Central America - Best places in Central America

Hi Friends i am thinking of visiting in central America. And doing planning for that. I have selected some places but not able to find the best places if you guys have any information about this trip then please let me know.
Thanks

Hi Friends i am thinking of visiting in central America. And doing planning for that. I have selected some places but not able to find the best places if you guys have any information about this trip then please let me know.
Thanks

Take a look at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, about 2.5 hours from GUA. It is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Combine it with Colonial Antigua, the former capital that was destroyed in the 1700's by an earthquake and just 30 minutes from GUA. I have been to every country in Central America and these are my 2 favorite destinations. As these places are in the mountain region, the average temp is around 72 degrees year round.

I prefer Belize, though I have had good experiances in every Central American country except Nicaragua YMMV

What is on your short list? Do you want jungles or beaches or mountains or cities or all of the above?

Welcome to Flyertalk ^.

I've asked to forum Moderators to move your thread* to the Central America forum as this is not travel security related but also for better exposure so you can get more answers.

*every post has a little red triangle in the lower left corner where you can send a message about the post to the forum's moderators

As FlyingHoustonian said, it would be helpful if you let us know what your idea of recreation is. Jungle? Diving? Fishing? What are you looking for in a vacation?

I prefer Belize, though I have had good experiances in every Central American country except Nicaragua YMMV

What is on your short list? Do you want jungles or beaches or mountains or cities or all of the above?

Hi Friend I am thinking of Visiting Jungles and mountains and beaches not the cities if you have any suggestion then tell me.
Thanks

As FlyingHoustonian said, it would be helpful if you let us know what your idea of recreation is. Jungle? Diving? Fishing? What are you looking for in a vacation?

Hi Friend i am thinking of Fishing also.
Thanks

Take a look at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, about 2.5 hours from GUA. It is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Combine it with Colonial Antigua, the former capital that was destroyed in the 1700's by an earthquake and just 30 minutes from GUA. I have been to every country in Central America and these are my 2 favorite destinations. As these places are in the mountain region, the average temp is around 72 degrees year round.

Hi Bigbuy
I check the places you have mentioned they are very nice and beautiful and about the lake you have written that's true that is most beautiful lake in all over the world.
Thanks

If it's your first visit to Central America I'd recommend Costa Rica as they have a little more tourist infrastructure there and plenty of natural beauty.

And the infrastructure here is no longer third world...while you may not want to spend much time in Panama City, certainly a quick tour of the canal would be interesting. Then you could fly to David which is close to both the mountains (Boquete and Volcan) and do some great fishing in the Pacific on other side of David...then of course there's the Carribean side..Bocas del Toro is fun for snorkeling and hanging out.

I've seen more exotic wildlife taking a couple hour long boat trip on Gatun lake in the Panama Canal zone, than anywhere else I have ever been in my life. These trips can easily be booked from the Gamboa Rainforest resort which is located along the lake.

Next best would be a couple of national parks in Costa Rica which are near each other, Manuel Antonio and Carara, both in the Central Pacific Coast region of that country.

If one is in that neck of the world, one should stop by to walk Iximché, onetime capital of the Kaqchikel Mayas; Nahualá, a very traditional town with beautiful weaving and embroidery; the villages around Lake Atitlán including Sololá (very nice wool jackets with he traditional bat design - women should not miss these stunning additions to their wardrobe!), Santiago Atitlán across the lake from somewhat dreary and very touristy Panajachel and the markets - including the market at Chichicastenango. And of course, the beautiful Antigua Guatemala.

Don't forget the excellent weavings - and the coffee!

Take a look at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, about 2.5 hours from GUA. It is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Combine it with Colonial Antigua, the former capital that was destroyed in the 1700's by an earthquake and just 30 minutes from GUA. I have been to every country in Central America and these are my 2 favorite destinations. As these places are in the mountain region, the average temp is around 72 degrees year round.

If it's your first visit to Central America I'd recommend Costa Rica as they have a little more tourist infrastructure there and plenty of natural beauty.

