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Central America Countries
Places to Visit in Central America
- Belize
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Panama
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Places to Visit in Central America
Belize
A relaxed island spot for families and single travelers alike.
A slender slice of all things easy, Belize makes a big bang out of a little shape. Friendly and English-speaking, Belize’s big draw is its legendary 180-mile barrier reef in the turquoise Caribbean. Visitors can unpack in backpacker beach-huts or more upscale B&Bs on island hubs like Caye Caulker or Ambergris Caye, then head out on cheap snorkel or scuba dives to swim with friendly nurse sharks, stingrays, and even manatees who clamor like dogs for attention. Those preferring longer sea journeys can sign up for a three-day sailing trip to island-hop to snorkel and fishing spots down the coast (about $300, arranged on Caye Caulker). Farther south, Dangriga is a seaside village complete with beach cabanas and glimpses into the local traditional Garífuna culture. The jungle tempts too. An hour inland, boat rides twist through crocodile-filled jungle canals to the Mayan pyramids at Lamanai, while Crooked Tree (30 miles from Belize City) teems with bird life. Belize City’s airport is the main entry point, but most visitors bus out – in old U.S. school buses – after landing. In little Belize,
Places to Visit in Belize
A slender slice of all things easy, Belize makes a big bang out of a little shape. Friendly and English-speaking, Belize’s big draw is its legendary 180-mile barrier reef in the turquoise Caribbean. Visitors can unpack in backpacker beach-huts or more upscale B&Bs on island hubs like Caye Caulker or Ambergris Caye, then head out on cheap snorkel or scuba dives to swim with friendly nurse sharks, stingrays, and even manatees who clamor like dogs for attention. Those preferring longer sea journeys can sign up for a three-day sailing trip to island-hop to snorkel and fishing spots down the coast (about $300, arranged on Caye Caulker). Farther south, Dangriga is a seaside village complete with beach cabanas and glimpses into the local traditional Garífuna culture. The jungle tempts too. An hour inland, boat rides twist through crocodile-filled jungle canals to the Mayan pyramids at Lamanai, while Crooked Tree (30 miles from Belize City) teems with bird life. Belize City’s airport is the main entry point, but most visitors bus out – in old U.S. school buses – after landing. In little Belize,
Places to Visit in Belize
- Caye Caulker
- San Ignacio
- Belize City
- Cayo
- Placencia
- Ambergris Caye
- North Belize
- Belmopan
- South Belize and the southern cayes
- South Belize and the southern cayes
- Tobacco Caye
- Northern cayes
- Dangriga
- Orange Walk
- Corozal
- Sarteneja & Around
El Salvador
Deeply rooted in religion
Despite its rough-edged rep, tiny El Salvador – located on the Pacific, south of Guatemala – is actually the great Latin American secret. New reports spill out about gang violence, but out in the welcoming artsy towns in the mountains or the surf breaks on the Pacific, you’ll find that El Salvador’s really a softy. A two-hour bus ride down from San Salvador, La Libertad is a rad surf town, with the famed La Punta Roca break; there are plenty of surf villages up the coast along the Pacific’s La Costa del Balsamo. Inland looms a mix of artsy mountain villages with handicrafts markets and colorful wildflowers, often near mountain trails with puma tracks and tempting names like "El Imposible." Go to cobblestoned Suchitoto (90 minutes north of San Salvador) for arts fairs and horseback rides to old revolutionary hideouts. Meanwhile, the quiet Ruta de Las Flores (a couple hours west of San Salvador) is a quiet patchwork of mountain villages scented with fresh coffee beans, while high-up Alegría (a few hours to the east) is the country’s flower-growing capital. It all can be seen by bus, though rental cars are also an option.
Places to Visit in El Salvador
Despite its rough-edged rep, tiny El Salvador – located on the Pacific, south of Guatemala – is actually the great Latin American secret. New reports spill out about gang violence, but out in the welcoming artsy towns in the mountains or the surf breaks on the Pacific, you’ll find that El Salvador’s really a softy. A two-hour bus ride down from San Salvador, La Libertad is a rad surf town, with the famed La Punta Roca break; there are plenty of surf villages up the coast along the Pacific’s La Costa del Balsamo. Inland looms a mix of artsy mountain villages with handicrafts markets and colorful wildflowers, often near mountain trails with puma tracks and tempting names like "El Imposible." Go to cobblestoned Suchitoto (90 minutes north of San Salvador) for arts fairs and horseback rides to old revolutionary hideouts. Meanwhile, the quiet Ruta de Las Flores (a couple hours west of San Salvador) is a quiet patchwork of mountain villages scented with fresh coffee beans, while high-up Alegría (a few hours to the east) is the country’s flower-growing capital. It all can be seen by bus, though rental cars are also an option.
