Every year for the past twelve years my wife and I drive from Long Island to Cancun then onto Central America. Most of the roads from the US/Mexican boarder to Cancun are highway roads. There are sections, however, that are terrible. By far the worst section of road in Mexico is from Tampico to Veracruz. That stretch is only 300 miles long or so, but it takes 8 hours to drive thru that area. Mainly because the road goes thru the mountains and it's only one lane in each direction. Following a double semi doing less than 10 mph can be frustrating, but the views and scenery are breath taking. Like I said above, the vast majority of the trip is highway. One word of caution: while driving in Mexico (or in any country south of the border) never take anything for granted. Just because your on a highway doesn't mean your not going see huge unmarked holes in the road, or kids riding bicycles after dark, or old men pushing pushcarts full of firewood. Not to mention wandering animals. For these reasons you should never drive at night. Even truck drivers don't drive at night. If you're coming from the west coast you wouldn't have half as many problems with the roads. From the western US you would probably drive down route 15 and cross over to the east coast of Mexico thru Mexico City. Route 15 is a much better road than is the east coast route. Oh by the way, your US car insurance isn't any good in Mexico - you need Mexican Insurance.
From Long Island to Cancun is 3500 miles. 2,000 miles to the Texas/Mexican border and 1,500 miles from the border to Cancun.
The trip to Cancun takes us 6 days, but two of those days are spent in Texas having the oil changed, brakes checked, belts tightened, cooling system flushed, etc., etc.
Mexico is very safe. In all the years we've been traveling to Mexico I've never had a problem, but like any country you should be aware of your surroundings. Obviously, you shouldn't walk around flashing your Rolex, or your wife’s gold bracelet and diamond earrings. Let common sense be your guide. Like any country in the world the areas most likely to have crime is in the major cities. Crime is always least prevalent in the tourist areas.
The drive from Cancun to Belize is a short 3 1/2 hour drive (about 230 miles +/-), and most of it is highway. The road (route 307) turns into a secondary road after you pass Tulum, but the secondary road has very little traffic and you will make excellent time. When you’re almost at the Mexican/Belize boarder and before you get to Chetumal Mexico, you'll see signs for a town called Bacalar. Bacalar sits on a huge fresh water lagoon. Stop your car find a motel (there are 5 of them) and spend a couple of nights - a beautiful area.
Crossing the boarder into Belize by car brings new meaning to the word "frustration". I won't go into details here, but be prepared for a three-hour stop.
All the major roads in Belize are good paved roads, with the exception of some of the roads off the Southern Highway, and the Coastal Road - there are a few others.
Orange Walk - why Orange Walk? The only thing remotely interesting for a tourist is the butterfly farm and museum. Orange Walk is a city that has a sugar cane plant at its outskirts. The sugar cane truck traffic and the noise, and dust are enough to make you drive thru there in a hurry. Although dirty and noisy the people in Orange Walk are friendly. A high percentage of the population are Asian, with transplanted Mexicans, along with black, and a large Mennonite population. The languages spoken in this part of Belize are English, Spanish, Creole, and German. Belize is the only country in Central, or South America where English is spoken more than any other language. In fact the official language of Belize is English, although the closer you are to the Mexican boarder the more Spanish your going to hear.
Belize, for the most part is very safe. Mainly because there is a large British military presents in the country, along with American Navy Seabees, US Army transportation Corps., and a myriad of units from the British Army and Marines. Most of these units are there for jungle training, and/or construction projects, but in some cases the British units are there as a show of force to their neighbors to the west - Guatemala. The Belizean police and military work and train along side their British counterparts. One word of advice: Stay out of Belize City - it's the crime capital of Belize. The city of Dandriga is also an area to be wary of, but nowhere near as bad as Belize City.
A great place to stop either for something to eat, or to spent the night is Amigos. Amigos is a fun atmosphere watering hole where the food is hot and the beer is cold on the Western Highway at mile marker 32 (two miles past the Belize zoo.) The bottom line is there are many exciting and once-in-a-life-time things to do from the extream northern sections of the country (Corozal) to the extream southern tip of Belize (Placencia & Punta Gorda), to the west in the Cayo Mountains and the city of San Ignacio, to the east where some of the most spectacular scuba diving, snorkling, and fishing can be found anywhere in the hemisphere.
2006-09-22 06:12:29
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answer #1
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answered by abono11746 4
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over the years i have made the trip many times never any prob. just the time to go through exit Mexico and entry Belize the roads were ok yes it seemed safe just dont stop and sit on the side of the road go on to Orange Walk Belize city is dangerous
2006-09-21 23:47:05
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answer #2
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answered by moonwalker 3
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Cancun can be an start entrance to your desire holiday just like this place hotelbye for getting there. Cancun offers state-of-the-art hotel services among the coolest clubs, bars, and centers only a few feet from the most lovely beaches on earth.One of many areas you'll need to see could be the Isla Mujeres. Here, the great breezes strike across the island during the day and night and here you will love: the snorkelling, the scuba, the swimming with dolphins, the distant beaches for moonlight hikes and private discussions, and scores of waterfront restaurants surrounded by good buying and beautiful normal scenery. If you're looking for a Cancun destination place to relax, Isla Mujeres is the place to come.
2016-12-20 16:44:49
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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Belize is one of the most beautiful place. the british left the place in the late 1990's but the mixture of the culture there are great you can see people still stuck on the 1800's but they speak alot of English there. The road there is not that bad if you can the time to do it and if you enjoy the adventure there
2006-09-23 23:07:29
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answer #4
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answered by cooldude_92627 1
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One of the most interestings things of Belize is their mixture of ethnic groups and cultures: Mayans, Mormons, Blacks, etc..
The Garifuna is a cool language spoken there.
2006-09-21 16:31:38
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answer #5
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answered by Omar 2
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