, the flight over on Maya or Tropic is awesome! After a day of flying, making connections and airports, a 17 minute flight over would be my choice...
CA Jen, Elbert has laid it out pretty well for you. When you walk out the door of the airport, just smile, relax, get a taxi and tell the driver you want to go to the Marine Terminal or just say to the water taxis. The cab is US$25 total (not per person), and it'll take 20 or 25 minutes to get there. No problem using U.S. cash. The fare is fixed, no bargaining.

It's a nice drive, with some interesting views of the Belize River, the northern "suburbs" and then downtown Belize City. Some of the drivers are real characters and some are all business. They won't rip you off. There's no need to tip the driver beyond the $25 unless you have a lot of luggage, but some people do tip.

The water taxi terminal is sorta in the heart of downtown, next to the famous Swing Bridge. The area is a little funky, but safe in the day time, though there may be some street guys who'll make a comment or two. Go in and buy your tickets to San Pedro at a little cage inside the building. Fare is US$12.50 one-way to San Pedro, per person.

If you've arrive pretty close to departure time, you'll see people giving their bags to guys who will put them on the boat, in the bow and also stand them up in the center of the boat. Or if there's more time before the boat leaves, the luggage is sorta stacked up in a roped area. The boats, generally open with outboard motors, seat maybe 35 people in a U-shape.

If you have extra time, you could walk around a little on Front St. or go to the Image Factory, which is near the Marine Terminal and one of the best places to see and buy contemporary serious art in Belize. There is also a small Maritime Museum in the Marine Terminal. Or you could just grab something to drink and sit and wait in the terminal (not air-conditioned, though).

It's about a 75 minute ride out to San Pedro. On a nice, sunny day it's a pleasant trip. Nearly all the boats stop briefly at Caye Caulker and also on demand at Caye Chapel.

You come in at a pier on the front (east) side of San Pedro, more or less in the middle of town. You can walk (if your hotel is in town and nearby), or take a taxi, or your hotel will have arranged to meet you. You should tell your hotel you are coming in by water taxi and ask what you should do.

--Lan Sluder

Lan and Elbert, you two rock! That was exactly what I was looking for. Anxiety level just dropped to almost nothing.
I'm no Belize expert, but I think flights from the International airport cost about $40 more than flights from the metropolitan airport due to the airport tax. So if several people are traveling together it is defintely worth while to take a taxi to the metro airport. Anyone can feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
You are close Rebelyell. Tropics current one-way fares are $63 from International and $35 from Municipal and $120 or $67 return.
The point ,or part of it ,is that the taxi to Belize city and water taxi ride hassle isn't worth it to save just a few bucks. you should also keep in mind the water taxi doesn't run after dark, arrivals are always late and you are likely to get stuck in Beautiful downtown Belize for the night.
You should take the flight. By the time you add in the extra taxi fee, tip money to water taxi porters, and time lost from your vacation that will more than likely be expensive, it will cost you less just to take the quick flight from Tropic Air. There is not a whole lot of "scenery" in Belize City and you will not get nearly the water experience from the water taxi as you will get nonstop on the island.
You "should" do what you want. wink

Coming in from CA is almost always a morning arrival, so not much to worry about in terms of being too late to catch the water taxi. I don't believe I've ever had a late arrival. Not everyone finds the water taxi to be a "hassle." Not everyone takes the water taxi just to save money, not everyone finds a lack of "scenery" in Belize City and not everyone finds the water taxi ride to be "time lost" from vacation. For us it is one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip. It provides a slow, easy break-in period, an opportunity to chat with locals, a chance to wander a bit in Belize City and an experience on the water that is completely different from any we experienced while on tours or snorkle trips. Sometimes we fly and sometimes we take the water taxi. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

p.s. Mr. Sluder, your answer, as always, was very helpful.
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Walk me through getting to SP by water taxi - 07/07/08 04:32 PM
Don't forget that the last water taxi to SP leaves at (I believe) 3:30pm, whereas the last scheduled flight leaves at about 5:30 and if incoming international flights have been delayed the flights to SP keep going until there are no visitors left. My record was leaving from the International at almost 7:45pm so getting home by around 8pm.

