Taking the Ferry from Caye Caulker via San Pedro (Belize) to Chetumal (Mexico): A Painfully Detailed Guide

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

When your barefoot island time on Caye Caulker or San Pedro is up and it’s time to head to mainland Mexico for your next adventure, it turns out you’ve got a few options.

There is a convenient ferry route from Caye Caulker via San Pedro (Belize) to Chetumal (Mexico) that operates once a day. It’s a great alternative to flying or ferrying back to Belize City and getting a bus or taxi to the Mexico border, into Chetumal, and onto your next destination.

To me, the ferry sounded like the most fun way to go. I had already squeezed into enough (too many) overcrowded school buses during my month in Belize, and I was ready to try something without wheels.

The ferry sounded like just the ticket.

The ferry journey is pretty straightforward, but it’s not wise to just show up without preparation. There are a lot of little steps along the way. It took me a bit of digging to figure things out when I was planning my trip in January 2026. I know you must have the same questions. Now, having made the journey, I think I have all the answers!

Read on for how to fully prepare for a day of smooth sailing from Belize to Mexico. I’ll walk you through the ferry journey, step by step, from leaving your hotel on Caye Caulker to arriving in Chetumal on the Mexico side. I share all the information you need to decide whether the ferry is the best option for you, and if yes, how to plan your trip.

Since ferry schedules, prices, sea conditions, and immigration rules can change (sometimes with little warning), always check official sites before finalizing your plans—I have included official links whenever I could find them.

Schedule and Tickets

You can’t easily just rock up and decide to take the ferry from Belize to Chetumal. There is only one ferry a day and sometimes it sells out in advance.

It just takes a little advanced planning to make sure you get on your ferry. Fear not—I’ve got all the information you need about the operators, schedules and tickets right here! 

The schedules and pricing described below are from January 2026, so make sure to check the official websites for the latest information before you make your plans.

Ferry Operators and Schedule

There are two companies that operate a ferry service between Caye Caulker/San Pedro and Chetumal. They have an interesting arrangement to operate on alternating days.

• International Islander Ferries operates on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday in both directions on the following schedule:
  • Belize to Mexico: 12:45pm to 5:00pm
    • Caye Caulker to San Pedro: 12:45pm to 1:15pm
    • San Pedro to Chetumal: 2:00pm to 5:00pm
  • Mexico to Belize: 10:00am to 12:15pm
    • Chetumal to San Pedro: 10:00am to 11:00am
    • San Pedro to Caye Caulker: 11:45am to 12:15pm

• San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi operates on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday in both directions on the following schedule*:
  • Belize to Mexico: 7:00am to 12:00pm
    • Caye Caulker to San Pedro: 7:00am to 7:30am
    • San Pedro to Chetumal: 8:30am to 12:00pm
  • Mexico to Belize: 3:30pm to 5:45pm
    • Chetumal to San Pedro: 3:30pm to 4:30pm
    • San Pedro to Caye Caulker: 5:15pm to 5:45pm

*The website says total travel time is 2 hours, which is a straight up lie/error. It’s 30 minutes from Caye Caulker to San Pedro and 2 hours from San Pedro to Chetumal, with a bunch of time spent on check-in and immigration shenanigans in between, so at least 3 hours total travel time, probably closer to 4 hours.

Note that Chetumal is on Eastern Standard Time, one hour later than Belize, which is on Central Standard time (neither one does daylight saving time).

Ferry Tickets

Both companies charge US$80 for a one-way trip between Caye Caulker and Chetumal, or US$70 for a one-way trip between San Pedro and Chetumal.

You can buy tickets three ways: online on the official websites (International Islander Ferries or San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi), at the ferry terminal, or through local agents (hotel desks, tour shops).

Buying tickets at the ferry office costs BZ$163 / US$81.50 ($80 plus $1.50 Port Authority Fee). Buying tickets online incurs an additional US$8.80 “internet processing fee”. It wouldn’t surprise me if agents or tour operators also tacked on an extra charge. So it’s probably cheapest to buy your ticket at the ferry terminal if you can swing it.

Whichever way you go, you should purchase tickets a few days in advance, especially if you need to be traveling on a specific day. They do sell out on busy days.

When you buy the ticket in person, you will have to show your passport. For me at least, a picture of my passport bio page was not enough. They insisted on seeing the actual passport. They look at your Belize entry stamp to make sure your travel dates do not have you overstaying your visa.

If you book online, make sure to screenshot your confirmation in case you don’t have data when you are checking in.

