December 18, 2015
Belize City to Caye Caulker
The United airplane arrived quite on-time at Belize City and immigration was straightforward. Belize is the only English speaking country in Central America so communication is easy. I couldn't find any money changers at the airport but it turned out not a problem at all. In all Central American countries, you can simply pay in US dollar and get change in local currency. A US$25 taxi is the only way to get to town from the airport. I asked the taxi driver to take me to the Marine Terminal besides the Swing Bridge where both Ocean Ferry Belize and the shuttle bus to Flores, Guatemala are located.
While waiting for my ferry, I had lunch at a cafe nearby. They got free wifi and the food was not bad. The boat to Caye Caulker takes about 45 minutes and it's better to buy a round-trip ticket for B$29 (open ticket). Most budget accommodation options in Caye Caulker are not available for online booking so I didn't book anything in advance. The first thing to do when I arrived at the island was to look for a place to stay. There were a couple of options and I finally picked an en-suite unit at M & N Apartments for B$98. Although Caye Caulker is considered a backpacker’s heaven, accommodation and food prices are not really cheap, compared with, say, those in Guatemala.
It was mid-afternoon and I decided to have a walk on the island, also to finalize the Flight Over the Blue Hole tour with Tsunami Adventures for the next day (they happened to have two more people so I could pay US$200 for the tour). The only “site” on Caye Caulker is the Split. And it turned out to be the best spot to watch people on the island!
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| The Split, Caye Caulker |
December 19, 2015
Caye Caulker
I took two tours to spend the day - “Flight Over the Blue Hole” tour by Tsunami Adventures in the morning and a half-day snorkelling tour by Anwar Tours in the afternoon. Though expensive (US$200 per person – minimum 3 people), the “Flight Over the Blue Hole” tour is worth it, as the Great Blue Hole is the No. 1 attraction in Belize. They use a 5-seat plane and I was sitting just besides the pilot – very exciting. The snorkelling tour (B$60) is not too special, except you could see (and swim with) lots of sharks – something I hadn't experienced in the past.
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| Great Blue Hole |
December 20, 2015
Tikal
There is a daily shuttle bus from Belize City's Marine Terminal to Flores in Guatemala departing around 10 a.m. and arriving 5 hours later for US$25. This turned out to be a convenient option for me. I asked the driver to drop me at the intersection to Tikal and then grabbed a taxi to get to Tikal (Q100). I was told there are no buses running on Sundays. Taxi was not a bad idea as I got enough time to explore the major areas of the massive Tikal (Q150) and still got the last shuttle bus back to Flores (Q50). Tikal is the No. 1 Maya site in the world. For me, it's more like some good hiking and exercise.
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| Tikal |
December 21, 2015
Flores to Antigua
A transit day. I booked both my first class long distance bus from Santa Elena (Flores) to Guatemala City (by FDN) and the shuttle bus from Guatemala City to Antigua through Adrenalina Tours (total about US$40). The time printed on the ticket from Santa Elena to Guatemala City was 8 a.m., and that's the time you were required to be at the bus terminal. The bus left at 8:30 a.m. and arrived at the FDN terminal in Zone 1 of Guatemala City around 6 p.m. It was a pleasant journey with mountain views, etc. I had arranged the shuttle bus to pick me up at Hotel Ajau near the FDN terminal. The hotel has a cafe where I had my dinner (using their breakfast menu – who cares!) The journey from Guatemala City to Antigua is supposed to be around 1 hour. Due to very bad traffic in the capital, it took almost 2 hours.
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| "Breakfast" served as dinner at Hotel Ajau in Guatamala City |
December 22, 2015
Antigua
I got up early to have a walk in Antigua and checked out structures such as La Merced, Santa Catalina, Ayuntamiento, Catedral de San Jose, Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, etc. After checking out the hotel, I grabbed a Tuk-Tuk to get to the (in)famous Cerro de la Cruz. It was a robbery hot spot a few years ago and even now hiking alone is not recommended. I did see police at Cerro de la Cruz but not on the way. The view at Cerro de la Cruz is definitely worth the trip.
