How to Get to Belize and Travel Around

Getting there: The Salvadoran airline TACA offers one flight daily from Los Angeles to Belize City, with a 50-minute layover in San Salvador. Air fare is about $590 round trip. Call (800) 535-8780.

Travelers must show a passport to enter Belize.

Getting around: When in Belize, two commuter airlines--Tropic Air and Maya Airways--fly between Belize City and the islands.

Two-wheel-drive automobiles are practical only on major highways. Four-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended for almost everywhere else, but rental fees run as high as $400 a week.

Two bus lines run from Belize City to the larger inland towns. They are slow, but cheap and dependable.

Accommodations: In Belize City, the Ft. George is considered the luxury hotel. Rooms cost $75 to $150 per night.

The Ft. Street Restaurant and Guest House, a bed and breakfast with shared bathroom, averages $50 a night and includes breakfast.

Mom’s Triangle Inn, for the more adventurous, costs $20 to $40 a night, but some rooms come with private baths. The rooms are on the second floor, and the first-floor restaurant serves good native and American meals starting at $2.

On Ambergris Cay, the Paradise Resort Hotel charges $40 per night for a single room with private bath. The Holiday Hotel, which also has private baths, starts at $50 per night. The more upscale Ramon’s Village costs from $85 per room to $225 for a luxury suite.

Backpackers and campers might consider Cay Caulker, where hotel rooms cost $10 to $40. A hammock can be rented for $3.

Diving: Single-tank dives, including tank and weight belt, average $35. Rentals are widely available on the cays. In San Pedro, there are at least 24 dive guides and several rental services.

For more information: Contact the Belize Consulate, 611 S. Wilton Place, Los Angeles 90005, (213) 385-6499. Also, Tommy Thomson, something of a pioneer in Belize travel, started his business after his first trip to Belize eight years ago. You can reach him at Belize Promotions, 720 Worthshire, Houston, Tex. 77008, (800) 451-8017).