Preparing for a Day on the Ferry

I don’t want you to be caught off guard with missing documents, arriving too late, or not having cash for fees. Any of those can derail your day, and you might miss the ferry (and you won’t get your money back!).

There are a few things to keep in mind to prepare yourself for a smooth ferry crossing.

Documents

Obviously bring your passport and any necessary visa documents, depending on Mexico entry requirements for your citizenship. If you’re in Belize on a tourist stamp, keep any entry proof or receipts you were given (stamp, paper, or email confirmation).

Just in case, have screenshots or printouts of any onward travel, hotel bookings in Mexico, and bank statements showing ability to pay for your travel during your stay in country.

Oh, and bring a pen. There are lots of little forms to fill out today!

I also recommend that you keep every receipt you’re given during the ferry crossing day. Especially keep your Mexico entry document safe after you’ve crossed into Mexico. Depending on the current process, this may be an FMM paper form or a digital entry record tied to your passport. Either way, don’t treat it like trash. You may need it later for checks, extensions, or when you leave Mexico.

Keep all of these documents on your person throughout the day.

Money

You need to plan for the departure fee on the Belize side and normal travel costs after you arrive in Mexico.

It used to be that they only took cash for the Belize exit fee (BZ$40 / US$20), but they take credit cards now. Still, it can’t hurt to make sure you have cash on hand just in case. And they don’t take US$1 bills or coins, or any US$ bills that are damaged in any way (at least they had a sign that said so).

For the Mexico entry fee (around US$55), they only accept credit cards, so I hope you have one of those handy. This fee is mandatory for everyone except Mexican nationals and residents.

If possible, try to get some Mexican pesos beforehand, especially if you are planning to take a taxi once in Chetumal. I do not recall seeing an ATM or money exchange at the ferry terminal.

Food and drink

Let’s get right to it. The number one question I had when I was planning to hop on the ferry was: is there a place I can buy food or coffee on this voyage?

No. No, there is not.

There is no food or drink to buy anywhere from the moment you step on the ferry in Caye Caulker until you get out of the ferry terminal area in Chetumal. So bring whatever you need so you don’t get hangry.

One guy in our group checking in at San Pedro tried to zip into town to get some snacks, but he got super yelled at: “no one is allowed to leave the building!” (even though we were technically standing outside).

Where are the street vendors when you need them?

Pro tip: Ice and Beans coffee shop in Caye Caulker opens at 6am, and they take early pre-orders via Whatsapp. It’s a short walk from the ferry—if you check in early enough you could pop over there and grab some coffee and pastries while you wait to board.

Pack your bags

First, pack a small day bag for your passport, cash, snacks, and water. Basically everything you need to survive the border and sea crossing. 

If you have anything larger than a daypack, you will have to check your bag onto the ferry. There just isn’t space inside the boat for anything bigger, especially if it’s at capacity.

As is standard when traveling, don’t pack anything fragile or valuable in your checked luggage.

You are allowed one checked bag and one small carry-on (though I think they’ll let you check another bag for free, they didn’t seem bothered by bags). They will tag your bag and give you a tag—don’t lose it! They will definitely want to see the tag before giving you your bag back.

Once you check your bag, you won’t see it again until you arrive in Mexico.

Step by Step: Caye Caulker to Mexico by ferry

Let’s walk you through the ferry experience from start to finish so you know what to expect and can plan accordingly.

Note that the steps below are informed by a January 2026 ferry ride with San Pedro Belize Express. I imagine the experience is similar (though at a more reasonable hour!) with International Islander Ferries but I have no first-hand experience.

Step 1: Check-in at Caye Caulker

On travel day, plan to arrive early for check-in. They recommend arriving one hour before departure, so arrive no later than 6am for the 7am ferry. Staff arrives at 5:30am, so there is really no point arriving earlier than that.

Also be aware that there is a 6:30am ferry to Belize City that is also checking in around the same time, so baggage and check-in lines can get long—especially closer to departure time.

Check-in involves two steps. First check your luggage at the shack on land. Once you have your luggage tag in hand proceed to the office at the end of the pier.

There you will hand over your passport and ticket to get checked in. They will punch a hole in your ticket and hand your passport back with a small Belize exit form to fill out. They may or may not tell you that they gave you a form, so just make sure you get one.

Might as well fill it out now; you will need to hand it in in San Pedro.

Then head outside to catch a beautiful Caye Caulker sunrise while you wait to board the ferry to San Pedro!

Step 2: Check-in for the ferry at San Pedro

It’s about a 30-minute ride from Caye Caulker to San Pedro. The ferry actually docks at the San Pedro International Ferry Terminal, on the west side of Ambergris Caye, just a few streets west of the regular San Pedro Belize Express ferry terminal. Makes sense, so they don’t have to go all the way around the caye to get to Mexico.

