My wife and I are planning a 4-6 month trip in Central
America starting in November. We hope to fly to Panama and
work our way back overland to Canada. Any and all
information on do's and don'ts, places to stay and things to
see and do is much appreciated. In particular how useful is
a tent, we used our's constantly in southern and eastern
Africa. It sounds like they are pretty handy in Mexico but
what about other places?
Thanks in advance. Ian and Nicholina
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First, you'll love Central America. The public buses run
everywhere and are cheap.
My 2 cents worth of advice:
If you don't already know them, leave the Spanish greetings
- buenos dias, buenas noches. Practically all the locals
you'll meet will be very friendly, but they may seem stand-
offish. Just greet them first in Spanish, even if these
are the only words you know, and they'll respond warmly.
US dollars are accepted or easily exchanged everywhere as
are travelers checks in dollars. Visa would be the credit
card of choice in CA.
We've never seen any crime in our travels, but have heard
about a fair amount of purse/pack snatching, so carry your
tickets and the bulk of your cash in money belts under your
clothes.
Unless you just enjoy tenting, you can probably stay just
about as cheaply in the low budget hotels. We've traveled
all over Central America without reservations and never had
any problem finding a room.
As far as not to be missed places, I'd start with Bocas del
Toro on Isla Colon, Panama. Very laid back, reasonably
priced, safe to walk around at 1:00 am.
Opinions vary, but we found San Jose, Costa Rica a vibrant,
bustling city. The cloud forest at Monteverde is
magnificient if you're into that type of thing. Volcan
Arenal is also magnificent.
In Honduras, be sure and visit Copan Ruinas. The Mayan
ruins here are very good, heavily engraved.
In Guatemala, Antigua is a bit touristy, but very
pleasant. If you want to climb an active volcano, this is
the place - Pacaya. Then, skip eating if you have to, but
fly from Guatemala City, to Flores where the ruins of Tikal
are. They're magnificent, tall pyramids in a true jungle.
In the Yucatan penisula in Mexico, the ruins of Uxmal,
Chichen Itza and finally Tuluum are all worth a visit. At
Tuluum, there's a great beach. We also found Isla
Muerjaras, an island, very pleasant and laid back.
Hopefully others will tell you about other places. I
think you'll find the Lonely Planets guides very good for
this part of the world.
Have a great trip.