Kosherly
Belize, Central America

Central America

Belize

City overview

Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America, and it packs an improbable amount into an area smaller than Massachusetts: the second-largest barrier reef in the world running the length of its coast, hundreds of cayes and three offshore atolls, and a jungle interior full of Maya cities and river caves that were used as ceremonial spaces more than a thousand years ago. Most visitors split their time between an island and the mainland, flying or taking a water taxi between them. The Jewish presence is small and recent. Chabad of Belize opened in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye in 2016 and remains the country's only Jewish institution, serving a handful of local families and a steady stream of travellers. It runs the country's only kosher restaurant, holds Shabbat and holiday services and meals, and is the practical starting point for any observant visitor planning a trip here.

Getting Around

Public transit

Belize has no rail network and no metro.

The mainland runs on a system of former American school buses operating between the main towns along the four highways — the Philip Goldson (north), the George Price (west), the Hummingbird and the Southern — with Belize City as the hub. They are cheap, frequent on the main corridors, and slow. The cayes are reached by water taxi rather than road: San Pedro Belize Express runs between the Belize Marine Terminal at 111 North Front Street in Belize City, Caye Caulker and San Pedro, and there is a separate international service between Chetumal in Mexico, San Pedro and Caye Caulker. Domestic flights are the faster alternative and are used heavily: Tropic Air and Maya Island Air link Belize City with San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Corozal, Dangriga, Placencia and Punta Gorda on short hops. On Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker there are effectively no cars — golf carts, bicycles and walking are how everyone gets around.

Rideshare

There is no ride-hailing in Belize.

Uber, Lyft, DiDi and inDrive do not operate anywhere in the country. Getting around means licensed taxis, which carry green licence plates and are unmetered, so agree the fare before setting off; hotel front desks will call one and will usually know the going rate. On Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, golf-cart taxis fill the same role.

Car rental

Renting a car makes sense for the mainland — Cayo, the Hummingbird Highway, Hopkins and Placencia are all far more flexible with your own vehicle — and makes no sense at all on the cayes, where private cars are essentially absent.

International and local agencies operate at Philip Goldson International Airport and in Belize City. Driving is on the right. The main highways are paved and in reasonable condition, but many side roads, including the approach to Caracol and much of the Mountain Pine Ridge, are unpaved and want four-wheel drive, especially in the wet season. Speed bumps, known locally as sleeping policemen, appear without warning through villages. On Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker the rental of choice is a golf cart, which runs roughly US$35 to US$50 for 24 hours.

Airport

Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (BZE) at Ladyville is the country's only international gateway, about 30 minutes' drive northwest of central Belize City. It handled roughly 1.23 million passengers in 2024 and is served by American, Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska and Air Canada Rouge from North America, alongside the domestic carriers Tropic Air and Maya Island Air. Most visitors heading to Ambergris Caye connect straight onto a short domestic flight from the same airport to San Pedro; the alternative is a taxi into Belize City and a water taxi from the Belize Marine Terminal. Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport (TZA) sits on the Belize City waterfront and handles domestic flights only, often more cheaply than BZE. Domestic airstrips also serve Caye Caulker, Corozal, Dangriga, Placencia and Punta Gorda.

Good to know

Best time to visit

The dry season from late November through April brings the most reliable sunshine, calmest seas and lowest humidity, while the June-to-November wet season is hotter, stickier and overlaps the Atlantic hurricane season.

Insider tips

The Belize dollar is fixed at two to the US dollar, and US dollars are accepted almost everywhere, so there is rarely a need to change money — but check which currency a price is quoted in before you agree to it, since a bare dollar sign can mean either. English is the official language and is what you will be spoken to in, with Kriol, Spanish, Garifuna and several Maya languages also widely used. Plugs and voltage are the same as the United States, so American electronics need no adapter. Tap water in the main tourist areas is generally treated, though most visitors stick to bottled water. There is a departure tax on international flights, usually included in the airfare. Distances look short on a map and take longer than expected: Placencia is roughly three and a half hours by road from the international airport, which is why so many people fly internally. Sandflies on the beaches bite harder than mosquitoes and repellent is worth carrying. Kosher food outside San Pedro does not exist, so anyone travelling to the mainland or the southern cayes should plan to bring supplies.

Safety & emergency

Belize's tourist areas — Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Placencia, Hopkins and San Ignacio — are generally relaxed and walkable, while parts of Belize City warrant more care, particularly after dark and away from the Fort George and waterfront areas. Standard precautions apply: keep valuables out of sight, use licensed green-plate taxis rather than unmarked cars, and do not leave belongings unattended on beaches. The national emergency number is 911 for police and fire. The Belize Police Department also operates 922 for anonymous crime reporting. NEMO, the National Emergency Management Organisation, is on 936, and matters most during hurricane season. BERT provides emergency medical response and ambulance service on 223-3292 or 223-0078, and the Belize Coast Guard is on 222-5260. Medical facilities on the cayes are limited to clinics; anything serious means an air evacuation to Belize City or abroad, so travel insurance that covers medical evacuation is worth having. Divers should note that the country's recompression chamber is in San Pedro.

Local time

4:05 AM

+4 hrs from NYC

Plug

Type A/B

110V

Currency

Belize Dollar

Kosher map of Belize

Pick a place on the map or search an address or hotel to see what is kosher around it.

Frequently asked about Belize