Belize Travel Guide | Our 100th Country, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Visa & Travel Costs

Belize was a very special destination for us because it became our 100th country.

After travelling across more than 99 countries together, we finally reached three digits in Belize. What started as a dream became a reality on a tiny Caribbean island, and honestly, we were still trying to process it.

We travelled from Flores, Guatemala to Belize City, crossed the land border, continued to the ferry terminal and then took a boat to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. For our 100th country, instead of rushing around sightseeing, we decided to slow down, enjoy the Caribbean, cook, relax and simply celebrate.

If you're planning a trip to Belize, this guide covers our journey, transportation, accommodation, visa information, SIM card experience, things to do and what we spent during our 100th-country celebration.

🌎 Belize – Our 100th Country

Reaching 100 countries was something we never imagined would happen. Just a couple of years ago, we packed our bags, left Toronto and started travelling full-time with the idea of doing it for about a year. Almost two and a half years later, we found ourselves standing in Belize, officially entering our 100th country.

We are still processing the milestone. It felt strange because Belize was, in some ways, just another island destination—but knowing that this was country number 100 made everything completely different.

There is also something incredibly special about reaching such a milestone together. Two people finding each other, deciding to leave a conventional lifestyle behind and travelling the world together is something we don't take for granted.

🚌 Flores, Guatemala to Belize City

Our journey into Belize started in Flores, Guatemala. We caught an early morning bus at around 6:00 AM from Flores towards Belize City.

The journey was expected to take around six hours, but because of the border formalities and the bus change, it took approximately 7.5 hours in total.

The Guatemala exit immigration was quick and straightforward. The Belize entry process was also easy, but the queue was extremely slow. It took us more than an hour to complete immigration, although the immigration officer was friendly and even commented on how much we had travelled after looking through our passports.

Important tip: If you're taking this route, take all your luggage off the Guatemala bus before going through immigration. After crossing the border, you'll change to a different bus in Belize, so make sure you have all your belongings with you.

After Belize immigration, we continued by bus towards the Belize City ferry terminal. The bus ride from the border area to the ferry terminal took around 2.5 hours.

⛴️ Belize City to San Pedro Ferry

From the Belize City ferry terminal, travellers can head to either Caye Caulker or San Pedro.

• 🏝️ Caye Caulker: Smaller and especially popular with backpackers.
• 🌴 San Pedro: Located on Ambergris Caye, the largest island in Belize.

We chose San Pedro because we wanted to spend our 100th country relaxing on Ambergris Caye.

We booked a return ferry ticket for approximately USD 57 per person. The journey to Caye Caulker takes around an hour, while San Pedro takes roughly 1.5 hours depending on the service and stops.

Our bus from Guatemala was late, so we missed our scheduled noon ferry. Fortunately, our ticket was valid for the next available service, so we were able to take the 1:30 PM ferry instead. The trip took around two hours with a quick stop at Caye Caulker.

This was our first real introduction to the relaxed Caribbean atmosphere of Belize.

🏝️ San Pedro – Welcome to Island Life

The moment we reached San Pedro, we felt the island vibe. One of the first things we noticed was that there weren't many conventional cars around. Instead, golf carts are everywhere.

Golf carts are one of the main ways visitors get around Ambergris Caye. You can rent one yourself, or use a golf-cart taxi to reach your accommodation.

Before heading to our resort, we stopped to buy groceries because our accommodation had a fully equipped kitchen. Since we planned to stay for three nights, having a kitchen allowed us to cook our own meals and keep our costs somewhat under control.

🏨 Captain Morgan's Retreat – Our 100th Country Home

For our 100th country, we decided to splurge a little and stay at Captain Morgan's Retreat.

Our ride from San Pedro cost approximately USD 20 for only 6 kilometres, which immediately gave us an idea of how expensive transportation could be in Belize.

Our villa cost approximately USD 136 per night. This was much more than we normally spend on accommodation, but celebrating 100 countries felt like a good reason to make an exception.

