Central America Winter - Summer 2019
Trip Details
From
Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
To
Panama City, Panama
Start Date
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
End Date
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Trip Reports

Northern Belize

Date
Tuesday. January 22, 2019
From
Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
To
Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, Belize District, Belize
Miles
160
On to Belize!

Crossing the border into Belize meant more than just entering another country -- it meant that our around-the-world journey had truly begun.

You see, so far, all...

Central Caribbean Coast

Date
Saturday. January 26, 2019
From
Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, Belize District, Belize
To
Hopkins, Stann Creek District, Belize
Miles
299
Tobacco Caye

When we travel we try to pick routes that offer the opportunity for spectacular views and landscapes or which take us through interesting towns and villages. We use Google...

Southern Belize

Date
Sunday. February 03, 2019
From
Hopkins, Belize
To
Sun Creek Lodge, Toledo District, Belize
Miles
107
Belize Spice Farm

By now we had driven more than 700 miles in a country that is only 170 miles from tip to toe.  And, we still had much more...

The Peten

Date
Wednesday. February 13, 2019
From
Clarissa Falls Resort, Belize
To
El Remate, Peten, Guatemala
Miles
136
Temples of the Mayan Kings

Over the 13 centuries between 420BC and 900AD, the Mayan empire grew in size to cover parts of southern and southeastern Mexico, most of Belize...

Alta Verapaz and Quiche

Date
Monday. February 18, 2019
From
Muxbilha, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
To
Acul, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
Miles
193
Semuc Champey

Look at any tourist brochure for Guatemala, or just search "Tours Guatemala" and you're liable to see images of shimmering, turquoise pools wrapped in the cloak of a...

Guatemala Highlands

Date
Monday. February 25, 2019
From
Acul, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
To
Ixchiguan, San Marcos, Guatemala
Miles
137

When I was 20 years old, a friend and I spent six months traveling the Pan-American highway through Mexico and much of Central America. The first place we landed in...

Lake Atitlan

Date
Wednesday. February 27, 2019
From
Ixchiguan, San Marcos, Guatemala
To
Panajachel, Solola, Guatemala
Miles
106

Our next destination was to one of Guatemala's most signature tourist spots, Lake Atitlan. Long a hangout for hippy backpackers, Panajachel has developed into a major international tourist destination which...

Antigua

Date
Thursday. March 07, 2019
From
Panajachel, Solola, Guatemala
To
Antigua, Guatemala
Miles
146
Welcome to Antigua

Antigua is Guatemala's premier colonial city, equal to, and even surpassing many of Mexico's most famous "pueblo magicos." With its cobblestone streets, vibrant market, impressive churches, and...

El Salvador

Date
Wednesday. March 13, 2019
From
Antigua, Guatemala
To
San Ignacio, Chalatenango, El Salvador
Miles
108
Welcome to El Salvador

El Salvador was next on our list. We still hadn't figured out what to do about Honduras, but the beaches of La Libertad were calling and...

Honduras

Date
Monday. March 25, 2019
From
San Ignacio, Chalatenango, El Salvador
To
Danli, Honduras
Miles
986
Welcome to Honduras - the land of deep waters

Having circumnavigated El Salvador, we were now poised to enter Honduras, our fifth border crossing since leaving the US nearly six...

Nicaragua

Date
Saturday. April 13, 2019
From
Danli, Honduras
To
Sapoa, Nicaragua
Miles
399
Battling Border Bureaucracy

After nearly seven months traveling through Mexico and Central America, we had become fairly immune to the stress and worry of border crossings. There's always a bit...

Costa Rica

Date
Monday. April 29, 2019
From
Sapoa, Nicaragua
To
Paso Canoas, Costa RIca
Miles
479
Welcome to Costa Rica

I usually try to write these trip reports more-or-less real time, though final publication always seems to lag until we're nearly done with the next country. ...

Panama

Date
Thursday. July 25, 2019
From
Paso Canoas, Costa Rica
To
Panama City, Panama
Welcome to Panama

After leaving our house sit in Costa Rica, we were keen to get to Panama City. We had left ourselves only four days before our flight home...