Trip Report: Chetumal, Mexico to Caye Caulker, Belize in a water taxi.
An off-the-beaten path way to travel between the Mexican state of Quintana Roo and the islands of Belize.
Looking for concrete details and tips? Go straight to the Practical Information section.
When I was planning my one-week trip to the southern Yucatán peninsula in Mexico, it seemed easy (and therefore tempting) to add a Belize leg to it. Belize would be my 73rd country visited and I had heard really good thing about its islands, especially Caye Caulker, a somewhat sleepy islet west of the capital, that, like Bacalar, gave this “on the radar but not quite yet” vibe that I like.
I am currently based in Mexico City and no airlines offers non-stop flights between the capital and Belize, so jumping off to Belize from Chetumal, where I would land for my Yucatán exploration, made sense.
This would end up being a lot harder than I thought - but I had seen photos of Caye Caulker, and decided it was worth it to try and spend a couple of nights there.
The two ways to get from Chetumal to Belize are by bus or water taxi (bringing your Mexican rental car to Belize is usually not allowed and on the rare case that it is, the red tape is daunting).
The ferry terminal to Belize in Chetumal, at the end of the muelle fiscal.
I could have traveled by bus to Belize and indeed, if you’re going to Belize City, there is a daily ADO bus linking it to Chetumal - it leaves at 1pm and arrives in the Belizean capital just before 4pm local (a 4h trip with the time change). The bus is bookable online on the ADO website, and the walk-up one-way fare, the one you’d pay at the ticket counter the day of travel, sits at MXN 532 (USD 29). It can get much cheaper if you book it online in advance, but the fare may not be refundable, so proceed only if you’re sure of your plans. Shuttle services are also available but they will be more expensive. It’s also possible to take a cab to the border, cross it and take a colectivo on the other side. To Belize City, there is no doubt the ADO bus is the easiest option (also: assigned seating, air conditioning).
These were nice options but I was planning on going to Caye Caulker, which involved a taxi from the Belize City bus terminal to the ferry pier, and then a water taxi from there to Caye Caulker, and it seemed like a hassle.
Instead, I found a direct option: from Chetumal, I could take a water taxi straight into Caye Caulker. Two companies offer this service, and frequency varies depending on the season, but there is at least one return trip per day between them (all details and links are featured in the Practical Information section below).
On the day I wanted to travel, Belize Express Water taxi was the company operating, so I booked with them. A one-way ticket to Caye Caulker is USD80, with additional taxes added at check out (it’s USD70 to San Pedro).
Check in counters inside the Chetumal ferry terminal.
On the day of travel, I got to the Muelle Fiscal, the one pier in downtown Chetumal, 2 hours before my 3.30pm water taxi was supposed to depart. It seemed like way too much time to hang out in a terminal that looks like it would have trouble accommodating more than 50 people at a time, but the website instructions were pretty strongly worded, so I obliged.
I quickly understood why. As I showed up to the ticketing window to get my boarding pass and the immigration forms to fill to exit Mexico and enter Belize, I was explained we’d clear Mexican customs first and then Mexican immigration in the Chetumal terminal, and these operate on a strict schedule: customs open from 2pm to 2.30pm, and immigration from 2.30pm to 3pm. If you show up at 2.31pm for your water taxi, it is very possible you will be out of luck and not allowed in (although I witnessed a late couple being let in, don’t count on the Mexican officials’ magnanimity as it is not guaranteed).
Bottom line, you can show up 90 minutes early and you’ll be OK, but any closer to the departure time is asking for trouble.
I filled out a one declaration form that I handed the Mexican customs agent and was shown to an airy waiting room, where I waited, along with the twenty-five or so people who would join me on the day’s service, until we lined up again and got an exit stamp from Mexican immigration.
Exit immigration checks for Mexico in the Chetumal ferry terminal.
After a few more minutes of waiting, we were allowed to get in the boat. I was expecting a ferry, but the water taxi was a rather small green and white boat, in which we all pretty much got settled. The skipper asked us to seat towards the back of the boat for balance, and although I would have love to sit up front for the view, I wasn’t going to be a Mexican Karen. Pro tip: the front of the back half section is by the side doors and has a lot more legroom, so take these seats if you can. Seating is first-come, but I was able to get that 3-seat row to myself, boarding last (go figure).
After a quick safety demonstration, we were on our way to San Pedro, on Ambergris Caye, famous not only for its beaches but for being the San Pedro Madonna sang about in her 1986 hit “La Isla Bonita”. I always thought she was singing about Puerto Rico, for some reason, but I learned while researching my trip that her inspiration was indeed Belize.
The trip to San Pedro would take about 1h45, in shallow water that still felt a little rough - for the boat was riding fast. The whole trip happens within the Chetumal Bay, protected from the Caribbean Sea by a narrow land arm and a string of islands. We got close to a few of them at some point, which activated my Robinson Crusoe fantasy, but we passed them so fast I didn’t even have the time to contemplate that fully.