Once at the San Pedro terminal, everyone has to get off the boat and go check in. (Some people are actually getting off to stay in San Pedro; they can go on their merry way.)

NOTE: If you are taking the ferry from San Pedro to Chetumal, this is where the process starts for you! They recommend checking in two hours before the ferry departure time, so arriving at 6:30am for the scheduled (ha!) 8:30am departure. I suspect this is partly to make sure all the San Pedro people are checked in before the Caye Caulker people get there. Be prepared for a lot of waiting around. Bring snacks.

Someone at the San Pedro terminal will direct you to the front of the building, where you will get in your third line of the day. This check-in process takes a mysteriously long time. Once you get to the check-in window, hand over your passport, ticket, and completed Belize exit form (the one you got when you checked in at Caye Caulker).

They will review your form, enter your passport details into the system, tear your ticket, and hand you back your passport, ticket stub, Belize exit form, and a new blank FMM form for Mexico customs. You don’t have to fill out this form here; just make sure to fill it out before you get to Mexico immigration. Might as well do it while you are waiting around.

Step 3: Checking out of Belize

So you’re all checked in with the ferry people. Now it’s time to check out of Belize!

This is a two-step process.

Head into the building. There will be people directing you.

At the first window you show your passport and exit form and pay the Belize departure fee of BZ$40 / US$20. You can pay cash in Belize dollars or US dollars, or by credit card.

Then you move to the next window, show your receipt and passport and get stamped out of Belize (assuming everything is in order).

That’s it!

Then you head outside and wait to board. There are restrooms out there, just in case. But there is just one restroom each for men and women, so there might be another line.

Step 4: Wait for Mexico approval to sail

After everyone is checked in and has exited through Belize immigration, word is (I think) somehow sent to Mexico that everyone is ready, and then you wait for Mexico’s approval to sail.

Meanwhile, the boat crew adds a Mexico flag to the boat to make it all official. You can feel the excitement.

For us, waiting for approval took about 30 minutes. My guess is that it could take more or less time, at the mercy of some guy in Mexico while you wait in a state of immigration limbo.

Step 5: Boarding and on board between Belize and Mexico

Once that Mexico approval comes in, it’s time to board!

They have you line up single-file-ish before boarding. 

Once boarding starts the process is pretty quick, just a few minutes to get everyone in.

For us, boarding didn’t happen until 9:15am, about 45 minutes after scheduled departure time.

I wonder if the ferry ever leaves on time—there just isn’t enough time built in for everything that needs to happen. Make sure to consider possible/likely delays if you are scheduling a connection in Chetumal.

Once on board, try to avoid the seats on the sides as they are not very comfortable, especially for two hours (yet somehow I still managed to nod off). Go for the proper chairs in the middle. Also be wary of putting your bag on the ground (even though you are supposed to). I fell asleep, woke up, and my bag was soaked!

The ferry ride from San Pedro to Chetumal takes about two hours, depending on wind and weather. Some days the water is glassy and calm. Other days it feels like a bumpy bus ride. Sometimes all those things. We had a pretty smooth ride, despite rolling out in the pouring rain (and arriving in blazing sunshine).

If you tend to get seasick, try these tips:

• Eat light before boarding
• Sit mid-boat if you can (it often feels steadier)
• Look at the horizon
• Take motion sickness meds early (follow the label), or try ginger chews

They ask you to stay seated while the boat is in motion. They aren’t militant about it though.

If you need one, there is a bathroom at the back of the boat. We were instructed that it was for #1 only! Interesting.

Step 6: Immigration in Mexico

Once you pull into the Chetumal ferry terminal, it’s time to steel yourself for more waiting in line.

Since the ferry was running a little behind, the boat crew asked if anyone had any flight connections to make. Those that did got out first and were sent to the front of the Mexico immigration line. Make sure to speak up if you’re in that situation, because the immigration process is slow, and you might not make your connection otherwise.

When you disembark, there will be people directing you. Mexican nationals and residents go in one line, and everyone else in another. They process all the Mexican nationals first (as they should), then move on to the line of foreigners. For us, the line was super slow, as there was only one immigration officer. It took me about 30 minutes to get through, and I was in the middle of the line. So maybe up to an hour for the people at the end of the line.

When you finally get to the immigration officer, you’ll present your passport and answer a few questions. Common ones include where you’re going, how long you’re staying, and where you’re staying. If you have a hotel booking or flight confirmation, keep a screenshot or paper copy accessible just in case (I didn’t need them).

