Road trip stops

Old Jan 7th, 2018, 02:54 PM
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dyt
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Road trip stops

Hey I'm a college student in from Springfield, Mass, and I'm planning to take a road trip from Alaska to Chile after graduation. I've never been to Central America, so I'm looking for some input to some locations I might add to my destinations list. As of now its Monterrey to San Luis Potosi to San Miguel de Allende to Santiago de Queretaro to Teotihuacan to Mexico City to Puebla to Villahermosa to Tikal to San Pedro Sula to Tegucigalpa to Leon to Managua to Granada to San Jose to Panama City. San Salvador and Guatemala City don't particularly appeal to me, so I planned a route which travels north of these two cities. Are there any great small towns, national parks, etc. that I might add to this route?

Thanks for your consideration,
dyt
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Old Jan 7th, 2018, 03:17 PM
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Sounds like a great trip! I've driven nearly all of your Mexico route except only as far as Veracruz and not Villahermosa. Coincidentally, I'll be leaving tomorrow from Queretaro (where I currently live, previously San Miguel) for Teotihuacan, with later stops in Puebla, Oaxaca, Orizaba & Córdoba Veracruz. I've also driven from Monterrey to SLP on both sides of the Sierra Madre Oriental, plus some time in the Sierra Gorda, all of which fits a large part of your Mexican itinerary. So, the question I have is how much time are you thinking of (for Mexico), are you gonna sightsee or just try to cover as much ground as possible?
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Old Jan 7th, 2018, 07:12 PM
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For us the absolute highlight of Central America is the Guatemala highlands which you've left off your list. If you enjoy outdoor activities and are interested in contemporary Maya culture, I'd make it a priority - many consider the area the cultural gem of Central America.

My photos with blog, travelogue, and review links on the main page of each collection (except two 2017 trips - I'm behind!) are below in case you're interested - all my recommendations for parts of México, Guatemala, Honduras (and Belize) are embedded there. Happy trails!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections
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Old Jan 8th, 2018, 01:34 PM
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Thanks for the comments!
baldone, I'm looking to go from Laredo, TX to the border with Guatemala in anywhere from 5-7 days, while fitting in as much sightseeing as possible in that limited amount of time. And with a two days dedicated to Mexico City and some of the nearby colonial towns, that leaves 3-5 days for the rest of Mexico. Do you think it would be better to go from Pueblo to Oaxaca and from there onto the Guatemalan Highlands?
hopefulist, great pictures! Looks to be an amazing country. Would you recommend driving though Quetzaltenengo, Lake Atital, Antigua, and Guatemala City as opposed to just passing through the north and seeing Tikal?
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Old Jan 8th, 2018, 02:11 PM
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It would be too bad to miss Tikal. You could either go the route you name in that most recent post or head from Tikal/Flores to GC and spend time in Antigua and by Lake Atitlán before moving on.
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Old Jan 9th, 2018, 08:12 PM
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Oye, dyt: I think you're overly ambitious with your Mexico itinerary. With what you've posted so far, you'll need, at a bare minimum, 10 days. 2 weeks is much better, otherwise it's just driving, eating, sleeping & pooping, and little else. Remember, from border to border, it's 1500 miles, which works out to probably 4 days driving, given you don't want to drive at night, nor do you want to drive in Mexico City. Trust me. Plus, getting off the highways to each city's centro histórico can take up to an hour each way. If you don't get lost. And you will, even with GPS. And you need to budget an hour for crossing each border. Driving in Mexico always takes you longer than what you think. Teotihuacan is pretty much a full day in itself. So, either add some time to your Mexico itinerary or eliminate most of your desired stops.
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