We travelled overland from Panama to Costa Rica, then to Nicaragua and El Salvador, and from there to Guatemala and the Yucatan in Mexico. Read about our trip here.
Maybe it’s just us, but we’d never heard of Guanajuato until recently. But having read that it was one of Mexico’s most picturesque towns, and it lay on our route from Mexico City to the country’s second biggest city, Guadalajara, we decided to check it out. As things transpired it turned out to be one of the most visually attractive and interesting colonial towns we’d visited in Latin America.
Read MoreTikal, the ancient Mayan city in Northern Guatemala is probably only surpassed by Chichen Itza on the “must see” list of Mayan archaeological sites. But how does it stack up against Monte Alban, the significant site of their neighbours, the Zapotecs of Southern Mexico? Here's what we thought.
Read MoreWe took a day trip from the small Guatemalan town of Lanquin to the nearby limestone caves and amazing natural pools of Semuc Champey. The day consisted of an awesome river cave experience, tubing down the river with beers in hand (provided mid stream by some enterprising locals), a hike to an impressive vantage point overlooking Semuc, and a well earned dip in the pools to finish the day. All in all one of our best days ever in Central America.
Read MoreWhen we booked several nights’ accommodation in Oaxaca, Mexico for the Christmas period we were blissfully unaware that our arrival day, 23 December is one of the city’s biggest nights – the Noche de los Rábanos or Night of the Radishes. Every year on the night of 23 December displays of intricately carved giant radishes are displayed in the Zocalo (Central Plaza). Here's what we saw.
Read MoreThis post describes our trip from Punta Gorda in Southern Belize, via Livingston and Rio Dulce(Sweet River) in Guatemala to Copan Ruinas in Honduras. We had trouble getting clear, accurate information on transport options for some of this trip so thought it was worth retelling our experience here.
long the way we take a series of boat, bus and colectivos (small minivan collective taxis) to finally get to our destination, Copan Ruinas, Honduras's most important Mayan Archaeological site.
Read MoreIn 1982 I visited Belize with my mate Muz Paddison and we spent some idyllic days on the small island of Caye Caulker, just off the coast of Belize City. There were few travellers and little in the way of tourist amenity and infrastructure back then. It really felt like an unknown tropical paradise.
Fast forward 35 years and things are very different now. Tourism is Belize's number one industry and Caye Caulker is in the frontline. Needless to say the Caye Caulker of 2016 is almost unrecognizable from that of 1982. Here's what we found.
Read MoreLamanai is a Mayan archaeological site in Northern Belize. It was occupied for over three thousand years from 1500 BC until the 19th Century AD. A boat trip up the New River from Orange Walk Town is the preferred method for accessing Lamanai, which is what we chose to do. There are only a small number of temples and other buildongs that can be visited as most of the 700 plus strutures remain buried under thick jungle. Nevertheless we found Lamanai an excellent choice for a day trip.
Read MoreThe Mayan civilization flourished for over 2,000 years from the appearance of the first Mayan cities around 750BC to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. Their legacy is vast and impressive. There is no better place to see it than the Mexican Yucatan. This post covers four of the most famous sites in the Yucatan, including Chichen Itza.
Read MoreLake Atitlan is a spectacular, volcano rimmed lake in the Guatemalan Highlands. Two Mayan peoples, the Kaqchiquel and Tz'utujil, live around the lake and their colourful traditional costumes, which are worn all the time, are one of the aspects that gives Lake Atitlan a special feel. We had a wonderful short visit to the lake which included a day trip to two villages. Here'e what happened.
Read MoreAntigua, a former colonial capital of Guatemala, is the country's most visited tourist destination. It is surrounded by three towering volcanoes, each over 3700 metres. It has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site due to it's magnificent churches and other colonial buildings, some restored and others in splendid collapse due to the many earthquakes which have impacted it over the centuries. Join us on a walking tour of this fascinating city.
Read MoreAn alternative means of travelling through Central America to the local bus system are the tourist shuttles. These are generally minivans that travel between popular tourist destinations throughout the region. They are more expensive than buses but their selling points are safety and security, and the direct connection between popular locations. We travelled from Leon (Nicaragua) to Antigua (Guatemala) via El Salvador with shuttles. Here's what we learned.
Read More1n 1524 when the Spanish founded the city of Granada they certainly chose a great location on the shores of Lake Nicaragua under the watch of Volcan Mombacho. And for the next several hundred years Granada remained a rich and important trading centre. Today Granada's colonial legacy is it's buildings and streetscapes. But it also has a lot to offer travellers with trips to volcanoes and the lake for starters.We spent a few very enjoyable days there so here are a few options for activities.
Read MoreOne of Costa Rica's most popular tourist regions is the highlands and forests around the towns of Santa Elena and Monteverde in North Central Costa Rica. It's a place to go to if you like the idea of walking through protected cloud forests, to go ziplining to your heart's content if that's your thing, or to enjoy nature, both flora and fauna, especially of the smaller, and more subtle varieties. Here are some options for things to do in the region.
Read MoreParque Nacional Manuel Antonio is one of Costa Rica's most visited national parks. It sits in the south of the country on the Pacific Coast. It is only 17 square kms and with the many visitors it receives it can get pretty crowded. But despite that it is a great place to view some of Costa Rica's amazing wildlife. We went during the low season and were lucky with what we saw.
Read MoreHaving completed our travels through the Caribbean we have flown from Havana to Panama City to commence our trip through Central America. In this post we describe a good day out we had in Panama City.
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