Most tourists take the shuttle bus from Antigua to Guatemala City for US$10. There is also a Litegua first class bus from Antigua to Guatemala City at 9:30 a.m. for Q45. This bus arrives at the Litegua terminal in Zone 1 of Guatemala City. From there I took a taxi to the bus terminal where buses leave for Chiquimula for Q40. In Chiquimula, another mini-bus (not too far from the terminal) goes to the border town of El Florido for Q25 (change buses once on the way).
Border crossing was very quick and I paid US$ 3 to enter Honduras. Another bus at the other side of the border took me to Copan Ruinas for L20.
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| Antigua |
December 23, 2015
Copan
Got up early again and after a brief breakfast I went direct to the park. Staff at the ticket office was starting the computer – I was the first tourist on the day there. In fact, in the following hour, I was the only person to enjoy the whole site! Also in the jungle, Copan is not as big as Tikal but I seemed to like the place more. The ruins at Copan are more artistic and signs are clearer. The macaws at the entrance are funny too.
There are shuttle buses from Copan Ruinas to El Salvador 3 times a week through Guatemala. It's also possible to take local buses and it turned out to be more fun. I first took a mini-bus from Copan Ruinas to El Entrada where I caught a big bus to Ocotepeque. Though it's not a long way on the map, it took some time because of the winding roads in the mountains. In Ocotepeque, another bus (not too far from the terminal) goes to the border town of El Poy.
At El Salvador side of El Poy, a little walk is needed to get to the bus terminal where the famous 119 bus goes to San Salvador all the way (for only US$2), passing La Palma. There is advertisement for La Palma all the way along the highway – this little town seems to get a lot of attention these days. I didn't get off at La Palma but did see some paintings from the bus.
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| Copan |
December 24, 2015
Playa El Tunco
The terminal for buses going to Puerto La Libertad and the beaches (including Playa El Tunco) is actually in Centro Historico, not Terminal de Oriente as mentioned in some guidebooks. A folk who speaks very good English at the guesthouse volunteered to take me to the terminal. There is the slow but cheap 102 (chicken bus) and the quicker and more comfortable air-conditioned 102A (mini-bus). I chose the later for US$1.50. The driver drop me off at the entrance to Playa El Tunco.
Playa El Tunco is one of the most famous beaches on El Salvador's Pacific coast, mostly for surfing and night life. I was there in the morning and saw some boys surfing there. Most importantly, I saw the rocks that name the beach.
Some guidebooks mention there are direct buses from Puerto La Libertad to San Miguel in the east part of the country. It turns out to be not true. In El Salvador, it seems everything goes through the capital. I had to take another 102A bus back to San Salvador then take a taxi to Terminal de Occidente to take a bus to San Migual. The bus I happened to take is very comfortable and it actually went to Santa Rosa de Lima directly. There are buses from Santa Rosa de Lima to the border town of El Amatillo. I happened to grab a taxi for US$10 to save some time.
Border crossing was straightforward and I paid US$3 again to enter Honduras – this time only in transit, no sightseeing. A chicken bus took me to the 4th largest city in Honduras, Choluteca, in two hours.
It was already late in the evening and a taxi charged me L100 to take me to the recommended Hotel Bonsai. The old lady at the door told me it was full. I got another taxi to look for other hotels but all were shut down (probably due to Christmas Eve). We eventually went back to Hotel Bonsai. After some discussions between them, the old lady gave me a room for US$30 – what kind of business are they doing???
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| Playa El Tunco |
December 25, 2015
Granada
There are buses from Choluteca to the border town of Guasaule. I waited a while but didn't see any buses coming so I decided to take a taxi for L600. It took some time at both sides of the border but no major issues encountered.
Once I entered Nicaragua, a chicken bus got me to Chinandega. They apparently overcharged me for C$100 (the list price is C$32 – I later found it posted on the bus). At Chinandega, a non-stop mini-bus (at the same terminal) took me to the capital Managua where I grabbed another mini-bus (at UCA terminal) to Granada. I arrived in Granada around 3:30 p.m., and had enough time to explore this No. 1 tourist destination of Nicaragua.
