First venture to Belize

Hey Dave I'm in Texas but im interested in the same. Thought about just moving but with Covid n a dent to my funds maybe 3 months at a time is the way to go. Id like to get to know you better. Im a single female, stroke survivor and cool as hell! But traveling alone is risque' to say the least. Just a thought.

Hi Dave, I just moved here to Ambergris Caye from California- been here less than a week, but I’m very pleased that I made the leap. COVID is bad here as everywhere, everyone required to mask and they have a curfew. But the weather is pleasant and the view of the ocean is great. The tourist industry has taken a big hit here so you should find good bargains for lodging. Sometimes you just have to say ‘what the hell’ and go for it.

Wow Tim brave soul! I was wondering about Covid over there. Stay healthy!!💜

Hi Dave,

Your plan is good - except do not under any circumstances attempt to drive thru Mexico.  We did it twice - the first time was a wonderful experience. . .  The second time we only made it thru the fake army roadblock in Tamualipas, set up by a narco-gang 'shopping' for SUVs and light trucks, because they shot the Texans in front of us.  When the Texans ran in a hail of bullets, we squeaked thru. Don't.

There are numerous flights, and many other ways to safely bring vehicles and supplies.

My wife & I come here most winters for 3-4  months, and I come back & forth other times too. Last winter we we were 'stranded' in Belize for 6. months, January thru June - which was a good thing. While Covid and riots raged in the USA, we were off-grid and safe in a country who , even now, has less total virus cases in all time, than most US states have in one day.  We are coming  back again in January and will stay in Belize as long as necessary -  with year-round gardens, fruit orchards, chickens-and-eggs, fish-in-the-sea, peaceful coexistence, rainwater harvesting, solar power, etc - -  living in this tropical country with great resources and very low population density. Our property here has appreciated in. value nicely in the 12 years time we had it. I am pleased with how the new govt administration is handling things, especially the safety and well-being of its residents and visitors.

Belize is the best place to shelter. And when the virus is subsided, the after-party will be awesome.

Welcome!

Mark

Hey guys, thanks for the replies and information. Always good to hear of others 1st hand experiences. As much as I’d love to drive down, I’ll likely fly and figure out how to get around once I arrive.

Unless someone has a Sherman tank I can borrow to drive safely through Mexico...

Heya Mark, i got a question:
what were you guys doing in Tamaulipas in the first place? For all I've read for the past few years, everybody says to avoid the coastal route, and stick to the tollways in the middle.
I drove that route about 4 years ago, and all the checkpoint were manned by the Army and/or Federal Police. I had no issues (but then again, I drove an old Tacoma, not a "gringo land yacht", lol)

Watch out for that "army" checkpoint that is not really "army". . .  same sandbags, same uniforms, same 50-calibers. But, "surprise" !  Bottom line is - if you do get caught in one, don't run. You've got insurance.

Fly to Cancun and take the bus. I wouldn't let my worst enemy drive through Mexico. Rent a four wheel drive in Belize. We bought land near Sarteneja last year, but it'll be several years before we build a home and retire.

Hi Tim

I guess you didn't buy at Sapphire Beach Resort did you?
Corrine

The land and water points of entry remain closed. Covid in Mexico is far worse than the official figures made public. If you come down with Covid in Belize, you are going to be pretty much on your own... hospitals have little capacity. Tourist are restricted to gold star resort's, or your own home. Monthly Visa extension fees have gone up by a factor of four. Vaccine is a long way off, better to get it from your own county. I love Belize, and my 2nd home in Placencia, but we won't be going back this winter until we can get vaccine in Texas. I talk weekly to friends in Placencia both native, and expats. They all agree this is not the time to return for more than a short vacation.

SOUNDS PRETTY GOOD, THANKS FOR SHARING.I AN DEFINITELY GOING TO EXPLORE  BELIZE IF THIS AWFUL VIRUS  GOES AWAY.I AM IN THE MARKET FOR A REASONABLE PRICED PROPERTY  TO OCCUPY PART OF THE YEAR TO START OFF.

Moved her alone, single female, End of Jan. 2020. It’s been a wonderful experience. Am in a local neighborhood with great local people all around. Yes, my plans Togo back & bring more “stuffs” from storage was thwarted by COVID-19, but that gives me the opportunity to file for residency here. I personally feel very safe & have had no problems.