The boat seats are made of plastic and, sadly, not super comfortable and the jumping from wave to wave at high speed makes anything but dozing off, watching the sea go by or listening to music fairly hard - I tried to read but the bumps from the ride would make me read the same sentence three times with so much frequency that I quickly gave up.
Inside the International Star, the Chetumal to Belize ferry.
In all fairness, the time passed relatively quickly, and we got to San Pedro a little early. Everyone had to get off - whether your final stop was San Pedro or Caye Caulker - to clear Belizean immigration and customs. After getting a nice, round entry stamp in my passport and being questioned about my travel by an unusually suspicious customers officer, I ventured off into the island: the same boat we took to San Pedro would continue on to Caye Caulker, but we had about 45 minutes before its departure, so we were told we could wander about for a bit.
I jumped on the opportunity to explore the narrow strip of land, walked a few blocks, bought a few things in a surprisingly well-stocked supermarket, and headed back to the pier.
Around 5.30pm local time (6.30pm Chetumal time), we boarded again, and 25 minutes later, arrived in Caye Caulker. The sun had already set when we left San Pedro, and the sea quickly became ominously dark. Our boat didn’t feel like it was equipped for night navigation (although I am sure it was), but being surrounded by darkness in such a small embarkation wasn’t the funnest part of the trip (questions in my mind: how does the captain know where to go? What if another boat with no lighting comes around? Are there sharks in these waters? How long would I survive? Fun stuff).
Night had completely fallen when we docked at Caye Caulker, but it seemed like the boat was going to turn back and bring more passengers to San Pedro, so I guessed this night time navigation experience wasn’t a one-off - upon checking, Belize Express offers a daily 6.15pm service from Caye Caulker to San Pedro, so they must be used to nighttime navigation, one point for them.
The shallow waters of Chetumal bay aboard the Caye Caulker to Chetumal water taxi.
Our time on the water was about 2h30, but with the early check-in time in Chetumal and the stop in San Pedro, this was a 5h30 endeavor. It did seem like it took a while, but bussing it to Belize City and then taking a ferry would have taken even longer. I enjoyed traveling on the road less traveled with a few of my fellow water taxi companions. It was fun, different and I got to enjoy a little time in San Pedro I hadn’t planned on.
I walked to my hotel and quickly unpacked, ready to discover Caye Caulker the following morning.
A few days later, I took another water taxi to head back to Chetumal. Details below, in the Practical Information section.
Practical information
(everything you need to know to make your Chetumal, Mexico to Caye Caulker, Belize a success - updated as of October 2025)
Water taxi companies offering service between Chetumal and San Pedro or Caye Caulker
Two companies offer regular service between the Muelle Fiscal in Chetumal, San Pedro’s International Ferry Terminal and Caye Caulker. In the low season, each company operates on a different day, so there is always one service a day. In the high season, each operates every day. Check what options you have on your day of travel on each company’s website.
Belize Express Water taxi. In Caye Caulker, they operate to and from this pier.
International Islander ferries. In Caye Caulker, they operate to and from that pier.
An unlikely passenger waiting to board a ferry to Belize City from Caye Caulker.
Where to take a water taxi in Chetumal, and where does the water taxi drop passengers in San Pedro and Caye Caulker.
Both ferry companies operated from the Muelle Fiscal in Chetumal, out of a small but efficient terminal where, on the way out, you will clear Mexican customs and immigration, and on the way back in, you will gain entry to Mexico.
The ferries arrive at the International Ferry Terminal in San Pedro, where all passengers (even those continuing on to Caye Caulker) get off to clear Belizean immigration and customs. Note that if you take a domestic water taxi between San Pedro and Caye Caulker, you would arrive or depart from another ferry pier, located on the other side of the island.
In Caye Caulker, the Belize Express ferries dock here and the International Islander ferries dock there (given the size of the island, both are super close from each other).
Cost of a one-way trip between Chetumal and San Pedro or Caye Caulker
Both companies offering the ferry service offer a very similar price of about USD70 one way plus taxes to San Pedro and USD80 plus taxes one way to Caye Caulker.
There is no discount if you buy a round-trip ticket.
The Belize Express water taxi timetable.
What’s the border crossing process both ways?
Going into Belize, you go through Mexican customs first in the Chetumal terminal, with all your bags (for the 3.30pm water taxi, Mexican Customs are only open from 2pm to 2.30pm). You hand out the Currency declaration form which was given to you at check in, then drop your checked-in luggage and wait for Mexican Immigration to open (from 2.30pm to 3pm only) to get a Mexican exit stamp. You get back to the boarding lounge until the ferry is ready to board.
Once in San Pedro, Belize, everyone gets off the ferry with their bags to go through Belizean immigration, where your passport gets stamped in exchange for the entry slip you were given to fill out at check in in Chetumal, then through Customs. At that point, if you’re getting off in San Pedro, you’re free to leave the terminal and go on your merry way. If you continue to Caye Caulker, you have a good thirty minutes before boarding the same boat, which you can use to relax on the shaded benches on the pier, or just walk into town for a little bit.
