Is Central America SAFE?
 

I looked into visiting Central America during Dec 2005, but after doing a little research, now I'm not so sure. It appears in Guatamala, Honduras and Nicaragua, violent and petty crime (sexual assault, carjackings, kidnappings, muggings, and home invasions) are prevalent throughout. And more than one episode of armed robbers targeting tourists at popular destinations.

In Guatemala - 5 Americans were killed in 2004. Tourists were attacked on intra-city buses, inter-city buses and first-class buses too.

Honduras - Numerous kidnapping attempts and threats against U.S. citizens...Many men in Honduras carry firearms and machetes, and disputes are often settled with violence. 5 U.S. citizens have been murdered in Roatan since 1998, most recently in late 2004. Roatan? Isn't that THE prime tourist area?

Nicaragua - Police coverage is extremely sparse. Crime is endemic...

If safety precautions include avoid walking, avoid taking public transportation buses, avoiding miggling with the locals, why go? I guess I'm looking for the safety of Asia, but closer to home. What do you readers think? Is violent criminal activity as big a problem in these countries as the media portrays it?

Last comment - the US consulate suggested avoiding these countries during Christmas and Easter holidays. Has anyone traveled here during the holidays?

I lived in Panama for two and a half years as a Peace Corps volunteer, so I've traveled extensively througout all of that country. Panama is arguably the most stable country in C. America. Panama uses the U.S. dollar as its currency and its capital city is probably the nicest capital in C. America. I consider it a very safe country; of course it has its bad neighborhoods in the big cities, (like anywhere in the world) but there's no reason to be in those areas anyway. I've also traveled to Costa Rica and had no problems there either. All of the aforementioned being said, it's important to keep your wits about you and be careful. Only use licensed taxis, keep your wallet in your front pocket if you're in a high pedestrian area, etc. I'm not going to say I've never heard of anyone getting mugged, but it's been few and far between, and those people usually made bad decisions to put themselves in vulnerable positions (like getting drunk and taking a ride from a stranger, or getting drunk and making out on a secluded part of a beach at night). Nevertheless, I feel the VAST majority of people I've come across are honest, kind and want you to love their home. I would like to retire there one day.

Well said, livekarma. I met a ticket agent for United last week in Anchorage who was from El Salvador. I asked about visiting his country, and his comment was, "Not yet! We're getting there, though". It's hard to know. Freaky things can happen, but I do agree that poor choices account for at least some of the incidents that happen.

The only one I can speak to is Honduras. I really enjoyed myself in the Capital Teguchigalpa and would go back. That said, saftey was a big issue. I spent most of the time with locals and they were very saftey conscious, e.g. don't roll down you car windows while driving around, always be in a group, etc. As you said, a high number of people were armed with various weapons. In fact the orphanage I stayed at had a guy patrol the perimiter all night with a shotgun. So crime was a constant issue. One day downtown we were not paying attention and a guy ran by and forcefully ripped a necklace of someone in our group. But it is a beautiful country, I met lots of great people, I just recognize you need to be super careful. Bottom line, a country that is arguably the porrest in the western hemisphere is going to have a lot of crime.

Nicaragua now has Central America's lowest crime rate. I wouldn't put it in the same category as Guatemala and El Salvador at all. But crime does happen there. You, the visitor, even if you don't describe yourself as "rich," still represent enormous wealth in a country where many people earn $3 a day. You need to be careful when you go to any of these countries, Costa Rica included. (Much has been written here about the increase in crime against tourists in Costa Rica too. I think it's all valid, even if it doesn't mean you should avoid the country.) I'd have no qualms about visiting Nicaragua. I was just there last week for the, oh, I've lost track of the number of times I've been there. And I loved it. I watched my things carefully, just as I try do when I travel anywhere.

The advice about avoiding these places during Christmas and Easter is more due to the fact that EVERYBODY is traveling at those times. Hotels fill up quickly. Public transportation and highways are jam-packed. Travel can be more difficult during those holiday times.