Where to go in Central America
 

Hi,

My boyfriend and I are planning a trip around the world and as part of it we are planning on spending 4 weeks in Central America. We are hoping to go to Belize, Honduras (Utila) maybe Guatemala if we have time and Costa Rica. We would love to go Baja California to see the whales but not sure if w will have time.
Has anyone got any tips or ideas on where to go and what to do? Not sure where is best to fly into? We will be there December/January time. We love the outdoors, trekking, nature, the sea, diving and snorkelling. We had thought of doing some voluntary work with turtles. Any recommendations?

Any advice would be really helpful.

Thanks!

4 countries is waaaay too much for 4 weeks imo. I would fly into Guatemala and out of Belize or into Guatemala and out of Honduras. My photos with blog and travelogue links on the main page of each collection are below in case you're interested - all my recommendations are embedded there. Happy trails! http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

Thank you, amazing photos!!! It is so hard trying to work out what to do in such a small time frame!

I'll bet - so many decisions to make. CA would be easy for me, though. Guatemala is the jewel of the region and it combines well with either Belize or Honduras. If diving and snorkeling are a priority they are your best bets imo. ¡Buena suerte!

for diving /snorkeling you want belize....reef, blue hole and atolls.

If you like diving and snorkeling, don't miss Hol Chan in Belize. We saw huge rays, turtles, nurse sharks, and lots of beautiful tropical fish when we did it. Roatan on Honduras also has a good reputation. The La Fortuna/Arenal area of Costa Rica has fantastic adventure activities - hiking, waterfall rappelling, rafting, ziplining, and pretty much anything else you could want. If you want more off the grid, the Osa peninsula is amazing with fantastic wildlife sightings like toucans, monkeys, and scarlet macaws.

I loved Costa Rica! It is beautiful and very safe.

My best places are Manual Antonio, Uvita, Ojochal.

In my sense, it could be a nice trip to first go to Baja California and Mexico for 1 week.
Spend another week in Guatemala ( try the home made tortillas, delicious!) and keep the best for the end: Costa Rica.

Enjoy!

For the cheapest airfares, look at flying to Cancun. Spend a week getting to Belize (stop in Tulum). Buses are not very expensive.

I'd spend the least amount of time in Belize. For diving & snorkelling -- Honduras.

Another option for lower airfares might be San Pedro Sula.

Honduras has the same reef diving Belize has but in addition Belize has the atolls and blue hole. not sure about MrB2's rational.

So hard trying to decide, it all sounds amazing!! I will read up on the places everyone has mentioned - thanks for the advice

Has anyone been to Utila?

or Semuc Champey in Guatemala?

are you looking at these places on gmaps and you tube?

No, have been reading about them and recommendations from friends

We have really enjoyed Utila - great, cheap place to dive. I haven't been to Semuc Champey (in more than a dozen trips to Guatemala) but will eventually. Problem is it takes a very full day on the road to get there and a very full day to get away. Even if you want to spend 2 full days there (twice what most seem to do) that is bad trip math imo.

Agree with Hopefulist about Semuc Champey. It is a LONG trip. A great bit of fun when you get there, but really 1 day is all you need to see it, taking 3 days of your time including transport.
If you do decide to go for it, the hostel right outside the gates of Semuc is a lot of fun, and way less expensive that the hotel an hour away, which is the only other option. Basic, generator power only, cold water only, marginal food at the restaurant, but a really, really fun experience. Like being at scout camp, only with rum and beer. Let me know if you are interested and I'll dig up the name. Reservation at the hostel is mandatory. They have to pick you up where the shuttle leaves you out.

Central America is a great place to visit. Like "Antigua Guatamala" it is known as the best-preserved Spanish colonial city in Central America.
For starters, try climbing lava-gurgling volcanoes with perfect cones that poke above the cloud line.

m, climbing lava-gurgling volcanoes sounds a little dangerous!