Hi Dave from Vancouver,

Do check out Belize for at least a few weeks at least. Yes, Corozol area is nice, with many retired expats living comfortably there. Corozol is dryer with fewer bugs. But other parts of Belize are nice too, We do spend part of the year in Belize, and part of the year back in USA, this has worked well for more than a decade. But this year?

DO NOT DRIVE THRU MEXICO EVER EVER ! For now, all Belize borders are closed (including Mexico border). The only way in is via the BZE airport, with negative covid test results in hand. It may be best to wait (a few months??) until the virus situation resolves because you might get stranded here, unable to easily return home.

Take your time, research, but make no decisions until you can visit.

We are here now ~ far off grid, with gardens, orchards, fishing, plenty of water, ready for almost anything.  Not a bad place to 'shelter in place'. We will see, eh?

Hi Dave,
We’ve been driving to Belize and back to Alberta, with our two dogs, for quite a few years.
Will be doing so again as soon as Canada/US and Mexico/Belize land borders open.
We’ve taken the coastal route only once, a long time ago.
The central route is a wonderful drive,  with so much to see. We do some exploring on each trip and stay at different locations.
Let me know if you’d like some ideas with route, hotels, paperwork.

thanks for all the great information. I am sitting right here in America until things improve.Will continue to do research on Belize. I have done a lot of world travelling, and have good thoughts about Belize, a place that I have not been to yet . Stay well and safe everyone.

No, never heard of it. Bought from a private owner. He's got more land and will take offers. He can be extremely tenacious and we found we had to be firm, but it's a gorgeous property right on the water. It's roughly 5 miles, as the crow flies, northwest of Sarteneja. Boat access only for now.

Brigitte B wrote:

Hi Dave,
We’ve been driving to Belize and back to Alberta, with our two dogs, for quite a few years.
Will be doing so again as soon as Canada/US and Mexico/Belize land borders open.
We’ve taken the coastal route only once, a long time ago.
The central route is a wonderful drive,  with so much to see. We do some exploring on each trip and stay at different locations.
Let me know if you’d like some ideas with route, hotels, paperwork.

Hi Brigitte,

My BF and I planning to driving down to Belize from US as soon as board opens (we just bought a house there and need cars and also bring stuffs). Would love to have advise which route to take and also maybe we can meet up and drive together? Please let me know, greatly appreciated.

Coco

Hi Coco!
I’ve sent you a message.

I anticipate a lot of backlash from this post but this info could have been very helpful to us.  we just made what we hoped would be our last pre-moving trip to Belize.  the 3rd day we were there, I got deathly sick and was sick most of the trip.  Turned out I had an internal parasite. After we started talking to people about it, it turned out that most of the expats that we spoke with were on some type of routine anti-parasite medication.  this is in Placencia, it may not be the same in other parts of Belize.  it was pretty disturbing to me and my husband and now we're trying to decide if we still want to move down.  We love the area and adore the people but have reservations about having to worry about internal parasites.  A few also told us that the water in Maya beach is spotty and should be filtered before you drink it.  Just throwing the information about there.  this was our experience and wanted to share it with anyone contemplating the move.

I'm sorry for your experience. Not  sure what type parasite would have acquired, but we always drink filtered or bottled water. We have spent a few weeks at Maya beach and never had an issue.  It is the tropics and there are definitely parasites out there. I also would not, for the most part, go barefoot in the tropics.  I have not heard of a lot of those experiences, luckily. We are mostly in the Cayo/Stann Creek area though. Ivermectin, or a derivative, would probably be the drug of choice.  Don't give up hope, if it is where you want to be.

I live on the peninsula near Placencia, and have since Nov 2020. My boyfriend has been here a year longer than me. I've never heard of expats taking a routine dose of an anti-parasitic for parasites. There do seem to be some people who seem to think that ivermectin will keep them from getting covid and they are taking it for that. (Sorry, but those folks are idiots.) The water in Placencia is supposed to be good, but other areas of the peninsula do require the use of bottled water. But, many of those are using catchment systems, so it's safe, but you don't want to drink it. It literally comes off your roof! (It's quite nice for your hair though!) At our home, we have a combination of water catchment, and well water, both of which we run through a UV filter. That's what we shower with and use in our pool. We use bottled water for drinking and cooking. We buy it in the big 5 gallon jugs.