The villa was spacious and included a living area, sitting and dining space, a fully equipped kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. Most importantly, we had direct beach access and a beautiful Caribbean view.

What made our arrival even more memorable was the welcome from the resort staff. They decorated our room with flower petals, flowers and towel art to congratulate us on reaching our 100th country.

It was such a thoughtful gesture and genuinely made our day. Thank you to everyone at Captain Morgan's Retreat who helped make our milestone even more special.

🌊 Our Plan: Do Absolutely Nothing

After weeks of moving from one country to another, crossing land borders and taking overnight buses, we were exhausted.

So our plan for Belize was very simple: do nothing.

We wanted to follow island time—cook our own food, walk along the beach, sit by the Caribbean Sea, have a local beer, relax by the water and simply enjoy being somewhere beautiful without having to rush to another attraction.

In fact, doing very little felt like the perfect way to celebrate our 100th country.

🏊 Pools at the Resort

Captain Morgan's Retreat has two pools. One pool was around 8 feet deep, which was definitely too deep for us to casually jump into.

The other pool was around 5 feet deep, which was much more manageable. Unfortunately, during our stay we didn't feel comfortable using it because the pool did not appear to be as well maintained as we expected.

We had already put on sunscreen and got ready for a swim, so it was a little disappointing. But with the Caribbean Sea right outside our villa, there was still plenty to enjoy.

🌅 Sunrise in Belize

On one of our mornings, we woke up at around 5:36 AM to watch the sunrise from the beach.

The morning was cloudy, so we didn't get a perfectly clear sunrise, but the atmosphere was incredibly peaceful. There was almost no noise, the breeze was cool and the Caribbean water stretched out in front of us.

We also noticed quite a lot of Sargassum along the beach. This type of seaweed can be particularly noticeable in parts of the Caribbean during certain periods of the year and can affect the beach experience.

Even with the seaweed, sitting quietly on the beach during our 100th-country morning was something we'll remember for a long time.

🐠 Belize Barrier Reef & The Great Blue Hole

Belize is famous for the Belize Barrier Reef, part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System and one of the major attractions for divers and snorkellers.

One of the most famous experiences in Belize is visiting the Great Blue Hole, where visitors can take boat or aerial tours and explore the surrounding reef system.

Snorkelling and scuba diving are also popular ways to experience the coral reefs and marine life.

We decided not to do the Blue Hole tour during this trip because it was outside our budget. We were quoted roughly USD 200–250 per person for some of the available experiences, depending on the type of tour.

Instead, we decided to save it for another visit. Sometimes, especially when travelling full-time, you have to choose which experiences fit your budget.

🏖️ Secret Beach on Ambergris Caye

If you're staying on Ambergris Caye and want a different beach experience, Secret Beach is another popular option.

Despite the name, it isn't much of a secret anymore. You can rent a golf cart and drive across the island to reach it.

We had seen photos and videos of the area and the turquoise water can look incredibly beautiful—almost like the Maldives.

We didn't make the trip ourselves because our goal for this visit was mainly to relax at the resort, but Secret Beach is definitely something to consider if you have more time on Ambergris Caye.

🏴‍☠️ Belize and Its Pirate History

One of the interesting historical facts we learned during our stay is Belize's connection with pirates.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, pirates used the shallow waters, barrier reef and numerous cayes around Belize as strategic locations to ambush Spanish ships carrying valuable cargo from Central and South America.

This history also helps explain why the name Captain Morgan's Retreat feels so appropriate for an island resort in this part of Belize.

🛺 Getting Around Ambergris Caye

Golf carts are one of the defining features of getting around San Pedro and Ambergris Caye.

We were quoted approximately USD 30–35 per day for a golf-cart rental, with a minimum rental period of around three days.

Since we only needed transportation for a short period and mainly planned to stay around our resort, renting a golf cart didn't make financial sense for us.

If you're staying for several days, travelling with family or visiting with a group of friends, renting a golf cart can be much more practical.

🛂 Belize Visa Information

Visa requirements depend on your nationality and can change, so always check the latest official Belize immigration requirements before travelling.

