Stay Clear Tips
Nicaragua, Panama and Costa Rica are generally safer than Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Belize. Some areas of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala suffer from the maras (street gangs), they also have the highest crime rates in the region. Like in Mexico, sadly the police are often not seen as reliable or trustworthy. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reported last year that Guatemala had the highest murder rate in all of Latin America, with 70.0 homicides per 100,000 population. In comparison, the murder rate in the U.S.A. is 5.6 homicides per 100,000 population. Night-time travel is dangerous anywhere in Central America, especially in national capitals. Illegal drugs are common in the region, stay clear!
Unless you a dare devil or want to end your life, under no circumstances do you cross into South America through the Darien Gap.
Stay healthy
- Toilets are not always as readily available as what you may be used to in your own country, so take advantage of places where they are such as museums and restaurants. In many cases toilet paper will not be provided so it is best not to be caught short and carry your own. Water to wash hands is not always available so carrying antiseptic hand gel is a good idea. Trash cans are provided in all toilets for the disposal of toilet paper because the sewage systems in Central America cannot cope with it.
Malaria pills are a good idea but often expensive.