On the way back, people boarding in Caye Caulker have to check in then wait in the boarding lounge. Once in San Pedro, everyone gets off and has to check in again for the international leg of the trip, where you will be given the Belizean exit form and the Mexican currency declaration form to fill. You will then go to a counter to pay the Belizean exit tax (USD 20, cash, Visa or Mastercard). People starting their trip in San Pedro will already have checked in, paid the fee and will be waiting for immigration to open. Once immigration opens, everyone gets in line to get stamped out of the country. There was no customs check in Belize.
Upon arriving in Chetumal, the first step is Mexican Immigration. There is one formal line, but Mexican nationals and Mexican residents are allowed to skip it and get cleared first. Once they are through, all foreigners get stamped in and pay the entry tax (MXN861, about USD48, payment by card). The next step is Mexican customs where you hand out your Currency declaration form, and answer a few questions if needed, and voila! You’re in Mexico.
How early do I need to show up at the ferry terminal
This is an important question. The Belize Express tickets mention check in is two hours before departure, but it actually varies.
In Chetumal, the water taxi leaves at 3.30pm, but Mexican Customs are only processing travelers between 2pm and 2.30pm. This means if you show up to the check in window at 2.28pm, you’re most likely not going to make it (I did see late travelers being let in, but don’t count on this happening 100% of the time). If the ferry is full, it makes sense to arrive no later than 2pm, to give yourself time to check in and then clear customs. If you want to play it safe, then yes, 1.30pm makes sense (that’s exactly 2 hours before departure, as requested by the ferry company).
In Caye Caulker, you’re technically boarding a domestic ferry, so there is no need for an early arrival (which I appreciated, as the ferry I took left at 7am, I didn’t want to get up at 4.30am to be at the pier by 5am). The check-in employee recommended I checked in 40 minutes before departure, and I arrived at 6.20am, but in all fairness, once the first ferry of the day to Belize City had left, around 6.35am, the terminal was deserted. I could have shown up at 6.45am and would have been absolutely fine (this is especially true if you have no luggage to check in).
The international formalities are handled in the San Pedro International terminal for everyone, no matter if starting your journey in Caye Caulker or San Pedro. The ferry arrives from Caye Caulker around 7.40am and leaves for Chetumal around 8.30am. I would recommend that anyone starting their trip from San Pedro check in before 7.40am, so that the exit fee payment is done before the Caye Caulker travelers arrive and form a line to pay as well - payment of the fee is very slow, it took almost the full 50 minutes for all Caye Caulker passengers to go through that step.
Watch your step!
What forms will I be asked to fill in both directions
At check-in in Chetumal, you will be given a Mexican customs form so you can declare the value of any cash you may be carrying if the amount is about USD10,000, which you will hand over a few minutes later to the Mexican customs officer in the terminal. You will also be given a small Entry Form for Belize, to be given to the Immigration Officer in San Pedro, where everyone clears Belize immigration and customs. The check-in counters have pens available to fill the forms.
At the international check-in in San Pedro (which you have to go through whether you’re boarding the ferry in San Pedro or Caye Caulker), you will be given a Belize exit form and the Mexican currency declaration. You will give the Belize form to the Belize immigration agent along with proof of payment of the Belize exit tax (currently USD20), which you will have paid just before, and give the currency declaration form to the Mexican Customs agent in Chetumal, after clearing immigration.
Are there fees to pay to enter/exit each country?
There is a USD20 exit fee to leave Belize, which you have to pay at a counter in the San Pedro International terminal, after check-in and before immigration. You can pay with cash, Visa or Mastercard (no Amex).
There is a MXN861 (USD48) entry fee to be paid to Mexico if you’re not a Mexican national if you don’t hold an official Mexico Resident card. This is paid in Chetumal at immigration, by credit or debit card.
What luggage can I bring on board
Everyone can bring a personal item and one piece of luggage. If your luggage fits in an airplane overhead bin, you can probably bring it with you on the ferry, but anything bigger than that will have to be checked in. There is no fee for it. Just bear in mind you’re supposed to take all your luggage with you to clear Belizean customs on the way in, at the San Pedro terminal, so the crew will bring out everyone’s luggage outside for you to do that, and put them back on the boat after clearance.
Safety
I have taken my share of sketchy ferries in other parts of the world, but I never felt unsafe crossing the Chetumal bay with Belize Express. The boat seemed well taken care of, had enough life jackets for everyone, and we went through a safety demonstration at the start of each international leg. The last known incident happened more than 10 years ago on a domestic ferry service, under severe rain. A Belize Express boat ran into a reef on its journey between San Pedro and Belize City but rescue boats were dispatched quickly and no one was hurt.
Any questions I may not have thought about? Do not hesitate to drop me a line!
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