Hi everyone,

My friends and I are traveling to Central America in mid February and would like to seek your advice regarding seeing the "Best of Central America" in this time period. Is it possible to see Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama in 9 days? How difficult is it to travel around, e.g. flying from Guatemala and Costa Rica or Panama? I would be grateful for your input. If you had 9 days in Central America, which places/cities/countries would you visit. Thank you for your help and advice.

For such a short trip, I would really stick to one country IMO. You don't say exactly what you are looking for so it's hard to advise which would be best. Some more info would be helpful to help you.

Hi Tully: Thank you for your response. My friends and I are most interested in seeing the beautiful landscapes of Central America, its history and experiencing the local culture. Thanks again.

I think Guatemala would fulfil your needs very well. In 9 days you could spend some time around Lake Atitlan (great scenery and interesting Mayan culture), Tikal (fabulous Mayan ruins), and Antigua (historical and scenic). There have been several trip reports on Guatemala on this forum. I was there in Feb. and the weather was springlike and sunny everyday.

It would be in your best interest to check out a guide book for each of those countries to see which one draws you in. I would dedicate 9 days to one country, with the exception of Costa Rica if you just want to hop down to Bocas del Toro for a couple nights.

Due to its small size and population, Belize would be ideal to explore in 9 days.

We love Costa Rica, but if you're really most interested in history and local culture, I'd head to Belize or Guatemala. Agree with everyone else, with such a short time frame, I'd stick with one country.

Yep - pick one country if you have just over a week. Guatemala is my favorite but Belize and Honduras would be good choices, too. My photos and recommendations are below if you're interested. Good luck!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

Despite Central America's small size, there's a lot to see. Each country has the potential for a 9 day trip.

My advice: Stick with Belize only.