Driving in any country is our favorite way to get around. The freedom of the open road, the cost savings compared to a guided tour, and the option to do whatever we want whenever we want. And all of these things apply to driving in Belize. But in addition to all that, there is also the beautiful scenery that you can enjoy in this sparsely populated county as you cruise the roads in your rental car. However, are you still worried about driving in Belize? Belize does have unusual traffic patterns, poorly maintained roads and seemingly unsafe drivers. Keep reading and we’ll explain all of these things and you can decide if this option is right for you.
Roads In Belize
If you choose to drive in Belize, you will likely drive over an unpaved road. Paved roads in Belize are only common in cities or on “highways”. However, a majority of unpaved roads are fine to drive on with a regular car – no 4×4 needed. You will need a 4×4 vehicle to drive over any unpaved roads that are in mountainous regions or if you’re visiting in the rainy season as frequent washouts can completely destroy roads after rain.
We did rent a 4×4 vehicle, as we thought we may drive ourselves to Caracol. However, after a bit of a driving related argument the day before going to Caracol, we decided to take a tour instead. If we had driven to Caracol, we would have needed a 4×4. However, we could have easily completed our full one-week Belizean itinerary without a 4×4 vehicle. This would have included driving over some unpaved roads but they were all in very good shape when we visited in the dry season.
Driving Rules In Belize
Right Side Of the Road
You get to drive on the right side of the road. And by right, I mean both the right (not left) and right (correct). Belize’s main language is English so the road signs are in English. So most of your driving skills from the US or Canada will suit you well in Belize.
Speed Limits
Belize is super strict about speed limits – or so we were told – we never tested this theory or saw any police patrolling for speed. However, they sure do love their speed bumps. So when you are driving in Belize you should keep an eye out for “sleeping police” as these are more speed mountains than bumps. They build these speed bumps on highways, in towns, in parking lots, everywhere. So just watch out for speed bump signs, especially at night as they’re harder to spot in the dark, and make sure to slow down as you drive over or risk going airborne.
The speed in Belize is much lower than you would expect. Speed limits are posted in km/hour. However, for the sake of my fellow US readers, you’ll be traveling around 55 miles/hour on the “highways” and 25 miles/hour in town. The “highways” in Belize are paved but they are not highways in the same ways you’ll find highways/interstates in other countries. Highways in Belize are two lane roads, one in each direction.
Passing In Belize
While we were warned about maintaining an appropriate speed, the rest of Belize seems to have missed that message. Lots of cars drive really fast, and if you’re not driving fast too, they will pass you. It doesn’t matter where you are driving or if there is enough room to safely pass, someone will pass. So don’t be surprised if you are passed by people. Also, be prepared to pass as there are a lot of vehicles that drive really slowly – tractors, scooters, slow people, etc. It took me a few days, but in the end we embraced the passing culture in Belize and it was pretty thrilling.
Left Turns
However, one downside of this frequent passing is left turns. If you are turning left there is a special rule and I made the above diagram to explain it. So if you want to turn left (blue car) you pull over to the shoulder on the right and put on your left turn signal. Then you allow everyone behind you to pass (red cars). Finally, you turn left when there is no oncoming traffic AND no traffic behind you. So to do a left turn you have to have a clear road in BOTH directions.
This sounds super strage – and it was, especially since the shoulder is often gravel. However, we only had to do this special left turn twice. Everywhere else there either was a left turn lane, which supersedes the rule, or there was no traffic in either direction. This rule is in place because so many people pass that there are frequent passing car vs. left turning car accidents so this helps to reduce that by giving the passing cars right of way.
Police Checkpoints
While police weren’t out patrolling speeds, they were out at regular checkpoints throughout the country. This is normal. The police are looking for people trafficking stuff. They will sometimes just waive you through as they did for us – apparently we don’t look like traffickers. If they do stop you, they’ll ask where you’re going to/coming from, take a look at your license, and ask to see your cars rental papers. They always do this in groups so it is unlikely that you’ll be extorted for cash at a checkpoint. Make sure you’re wearing your seatbelt as it is mandatory in Belize.
Traffic In Belize
Belize is a very sparsely populated country. We drove for 3 hours at night and came across 3 other cars. So traffic between cities in Belize is unheard of.
However, in cities, driving can be a bit intimidating because there are a lot of cars and the cities were not designed for them. Narrow roads and lack of grid structures common in newer cities make city driving confusing for everyone involved. People park in weird places throwing the traffic patterns off even more. However, if you go into cities knowing that you may not be able to follow your GPS directions and just go with the flow you’ll be fine. Also, the Caye Caulker motto of “Go Slow” seems to apply to city driving. So mentally prepare yourself for these two things and you’ll be fine driving in Belize.
And when I say that there is traffic in Belizean cities. I mean there is traffic in the main 3-5 blocks of cities in Belize. So it is a tiny amount of stressful driving compared with the wide open spaces. Belize City and San Ignacio were the worst areas we encountered.
Driving In Belize At Night
Can you drive in Belize at night? Of course. Should you? Probably not. First, you’ll miss all of the beautiful scenery if you drive through the Belizean countryside at night. Second, the jungle is dark and the roads are not well lit. The paint on the road in most areas doesn’t have the reflective properties you may be used to if you drive in Europe or America. So visibility at night is limited.
