Can I enjoy a vacation in Belize if I have motion sickness?

October 20, 2008 7:08 PM

I am in the middle of planning a trip to Belize for this February. From what I've read, the roads are bumpy, and you have to take little boats to the snorkeling spots. I get motion sick. Am I going to be miserable in Belize?

I know a bunch of MeFites have been to Belize, and it sounds wonderful. My plan is to spend half the vacation in the Cayo and half on the beach (maybe a Caye?). I want to travel by bus to Tikal. I want to take a boat to go snorkel in an atoll. Do people prone to motion sickness do these things? I mean, without barfing a lot?

p.s. I am not looking for motion-sickness remedies. Bonine works for me, sometimes, but also makes me pretty sleepy, so I'd rather not be on it a whole week.

posted by chowflap to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

The main highways are fine, but if you want to get a bit off the beaten path the roads are indeed crappy. They are so crappy that its pretty difficult to drive very fast at all. My gut (ha!) feeling is that if you stick to the well-travelled routes, you'll be fine; and even if you don't, you won't get too carsick on the roads, because you won't be going particularly fast. Another option is to rent your own car (we did so, and it was fabulous).

If you go to any of the Cayes you do have to take a little powerboat that skips over the waves; and if you do any snorkeling out at the reef, you again have to take a smaller powerboat to get there. The rides are pretty short - no longer than 45 minutes or so - and the guides are pretty chill. I'm inclined to say that its worth it. The second you're swimming among the rays off Caye Caulker, that barfiness will be a thing of the past

If you have any specific questions, Mefimail me!
posted by googly at 8:10 PM on October 20, 2008

I've been to Belize five times, and I agree with everything googly says. You can also take Tropic Air or Maya Air to the Cayes, or to most of the major Belize destinations. But the water taxis aren't bad -- they're pretty big, and there aren't many waves inside the reef.

Snorkeling is a different story, because it's usually by small motorboat. Which Atoll are you considering? If it's Turneffe, you will probably get sick. I did. I was married on Caye Caulker six months ago, and we took a boatful of guests diving and snorkeling to Turneffe. We were all feeling pretty woozy, even with the Dramamine. The ride out an hour long. However, the snorkeling at Hol Chan Marine Reserve and other, closer spots is just as fantastic. I love Shark Ray Alley/Village every time.

I've spent a lot of time in Cayo as well. The Western Highway is paved all the way to San Ignacio. It isn't much worse than a US two-lane highway. You should be fine. And Cayo is so so beautiful.

HOWEVER, the road between the Belize border and Tikal is shit. Not the worst I've been on, but it's awfully choppy (I was there just two months ago). If bumpy roads make you sick, I recommend taking the pills before the ride, then spending a night at one of the hotels in Flores (lovely!) or inside Tikal National Park, before exploring the ruins in the morning. That way, sleepiness won't affect your hike.

you can mefimail me as well for more details/recommendations. Enjoy!
posted by changeling at 8:21 PM on October 20, 2008

My 2 girlfriends and I just returned from Belize two weeks ago. We planned on staying at Blackrock Lodge. They warned us that the roads could be bumpy, and suggested getting a 4x4. The hotel was 6 miles off the main Western Highway down a dirt road. (this was about 15 min past San Ignacia) We got about 3 miles down the road, which took over 30 minutes to accomplish to find a pretty fast moving body of water oveer the road. At this time its pitch dark and as we tried to walk across the water and assess the situation the water rose above our knees. We then decided not to risk it and turned around.
We ended up staying in a hotel on the main road, and because of our situation this very fancy boutique hotel ended p giving us great rates and we didn't have to travel down those really bad roads every day. The fancy place was called K'aana, I am pitching this because its somewhat near Guatemala in the Cayo district, on the main road and they were incredibly helpful in assisting us with the border crossing into Guatemala, and connections with tour operators, which I recommend for Tikal, since the place is so expansive.
Yes as stated above the roads in Guatemala are filled with HUGE potholes, and the Western Highway, as much as it might be paved has its own choppy parts and these insane speed bumps every 5 miles.
Take it easy, take it slow, but the over all experience is incredible and just part of the adventure.
Email me if you need any ideas/ names of any places. As I mentioned I just came back and due to the economy and being the slow season MANY places wwere closed. There were probably 2 other people in all of Tikal that we saw the entire day. very weird.
posted by brinkzilla at 4:35 AM on October 21, 2008

Seconding using a tour operator for the trip to Tikal, particularly in light of the carsickness. We bussed it over the border to stay at El Remate by Lago Peten and bounced along those pockmarked roads the entire way, while we saw the smaller operators taking their time on the bad stretches.

In Cayo, we stayed at the Five Sisters Lodge. The roads were rough in places, but the driver who took us from the bus "station" in San Ignacio took his time so it really wasn't too bad. Heck, if it wasn't for the tarantula who decided to circumnavigate the interior wall of our cabana, keeping my wife awake (and sitting on the floor in the middle of the room) all night, we'd have no complaints.

On the other end in the Cayes though, I'd probably give the exact opposite advice for someone who gets motion sickness...go with the bigger snorkeling tours so you'll wind up on a bigger, more stable boat. We had a guy with what basically amounted to a rowboat with an outboard engine take us out one day and it can get pretty damn bumpy when you get up to speed.

Mind you, I think every great adventure begins with a bumpy ride.
posted by JaredSeth at 6:09 AM on October 21, 2008

Thanks, all of you were helpful but I favorited changeling because she was able to answer more of my questions via memail. I've booked the trip, staying at the Midas Resort in San Ignacio for a few days, then I'm planning on spending a night at the Jungle Inn at Tikal (they won't take reservations this far in advance), and then we'll be at Shirley's Guest House on Caye Caulker. Right now we are planning public transportation for everything, which I may come to regret -- we'll see. The part I am most unsure about is getting from San Ignacio to Tikal with all of our luggage (not a huge amount, but a day pack plus a suitcase) while dealing with a bus and a border crossing, etc. Midas can arrange a taxi for us, but it's $100 each way, so we're looking for alternatives.
And my partner is fine with sticking to Shark Ray Alley and the other close-by snorkeling spots. No Turneffe for me.
Anyway, I will stock up on Bonine before the trip! Thanks everyone.
posted by chowflap at 8:48 AM on November 20, 2008