I recommend people who've had a long and tiring journey from Europe or the far north not even to consider the options but to hop on the plane. If you're fresh, the weather's good and time is not of the essence then the boat can be attractive.
The few people that come and visit and don't enjoy themselves, usually have a story that starts with some problem getting from BZ international to San Pedro via taxi and water taxi. Trust me.
Last year my plane was delayed by weather in Belize City. We circled for a while and went up to Cancun to wait for the weather. When we finally landed at about 6pm Tropic told us that they didn't fly after 5 pm. (We needed a flight down to Placencia). We had to stay at a motel not too far from the airport until morning. There where a few hundred of us in this predictament. Does Tropic fly after 5 pm ?
This is already posted somewhere on this board, and is a standard answer to incoming guests:

Yes, you can get here by water taxi. We generally suggest that guests take the plane to get here and the water taxi on the way back. Here's why: when you arrive at Belize International (which is in Ladyville), you must go through immigration before you get your bags and then customs. If you take the water taxi, once you find your bags, you must take them outside, hail a cab and have the cab take you to the Municipal Airport in Belize City. Make sure the taxi driver doesn't see you "buddying up" to another person who wants to share a taxi with you as they will only take those people truly "traveling together" for the $25 fare. There you get your bags, again, and take them to the pier where they are loaded onto the water taxi. The trip lasts about one hour and forty minutes. The water taxi can be very crowded. (see picture below), The boats are generally open without tarps. Once here, you have to get your bags again, and take them to another taxi. The taxi then takes you to your hotel. You can walk to your hotel, but even the best luggage doesn't roll well on sand streets. The cost of the taxi in Belize City is about $25 US. The water taxi fare to the island is $35.00 per person. The taxi in San Pedro can run anywhere from $3 US to $7 US depending on where you are staying. On top of that, you have been traveling all day and you have no control over the weather. A two hour boat ride in 75 degree weather, if overcast, feels very wet and cold. Depending on your arrival time into Belize International, you may not make the last water taxi, which leaves at 4:30. The last plane out of International for San Pedro leaves at 5:30, and you arrive in San Pedro at 5:55.

If you take the taxi when you leave, the costs are the same, but at least you are "fresh", i.e., you are doing the above in reverse, but haven't traveled all day, and you will almost always have the option of taking the plane if the weather is not excellent.

The plane trip over is $63.00 US, We can make the arrangements for you, add it to your bill. We only need to know the passengers' names as they appear on passports and your arrival time into Belize International. You will only have to retrieve your luggage at the International airport, find a porter who will load your luggage onto a plane for San Pedro. Once here, another porter will retrieve your luggage from the airstrip and a taxi driver will load onto your taxi for your hotel.

If there is anything else we can answer for you, let us know!


Water taxi from Belize City to San Pedro
"We generally suggest that guests take the plane to get here and the water taxi on the way back."

I would have thought the other way. Nothing like getting on a icy cold plane sunburned and covered in salt spray.

Forgot to add the numb bum factor.
Placencia doesn't have a lighted runway and the planes have to come back north for the night hence the problem with delayed flights to Placencia. San Pedro has a lighted runway and passengers will be flown (weather permitting and coming off an international flight arriving at BZE) until they have all arrived.
Thanks, there must have been something else happening that day because there were people in our group who wanted to go on to San Pedro. I have taken the water taxi many times and knew it was too late to go by water, so I let these people know. Normally, we go straight to SP but last year we decided to visit Placencia first, then go on to SP. It was all a minor inconvience and we all made the best of it and had a lot of laughs.
True Simon, (I did forget about the sunburn/salt concept!) but some people "think" they want the water taxi experience until they fly over when they arrive. 99% of the time, they ask to have their flight booked back over to International when they leave. Particularly when they realize how much of their last day is going to be taken up by the water taxi travel, to get them to the airport two hours prior to their departure.
Ok...I just checked ..and it's true, it's much cheaper to fly to SP from the muni airport...but how much is the taxi fare (2 people) from the international airport to the municipal one???
Hint: It's listed at least 5 times in this thread.
The Taxi fare from the internarional to the WATER TAXIS is in the thread---but not from international to MUNICIPAL AIRPORT as far as I can see???and I read it all twice before posting!!
Ahhhh....my bad. Too many days away from SP! The answer is - (mzybe) LESS than the fare to water taxis. wink
Same $25US
Or are you telling me that the water taxis are right near the Municipal airport??? We've never hung around in Belize City on our trips... so I wouldn't know?
IMNSHO, it just isn't worth the effort for the minimal savings vs time.

And the real fun thing is to leave Muni and land at Int'l for pickups and then proceed to SP. Have seen it many times!!
Agree with klcman
I was told $25.00 US for the taxi not per person.
Sorry didn't see windjammer's post
We have the most beautiful pictures leaving the island on the puddle jumper. It is so fun to see the island from the plane after you've spent such great times there.
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