Places to Visit in El Salvador
- San Salvador
- Ruta de Las Flores
- Cerro Verde, Volcán Izalco and Santa Ana Volcano
- Cerro Verde and Volcán Izalco
- Suchitoto
- Acajutla
- La Herradura (El Salvador)
- Salinitas
- Around Sonsonate
- Around Sonsonate
- Salcoatitán and Juayúa
- Cojutepeque
- San Miguel
- La Libertad
- West of La Libertad
- Costa del Sol
Hounduras
Lively and deep Central American culture.
A wild Central American grab bag of outdoor adventures and cultural quirks, Honduras spans from Caribbean to Pacific in a broad region too seldom visited. The most popular spot is the Copán ruins near the Guatemala border, where the Mayan world’s most famous sculptures stand amid coffee plantations and mountain trails suitable for walking or horseback riding. Seven hours east by bus, La Ceiba is a party town on the Caribbean, an adventure HQ for Honduras – it hops at Carnival and is a good hub for whitewater rafting or $35 canopy tours over the jungle tops. For the best beaches or dives, ferry to the Bay Islands, the legendary Honduran site of dirt-cheap diving courses, white-sand beaches, English-speaking locals, and beachside bars buzzing to a reggae beat. For a different type of wild activity, La Moskitia is as untamed as the Amazon, but the determined can boat to some indigenous villages. The main entry point, sweaty Tegucigalpa, is not only a mouthful to say but a burden to see (the locals call it "Tegus"). Most visitors try to get out as soon as they get in (by bus, or plane – domestic flights go to La Ceiba), or enter Honduras from Guatemala.
Places to Visit in Honduras
A wild Central American grab bag of outdoor adventures and cultural quirks, Honduras spans from Caribbean to Pacific in a broad region too seldom visited. The most popular spot is the Copán ruins near the Guatemala border, where the Mayan world’s most famous sculptures stand amid coffee plantations and mountain trails suitable for walking or horseback riding. Seven hours east by bus, La Ceiba is a party town on the Caribbean, an adventure HQ for Honduras – it hops at Carnival and is a good hub for whitewater rafting or $35 canopy tours over the jungle tops. For the best beaches or dives, ferry to the Bay Islands, the legendary Honduran site of dirt-cheap diving courses, white-sand beaches, English-speaking locals, and beachside bars buzzing to a reggae beat. For a different type of wild activity, La Moskitia is as untamed as the Amazon, but the determined can boat to some indigenous villages. The main entry point, sweaty Tegucigalpa, is not only a mouthful to say but a burden to see (the locals call it "Tegus"). Most visitors try to get out as soon as they get in (by bus, or plane – domestic flights go to La Ceiba), or enter Honduras from Guatemala.
Places to Visit in Honduras
- Copán Ruinas
- Mosquito Coast
- North coast
- La Mosquitia
- Bay Islands
- Western Honduras
- Utila
- The Northeast
- Tegucigalpa
- Tegucigalpa
- Gracias
- La Mosquitia
- Marcala
- Comayagua
- Santa Bárbara
- San Pedro Sula
Nicaragua
Laid-back culture.
Have you heard about Nicragua yet? Central America’s largest country is also one of its cheapest and safest. And visitors expecting revolution rubble from the 1980s are consistently shocked to find friendly colonial charm, Caribbean beaches, and lava-spewing volcanoes to climb. Skip the capital Managua and start with a few days in Granada or León – rivals since the 16th century, both are choice spots for cobbled-lane wanderings past galleries and cafés. Save energy for the volcanoes though. On Isla de Ometepe, you can hike above the clouds on a towering double-volcano island set in a massive lake with fresh-water sharks. An even more exhilarating journey is a ride down the Río San Juan past Spanish forts and river towns. Save a little time for the beach, though. Back on the Pacific, it’s gringo central at the carefree town San Juan del Sur, where surfboards and hammocks set the tone. Or you can catch a bus east from Managua to El Rama, then hop on a boat at Bluefields to laid-back, English-speaking Little Corn Island in the Caribbean, a great spot for cheap kayaking and snorkeling.
Places to Visit in Nicaragua
Have you heard about Nicragua yet? Central America’s largest country is also one of its cheapest and safest. And visitors expecting revolution rubble from the 1980s are consistently shocked to find friendly colonial charm, Caribbean beaches, and lava-spewing volcanoes to climb. Skip the capital Managua and start with a few days in Granada or León – rivals since the 16th century, both are choice spots for cobbled-lane wanderings past galleries and cafés. Save energy for the volcanoes though. On Isla de Ometepe, you can hike above the clouds on a towering double-volcano island set in a massive lake with fresh-water sharks. An even more exhilarating journey is a ride down the Río San Juan past Spanish forts and river towns. Save a little time for the beach, though. Back on the Pacific, it’s gringo central at the carefree town San Juan del Sur, where surfboards and hammocks set the tone. Or you can catch a bus east from Managua to El Rama, then hop on a boat at Bluefields to laid-back, English-speaking Little Corn Island in the Caribbean, a great spot for cheap kayaking and snorkeling.