However, we drove in Belize at night several times and while it wasn’t comfortable it worked out. We drove around the cities at night frequently. This felt completely comfortable. We already knew where we were going, businesses and streets were well lit and traffic was minimal. We also drove the hummingbird highway at night. This was less comfortable as we didn’t know where we were going and were driving through a dark jungle. We did it and it was fine but when we drove this road again in the daylight, we were bummed out we missed all the pretty scenery in the dark.
So can you drive in Belize at night? Yes, we believe in you! However, do try to adjust your Belize itinerary so that you are driving the longer stretches of your road trip in the daylight.
Navigating Roads In Belize
You need to download your Belize map ahead of time as service is non-existent in the Belize countryside. You can do this by downloading the map on your Google Maps app before you even leave your home or bringing a pre-loaded GPS. We used Google Maps. If would also be nice to have a paper map as there were chunks of road that didn’t seem to be accurate in the Google map, particularly in older cities.
Roads in Belize are largely unmarked. Instead you’ll rely more on directions like “turn left at the red house” from your rental companies or tour guides. GPS directions will also give a very accurate visual of when you need to turn… most times.
Distances In Belize
Make sure to fill up on gas when you are in cities. Gas stations are rare outside of large cities and gas stations listed on GPS sometimes are there or aren’t open. One thing to note that in Belize, a gas station attendant has to pump the gas for you. They also prefer you pay in cash, but most big gas stations accept credit cards.
Also, remember that Belize is a tiny country. So when you are driving from one place to another in Belize, you’ll likely be doing it in under 5 hours. Most of our drives from one base camp to another took less than 3 hours.
Choosing A Rental Car For Belize
To rent a car in Belize you must be between the ages of 21-75. You need to have an English or Spanish language driver’s license or an International Drivers License (IDL). If you are staying for a long period of time, you will need to apply for a Belizean drivers license. This requires paying a fee, getting an eye exam and showing your English or Spanish language license. This requirement seems to be enforced differently by different government officials so just be aware of this and be prepared to pay the fee or come with an IDL. Additionally, for a car rental you will need a credit card and you passport. Bring your credit card with no foreign transaction fees and high insurance coverage on rental cars.
Know that it is rare to find a new rental car in Belize. However, all of the rental cars we saw on the lot looked well cared for. Just keep that in mind if you are a lover of fancy rental cars.
There are a few roads in Belize that different rental companies will forbid you from driving along. The Coastal road, mentioned above, can be one of those. Make sure to ask when you pick up your car if any roads are not allowed.
If you rent a 4×4, you’ll likely be allowed to drive anywhere. However, you’ll also pay more for your rental. Know your Belize itinerary before you book a car to see if you can save money on a rental car by purchasing a 2WD vehicle instead of a 4WD SUV.
Our Belize Rental Recommendation
Major rental car companies, like Hertz and Enterprise, are available in Belize. However, if you’ve read any other posts on driving in Belize, you’ve likely read about Crystal Auto Rental. We rented from them and they were great. You can ask for a free cell phone and cooler to take with you on your trip. The cell phone is an old flip phone with no minutes but it was something we kept in our glovebox in case we needed to call emergency services. Also, Crystal Auto Rental was cheaper than other rental companies, plus they provided transparent pricing which is a miracle in the rental world. As a side bonus, we had a man give us the proper directions for the entirety of our trip as he mansplained driving to me, which was definitely a “cultural experience”.
Driving in the Cayes
If you want to drive in the Belizean Cayes, you’ll most likely be restricted to a golf cart or bike. Most Cayes, like Caye Caulker, have rental agencies that will rent you these modes of transportation. However, one good tip is to look for a rental home that include a golf cart or bike. This will save you money as bike and golf cart rentals on the island can be expensive.
Driving in Belize can be a super fun experience. While we’ve highlighted some of the downsides above to give you an accurate picture of what driving in Belize is like, we still think it is the best way to get around the country. We found driving to be much more cost effective for us and it also allowed us to set our own pace. We wouldn’t have had it any other way. Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below.
The Coastal Highway is mostly finished and is now the nicest highway in Belize. The northern half lacks cell phone coverage but there’s plenty of traffic during the day.
There is no speed limit enforcement in Belize at all. The is also no drunk driving enforcement which is yet another reason to stay off the roads after dark.
The left turn thing has been law for a decade or more.
Thanks Chris, That’s really good to know about drunk driving enforcement, especially at night. And I appreciate the update regarding the coastal highway – I updated this post.
Given that you posted this information in 2023, I’m surprised at how badly informed you were on the condition of the Coastal Road. This road has been completely rebuilt and hard surfaced, all new bridges and drainage. It is in all likelihood the BEST road in the country at this time.
Thanks for that update. We were advised not to take this road by our rental company so we didn’t actually drive it. I looked into the progress of the paving project and couldn’t find anything concrete (pun intended). Have you driven it recently and is the paving project complete or are there still unpaved portions? I’d love to add some updates if you have them.