# Day trips from Belize

> Day-trip range from Belize City/the mainland: domestic short-hops to Ambergris Caye (San Pedro), Placencia and Cayo (San Ignacio/Benque) by Tropic Air/Maya Island Air (20-40 min, several flights daily) or road (1.5-3.5h); across the northern land border to Chetumal/Bacalar, Mexico by car (~2.5-3h Belize City to Chetumal via the Philip Goldson Hwy and Santa Elena/Subteniente Lopez crossing, much shorter from Corozal) or the San Pedro Belize Express water taxi (Tue/Thu/Sun only, ~1h40 each way); and across the western border to Tikal/Flores, Guatemala via Melchor de Mencos (~3.5-4h each way from Belize City, ~2-2.5h from San Ignacio/Cayo) — the longest of the three but doable in a day if you start from Cayo.

Canonical: https://rockhopping.com/belize/day-trips  
Source: Rockhopping (rockhopping.com) — a what’s-on guide for 55 island and low-tax jurisdictions.

- **Placencia Lobsterfest** — Placencia, Stann Creek District, Belize, BZ · 2026-07-03 to 2026-07-05 · ~30 min flight / ~3.5h road each way
  Opening weekend of lobster season on a laid-back Caribbean beach: fresh lobster cooked every way, live music and a village-wide street party
  Getting there: Tropic Air or Maya Island Air, Belize City (Municipal or International) to Placencia airstrip, ~25-30 min, several flights daily; or ~3.5h by road/bus via the Hummingbird and Southern Highways
  https://barefootservicesbelize.com/placencia-lobsterfest-2026/
- **Grand Caribe Deep Sea Classic Fishing Tournament** — San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, BZ · 2026-07-16 to 2026-07-19 · ~20 min flight / ~1.5h ferry each way
  Over BZD/USD 100,000 in cash and prizes on the reef and blue water just off Ambergris Caye — a genuine local sporting spectacle, not a tourist show
  Getting there: Tropic Air or Maya Island Air, Belize City to San Pedro, ~20 min, flights roughly every 30-60 min; or San Pedro Belize Express water taxi, ~75-90 min
  https://www.grandcaribebelize.com/all-inclusive-resorts-belize/deep-sea-classic-fishing-tournament
- **Benque Fiesta (Our Lady of Mount Carmel patronal feast)** — Benque Viejo del Carmen, Cayo District, Belize, BZ · 2026-07-08 to 2026-07-17 · ~2h each way
  The most authentic patron-saint fiesta in western Belize — marimba, an international rodeo and a small border town in full fiesta mode, easily paired with a Cayo cave-tubing or ruins day
  Getting there: ~2h by road from Belize City via the George Price Highway to San Ignacio, then 10 min on to Benque Viejo (the last town before the Guatemala border)
  https://www.travelbelize.org/event/annual-benque-fiesta/
- **San Pedro Classic Fly Fishing Tournament** — San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, BZ · 2026-08-06 to 2026-08-08 · ~20 min flight / ~1.5h ferry each way
  Catch-and-release permit, bonefish and tarpon competition around the flats and cayes, with an awards dinner and auction that supports youth and conservation programmes
  Getting there: Tropic Air or Maya Island Air, Belize City to San Pedro, ~20 min; or water taxi ~75-90 min
  https://www.sanpedroclassicflyfishingtournament.com/
- **International Costa Maya Festival** — San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, BZ · 2026-08-06 to 2026-08-09 · ~20 min flight / ~1.5h ferry each way
  Belize's biggest street festival: five Central American countries (Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador) each send a queen and cultural troupe for four days of parades, live bands and street parties across San Pedro
  Getting there: Tropic Air or Maya Island Air, Belize City to San Pedro, ~20 min; or water taxi ~75-90 min
  https://belizing.com/International-Costa-Maya-Festival/
- **Expo Feria San Joaquín (Bacalar patronal fair)** — Bacalar, Quintana Roo, Mexico, MX · 2026-08-14 to 2026-08-20 · ~3-3.5h by road from Belize City; ~2.5h door-to-door from San Pedro via ferry+taxi each way
  The Lagoon of Seven Colours dressed for its biggest party of the year — processions, marimba, a horseback cabalgata and Yucatecan food stalls around one of the most photogenic lagoons in Mexico
  Getting there: Drive Belize City to Chetumal (~2.5-3h via the Northern Highway and Santa Elena border, much shorter from Corozal), then ~40 min on to Bacalar; or the San Pedro Belize Express water taxi from Ambergris Caye to Chetumal (Tue/Thu/Sun, departs San Pedro 8:00am, arrives Chetumal ~9:40am local, ~1h40), then a taxi on to Bacalar
  https://www.feriasenmexico.com.mx/feria-san-joaquin-bacalar-2026/