Everybody seated
No standing on the back and no sitting on the rail. It is the single most common cause of injury on the island.
Driving a golf cart in San Pedro is easy, and that is exactly why visitors get caught out. It feels like a fairground ride, so people treat it like one. It is a vehicle on a public road, and the police here treat it as such.
None of this is complicated. Read it once before you set off and you will fit in with how the island actually drives.
The short version
Golf Cart Do's and Don'ts on Ambergris Caye
Sixteen rules that cover almost every situation a visitor runs into. The left column keeps you legal, the right column keeps everybody safe.
Please do
- Carry your licence. A valid driving licence from your home country is required to drive a cart in Belize.
- Drive on the right hand side of the road, the same as the United States and mainland Belize.
- Give way to pedestrians and cyclists. Front Street in town is shared space and people walk in it.
- Use your headlights after dark. Streets outside the town centre are unlit in long stretches.
- Park with all four wheels off the roadway, and never within 30 feet of a street corner.
- Check the kerb before you park. A red line means no parking, and taxi zones are for taxis only.
- Keep to the 10 mph speed limit in town. It is lower than it feels and it is enforced.
- Return the cart with the fuel level it had at handover.
Please never
- Never drink and drive. Belize enforces this on golf carts exactly as it does on cars.
- Never carry more than four in a 4 seater or six in a 6 seater. Standing on the back is a common cause of injury here.
- Do not let anyone without a licence drive, including children, however quiet the street looks.
- Do not leave the key in an unattended cart, even for a minute outside a shop.
- Do not drive into the sea or through standing salt water. Salt destroys the drivetrain.
- Do not attempt repairs yourself. Call us and a mechanic comes out.
- Do not use a phone in your hand while driving.
- Do not drive into the Central Park block between 6pm and 6am on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. It is closed to traffic.
Licences and Who Can Drive
A valid driving licence from your home country is required to drive a golf cart in Belize. Carry it while you are driving rather than leaving it at the hotel, because you will be asked for it if you are stopped.
Only licensed drivers named at handover should be at the wheel. It is tempting to let a teenager take the cart down a quiet stretch of Laguna Drive, and it is the fastest way to turn a small scrape into a serious problem.
We check licences at handover. It takes thirty seconds and it protects both of us.
On the road
How Traffic Works in San Pedro
There are very few road signs here and even fewer traffic lights. Most of it runs on local habit, which is easy once somebody explains it.
Drive on the right
Same as the United States. Overtaking is rare and rarely necessary at cart speeds.
Pedestrians first
Front Street and much of the town centre are shared space. People walk in the road and they have priority.
Speed
Slow through town, slower across the bridge, slowest around schools and the market in the morning.
Barrier Reef Drive
Front street, one way northbound only. Parking is on the right hand side only.
Pescador Drive
Middle street, one way southbound only. Parking is on the right hand side only.
Angel Coral Street
Back street, two way. Parking is permitted on the east side only.
Central Park block
Closed to traffic entirely from 6pm to 6am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Speed limit
10 mph through town. Carts feel slow and still exceed it easily on a clear stretch.
Night driving
Headlights on. Long stretches of the coast road north and south have no street lighting at all.
Sand streets
Braking distance doubles on loose sand, and it gets worse after rain. Leave room.
Parking Without Annoying Anybody
Parking is where visitors most often cause friction without meaning to. Streets are narrow, businesses need their entrances, and a badly parked cart blocks a whole lane.
- All four wheels off the roadway
- Never within 30 feet of a street corner
- A red line on the kerb means no parking
- Taxi parking zones are for taxis only
- Right hand side only on Barrier Reef and Pescador Drive
- East side only on Angel Coral Street
- Take the key with you, every single time
- Leave nothing visible in the cart overnight
Carts are rarely stolen here, but things left on the seat do disappear. Treat it the way you would treat an unlocked bicycle at home.
The Bridge and the Road North
The Boca Del Rio bridge is the crossing between town and everything north, including Secret Beach. The toll is included in your rental, so you do not need to stop and pay, but you do need to cross at a crawl. It is narrow, busy, and shared with pedestrians and cyclists.
North of the bridge the road is good for long stretches and rough in patches. Take it steadily, keep to the made surface, and give the golf cart taxis room since they know the potholes and you do not.
Keeping everyone in one piece
Safety Rules That Actually Matter Here
Three that come up again and again in island incidents, and all three are entirely avoidable.
Never after drinking
Enforced on carts exactly as on cars. Taxis run late and are cheap. Use them.
Watch for cyclists
Many islanders cycle without lights after dark. Assume they are there and drive to that assumption.
If it goes wrong
Breakdowns, Bumps and Accidents
What to do, in order, if something happens. Save the Belize number to your phone before you set off.
-
1
Check everyone first
People before the cart, always. If anybody is hurt, call for help before you do anything else.
-
2
Leave the cart where it is
If there has been a collision or an injury, do not move it until you have been told to.
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3
Call us
The Belize number reaches somebody at any hour. Tell us roughly where you are and what happened.
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4
We come out
A mechanic attends. If the cart cannot go back on the road, a replacement is brought to you.
Returning the Cart
Return it with the same amount of fuel it had at handover. Leave it at your departure point, or wherever we agreed, and take your belongings with you. There is no queue, no inspection to wait around for, and nothing to sign.
Damage caused during the rental is chargeable, which is exactly why we walk around the cart together at the start. Both sides know what condition it was in and there is nothing to argue about at the end.
Rules questions
Questions About Driving Here
Licences, ages, beaches and what the police actually enforce on golf carts.
No. A valid licence from your home country is what is required, and you should carry it with you whenever you are driving the cart.
Four in a 4 seater and six in a 6 seater. Those are the maximums for our carts and they are not negotiable, so book the right size or take a second cart.
The right, the same as the United States and Canada. Junctions in San Pedro are informal, so approach them slowly and make eye contact.
No. Carts stay on roads and sand streets. Salt water and beach sand wreck the drivetrain, and it is not permitted in any case.
Yes, exactly as it is in a car. Police enforce it on golf carts, and a night out is a good reason to walk or take a taxi instead.
Make sure everyone is safe, do not move the cart if anybody is hurt, and call us straight away on the Belize number. We will guide you through it from there.
Ready to drive the island?
Bring your licence. We will bring the cart to wherever you land.