Granada is another famous colonial town in Central America, kind of similar to Antigua in Guatemala. There is no volcano in Granada but there is a lake. I initially planned to climb to the top of Iglesia La Merced to have a parametric view of the city. Unfortunately it was closed due to Christmas. Walking through the local neighbourhood to the pier is a challenge (no human attacks but lots of insect bites, not recommended after 6 p.m. anyway). Dinner on Calle La Calzada was not too bad. There were so many tourists there on Christmas day! BTW, the hotel where I stayed that night, the Canadian owned Casa del Agua, is the best during my whole Central Ameria trip and it's only US$30 (I emailed them for reservation without advance payment and they did keep the room for me).
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| Granada |
December 26, 2015
Isla de Ometepe
A chicken bus departing from the terminal near the market in Granada took me to Rivas in 90 minutes. After checking in the best hotel in town, Hotel Nicarao Inn, for US$52, I rushed to San Jorge to catch the 10:30 ferry to Moyogalpa on Isla de Ometepe (C$50 one-way). The journey was not too bad (not as bumpy as expected) but it took almost two hours to get there.
At the pier in Moyogalpa, there were two chicken buses waiting, one going north and one going south. I took the south route and got off at the intersection to Charco Verde for C$10. Charco Verde is privately owned and charges C$50 for entrance. It's some good hiking but the main draw is Laguana Charco Verde with views of Volcan Concepcion and Playa Bancon with views of Volcan Maderas. Luckily, there is a boat from the nearby San Jose del Sur back to San Jorge at 3:00 p.m. and staff at Charco Verde can arrange taxi for US$5.
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| Volcan Concepcion |
December 27, 2015
Rivas to Monteverde
Land crossing between Nicaragua and Costa Rica at Penas Blancas is the busiest in Central America. In order to reach my destination in Costa Rica in time, I booked a taxi from Rivas to Penas Blancas for US$20. I arrived at the border around 8 a.m. and the crossing took about 2 hours (1 hour at each side).
Unfortunately on the Costa Rican side, I was asked to buy a bus ticket out of Costa Rica and I had to buy a San Jose – Panama City bus for US$42 which I never had a chance to use (my route was to go to Bocas del Toro from Costa Rica).
There are frequent buses from the border to Liberia. The journey takes a little bit more than 1 hour. I had booked a shuttle bus from Liberia to Monteverde online in advance for US$42 (need to specify a hotel for pickup) so I had about 4 hours to kill in Liberia. There are not a lot of things to see in the city and I spent some time sitting at Parque Central watching people and eating traditional Costa Rican casado at Copa de Oro for 3300c.
The shuttle bus arrived on-time at 3:15 p.m. and it actually took less than 3 hours to arrive in Monteverde. There are view points on the way and the driver can stop for photo-taking.
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| On the Way from Liberia to Monteverde |
December 28, 2015
Monteverde to La Fortuna
There are many activities in Monteverde, including the famous canopy tours. However, the price of US$50 seems too high (more than those in the US and Canada) and I decided to hike at Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde (to get there, you need to either pay US$5 extra for pickup or to hire a taxi for US$10-12 one-way or take the infrequent bus). The entrance fee is US$20. Although I didn't see any animals except some birds (expected), it's a very pleasant “cloud forest park” with well marked trails (and a good map you will get when you buy the ticket).
There are two jeep-boat-jeep services between Monteverde and La Fortuna (one in the morning, one in the afternoon) and I took the 2 p.m. one for US$25. This route is well established and there are many tourists using it. It's a pleasant journey with views of Volcan Arenal from the lake (if there are not too much clouds of course). La Fortuna is famous for hot springs. I ended up soaking myself in the pools at Termalitas del Arenal for only 4000c (no lockers).
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| Laguna de Arenal |
December 29, 2015
La Fortuna
La Fortuna is similar to Monteverde and there are also a couple of parks. I decided to go to an easy park, Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, for some walking (US$24). This park is famous for numerous bridges inside the park, six of them suspension bridges. It was a nice walk with some interesting plants to see.
Back to terminal in La Fortuna, the 12:45 p.m. bus took me to San Jose in a little bit more than 4 hours.