Hi Smoove!
I have heard so much about the Costa Rica and this the my first visit to Central America. Really Costa Rica having a plenty of natural beauty. I have checked out some pics and views of Costa Rica and found it charming.
Thanks
John Rica

I've spent quite a bit of time in Central America recently. I would definitely recommend Costa Rica (go visit Manual Antonio) and also Antigua in Guatemala. I also really like El Salvador but there is less to do there unless you like surfing

Best place to visit starting out - TACA by way of US Bank.:p

BTDT to the whole region.:cool: Liked pretty much all that I saw. Do hit as many of the ruins as you can as their rubble is more interesting than say the rubble of our economy.
Hi Friends i am thinking of visiting in central America. And doing planning for that. I have selected some places but not able to find the best places if you guys have any information about this trip then please let me know.
Thanks

I've spent quite a bit of time in Central America recently. I would definitely recommend Costa Rica (go visit Manual Antonio) and also Antigua in Guatemala. I also really like El Salvador but there is less to do there unless you like surfing

Totally agree, I really enjoyed Manual Antonio and Antigua. El Salvador also has a few options, I climbed the Santa Ana volcano this weekend which was a great excursion. They also have great beaches and coffee!

My experience with Antigua was that is was overpriced. I'd personally have to say that Champerico is a fantastic black sand beach in Guatemala. The market in Chichicastenango is pretty amazing, too. El Salvador has a few good beaches but I can't recall their names. In nica you have San Juan del Sur and some awesome open air markets in Managua.

Best place to visit starting out - TACA by way of US Bank.:p

BTDT to the whole region.:cool: Liked pretty much all that I saw. Do hit as many of the ruins as you can as their rubble is more interesting than say the rubble of our economy.

You are right dear it is really a very awesome place.

Totally agree, I really enjoyed Manual Antonio and Antigua. El Salvador also has a few options, I climbed the Santa Ana volcano this weekend which was a great excursion. They also have great beaches and coffee!

Then i am sure you have spend there your plenty of time also have a lot of fun because visiting volcano is really such a very great adventures task.

My experience with Antigua was that is was overpriced. I'd personally have to say that Champerico is a fantastic black sand beach in Guatemala. The market in Chichicastenango is pretty amazing, too. El Salvador has a few good beaches but I can't recall their names. In nica you have San Juan del Sur and some awesome open air markets in Managua.

Thanks Dear you have suggested me a very good and nice thing that is the black sand beach. This might be a very interesting step of my trip. Iwould love to visit this black sand beach. Thanks friend.

Perhaps if you can tell us what your origin is, what you are interested in that you do not have at home and what airlines you would be using if you are a frequent flyer, we could be of more assistance.

Perhaps if you can tell us what your origin is, what you are interested in that you do not have at home and what airlines you would be using if you are a frequent flyer, we could be of more assistance.

Hi JDiver!
I am not a frequent flyer and also i do not have hired any airline fr my trip i am just planning from few months for visiting to Central America Places and also i am regularly checking for the places and reading about their stories.
Thanks

Guatemala is probably the most spectacular country in South America - it has everything except good beaches. In the north, Tikal is the top Maya site in Mesoamerica. Antigua is an impossibly-gorgeous colonial town - touristy, but for good reason. Lake Atitlan is a crater lake in the highlands surrounded by indigenous villages. I've heard really good things about the boat trip on Rio Dulce, although haven't done one yet. It's also dirt-cheap.

I would have to recommend Nicaragua. Plenty of colonial cities on the Pacific side. Nice beaches and surfing. Plenty of volcanos to climb. On the Atlantic side you have lagoons, worlds largest garifuna community (Orinoco), Pearl Keys and of course Corn islands. Plenty of jungle too. Much like Costa Rica except they were pro soviet vs CR who was pro US, so much less developed. Managua is a pit though.

I'll second Nicaragua. It's much cheaper and safer than the other CenAm countries. Granada is a beautiful colonial city and rivals Antigua. Then there's Ometepe Island and Lago Nicaragua: The water is warm and the volcanoes and trekking are plenty. Of course, if you like beaches and waves, there's always the beaches around San Juan del Sur.