I was only asked how long I was staying in Mexico. Your answer is important! Mexican immigration officials can give you up to 180 days, but it’s at their discretion. I told the official that I had a flight out on the 16^th, and he gave me permission to stay until the 17^th (presumably a buffer in case things go wrong).

Then you have to pay the MX$983 fee (around US$55) by credit card only. Once you pay and sign the receipt, you get your passport stamped (with your allowable stay scribbled on there) and move on to customs.

If you are staying 0-7 days, you supposedly do not have to pay this entrance fee, but I don’t have any personal experience to back this up.

But first—after getting your passport stamped, you pick up your luggage. Hand over your luggage tag to the guy and help him find your bag. They are good about checking the tags to make sure you don’t wander off with someone else’s bag.

Next stop is the customs agent, where you will hand over the FMM form that you filled out while you were waiting around in San Pedro. If there is nothing noteworthy on your form, the customs agent will wave you through and you are officially in Mexico. If there is anything questionable on your form, I’m sure you’ll have a conversation.

Then you are free to go. Welcome to Mexico!

Getting from the Chetumal ferry terminal to your next destination

Very few people actually stay in Chetumal, even though it seems like a chill sleepy town. My guess is that you too are looking to go somewhere else after landing in Chetumal.

Same-day connections are doable, but don’t cut it too close. As I’ve described, things seem to take longer than planned and there are lots of lines and other variables with the potential to delay you on your way from the ferry terminal to your next destination.

The Chetumal ferry terminal (Terminal Maritima de Chetumal) is on the southern edge of town so you’ll need transportation to reach downtown Chetumal, the Chetumal airport, or the ADO bus terminal to get you to your next destination.

Your main options are taxi, Uber, a pre-arranged shuttle, or maybe a colectivo (but I wasn’t able to find any of those). The simplest choice for most travelers is a taxi, Uber, or shuttle because it saves time and avoids frustration, especially after surviving the border formalities.

If you’re tired, hungry, hangry, or carrying heavy bags, this is not the moment to wing it. Pick the option that gets you into town with the least stress.

Easiest option: taxi to downtown Chetumal and the ADO bus station

Taking a taxi is usually the fastest way to reach central Chetumal from the ferry. There will likely be a gaggle of taxi drivers waiting for you and offering rides, most often yelling “ADO”. (It’s pronounced “ah-dey-OH”, not “AH-doh”.)

If your plan is onward travel, the ADO bus station (Terminal de Autobuses ADO) is probably where you want to go. It is the main hub for routes toward Bacalar, Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Cancún, and Mérida. For schedules and ticket purchases for your next destination, check out the ADO official site.

If you want to take a taxi, make sure to agree on the price first.

Taxis offered to take me to the ADO first for MX$150, then bargained themselves down to MX$100, or about US$5.50 at the time of writing.

Cheapest option: Uber to downtown Chetumal and the ADO bus station

If you pull up your Uber app at the ferry exit, you will find that no rides are available. But if you walk a few blocks north, Ubers magically appear in the app.

The taxi lobby is strong! And I get it—their livelihood is at stake.

I tried out the Uber technique, you know, for research purposes. And I found one right away (a woman Uber driver too!), just a few blocks north.

I paid MX$66 for the 12-minute Uber ride, or about US$3.65.

You can decide for yourself if the hassle of walking a few extra blocks and fiddling around with your phone to get a ride is worth US$2. If you don’t speak Spanish, this might also be the more comfortable option for you, instead of negotiating with taxi drivers.

And you have to have cell service.

Pre-arranged shuttle

I saw a shuttle picking up passengers from the ferry and whisking them away, but I can’t find any information on how to arrange one. My guess is that these shuttles can be arranged through a tour or hotel company.

Let know if you have more intel!

Key Takeaways on the Ferry from Belize to Mexico

So you can see that taking the ferry from Caye Caulker via San Pedro to Chetumal is very doable with the right information and preparation. It wasn’t quite as fun as I had imagined, given all the waiting around, but it was still totally worth it.

Book ahead, arrive early, keep documents and receipts handy, carry cash and credit card and, perhaps most importantly, bring snacks! The individual segments of the day are short, but it ends up feeling like a long day.

A little prep turns a border crossing into a normal, manageable travel day, and that’s about the best you can ask for.

It might not be the fastest or cheapest way to get from Belize to Mexico, but it’s also not the slowest or most expensive. It’s a little adventure and an opportunity to take in a few more views of the Caribbean Sea before you move on to your next adventure.