**Utila Guide Note: Please be aware that the information on this page is subject to change especially the schedules and rates for transportation and hotels. It is intended as a guide only and you should make the appropriate inquiries prior to travel**
Many travelers make their way to Utila from Belize. If you aren’t lucky enough to catch a lift on a sail boat making the journey south, there are other ways to do this trip easily and cheaply.
Read below for more details.
Travel from Belize to Utila If you are an intrepid traveler or back packer you might be thinking about making your way from Belize to Utila-overland. This is actually a fairly easy and straightforward trip and if you have the time it is well worth the length of the journey to see more of the countryside and make stops in places along the way you might otherwise pass by if traveling by air. Buses and ferries have become the normal mode of transportation. Below are details for 2 ways to do this trip:
1) Option One: Travel by bus most of the way with a short ferry ride from Punta Gorda, Belize to Puerto Barrios Guatemala (See the Example itinerary below)
OR
2) Option Two: Take the Belize ferry for a large part of the journey- either from Dangriga or Placencia, Belize to Puerto Cortes, Honduras Utila Guide Note: below will give you a rough idea of an itinerary – keep in mind that the information is subject to change.
Option #1
Bus and Ferry from Punta Gorda Belize to Puerto Barrios Guatemala and onward to Utila
Sample Itinerary Belize TO Honduras via BUS:
Day 1:
-Take a bus south to Punta Gorda from all points in Belize, or fly down to Punta Gorda from Belize City (note there are also flights from Belize City to San Pedro Sula).
-Take the ferry from Punta Gorda to Puerto Barrios (leaves at 9:00am and 2pm)
-Stop at immigration before boarding ferry- its right at the dock. There is a check-out fee.
-On arrival in Puerto Barrios, check in with Immigration (no fee), it is located one block up from the dock
-Take collective mini-van or private taxi from Puerto Barrios to border (Frontera); it will stop at Guatemalan customs for you to check-out (no fee, but you must stop)
-Mini-van will drop you off right at border- walk to the Honduras Immigration for check-in
-From the Frontera (border), take a bus to Omoa, Honduras a little over an hour) and spend the night there (or if its early enough, continue on to Puerto Cortes and transfer to or SAP or possibly on to La Ceiba) there are a few options for accommodation ranging in price from $15 per night for basic up to $250 per night in a resort setting.
Day 2
-To leave Omoa, head to the main road and catch one of the regular buses going to Puerto Cortes
-Get off the bus at the highway entrance to Puerto Cortes- cross the street- and take one of the regular mini-vans back to San Pedro Sula. (You can take the bus all the way into Puerto Cortes, but there is no need to do this you can just get off at the highway entrance and cross street for busses heading to SAP)
-From the San Pedro Sula Bus Terminal, catch a regular or luxury bus to La Ceiba
-Arrive in La Ceiba in time to get to the Cabotaje (the port), to get on the Utila Dream ferry which departs daily at 4:00pm EXCEPT on Saturdays when it departs at 4:40pm.
UtilaGuide.com Tips:
* If you catch the 9:00am ferry from Punta Gorda, you can make it to La Ceiba later that same day and catch the 9:30am ferry to Utila the next day
* If you catch the 2:00 pm ferry from Punta Gorda to Puerto Barrios, you can get to Omoa around 5pm and spend the night there or continue on to SAP and spend the night there. The next morning you can take a bus all the way to La Ceiba and depart on the 4:00pm ferry to Utila.
* You don’t need to stay in Omoa- most folks just find it to be a more laid back than Puerto Cortes or San Pedro Sula.
More details for the overland route from Belize TO Honduras
-Take bus South to Punta Gorda (PG) Belize.
– Within Belize, there are regularly scheduled buses from Belize City, Dangriga, Independence / Mango Creek, and other spots.
-From Dangriga to Punta Gorda, it takes about 3 hours, and if you leave on the 3:15pm bus, you will arrive in Punta Gorda just as it becomes dark at 6:30pm (can also connect from Placencia via Indepence, where the bus leaves at about 4:45pm). If you want to fly check out Maya Air
-Ferry from Punta Gorda Belize to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala: Ferries to Honduras leave at 9:00am and 2:00pm with ‘Requenas’. Get there ½ hour early in order to get through immigration. It is about a 1 hour boat ride to Puerto Barrios. If the seas are rough, expect to get wet and take your seasickness pills (Dramamine).
-From Puerto Barrios dock you will need to check-in with Guatemalan immigration, and then you’re your way to the Honduran border. As soon as you get off the boat there will be plenty of taxi drivers vying to take you to border. There are a few options for getting to the Frontera (border), just remember that whatever mode you choose, be SURE to first check- in with the Guatemalan immigration office one block from the dock.
-Private taxi to Frontera directly from the dock: Some of the boats offer private taxis. These cost around 80 Quetzals ($10 USD per person) for a car with 1-2 others. They will stop at immigration a block up to check-in, and then again at the 2nd immigration office at the bridge near the border to check-out.
