Xunantunich is a Maya site in Belize: NICH, Belize’s heritage institute, places it in the Cayo District, close to San Jose Succotz village, with the Mopan River crossed by a hand-cranked ferry. A non-resident pays BZ$25 (US$12.50) between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. under Belize’s 2025 admission rules. On top of that, Belize charges BZ$40 (US$20) when you leave by land. From Flores, the published shuttle times leave about four hours in Belize, which makes a same-day trip possible only with tight timing.
TL;DR: Shuttle out of Flores at 06:00, cross at Melchor de Mencos, take the ferry over the Mopan, pay BZ$25 at Xunantunich, and be back in San Ignacio for a 14:00 shuttle. Or stay a night in San Ignacio. US, Canadian, UK and Australian passports need no visa for Belize.
Quick summary
| Item | Figure | Source (read 4 November 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Xunantunich entry, non-resident, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | BZ$25 (US$12.50; about C$17.48 / £9.74) | SI No. 13 of 2025, Schedule |
| Early (5:00–7:59 a.m.) or late (5:01–7:00 p.m.) slot | BZ$20 | SI No. 13 of 2025, Schedule |
| Hours on NICH’s ticket page | Daily, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., including Sundays and holidays | NICH ticketing |
| Last tour | 1 hour before closing (driving), 1.5 hours (walking) | NICH ticketing |
| Belize exit charges, land border | BZ$40 (BZ$30 + BZ$2.50 + BZ$7.50) | Border Management Agency |
| Belize western border hours | Open 24 hours, Monday to Sunday | Border Management Agency |
| Shuttle Flores → San Ignacio | 06:00 daily; est. 4 h (Gekko); US$30, 6 h (Adrenalina’s list) | Operators’ own pages |
| Shuttle San Ignacio → Flores | 14:00 daily, est. 4 h | Gekko Trails Explorer |
Conversions: the Central Bank of Belize has fixed the buying rate at BZ$2.00 to US$1.00. CAD and GBP figures use Banco de Guatemala’s reference rates for 3 November 2026.
Entry fee and opening hours
Belize’s Statutory Instrument No. 13 of 2025, the National Institute of Culture and History (Admission Fees and Opening Hours) Rules, 2025, came into force on 1 January 2025. Its schedule groups Xunantunich with Lamanai:
| Time slot | Xunantunich fee |
|---|---|
| 5:00 a.m. – 7:59 a.m. | BZ$20 |
| 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. | BZ$25 non-resident; BZ$10 resident |
| 5:01 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | BZ$20 |
The two official sources disagree on hours. Rule 2(2) of the 2025 rules opens Xunantunich 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in March–September and 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in October–February. NICH’s own ticket page lists 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day. If you are counting on an early or late slot, confirm with NICH first. The ticket page also limits each guide to 15 visitors.
You can buy tickets on NICH’s ticket site, which lists Xunantunich at $10.00 to $25.00. Its terms say prices are in Belize dollars, that tickets are non-refundable, and that a ticket is valid for entry up to six months after purchase.
The Mopan River ferry
NICH says every visit includes crossing the Mopan River by hand-cranked ferry. Two of its rules matter if you arrive by car or taxi: all passengers must get out of the vehicle at the ferry, and horseback riders must dismount. NICH also sets the last tour by how you arrive: one hour before closing if you drive, one and a half hours before closing if you walk.
Crossing the border
The route from Flores runs through the Melchor de Mencos–Benque Viejo crossing. Our Melchor de Mencos border crossing page covers posts, hours and colectivos in detail. For a Xunantunich day trip, these are the rules that apply:
- Belize entry: the Belize Immigration Department’s visa table lists the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand as not needing a visa, with 180 days given for US citizens.
- Leaving Belize: the Border Management Agency charges BZ$30 departure + BZ$2.50 border development + BZ$7.50 PACT = BZ$40 on departure through any land border or sea port. It applies to everyone who is not a Belize citizen or permanent resident; the agency’s fee and FAQ pages list no same-day exemption. The western border is open 24 hours.
- Leaving and re-entering Guatemala: Guatemala’s migration tariff (Acuerdo IGM-029-2023, numeral 4.2) lists no exit fee. The UK Foreign Office says Guatemala’s online immigration declaration must be completed before every entry and exit. It also warns that officials at land borders sometimes ask for an illegal entry fee and suggests asking for an official receipt.
- Your Guatemala stay: for how a trip into Belize interacts with Guatemala’s CA-4 stay, see the CA-4 border run before you treat it as a visa reset.