During our trip, as Canadian passport holders, we did not need to obtain a visa in advance for a short tourist visit.

For Indian passport holders, visa requirements are different. During our trip, we understood that eligible Indian travellers holding certain valid multiple-entry visas, including qualifying Canadian, US or UK visas, could benefit from a visa exemption. However, eligibility conditions can change, so Indian passport holders should verify the current requirements before booking.

📱 SIM Card & Internet in Belize

We didn't purchase a local SIM card in Belize.

Instead, we continued using our Ubigi eSIM, which we had purchased for our Central America trip. It also worked for us across Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize.

For travellers visiting multiple Central American countries, having one regional eSIM can be much more convenient than buying a new SIM card at every border.

If you want to use the same eSIM provider, check the latest regional plan and coverage before your trip because plans and supported destinations can change.

💰 Is Belize Expensive?

One of the biggest surprises for us was the cost. Belize did not feel like one of the cheapest destinations in Central America.

Our short taxi ride from San Pedro cost approximately USD 20 for 6 kilometres, while our special 100th-country accommodation cost around USD 136 per night.

Activities such as Blue Hole tours can also become expensive very quickly. On the other hand, having a kitchen in our villa allowed us to buy groceries and cook, which helped us manage our overall spending.

If you're travelling on a backpacker budget, compare accommodation, transportation and activity prices carefully before committing to an itinerary.

✨ Our Belize Travel Tips

• 🚌 If travelling from Flores, Guatemala, keep all your luggage with you when changing buses at the Belize border.
• ⛴️ Consider staying in San Pedro or Caye Caulker depending on whether you prefer a larger island or a smaller backpacker-oriented destination.
• 🎟️ Check your ferry ticket conditions before travelling; our ticket allowed us to take the next available ferry after missing our original departure.
• 🛺 Golf carts are a major form of transportation on Ambergris Caye and can be useful for exploring the island.
• 💰 Belize can be expensive compared with some other Central American destinations, particularly for island accommodation and activities.
• 🏠 Consider accommodation with a kitchen if you're travelling on a budget and plan to stay several days.
• 🐠 Budget separately for reef, snorkelling, scuba diving and Blue Hole excursions.
• 🌊 Check beach conditions before booking specifically for swimming, as Sargassum can affect parts of the Caribbean coast during certain periods.
• 🌅 Wake up early at least once for a Caribbean sunrise.
• 📱 A regional eSIM can be convenient if Belize is part of a larger Central America itinerary.
• 🛂 Always verify the latest visa rules for your passport before travelling.
• ❤️ If you're travelling with a partner, don't underestimate how special a milestone trip can feel—even if your itinerary is simply about relaxing.

💰 Our Belize Costs (For Two People)

• 🚌 Flores, Guatemala → Belize City: Bus journey; approximately 7.5 hours
• ⛴️ Belize City → San Pedro return ferry: Approximately USD 114 for two people
• 🚕 San Pedro → Captain Morgan's Retreat: USD 20
• 🏨 Captain Morgan's Retreat: USD 136 per night
• 🛺 Golf cart rental: Approximately USD 30–35 per day, with a 3-day minimum quoted to us
• 🐠 Blue Hole tours: Approximately USD 200–250 per person quoted to us

Prices are based on our trip and may vary depending on the season, availability, operator, exchange rates and the exact service booked.

🎥 Watch Our Belize 100th Country Adventure

Belize will always have a special place in our travel story because it became our 100th country. We could have filled the trip with tours, excursions and sightseeing, but after months of constant movement, we wanted something completely different. We wanted to slow down, enjoy the Caribbean, cook together, watch the sunrise and simply appreciate what we had achieved.

Reaching 100 countries together is something we are still processing. Two people, one unconventional lifestyle and more than 100 destinations later, our journey is nowhere near finished. Belize was only another milestone on the way to our bigger goal of seeing the whole world.

100 countries down. The rest of the world is still waiting. 🌎✈️