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.
If you’re a rum afficionado, or just rum curious, then you might want to fit in a visit to the Travellers Liquors Heritage Center Museum in Belize City. They have some cool rum-making artifacts in their mini-museum, and you can take a distillery tour that ends with a tasting.
There’s just not a lot of information about the distillery tours online. Not even on the official Travellers website (weird, right?).
Lucky for you, I found my way to the distillery during a January 2026 trip to Belize City, and I got all the deets!
If you think you might be interested in a visit to the Travellers Liquors distillery, read on for a bit of history and some practical tips on how to plan your visit.
What makes Travellers Liquors special
Travellers is, as far as I can tell, the oldest and most famous rum producer in Belize.
Travellers got its start in1953 when Jaime Omario Perdomo Sr. opened a bar in downtown Belize City, back when it was still the capital of Belize—or actually British Honduras, as it was known until 1973. As the name implies, the bar catered primarily to people traveling in and out of the city, which was and still is the country’s commercial hub.
He opened his bar at the beginning of what I’ll call the “sugar rush” in Belize.
Sugar cane production in Belize began in the mid-1800s, primarily for the export of sugar and rum to England. But production declined towards the end of the century due to competition and tariffs. Sugar production once again started accelerating in the 1950’s due to new government regulations and an influx of foreign capital.
All that to say, that around the time Don Omario opened his bar, Belize was awash in sugar and rum!
At that time, it was common practice for bars to make their own rum blends, in addition to offering imported liquors and beers.
So, Don Omario started experimenting with his rum, trying to find that perfect blend, and looking for ways to achieve consistency. His first triumph was One Barrel aged rum, which is still Travellers’ signature rum.
But making a blend is not the same as making rum, and that meant relying on other people to produce the actual spirits. Don Omario was finding it increasingly difficult to get consistent quality rum, so he decided to distill his own, in partnership with Luis Alberto Espat.
And that’s how the Travellers distillery was born. It has since grown into a successful family business, with upgrades to infrastructure to meet export standards.
Inside the museum: rum-making artifacts and history
The museum is basically a large room at the front of the distillery, next to the shop. It’s worth a wander to learn more about the history of rum-making in Belize and the people that started the Travellers company.
There are some interesting artifacts and information about the sugar cane industry and about the impacts of US prohibition on the Belize rum industry. The impact of US shenanigans on other countries has been going on for a long time!
And they have a few very old rums! I’m not sure these are still good, but I’m pretty sure no one is going to open them to find out.
There’s also a famous bottle of rum, from Prince Harry’s 2012 visit!
Inside the tasting: how to find your favorite rum
The Travellers Liquors store offers an impressive array of rums of varying ages and flavors, some of which you will already be familiar with if you’ve been in Belize for any amount of time. I was surprised to see some Tiburon rums there as well. It turns out that they produce this rum line in partnership with the US company Shark Bait.
They’ve got their famous aged dark rums:
- 1 Barrel
- 5 Barrel
- Tiburon Rum 8 Reserve Blend
Then there are your regular Belizean rums and the famous Kuknat (coconut) rum, the kinds you can get at the local supermarket.
And for those of you with deep pockets, they’ve got a few premium and special edition rums:
- 18 Year Don Omario
- The Wolf (10 years in bourbon casks, 9 months in sherry casks)
- 1981 (15 years in bourbon casks, 6 months in sherry casks)
- Belizean Blue (7 years in bourbon casks), pretty label!
- Don Omario Vintage Rum
They also have a whole Ruta Maya line, with elegant packaging and subtle flavors:
- Blanco
- Ouro
- Cocolime
- Coffee
You can try just about all of these (maybe not the super premium ones) at the Travellers Liquors Heritage Center Museum!
Souvenir rum
Does it make sense to buy your souvenir rum at the Travellers Liquors shop? Maybe, maybe not.
Why you SHOULD NOT buy your souvenir rum at the Travellers Liquors shop
Astute shoppers have noted that you can buy many of the same rums cheaper elsewhere.
If you have a lot of travels ahead and don’t want to schlep your rum all over Belize, save your rum shopping for the airport duty free shop.
