Corozal Town

Corozal Town in Northern Belize lies on the Caribbean Sea, 9 miles from the Mexican border. It has a population of approximately 8,100, and is the capital of the district of 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.

By bus

 * 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, Belmopan, and other destinations in the country.

By plane

 * Tropic Air and 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.

By ferry

 * The Thunderbolt Ferry 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.

Get 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




Do

 * 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.)
 * 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 its 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.

Sleep
As Corozal is easily reached from Mexico, many travellers from Mexico will cross the border to here, in order to re-enter Mexico and obtain a new tourist visa for additional time there. Corozal therefore has a very large amount of accommodation relative to its size and attractions. Since the town is not very big, one is sure to find several places after wandering around the center for a few minutes.

Cope
Internet:


 * Mirador Hotel offer internet service for the public US$2 an hour and free wifi access in room for guest accommodating in the hotel.
 * Hok'ol K'in also has wireless internet available.
 * Corozal Bay Resort free high speed Wi-fi available for guests.
 * Sea Breeze Hotel also has free Wi-fi for guests.

Banks:

Go next
The Free Zone area next to the Mexican border is 9 miles north of the town and features a large casino, hotel, and an American style shopping mall. It is free of some taxes and popular with Belizian and Mexican citizens and American expats.