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| Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park |
December 30, 2015
San Jose to Bocas del Toro
In order to arrive in Bocas del Toro in Panama in time, one needs to take either the 6 a.m. or the 10 a.m. bus from San Jose to Sixaola at the border. 6 a.m. is not a very civilized time in my opinion, so I took the 10 a.m. bus.
The bus went smoothly and arrived at Sixaola at 3:30 p.m., just before the 4 p.m. border closure. Border crossings on both sides were smooth. I paid US$7 to exit Costa Rica and didn't get checked for outbound ticket at the Panama side.
Taxis in Panama seem to charge per head, not per car. A taxi from the border to Almirante normally charges US$10 per person but sometimes this is negotiable.
The last ferry from Almirante to Bocas Town is said to be 6 p.m. (there is 1 hour time difference between Costa Rica and Panama). We arrived a little bit after 6 p.m. but there were still boats available, perhaps because of the holiday season.
On arriving at Bocas Town, I got another challenge – most hotels were full. Eventually I found one room at Residencial Dos Palmas for US$35 – not a bad choice.
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| Two bridges linking Costa Rica and Panama |
December 31, 2015
Bocas del Toro
After getting up and having breakfast, I walked along Calle 3. A guy found me and introduced a boat tour. At 10:30 a.m., it's probably the last boat tour of the day. I agreed on a price of US$25 and jumped onto the boat. The tour is supposed to go to Cayos Zapatillas and a restaurant in the ocean. Due to bad weather, we couldn't reach Cayos Zapatillas very closely. Two guys on the boat jumped into the water and swam to the island and the rest just waited. We ended up spending most of the time eating at the restaurant.
On returning back to Bocas Town, the weather was getting better and I decided to check out Red Frog Beach (one way list price for the boat is US$8 but it's negotiable). There are actually no red frogs to see on the beach. They are on the leaves of the trees inland and locals are happy to take you to see some for a small fee.
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| A red frog |
January 1, 2016
Bocas del Toro to Panama City
Another transit day. There are direct buses from Almirante to Panama City but the direct bus was full on this New Year's Day so I needed to get to the capital step-by-step. I got up early to catch the first ferry (6 a.m.) from Bocas Town to Almirante. There are buses from Almirante to David. I waited for a while and didn't see any buses coming. A taxi driver got my attention and charged US$10 to go to David. The journey took more than 3 hours and it turned out to be the best taxi I took during this Central America trip. Before reaching David at the intersection to Panama City, we saw a bus to Panama City and the taxi driver quickly stopped the bus. How lucky!
The bus was very comfortable and it arrived at Albrook Bus Terminal in Panama City before dusk. Panama City is a modern city in Central America and the only city with a metro system in the region. I took the metro to Via Argentina station and walked to the ultra modern Saba Hotel booked in advance.
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| Albrook Metro Station, Panama City |
January 2, 2016
Panama Canal and Panama City
I booked a Panama Canal Partial Transit Tour with Panama Canal Adventures in advance for US$150. It's expensive but quite worth it. They don't pick you up so you need to take a taxi to Flamenco Marina at 7 a.m. Breakfast and lunch are included but so-so. The boat I took was northbound and finished at Gamboa around 2 p.m. (they bus you back to Flamenco Marina).
A US$5 taxi took me from Flamenco Marina to Casco Viejo and I spent the whole afternoon wandering on the streets in the old city. The colonial buildings in Casco Viejo are nice but not super impressive to me, as I've seen many colonial towns. Dinner at a restaurant at Plaza Bolivar was very pleasant – thanks to the weather (not too hot and not too cold), marking a good end to my Central America grand trip.
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| Gaillard Cut, Panama Canal |
Summary
Central America is a very diversified region which is good for tourists. There are volcanos, Maya sites, colonial towns, beaches and forest parks. Costa Rica and Panama are quite safe but also very expensive (prices are about the same in the US, except for local buses and taxis). Belize is also not cheap but it's quite safe on the cayes (not in Belize City though). The rest are cheap but have security concerns so some research and cautions are needed. A good exception is Nicaragua which is cheap and safe, though there are still ripoffs. The locals in El Salvador are quite helpful, while the folks at hotels and travel agencies in Guatemala are the most professional I've seen.
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