Places to Visit in Nicaragua
- Isla Ometepe
- San Juan del Sur
- Corn Islands
- Granada
- Managua
- León
- Central Nicaragua
- East Coast Nicaragua
- North Nicaragua
- North Nicaragua
- Pacific Coast Nicaragua
- Río San Juan and Solentiname Archipelago
- Solentiname Archipelago
- Masaya
- Bluefields
- Esteli
Costa Rica
Jungle adventures for first-time Tarzans (and Janes)
Jungle adventures for first-time Tarzans (and Janes) come true in compact Caribbean-to-Pacific Costa Rica, Latin America’s most tourist-friendly destination. The common entry point, San José, is that rare Latin American capital city with ample reason to linger: the chic nabe San Pedro offers the best nightlife, and day trips reach nearby volcanoes, like Poás Volcano. Some stick with the beachfront condos and luxury jungle eco-lodges, but even curmudgeons find plenty to enjoy, like the swingin’ canopy lines over the jungle tops, hoisted cocktails and surfboards at relaxed beach towns like Playa Tamarindo on Pacific-facing Nicoya Peninsula or Puerto Viejo de Talamanca on the Caribbean. And then there’s the other wildlife, with scores of macaws, "poison arrow" frogs, and howler monkeys to be seen on mountain and jungle trails. Four hours’ north from San José, Monteverde is mountain-central, where you can hike volcanoes or take guided jungle walks in the eerie night. Over on the Caribbean coast, in remote Tortuguero National Park ("Costa Rica’s Amazon"), you can take canal boat trips to sea turtle nesting sites.
Places to Visit in Costa Rica
Jungle adventures for first-time Tarzans (and Janes) come true in compact Caribbean-to-Pacific Costa Rica, Latin America’s most tourist-friendly destination. The common entry point, San José, is that rare Latin American capital city with ample reason to linger: the chic nabe San Pedro offers the best nightlife, and day trips reach nearby volcanoes, like Poás Volcano. Some stick with the beachfront condos and luxury jungle eco-lodges, but even curmudgeons find plenty to enjoy, like the swingin’ canopy lines over the jungle tops, hoisted cocktails and surfboards at relaxed beach towns like Playa Tamarindo on Pacific-facing Nicoya Peninsula or Puerto Viejo de Talamanca on the Caribbean. And then there’s the other wildlife, with scores of macaws, "poison arrow" frogs, and howler monkeys to be seen on mountain and jungle trails. Four hours’ north from San José, Monteverde is mountain-central, where you can hike volcanoes or take guided jungle walks in the eerie night. Over on the Caribbean coast, in remote Tortuguero National Park ("Costa Rica’s Amazon"), you can take canal boat trips to sea turtle nesting sites.
Places to Visit in Costa Rica
- San José
- Montezuma
- Peninsula of Osa
- Cahuita
- Golfito
- Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
- Jacó
- Puerto Limón
- Nicoya
- Nicoya
- Ciudad Quesada (San Carlos)
- Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí
- Guápiles
- Valle Orosí (Orosítal)
- Uvita
- Caribbean Lowlands
Guatemala
Jungles of history
Mayan pyramids lost in jungles, witch towns, moonshine-drinking saints – nothing else is like stunningly beautiful and surreal Guatemala, the first country south of Mexico. It’s certainly Central America’s go-to spot for adventure and peeks into pre-Colombian civilizations (still going strong). In its northeast plains, Tikal is the Mayan world’s greatest attraction – climb a pyramid at sunrise to watch the mist rising over the jungle as howler monkeys scream at the sun. The bulk of visitors split their time between Tikal and the highlands northwest of Guatemala City. There, cone-shaped volcanoes and cartoon-like mountains look over Antigua, one of Central America’s most beloved destinations – with hacienda B&Bs and dozens of cheap Spanish-language schools. Nearby are Chichicastenango’s famed twice-weekly traditional market in an area where pagan rites are still observed and village-lined Lake Atitlán, made from a collapsed volcano cone. Farther north, colonial Quetzaltenango is a quieter Spanish-school hub, located near hot springs and local markets. Brace yourself for some bumps along the way. Other than the $125 flight from Guatemala City to Flores (near Tikal), you can rent drivers or take the legendary "chicken buses," retired U.S. school buses painted in bright colors and stuffed with (yes, chicken-bearing) locals speaking Tzotzil and K'iche' – and, hey, a little Spanish too
Places to Visit in Guatemala
