BootsnAll Travel Community

Hey all,

Planning to backpack around Guatemala for a little under two weeks in March but can only afford to fly in and out of Cancun. I plan to spend a day in Playa del Carmen before taking a bus to Chetumel, then to Flores (Tikal) and then Antigua and around. My questions:

1.) Do you have to pay money at the border crossing into Belize even if you are just passing through? I've heard it can be quite expensive

2.) Can I make it back from Guatemala City to Cancun in under 2 days?

Thanks!

1. Yes. $18.50 I think, and you definitely have to pay it even if you're just transiting Belize. It happened to me last January on my way back to Cancun from Guatemala. I'd spent a week in Belize on the way down, and didn't mind paying then. Coming back, they hit me again. I wasn't overly impressed with Belize during my stay there, and getting nailed again to spend a few hours on a bus in the country left a really bad taste in my mouth about the place. The border people in Corozal were total assholes about it too. Belize has nothing that its neighbors don't have more of, usually for less money too, and I won't be going back any time soon.

2. In theory, yes - probably in about 27 hours with connections, if you really push it and time things right. That'll be the longest two days of your life though. The tourist buses from Guatemala City to Flores take 8-9 hours, and you can make it from Flores to Cancun in about 16 hours. Tourist buses from Flores leave at 5 am for Chetumal, and from there it's another six hours to Cancun. You'll get hit again crossing Belize (the fuckers), even if you never get off the bus.

hi
i tell my self, never take the same road twice. why don t you travel from cancun to Merida wich is the capitle of yucatan, nice town especially the weeg-end, then to palenque and san cristobal de las casas which are in chiappas.
from there take a bus to e¿guatemala, to go from mexico to guatemala you don t have to pay anything, if they want to pay you just ask for a recit, something offical that you payed to cross the border. it is illegal to ask such a fee Mex to Gua. so they say, oke this time it is fine.
and when you go back to cancun through belize take you time, one week. to take the ride, last minute, is not a good idea. you never know what happens on the road and you won t miss your flight back, do you?!
i never was in belize so i don t know what up with that fee to cross the border
h.a.n.t.

I paid to enter Belize - and then took a flight from Guate City to Belize City for about 140$ I think...got my passport stamped upon landing in Belize and they wrote "transit to Mexico" on it - so I didnt need to pay to leave Belize..so ended up getting nailed only once!

Definetely doable to get back from Guate City to Cancun - just leave at night and you'll sleep for most of it...or fly halfway...for a small price you can stay longer in either Guate City or even Belize city and catch the bus from there back to Chetumal and then on to Cancun!!!

Have a great trip...wish I was there!!!