Car or bus?? Itinerary questions

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outlander1
outlander1

I'm currently on Caye Caulker but will be heading to mainland Belize soon. Trying to decide if I should hire a car (US $350 p/w) or bus and taxi it.

I'm not too sure where to base myself (Belize City?)as I want to visit:
Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary
Altun Ha
Community Baboon Sanctuary

In the south I'm hoping to visit Hopkins and Placencia as well as the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Mayflower Bocawina NP.

In the middle of the country, I want to visit ATM, Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, Nohoch Che'en Caves and San Ignacio. Any recommendations on which guesthouse/hostel to stay in?

I have a week or two to do this. So car or bus and taxi? Any other places I should be visiting that I haven't mentioned yet?

Any and all advice gratefully accepted.

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misterbee
misterbee

For you, if money isn't a problem, I'd suggest a car because bus service is infrequent to many of the places on your list. For example, bus service between BC & Crooked Tree is twice a day (none on Sunday), between Community Baboon Sanctuary & BC only 2 or 3 times per day, and between Altun Ha & BC none that I know of directly to the ruin (you can get a bus to a nearby village then continue by taxi).

Bus service along the highway between BC & San Ignacio is frequent (every 30 minutes), but off the highway bus service is infrequent.

If you're on a low budget, then just use the buses between main towns, and use taxis where there are no buses to places you want to go -- that might be cheaper than a car rental (remember gasoline is about US$5.50 per gallon).

Have you found the "BelizeBus" website for bus information? Google it.

Also, I wouldn't stay in Belize City. Do you really need a "base" there? San Ignacio would be my suggestion.

If hostels are not a problem for you, Bella's Backpackers in San Ignacio, or the Hi-Et (low budget). I've stayed at the Tropicool -- private rooms but share bathrooms (about BZ$25 to $30 per night).

Here's my bus and transportation information: https://belizebus.wordpress.com
Copy and paste the url below to share the link.
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