I have finally talked my wife into going to Belize! Does any one have any experience in getting into the surrounding countries?

I know we may probable need passports, but what about car rentals and border crossings?

Thank you for any help or advice in this matter!

I realize it's probably too late to do you any good now, but I figured I'd go ahead and answer in case someone searches later. This is the problem with highly-fragmented forums...nobody ever reads most of them :rolleyes:

Anyway.

You can rent a car in Belize but be aware that it's expensive and probably not that good an idea. You'll need a 4x4 as pretty much only the main highways are paved and there are still occasional reports of random tourists being robbed on the highways near the Guatemalan border. I think a better option, especially if you want to visit other countries, is to take a tour arranged by wherever you're staying.

Most likely you'll want to visit Guatemala and Tikal, so just do a tour from your lodge/guesthouse. They'll have a driver who knows how to get you into and out of Guatemala safely. He'll probably load you and a few others up into a big old Suburban and off you go. He'll handle passports, etc., and point out someone changing money at the border who won't rip you off (too much).