Corozal

Understand

The people tend to be very friendly. Corozal is a small and sleepy town with great views of the bay. Advantages of this small town is that it has less rain than most areas in the south meaning that it has the same tropical climate with less of the tropical rain. Real estate prices in Corozal are much less than you will find in many other areas in Belize. The area is home to several hundred year round American retirees, and many more seasonal "snowbirds" who regularly spend the winter months in and near Corozal Town. In addition, Corozal is less than thirty minutes from the lively Mexican border city of Chetumal. The duty free zone at the border features a WalMart, Sam's Club, and modern shopping mall. If you want a laid back village vibe, Corozal is a great stop. If you arrive on Sunday, you'll find most businesses closed, although a few of the small restaurants and general stores will be open. There are very few tourists, so it is a good place to see Belize off the beaten track, and consequently accommodation, food and drink, and other items are cheaper than in better known places.

Getting there

By bus The 1 Main Bus Station is on the Northern Highway (Phillip Goldson Highway or the main road) and 1st Street near center of town with the following:

Very regular buses are available between Corozal Town and Chetumal in Mexico, running about every 20 or 30 minutes during the day. The journey lasts about 1 hour and costs around US$1.25 or BZ$2.50. Fairly regular and inexpensive buses are also available from Belize City, Orange Walk, Sarteneja and anywhere along the Northern Highway (Phillip Goldson Highway). Passengers transfer in Belize City continue to other parts of the country. Schedules given in the above link are subject to change. Verify locally at the bus station for schedules and additional destinations. Taxis to different parts of town

By plane 2 Tropic Air and 3 Maya Island Air offer flights on smaller prop-driven aircraft between Corozal and Belize City, San Pedro, Caye Caulker, and many other less-traveled Belize towns. The airstrip for both airlines is 4km SW of town, off of The Northern Highway (Phillip Goldson Highway or the main road), in Ranchito.

By ferry The 4 Thunderbolt Water Taxi runs between San Pedro and Corozal (also stopping in Sarteneja if requested), leaving Corozal Town 7AM and returning about 3PM. The trip takes 1½-2 hours. The cost of the ferry is $90 round trip or $50 one way.

Getting around

Corozal is small enough to go around on foot. There are also taxis at the bus station. You can also join other by riding your bike as you go enjoying the calm and serene bay.

See

1 Fort Barlee. Not much to see here, just a wall is left. (updated Sep 2020) 2 Corozal Central Park. Little place to relax in the center of town. (updated Sep 2020) 3 Corozal House Of Culture, ☏ +501 422 0071. M-F 08:00-17:00. Museum on Corozal history and tradition. (updated Sep 2020) 4 Rainbow Park. Kind of like a beach only there's not much sand. (updated Sep 2020) 5 Mangrove Park. Quasi-beach, i.e. mangrove trees and watery shoreline. (updated Sep 2020)

Do

1 Santa Rita Archaeological Site. Daily 08:00-17:00. Visit small Mayan ruins. (updated Sep 2020) 2 Cerros Mayan Ruins (across Corozal Bay). Daily 08:00-17:00. Visit other Mayan ruins. The easiest way to reach these is by boat, usually hireable at the main dock east of downtown, but the site can also be reached by road. Follow the Cerros Ruins signs on the road to Copper Bank and Sarteneja, but be careful, it is about a 10-mile dirt road which can be very washed out following bad weather, especially hurricanes. The direction to Cerros may also not be terribly well marked, but if you take the left path at major forks in the road, you should find it fairly easily. Again, hiring a boat in Corozal will definitely be quicker and easier, but taking the road will give you a chance to ride one of the hand-cranked ferries seen throughout Belize (no charge for the ferry, but feel free to tip or buy juice or snacks the ferry pilots have for sale). (updated Sep 2020) Arts in the Park Visit a nearby butterfly farm Consejo tourist village- where the view of Chetumal can clearly be seen. Corozal Free Zone- 15-20 minutes away from Corozal Town. Nearby cultural villages like Xaibe, Patchakan, San Pedro or Chan Chen. Boat trips to nearby islands (Some leave from the Thunderbolt Dock.)

Buy

The town has a fairly wide selection of shops, it is possible to buy clothing, food, kitchen and garden equipment, electronic goods, bicycles and more. During the day there is a market close to the bus station selling a variety of local products, such as fruits, local food, arts and clothes. There are three banks in Corozal, two of them foreign with ATMs, but these will only accept Visa or Mastercard. The local 'Belize Bank' also has an ATM and will accept other cards such as Maestro, but its reliability is questionable; you may end up having to wait inside the bank for an hour before they give you back your card and tell you it's not working today. Within the banks you are likely to find very long queues. It is possible to change Mexican and Belizean money on the street here, and this is legal and certainly safe if you do it next to the border checkpoint. You can also change money inside the customs office, but the rates are often less good, cash advances on credit cards are available here but a large "handling" fee is charged. If you are leaving the country and need to pay the exit tax it is a good idea to take money out in Corozal instead. Without a credit card you will have to withdraw money at the Belize Bank in Corozal or take out Mexican Pesos on the other side of the border, and change this into Belize dollars.

Eat

1 June's Kitchen, ☏ +501 422 2559. Homemade Belizean breakfast and lunch daily, served on June's veranda dining room. Just ask the locals for directions if you can not find it. (updated Sep 2020) 2 Corozo Blue's, ☏ +501 422 0090. Su-Th 10:00-00:00, F Sa 10:00-02:00. Cocktails and cozy meals on the bay. 3 Venky’s Indian Restaurant, 5th Avenue, ☏ +501 625 4662. Daily 08:00-21:00. Provides vegetarian and non-vegetarian Indian food in large quantites. BZ$15 (US$7.50) for more than one person could eat. Opposite the immigration office, within a couple of blocks of 4th Street, not far from the Hok'ol K'in Guest house. (updated Sep 2020) 4 Al's Cafe, 5th Ave. Daily 08:00-18:00. Belizean and Mexican. (updated Sep 2020) 5 RD's Diner, 7 4th Ave, ☏ +501 422-3796, [email protected]. M-Sa 10:30-22:30, closed on Sundays. All foods prepared with EVO and high grade vegetable oil. All foods are prepared fresh as you order. Dine in an air conditioned, elegant and non-smoking atmosphere. Accepts all major credit cards. 6 Jam Rock, 4th St S, ☏ +501 402 2405. W-M 11:30-00:00, closed Tu. another idyllic place to get your grilled fish or drinks at the bar and watch the waves roll in. (updated Sep 2020) 7 Tortuga Grill and Paddle Lounge, corner 1st Ave and 8th St. Tu-Su 11:00-21:00, close