We're doing a four month trip starting in June of Central and parts of South America - taking in Mexico, Guatamala, Belize + possibly other central countries - and then on to Peru and Chile (leaving Argentina, Brazil etc for another trip next year) <BR> <BR>What places would people suggest as unmissable from their experience - and what places as very missable <BR> <BR>We've never been to Latin America before so all advice is welcome

Boy, if you're at all interested in wildlife viewing I highly recommend you try to work Costa Rica into your plans! They are way ahead of the rest of Latin America in terms of protecting their natural habitats (over 25% of their land is protected by law, meaning it can't be developed), so the plant and animal life is incredible. Also, it's a very safe country to visit and the people are very friendly. Educational & health care standards are also very high relative to the rest of Latin America (since the military was banned way back when, they are able to put all that money they save into public schools & health -- the literacy rate is comparable to that in the U.S., most know some English, and medical system is so good that many Americans travel there for elective surgical procedures & dental care). It lacks the ancient ruins that you'll find in Mexico, Guatemala & Belize but I think you'll find the gorgeous scenery & diverse wildlife make it irresistable.

Thanks for the tip - are there any particular places you would recommend (preferably not overwhelmed with tourists)? <BR> <BR>We're from London so fantastic wildlife and scenery is definitely up there in our itinery.

For the most spectacular wildlife in CR, travel south to the Osa Peninsula in/near Corcovado National Park. It is remote and requires a short flight from San Jose (or a very long hard drive) but is absolutely worth whatever it takes to get there. Scarlet macaws, 4 varieties of monkeys, blue morpho butterflies, more toucans and arcaris than you can count, pristine primary rainforest, gorgeous untouched beaches and waterfalls galore. There are lots of accommodations options in this area -- everything from camping to super-luxury ecolodges. We stayed at an incredible place called Lapa Rios (pricey but fantastic).www.laparios.com <BR> <BR>Another great place to see wildlife is Manuel Antonio National Park on the central Pacific coast. This has the advantage of being more accessible and easy to get to than the Osa Peninsula but is more heavily touristed. Very easy to do on a moderate budget if that is a consideration. There are 5 pretty beaches here. We saw 3 varieties of monkeys, 2 kinds of tree sloths, boa constrictors, iguanas and dinosaur lizards, leaf-cutter ants -- the list goes on and on. The guides in the National Park are excellent and you will see much more with them than you would on your own. The park is compact and you can see most of it in one full day. Two is better if you want to relax and enjoy the beaches. There are other things to do in the area as well such as rainforest canopy tours. There are dozens of hotels in this area. We stayed at Si Como No which was good but if you don't want touristy you probably wouldn't like it much. There are probably better options, some less expensive and some more. www.sicomono.com <BR> <BR>We stayed in two other really outstanding hotels -- one a bit farther north on the Pacific Coast called Villa Caletas (unbelievable views and sunsets, lots of bird life including toucans), and one outside San Jose called Vista del Valle overlooking the beautiful Rio Grande canyon wildlife preserve (lovely rooms, setting, and hosts). All of these places had incredible food as well, by the way. <BR> <BR>We also travelled to Arenal Volcano which is about a 4-hour drive north of San Jose. It is very beautiful, but again, there are more tourists there than you will find in Osa, and the climate is dampish and cooler with less animal life (but seeing the volcano erupt at night was memorable). Lots of accommodations options here too -- I would recommend Arenal Lodge. <BR> <BR>See my trip report on a separate thread for more info with websites, etc. We spent 2 weeks in CR and felt like we saw a lot, but 3 would have been better (would have liked to have gotten to Monteverde and also Guanacaste, but not enough time to do everything -- also, we did not get to the Caribbean coast but from all we read that was not as much of a priority for us -- sounds like Belize is the place to go for that anyway). Enjoy your trip and I hope you get to CR! <BR> <BR>P.S. It will be the "green season" during the time you are travelling but don't let that dissuade you -- you will get better rates than you would during the high season, and a little rain never hurt anyone!

<BR>Definitely Costa Rica & Nicaragua. The best - Dennis

Wow !! -thanks Lisa - great advice <BR> <BR>Dennis - where would you recommend in Nicaragua? <BR> <BR>Also anybody got any good tips for Guatamala or El Salvador <BR> <BR>We've got a fairly good idea of places to go in Peru - what about Chile? anybody got any good tips? <BR> <BR>We know a lot of people who have been Mexico and loads of literature is readily available - but anybody got any great out of the way tips?