Car rental establishments are notorious for forbidding you to take their rental car on gravel roads. But in Belize the majority of the roads are gravel, and coming to BIB in a rental car includes 10½ miles of gravel road travel.
Crystal Auto Rental, does not require that you stay on paved roads, and has a very good reputation with people who have traveled to BIB from the International Airport in Belize City. In fact, Crystal makes sure before you rent that if you are traveling to Better in Belize you rent a car with 4-wheel drive. Trip Advisor has a 5-star listing for Crystal, and about four hundred enthusiastic reviews. They also offer a shuttle service if you prefer to be driven to your destination.
Kenneth Trapp, a BIB owner who rented from Crystal in February 2021 says:
“Crystal’s website includes Better In Belize as a destination which requires a 4WD. When I reserved the rental in the states I considered a 2WD to save money because my property doesn’t require 4WD to access. However I was relieved when driving down Hydro Road with their Jeep Patriot 4WD, mostly because that vehicle provides for more undercarriage clearance. The ruts, potholes and high rocks in the road were greater than on my last visit. And although Crystal’s Jeep was not the “rock crawling” variety, it handled the Martz Farm Road all the way down to Laz’s boat launch well. A rental company in San Ignacio was about $65 per day versus Crystal’s $50 (before taxes). I paid (with tax) US$57 per day, so for a week it was $399. [note: this rate may no longer be available]Crystal also provided a free flip cell phone and car charger as well as an ice chest. Calls to Crystal were free. Other calls would have required a ‘Top Up.’ The ice chest was valuable for keeping perishables cool on grocery runs to town.”
Matus Car Rental in San Ignacio has also gotten good reviews from BIBers. They can have a car waiting for you at a location close to your arrival point if you request it. If you are arriving in a small plane at the Maya Flats Airport, this might be a good solution for getting to BIB, and makes for an inexpensive and easy return.
There are undoubtedly other car rental places with good rates. Always read the online reviews.
Check the provisions on your credit card – some of them offer insurance for car rentals and other things, but each had different options and conditions, so you’ll have to research your particular card.
Should you buy a car? If you come to BIB a couple of times every year for a week or more per visit, though, some BIBers recommend that you buy an older used car or a motorcycle, instead, and have your property maintenance person – or some other reliable person – look after it for you. If they start it up every month and drive it a mile or so, it will remain in running condition. Pick your caretaker carefully, of course, and ask for references from around the neighborhood.
Having your own car, of course, would require that you find a way to get to and from the airport to BIB. Ken points out that taxis charge $50usd to take you to Hodes restaurant in San Ignacio where you can catch the “Belizing” shuttle to the International Airport for $30usd. That would be $170usd per trip to Belize if you didn’t have a rental car or if you had your own car but chose to leave it here and take a shuttle. Another option would be to ask a friend to take you in their car or hire a local person to drive you to the airport in your car and return it here to park. Lots of things to consider!