-After checking in with immigration, walk to the main road or bus station and take a mini-van collective taxi for approximately 20 Quetzals (about $3 USD). They will also stop at the 2nd immigration office near the border for checking out. They leave about every 20-30 minutes from 6am to 6pm and take about 1.5 hours or less to the border. Their main station is 6aAV, outside the market. Mini buses from Puerto Barrios stop en route to the border at Guatemalan immigration.
Another Option: If you take the 9:00am ferry, you can take a private taxi just to the 2nd immigration office in Guatemala at the bridge near the border (not all the way to Frontera border itself) where you can connect with a direct bus to San Pedro Sula, called Maya del Norte (comes from Guatamala City). This will cost approximately 50 Quetzals and take about 30 minutes. They will stop at immigration near boat first for you to check in. If you go this route, you can connect with the direct San Pedro Sula bus SAP bus at the 2nd immigration office at about 11:30 and get to SAP by 2pm and Ceiba by 6:30pm, and it’s a nicer, direct ride. Price is approximately 200 lempira or about $10 from 2nd immigration office to SAP. If you miss this bus, you may also be able to catch it at the Frontera border as it has to stop and everyone on the bus must go through immigration. If you go the route with public busses it is possible that you may not get to SAP until around 4pm and you would then either have to spend the night there or travel to La Ceiba and arrive in La Ceiba long after dark.
Direct bus from Guatemala Customs: There is a direct bus (The Maya del Norte) which stops at Guatemalan customs at about 11:30am and leaves about 12:15pm. This bus gets to the Frontera about 12:45. There, customs is fast and easy; there is a $3usd charge (60 lps) and you will need to fill out a form. The Bus leaves Honduras Immigration when everyone is done – about 12:45 pm, you go direct and arrive at the San Pedro Sula Bus Terminal at 2:45pm. From there, you can easily catch a bus to La Ceiba; there will be lots of people to direct you.
Bus from Frontera (Honduran Border) to Puerto Cortes or Omoa. There are regularly scheduled buses which leave from the border to Puerto Cortes (takes about an hour), or you can get off in Omoa (takes about 45 minutes). These are the yellow school bus type, though they may be painted over. The last bus leaving the border is at about 5:30pm. IF you miss the last bus, there is a clean hotel at the border- located to the left as you are facing Honduras.
From the border there are several buses per day. The journey will take about an hour to reach Puerto Cortes and an additional 1.5 hours from Puerto Cortes to San Pedro Sula.
Omoa is a nice spot to stay if it is getting late and preferred over Puerto Cortes.
Bus from Omoa or Puerto Cortes to San Pedro Sula. If staying in Omoa, come back out to the main highway as there are frequent buses to Puerto Cortes. You can get off just as you are going into Puerto Cortes and cross street to catch bus back to San Pedro Sula (and the same spot where you catch them back to the Frontera). From Puerto Cortes, buses run about every 30 minutes to San Pedro Sula and takes 1.5 hours and costs 42 lempiras or about $2.50 US. You can catch them in the center of town too; 1 block North of main plaza at 4th & C4 (which is near customs). SOME of the buses may not go to the Terminal, as of this writing, only the Impala buses, and the others of Expresos del Caribe, Citul and Expresos del Atlantico (leave hourly).
-If you are traveling from Omoa, ask your driver to stop at the highway junction outside of Puerto Cortes, where the direct SAN PEDRO SULA buses stop to pick up passengers.
Bus from San Pedro Sula and onwards
In San Pedro Sula, there is a large bus terminal where you can catch regularly scheduled buses to La Ceiba.
The Utila Dream ferry leaved La Ceiba at 9:30 am and 4:00pm (EXCEPT on Saturdays when it departs La Ceiba at 9:00am and 4:40pm).
Option #2:
Taking a Ferry from Belize to Honduras
The D-Express runs a ferry on Friday only from Independence / Placencia Pier leaving at 9:00 am and arriving in Puerto Cortez, Honduras, approximately 4 hours later. This ferry costs approximately $65 USD.
The Nesymein Neydy runs from Dangriga, Belize to Puerto Cortez, Honduras Thursdays at 9:00am and Saturdays at 9:30am The trip takes about 4.5 hours and costs approximately $50 USD
From Puerto Cortes, buses run about every 30 minutes to San Pedro Sula and takes 1.5 hours and costs 42 lempiras or about $2.50 US. You can catch them in the center of town too; 1 block North of main plaza at 4th & C4 (which is near customs). SOME of the buses may not go to the Terminal, as of this writing, only the Impala buses, and the others of Expresos del Caribe, Citul and Expresos del Atlantico (leave hourly).
Bus from San Pedro Sula and onwards
In San Pedro Sula, there is a large bus terminal where you can catch regularly scheduled buses to La Ceiba.
The Utila Dream Ferry departs from La Ceiba at 9:30 am and 4:00pm (EXCEPT on Saturdays when it departs at 9:00am and 4:40pm).