Hi Brigitte,

My husband and I are going to be driving to Belize at the end of the year and would love to know what route you take through Mexico.  I'm especially interested in the places you stayed along the way.  We will not have a lot of time for the trip, so the quicker route is what we're looking for, but we're also going to be towing a 5th wheel.  Any advice is greatly appreciated!

@annamariesnyder

What is your starting point?  That will help determine your best route.

Your 5th wheel and how good of shape your vehicle is will also impact your route.  Mexico can be mountainous.  Or you may choose the Gulf coast route.  Do not camp along the road side anywhere.  Have all fluids, belts, hoses, etc replaced on your vehicle beforehand.  Have trailer axles greased or oiled.  Take a box of fluids, air pumps, tires, etc.

Is the 5th wheel a permanent move?  Or to save money and make it easier to find a place to stay?  If it is not a permanent move, recommend you leave it, both from a cost standpoint (cheaper to rent hotels and BNB's) and less break down issues, more enjoyable ride.  No RV campsites that I have seen in Belize.

If permanent move for both your vehicle and 5th wheel, be aware of the magnitude of the import tax (60 to 80% of value) you may have to pay at the border, unless your coming under QRP program.  Hire one of the walk up guys to argue your import tax down, it will be worth it.  See if there is a tall slender guy there.  Or ask for Slim.  Have him negotiate for you.

hi  i do not understand  i have been going to belize  since 2012  sometime two times a year   i have never   had any kind of problem...if this something new????   never heard of people getting  sick  before

ClarkForestryLLC wrote:

@annamariesnyder

What is your starting point?  That will help determine your best route.

Your 5th wheel and how good of shape your vehicle is will also impact your route.  Mexico can be mountainous.  Or you may choose the Gulf coast route.  Do not camp along the road side anywhere.  Have all fluids, belts, hoses, etc replaced on your vehicle beforehand.  Have trailer axles greased or oiled.  Take a box of fluids, air pumps, tires, etc.

Is the 5th wheel a permanent move?  Or to save money and make it easier to find a place to stay?  If it is not a permanent move, recommend you leave it, both from a cost standpoint (cheaper to rent hotels and BNB's) and less break down issues, more enjoyable ride.  No RV campsites that I have seen in Belize.

If permanent move for both your vehicle and 5th wheel, be aware of the magnitude of the import tax (60 to 80% of value) you may have to pay at the border, unless your coming under QRP program.  Hire one of the walk up guys to argue your import tax down, it will be worth it.  See if there is a tall slender guy there.  Or ask for Slim.  Have him negotiate for you.

Hi Clark,

We're coming from the west coast, but happy to cross into Mexico anywhere along the border.  If it makes more sense to cross in Texas we're open to that. 

The 5th wheel was purely for transportation, not lodging.  We're moving permanently and have 4 dogs and 2 cats, so the 5th wheel was appealing for the space (and we already own it).  But we had started rethinking this and reading your comments supported what we were already concerned about.  But I do think we will end up towing something, just quite a bit smaller.

@annamariesnyder

We just moved to Belize in July. Because the land board was not open, we hired a Belizean to drive our car and trailer through Mexico from TX. It was a nightmare. Our trailer wheel broke down (brand new trailer) in Mexico and thank god the driver know where to ger fixed since he knew the route very well. But our stuff was searched in Mexico at least 7 times, they are looking for everything and anything to fine you. At Belize boarder, because our driver did not have cash to bribe the customer officer $200 as asked, he was put on red line and searched the trailer and car again and found some stupid toy gun magazine (which we dont know it was there) and detained him and our car and trailer in police station for a week. We have to go to Mexico, hire a lawyer, get Belize counselor involved, pay additional bribe to police, and finally got the boy, car and trailer out. We spent at least extra $6000 because the trouble in Mexico. I would just ship our stuff by boat if I would known that.  That said, we glad we did not drive ourselves, because not understand and speak Spanish, we would have more trouble in Mexico.