Getting There & Departing

By Plane -- There are numerous flights into and out of little Dangriga Airport (DGA) from Belize City. Maya Island Air (www.mayaislandair.com; tel. 223-1140 or 223-1146 in Belize City) has ten flights daily between the Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport and Dangriga. The first flight leaves at 8:10am and the last flight is at 5pm. Flight time is 15 minutes; the fare is BZ$143 each way. Maya Island Air also has daily flights from Belize City’s Municipal Airport as well as San Pedro, each with stops to pick up passengers at the international airport. Maya Island Air flights from Dangriga to Belize City leave between 7:20am and 4:40pm. Most of these flights stop first at the international airport and continue on to Municipal Airport.

Tropic Air (www.tropicair.com; tel. 800/422-3435 in the U.S. or Canada, 226-2012 or 226-2626 in Belize) has seven direct flights daily between Goldson International Airport and Dangriga, with the first flight leaving at 9:40am and the last flight at 5pm. The fare is BZ$192.50 each way. They also have five daily flights between Municipal Airport and Dangriga, leaving at 8:00 and 10:30am, and at 12:30, 2:30, and 4:30pm. The fare is BZ$135 each way. Tropic Air flights depart Dangriga for both of Belize City’s airports daily between 7:20am and 4:40pm. Flight time is typically 15 minutes, but double when there is an intermediate stop.

On both airlines, flights are sometimes added during the high season or suspended during the low season, so check in advance.

By Car -- From Belize City, head west on Cemetery Road, which becomes the George Price Highway (formerly the Western Highway). Take this all the way to Belmopan, where you will connect with the Hummingbird Highway heading south. Ten kilometers (6 miles) before Dangriga, the Hummingbird Highway connects with the Southern Highway. Follow the signs into Dangriga; you'll be entering from the south end of town.

Alternatively, you can take the unpaved Manatee Road (aka The Shortcut or Coastal Highway), which turns off the George Price Highway just past the Belize Zoo, at around Mile Marker 30. The Manatee Road passes by the entrance road to the small Creole village of Gales Point, and rejoins the Hummingbird Highway about 17km (8 1/2 miles) outside of Dangriga. This route is shorter as the crow flies, but in worse shape physically, so the going is slower. Either route should take around 2 to 2 1/2 hours from Belize City.

By Bus -- James Bus Line (tel. 664-2185 or 631-1959) has regular service throughout the day between Belize City and Dangriga, roughly every half-hour between 6:30am and 5:30pm from either the main bus terminal on West Collet Canal Street (National Transport), or the nearby Shell gas station on Cemetery Road (James). The fare is BZ$20 (US$10/£5.30). The ride takes about 3 hours.

By Boat -- There are no regularly scheduled boats from Belize City to Dangriga, but aside from flying, water is the most direct means of covering the 58km (36 miles) between the two cities. You may be able to charter a boat by asking around the docks in Belize City. Expect to pay from BZ$400 to BZ$600 for a boat that can carry four to eight passengers.

If You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take Both -- Given the unique sights offered by the two possible routes down to Dangriga, you might want to consider taking one route on your way south, and the other on your way back. The Hummingbird Highway passes through some of Belize's most picturesque countryside. The road weaves through jungle mountains and crosses clear streams and small rivers. Admire the forest-covered karst hillsides to the west, as you wind your way through mostly uninhabited country. The Manatee Road is a gravel affair, passing through the forests, lowland swamps, and mangroves that border Belize's large southern lagoon. Still, this route is not for the faint of heart. In the rainy season it can get quite muddy and slick, while in the dry season the dirt can form a hard, jarring washboard and dust can be a problem. In some places you'll have to cross single-lane, rail-less wooden plank bridges that give some drivers vertigo, even though they're not very high. Large trucks tend to use the Manatee Road which can also be disconcerting to drivers in smaller vehicles.

Getting Around

There are no official car rental agencies, but if you really search, you might be able to find an enterprising local willing to rent you a vehicle. If this is absolutely necessary, your best bet is to have your hotel try and arrange this for you.

For a taxi in Dangriga, call Star Line Taxi Service (tel. 621-9956) or Tzul's Taxi Service (tel. 522-2438).

Boats to Tobacco Caye leave from the Gumagurugu River or North Stann Creek in front of the Riverside Café, just below the bridge. The going rate is around BZ$30 to BZ$50 per person one-way. Most of the boats hold between 8 and 10 people, and they leave whenever they have at least half that many passengers ready, between 9am and 1pm. If you already have a group together, you can hire one privately and set a definite return-trip pickup time.


Orientation

The main street through Dangriga is called St. Vincent Street south of the main bridge over North Stann Creek, and Commerce Street north of it. Most of the town's businesses and attractions lie within a few blocks of this bridge in either direction. The airstrip is on the north end of town, near the Pelican Beach Resort. FYI: North Stann Creek is also known as the Gumagurugu River in the local Garífuna language.

Fast Facts

For the police, dial tel. 911 or 522-2022; for the fire department, call tel. 522-2091. The Dangriga Hospital (tel. 522-2078) is located on Courthouse Road, 4 blocks north and 2 blocks east of the main bridge. The post office (tel. 522-2035) is in the southern section of town next to the Bonefish Hotel.

Both of the principal banks in town are on St. Vincent Street: Belize Bank, 24 St. Vincent St. (tel. 522-2903), and Scotiabank, 10 St. Vincent St. (tel. 522-2031).

 

 

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.