Mayan pyramids lost in jungles, witch towns, moonshine-drinking saints – nothing else is like stunningly beautiful and surreal Guatemala, the first country south of Mexico. It’s certainly Central America’s go-to spot for adventure and peeks into pre-Colombian civilizations (still going strong). In its northeast plains, Tikal is the Mayan world’s greatest attraction – climb a pyramid at sunrise to watch the mist rising over the jungle as howler monkeys scream at the sun. The bulk of visitors split their time between Tikal and the highlands northwest of Guatemala City. There, cone-shaped volcanoes and cartoon-like mountains look over Antigua, one of Central America’s most beloved destinations – with hacienda B&Bs and dozens of cheap Spanish-language schools. Nearby are Chichicastenango’s famed twice-weekly traditional market in an area where pagan rites are still observed and village-lined Lake Atitlán, made from a collapsed volcano cone. Farther north, colonial Quetzaltenango is a quieter Spanish-school hub, located near hot springs and local markets. Brace yourself for some bumps along the way. Other than the $125 flight from Guatemala City to Flores (near Tikal), you can rent drivers or take the legendary "chicken buses," retired U.S. school buses painted in bright colors and stuffed with (yes, chicken-bearing) locals speaking Tzotzil and K'iche' – and, hey, a little Spanish too
Places to Visit in Guatemala
- Antigua
- Guatemala City
- Livingston
- Panajachel
- Todos Santos Cuchumatán
- Zona Viva
- 4 Grados Norte
- Semuc Champey
- Lake Atitlán and around
- Lake Atitlán and around
- Around Lake Atitlán
- Chichicastenango
- Escuintla
- Central Highlands
- El Remate
- San Juan Atitan
Panama
A country with a lot of historical influence.
Still off the radar of most travelers, Panama – sandwiched between the Pacific and the Caribbean, right where Central America meets South – is as lush, mountainous, and wild as neighboring Costa Rica (or even the Amazon) but with much more elbow room. Start in Panama City, hoof around the Havana-like cobbled district Casco Viejo, and then see the famed Panama Canal. The sea’s always nearby in slender Panama, but inland adventures should not be overlooked, particularly rafting trips and mountain hikes in the coffee country around Boquete in the Chiriquí Highlands. On the Caribbean coast, Bocas del Toro is a popular constellation of half a dozen islands with beaches, diving trips, and sea turtles – and increasing numbers of condos. Over on the Pacific, far quieter Santa Catalina is Panama’s premier surf spot with five-dollar beach cabanas and local fishers offering snorkel trips. Those bent on real adventure – but not of the type found in druggy port town Colón – can consider perhaps the hemisphere’s most intense trip into the rugged Darién Gap, which borders Colombia. With a guide, boat trips navigate puma lairs along thickly jungled canals – book a tour or arrange a boat in La Palma, reachable by air from Panama City. That’s as "out there" as you can get.
Places to Visit in Panama
Still off the radar of most travelers, Panama – sandwiched between the Pacific and the Caribbean, right where Central America meets South – is as lush, mountainous, and wild as neighboring Costa Rica (or even the Amazon) but with much more elbow room. Start in Panama City, hoof around the Havana-like cobbled district Casco Viejo, and then see the famed Panama Canal. The sea’s always nearby in slender Panama, but inland adventures should not be overlooked, particularly rafting trips and mountain hikes in the coffee country around Boquete in the Chiriquí Highlands. On the Caribbean coast, Bocas del Toro is a popular constellation of half a dozen islands with beaches, diving trips, and sea turtles – and increasing numbers of condos. Over on the Pacific, far quieter Santa Catalina is Panama’s premier surf spot with five-dollar beach cabanas and local fishers offering snorkel trips. Those bent on real adventure – but not of the type found in druggy port town Colón – can consider perhaps the hemisphere’s most intense trip into the rugged Darién Gap, which borders Colombia. With a guide, boat trips navigate puma lairs along thickly jungled canals – book a tour or arrange a boat in La Palma, reachable by air from Panama City. That’s as "out there" as you can get.
Places to Visit in Panama
- Panama City
- Boquete
- Bocas del Toro
- Casco Viejo
- East of the Canal
- Amador Causeway
- Penonome
- San Blas Islands
- Chitré
- Chitré
- West of the Canal
- The Azuero Peninsula
- Golfo de Chiriqui
- Bocas del Toro Archipelago
- Chiriquí Lowlands
- David