Why you SHOULD buy your souvenir rum at the Travellers Liquors shop
They have a really large selection of rums and other liquors that you might not find everywhere.
They also have some vintage edition rums and collector’s edition special labels (such as the animals of Belize) that you won’t find everywhere.
If you are on a tour (e.g. a cruise tour) and you won’t have another opportunity to buy Belizean rum, you better seize the moment!
Travellers Liquors Tour Tickets and Hours
The Travellers Liquors Heritage Center Museum offers tours Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. The tours aren’t at a specific time so you can just show up, but you might have to wait for availability. If you have a large group, however, you should probably give them a call in advance to set something up.
You can also visit on Saturday, but they don’t offer tours—I learned this the hard way. Without a tour, you are still free to look around the little museum and artifacts. If you want to splurge, for BZ$2 you can purchase a tasting of two rums (as many times as you want, I think). This is a good option for budget travelers, even on a weekday.
If you are going on your own, try to avoid cruise ship days and the rush between 11am and 1pm. They actually recommend calling ahead (Whatsapp: 501-603-1682) during cruise season to book a time.
The tour costs US$15 (January 2026) and includes a bit of history in the museum area, touring the distillery and the aging room, and finishing with a tasting of five rums.
People really like the tour but have mixed feelings about the rum itself. You be the judge!
How to get to Travellers Liquors Heritage Center Museum
The Travellers Liquors distillery is right in Belize City, on Philip Goldson Highway, so it’s easy to fit it into a Belize City itinerary.
The easiest way to visit the distillery is as part of a tour, like this two-hour Belize City: City Highlights and Rum Tasting.
But if you want to arrange your own logistics from your Belize hotel, you’ve got options.
Take a taxi to Travellers Liquors Heritage Center Museum
The most straightforward option to get to the distillery is to take a taxi. This will cost your around BZ$25-30 each way. The challenge might be finding a taxi to take you back, but I’m sure the friendly people at the distillery can help you out.
Take the local bus to Travellers Liquors Heritage Center Museum
For the more adventurous and/or budget-conscious, consider taking the local bus.
The local buses seem a little daunting in Belize City, but with some guidance, it’s actually quite doable. The staff at Casa de Shangri-La gave me these top tips and it worked out great—so I am passing the info on to you!
- Go to the Pound Yard on Cemetery Road across from the Puma station near the bus terminal (you can find it if you search “pound yard” on Google maps). Hop on a (usually) black and white school bus headed to Belama or Ladyville. Just to be sure, ask the driver if they are going past Travellers—the driver will know.
- If you don’t want to have to climb over a concrete barrier before crossing six lanes of traffic on a busy road (trust me, you don’t), ask to get off at the roundabout just before Travellers, and cross more safely on the crosswalk.
- If you don’t have maps on your phone (but seriously, you should always download the maps of where you are), just keep track of roundabouts. You’ll be getting off at the third one.
The ride only takes about 10 minutes from downtown and costs BZ$2 each way.
To head back into town, go to the bus stop just down the street from Travellers and hop on the same bus going back to the Pound Yard. Once again, ask the driver if it stops there, just to be sure.
Finding the door to Travellers Liquors Heritage Center Museum
Ok, this section should not be needed, but it took me a minute to figure out how to get in. The most obvious and convenient entrance-looking doors…are not the entrance!
When I tried to open them and they were locked, I almost left thinking the place was closed!
So just keep going to your right until you get to an unassuming door.
If in doubt, just keep trying doors.
Key Takeaways for Travellers Liquors Heritage Center Museum
I enjoyed my quick solo visit to the Travellers Liquors Heritage Center Museum in Belize City. I for sure would have enjoyed it more if I had been able to do the actual tour!
If you have any interest at all in rum or Belizean sugar cane history (I mean, who doesn’t!), then make sure to fit in a stop at Travellers in your Belize City itinerary. If you can’t find or afford a tour, it’s a bit daunting, but totally doable, to get there on your own. Just make sure you go during the week!
Check out more information on other fun things to do or a place to stay in Belize City.