Getting there and back: the timing
| Leg | Published time | Operator |
|---|---|---|
| Flores → San Ignacio | 06:00 daily; estimated 4 hours | Gekko Trails Explorer |
| Flores → San Ignacio | 06:00 daily; 6 hours on its Flores list; US$30; book 48 hours ahead | Adrenalina Tours |
| San Ignacio → Flores | 14:00 daily; estimated 4 hours | Gekko Trails Explorer |
Gekko’s own times give an arrival in San Ignacio around 10:00 and a return departure at 14:00, so about four hours in Belize before border queues. Adrenalina’s six-hour estimate would leave about two. Our Flores to San Ignacio page compares both sellers and the colectivo-and-bus route.
Guided tours. TikalGo sells a private Xunantunich tour that starts in San Ignacio, not Flores. Its page lists hotel pickup at 09:00, the site from 09:30 to 12:30, lunch at 1:00 p.m. and drop-off at 2:30 p.m., for $129 with “2 PAX” beside the price (minimum two people). The tour includes ground transport, the entrance fee, a guide, lunch and water. Its 14:30 finish leaves no time for Gekko’s 14:00 shuttle back to Flores, so pairing it with a shuttle means at least one night in San Ignacio. None of these Flores operator pages (Adrenalina’s Flores tours, TikalGo’s Flores tours, Gekko’s shuttles) lists a same-day Xunantunich tour starting in Flores.
What a same-day trip costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Shuttle Flores → San Ignacio (Adrenalina) | US$30 |
| Xunantunich entry, non-resident | BZ$25 (US$12.50) |
| Belize exit charges | BZ$40 (US$20) |
| Return shuttle, local transport to the ferry, guide | Not published on the pages above |
The published items add up to US$62.50 (about C$87 / £49) before the return leg and local transfers.
Should you do it?
Given the shuttle times above, Xunantunich fits more easily into a trip with a night in San Ignacio than into a return trip from Flores. Our Guatemala and Belize itinerary and Guatemala or Belize guides cover the bigger route choice. For a Maya site on the Guatemalan side without a border crossing, compare Yaxhá, which is reached from Flores by the same road toward Melchor de Mencos.
Sources
- Government of Belize, SI No. 13 of 2025, NICH (Admission Fees and Opening Hours) Rules, 2025 (Internet Archive copy of 12 March 2025), read 4 November 2026
- NICH, Xunantunich ticket page, read 4 November 2026
- NICH, Policies, Terms & Conditions, read 4 November 2026
- Belize Department of Immigration and Nationality, Visa: Who Qualify, read 4 November 2026
- Border Management Agency of Belize, Travel & Cargo Fees and FAQs, read 4 November 2026
- Central Bank of Belize, home page exchange-rate notice, read 4 November 2026
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Guatemala entry requirements, read 4 November 2026
- Instituto Guatemalteco de Migración, Acuerdo IGM-029-2023 tariff, numeral 4.2, read 16 September 2026
- Gekko Trails Explorer, Shuttle Flores to San Ignacio and Shuttle San Ignacio to Flores, read 4 November 2026
- Adrenalina Tours, Shuttle Flores to San Ignacio and Flores shuttle list, read 4 November 2026
- TikalGo, Xunantunich Exclusive Tour from San Ignacio, read 4 November 2026
- TikalGo, Tours from Flores, and Adrenalina Tours, Flores tours, read 4 November 2026
- Banco de Guatemala reference exchange rates, business day 3 November 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the entrance fee to Xunantunich?
BZ$25 for a non-resident between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., under Belize’s National Institute of Culture and History (Admission Fees and Opening Hours) Rules, 2025, in force since 1 January 2025. The same rules set BZ$20 for the 5:00 to 7:59 a.m. and 5:01 to 7:00 p.m. slots. NICH’s ticket site says its prices are in Belize dollars. At the Central Bank of Belize’s fixed BZ$2.00 to US$1.00 rate, BZ$25 is US$12.50.
Can you do Xunantunich as a day trip from Flores?
Only on a tight schedule. Gekko Trails Explorer’s shared shuttle leaves Flores at 6:00 a.m. for San Ignacio (estimated 4 hours), and its return leaves San Ignacio at 2:00 p.m. (estimated 4 hours). That leaves about four hours in Belize on paper. A private car, or a night in San Ignacio, gives you more time. None of the Flores operator pages listed in this guide’s sources sells a same-day Xunantunich tour starting in Flores.
Do US, Canadian, UK and Australian citizens need a visa for Belize?
No. Belize’s Immigration Department lists the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand as not needing a visa. The table gives US citizens 180 days before a visa is needed.
What does it cost to leave Belize at the border?
BZ$40 in total: a BZ$30 departure fee, a BZ$2.50 border development fee and a BZ$7.50 PACT fee, payable by anyone who is not a Belize citizen or permanent resident, per Belize’s Border Management Agency. That is US$20 at the fixed rate.
How does the Xunantunich ferry work?
NICH’s ticket page says every visit includes crossing the Mopan River by hand-cranked ferry. All passengers have to get out of their vehicle at the ferry, and horseback riders must dismount. The last tour is one hour before closing for drivers and one and a half hours before closing for walkers.
