CR or Belize on a budget & 2 weeks
 

My brother and I are the adventurous types (22 & 26), and this will be our first time to CA the end of August/beg. of Sept -- and I'm not sure where to go. Airfare to Belize is $100 cheaper than CR, but the travel books say that Belize is more expensive.

I'm looking for backpacker-style accomodations, traveling by bus and being able to enjoy the sites. I've read that CR and Belize are both beautiful with their beaches and jungles which appeal to the both of us; although, my brother did say he might be interested in the Mayan ruins/islands, but, really, we want to have fun without shelling out a bunch of dough ...

I did check out the Jaguar Reef adventures, and that looks fun; we'd be able to fit one of those excursions into our budget.

Any expertise/advice would be fabulous.

Genesea

www.toucantrail.com for budget travel in Belize.

You've picked the 2 most expensive destinations in CA. I haven't been to CR, but, although more expensive than Guatemala or Honduras, Belize has some good low-cost lodging choices and Katie's link to the Toucan Trail is a good place to start. Below is a link to our travelogue; we loved everything we did and everyplace we stayed (many budget places but we splashed out for adventures):

http://www.belizeforum.com/cgi-bin/u...;f=10;t=000362

Have a great trip whatever you decide!

I've been to both, and personally I slightly preferred Belize to CR. You'll have a good time either place, but in the main hotspots, I found Belize to be a little less touristy.

If you're looking for adventure, I'd highly reccommend going to San Ignacio for several days... be sure to do the ATM cave tour. Then if you can manage it, go over to Guatemala for an overnighter at Tikal. For beach time, you'd probably enjoy Caye Caulker... lots of good bakpacker options there.

Whatever you choose, you're going to have a great time. Have fun!

If you did decide to go to San Ignacio area, Chaa Creek has a beautiful campsite with raised platform tents. It's pretty reasonable. They have a website with details and prices. nr