I’m proud to say that as of January 2019, I’ve visited all of the Central American countries. The shortest experience was a mere 8 hours on a Honduran island, and the longest was 11 days in Nicaragua. Belize was also too quick as it was a cruise stop, and I didn’t get nearly enough Panama with just a single afternoon and night. But my passport was officially stamped, and I hit the ground running with the time allotted, so I can take credit for visiting… right?! I consider this to be a personal achievement and have no doubt I’ll be back to continue exploring the must-see places I missed.
Honduras and Belize. Two cruise stops during a college spring break trip, I spent afternoons on Roatan Island, Honduras and in Belize City, Belize. I do not like cruises for several reasons. Besides the obvious implications like pollution and food waste, I find it incredibly teasing to have such limited blocks of time for each stop. While I had fun zip lining in Honduras and ATVing the Belizean jungle, these are two countries I know I’ll be re-visiting. Perhaps I should add getting scuba certified in Utila, and inner tube bar-hopping in Caye Caulker to my tropical bucket list…
Panama. A few years back I flew from Medellin, Colombia to Quito, Ecuador, and was able to finagle a 20-hour layover in Panama City in between. One of the first things that struck me about the capital city was the heat. It was brutally hot on that afternoon as I wandered the historic, colorful streets of Casco Viejo (a UNESCO world heritage site). That evening I had dinner in a more modern part of the city, and dropped into a casino for a bit before retreating back to my hostel for beers in the courtyard. An epic sunrise greeted me as I awoke at the crack of dawn to return to the airport. I’d love to go back to Panama and spend time basking in the Bocas del Toro Caribbean vibes. I could also be persuaded to spend a half day or so at the Panama Canal.
Nicaragua. I’ve posted separately about last year’s solo trip to Nicaragua because a) I had great experiences and pictures to share and b) Nicaragua has been in a bad state since April of 2018. The government continues to actively repress public protests and the media, and as a result, the country faces recession as tourism plummets. It seems frivolous to even daydream about at this point but while visiting, I bathed in chocolate in Granada, hiked a volcano on Ometepe Island, surfed in San Juan del Sur (Playa Maderas), and boarded down a volcano in Leon. I absolutely loved my time in this country.
Costa Rica. In all honesty, I wasn’t stoked to go to Costa Rica because I assumed it would be heavily tourist-ridden, which tends to negatively impact my experience. Thankfully this wasn’t the case, I think in great part due to our careful accommodation planning. The last place you’ll ever catch me is at a resort (unless paid for by someone else -ha), and on that note we carefully selected rentals in San Jose, Tamarindo, and Tilaran at Lake Arenal (instead of busier La Fortuna). I spent a nice week road-tripping with my family and we lucked out with almost perfect weather. Highlights included dinner at Posada de las Brujas in Escazu, beach hopping and turtle touring under the most starry sky I’ve ever witnessed at Playa Grande, hiking at Viento Fresco, and dropping into the jungle on a surprise tarzan swing as part of a zipline course at the Arenal Volcano. While Costa Rica is expensive, it’s a seriously beautiful country full of nice scenery and jam-packed with adventure. It’s a great place to travel solo, with friends, or with family.
Guatemala. I love, love, loved Guatemala and will happily return in the future if the opportunity presents itself. I will create a dedicated blog post later, but Guatemala highlights included a crazy New Years Eve hike (and camping) on Volcano Acatenango – easily one of the hardest hikes I’ve completed, recovery in historic Antigua, hiking Indian Nose and boating around beautiful Lake Atitlan, waking up with the jungle in northern Guatemala at Tikal, and an unplanned day swimming in turquoise Lake Peten Itza. This country is affordable and safe, and we really had a great time.
El Salvador. My final country in Central America! Tourists don’t generally prioritize El Salvador because of safety concerns but we had a lovely visit to the coast, spending two days in El Tunco, a charming little surf town. We ate delicious pupusas, drank micheladas in the sunshine, explored caves, and roamed the La Libertad fish market. We also chartered a fishing trip – for only $120 – and Matt caught a yellowfin tuna, which our captain then cleaned and cooked for us. Our final night was spent in San Salvador. I’m so glad we saw what El Salvador was for ourselves versus assuming the worst! People can be so overly paranoid.
So now that I’ve visited every country in this region, what’s next? I have two goals from here. The first is to share my experiences and (limited, humbled) knowledge with friends and acquaintances. At the core, I want to inspire people to travel to Central America, to places that they may initially be unsure about or afraid of, because of negative misconceptions. Second, I want to see more of the places I didn’t have enough time in (like Honduras and Panama), and I want to return to the areas that sparked genuine happiness (like Ometepe Island and Lake Atitlan).
Everything you’ve ever wanted is one step outside your comfort zone. Identify your travel goals, research how to make them happen, and execute. The world is your oyster.
