I have done this trip on a 30-day vacation when I was still on my job 9-6. Even though it was a bit in a rush, I though would be great to share the Itinerary. I went from Mexico to Panama overland and separated a few days to Havana, Cuba. The Central America region is pretty easy to move because of Ticabus, that operate in most of those countries.
Mexico (7 days)
We started our journey in Ciudad del Mexico, where we only spent a day and flew to Cancun. I have travelled with my best friend, Ricardo. We did spend a night in the last day of our trip in Mexico City Hostel.
I stayed for three nights in Hostel Mayapan Cancun the cheapest hostel in town, but with a great value of money. Cancun is a party and resort destination, so I mostly partied and spend time on the beach. Some resorts do not control a lot the flow of people, so we spent a bit of time using the facilities until discovered and kicked out.
While in Cancun we went on a day trip to Isla de Las Mujeres using the ferry Ultramar. We booked a day tour to Chichén Itza with Alvaro tours. This tour also include a visitation to the cenotes (Maya natural underground pools).
We went to Cuba and back then headed to Playa Del Carmen, Cozumel Island and Tulum. Cozumel is a great destination for diving and I remember paying about 30 USD for a fun dive with 30 meters visibility. I used Playa del Carmen as a hub to visit Cozumel and Tulum. I spend 3 nights in Hostel3B Chic & Cheap and totally reccomend. Tulum is a Maya historical site in front of a crystal water beach. It is located one hour away from Playa del Carmen where buses from ADO express departs daily every 30 minutes from 7:30 AM till 22 PM.
Cuba (4 days)
From Cancun we flew to Havana with the local airline Cubana. There are no ferries between Mexico and Cuba and a return flight Cancun-Havana usually cost about 220 USD. We spent 3 and a half days in the capital of Cuba exploring the Old Havana, Plaza de la Revolution, Hotel Nacional and other sights. I booked 3 nights in Rolando’s Backpackers.
It is important to notice that the country has 2 currencies, Cuban peso (CUP) can be exchanged to the convertible peso (CUC) at exchange offices (CADECA) at a fixed rate of 24 CUP to 1 CUC. Be aware that some scammers try to swap the weak currency money (CUP) to your convertible peso because they are very similar. I would definitely have spent more time in Cuba and explore other coastal cities, but was not possible by that time.
Belize (3 days)
Belize, this tiny English colony in the middle of Spanish speaking countries was a blast, because of the Island Caye Calker.
We took a 5 hours bus from Cancun to Chetumal, the border of Mexico and Belize. Then we took another 3 hour bus from there to Belize City, both with ADO Express. In Belize city we stayed in The Red Hut Inn and head the next day, after wandering in town, to Caye Calker Island. There is a water taxi services leaving every 2 hours starting at 8AM and the last service at 5:30PM. Caye Calker is a paradise with plenty of sharks and rays. If you do have an advanced open water diving license I strongly recommend diving in the great blue hole. When back in Belize city we took a bus to our next country, Guatemala, specifically to the city of Flores.
Guatemala (4 days)
Flores is a lovely tiny town with old buildings and tuk-tuks just like the ones in Asia. I used the city as a hub to explore the ruins of Tikal, that are only 60km away. I spent few nights in Hostel Los Amigos. Scams of fake tour tickets and drivers trying to conduct you to certain hostels are pretty common there.
Tikal is an ancient Mayan citadel in the rainforests of northern Guatemala. Its iconic ruins of temples and palaces include the giant, ceremonial Lost World Pyramid and the Temple of the Grand Jaguar. At 70 meters, Temple IV is the tallest pre-Columbian structure in the Americas.
I took a bus from Flores to Guatemala City (located 500km away) with Linea Dorada. In the capital of the country I booked 2 nights in Quetzalroo. From Guatemala City I went to Antigua, one hour away to climb the Volcano Pacaya, an active complex volcano in Guatemala, which first erupted approximately 23,000 years ago and has erupted at least 23 times since the Spanish invasion of Guatemala. Pacaya rises to an elevation of 2,552 metres.
It was such a coincidence, but I arrived in Antigua in the Holy Week and got to see an amazing catholic procession.
Back to Guatemala City we started our Ticabus journey and used mostly this bus company to move around all the way to Panama.
El Salvador (3 days)
We got to see two places in El Salvador, the capital, San Salvador and the coastal city of El Tunco, a good place to chill. El tunco has a dark sand beach because of the volcanic material and is famous for surfing. There is not a lot to see in the capital but you can cut your hair for 1 USD.
Honduras (1 day)
We basically skipped Honduras because we heard the capital was pretty dangerous and we would not have time to explore the coast and Islands such as Roatan and Utila (considered one of the cheapest place in the world to dive).
So we took a Ticabus in San Salvador that was going to Nicaragua, crossing Honduras.
Nicaragua (3 days)
The capital of Nicaragua, Managua is not the most exciting one, after one night in Managua Backpackers Inn we headed to Granada, a lovely town with historical buildings.
This city offers a range of water sports in Nicaragua Lake such as Kayak, wake boarding and boat rental. We did both wake-boarding and Kayaking.
Costa Rica (3 days)
After arriving in the capital San Jose, I took a shuttle service straight to Monteverde and spend 2 nights in Camino Verde Bed and Breakfast. This city is the capital of radical sports and you can go down in the longest Zipline in Latin America with 1590 meters.
Another nice tour is the coffee and chocolate tour where you can visit farms and observe the entire process of coffee, chocolate and sugar production.
Panama City (2 days)
My last stop in this Central America trip was Panama City. Famous for the Panama Canal and big duty frees, Panama is an expensive destination, compared to other Central American countries. The Panama Canal is an artificial 48-mile waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade.
I stayed in the old town area of Panama City in the huge Lunas Castle Hostel.
My 30 day vacation in Central America was great but I recognize that I needed at least 2 to 3 months to enjoy better the region. I missed the coast of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama that has great beaches and diving spots. I also missed many cities in Cuba and Mexico.
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