FLIGHT REVIEW: Tropic Air Cessna Caravan From BZE to Ambergris Caye, Belize (SPR)
FLIGHT REVIEW: Tropic Air Cessna Caravan From BZE to Ambergris Caye, Belize (SPR)
In September, my husband and I planned a trip to Belize for Labor Day. We decided we wanted to spend the weekend on one of the many cayes there. We decided on Ambergris Caye because there was a Hilton property (Mahogany Bay Resort and Beach Club, Curio Collection by Hilton) that looked really nice. The hotel was absolutely wonderful.
In order to get there, you can either take a ferry, which takes a few hours, or you can take a 15-minute plane ride with Tropic Air that flyies into San Pedro, the town on the caye. We considered both, but given it was a weekend trip, we decided to save a few hours and take a plane. It was definitely the right decision because it was both convenient and absolutely beautiful.
Tropic Air is a local airline that does flights within Central America. They have flights about every 20 minutes from Belize City International (BZE). This makes it very convenient when you’re connecting from an international flight.
Cost
We spent $150 each for a roundtrip to Ambergris Caye and back.
Arrival in BZE
The process is incredibly east when connected from an international flight (as most people do). We arrived, wen through immigration, and then circled right back into the terminal for domestic flights. We went to the check-in counter, where are bags were checked and we received a card for boarding. It’s not an actual boarding pass. You get a plastic boarding pass that you hand into them when you board.
We entered through security and went to the counter to let them know we were there. The terminal actually is pretty lively. I’d suggest checking out the Belikin bar in the terminal. They had a chocolate stout that was absolutely amazing. Belikin is a domestic beer in Belize, and it was enjoyable to be at a Belmopan-branded bar at the terminal trying their different beers.
Boarding
The terminal is small so you can see the planes landing and taking off. After about 20 minutes, we were escorted to the plane. They try to distribute people by weight as you’re boarding. On the flight to Ambergris Caye, we were seated in the back bench row that seats 3. It’s right next to the back door so it cave us an opportunity to get some cool pictures. On the return flight, we were two rows behind the cockpit, which gave us the chance to see the landing from the eyes of the cockpit — pretty neat.
The Flight
Not much to right about on the flight besides the beauty of flying over the cayes and seeing the beautiful blue water. The flight lasted a short 20 minutes from taxi to taxi. There was no inflight service, in case you were wondering!
Service
Every person, from the check-in counter to the gate agents to the pilots and ground crews, were incredibly warm and friendly. It’s how you’d want every airline to treat you when you fly them. Hands down, they were the kindest airline employees I’ve dealt with. They always had a smile on their face and happy to help you.
Safety
Some people may worry about the safety of the airline since it’s a local Belizean airline. The airline has a gold rating by ARGUS, and the airline has had no fatalities as of the time of this writing. The last incident with the airline occurred in 2017 when a plane was forced to land after clipping a vehicle on takeoff.
Bottom Line
If you have the chance to take this flight to Ambergris Caye, I’d advise it! It’s a beautiful view and it’s very convenient. On top of that, the airline staff is very friendly. While the ferry is cheaper, I definitely think it’s worth experiencing the flight to the island.
