Traveling through Central America and Mexico
My view on traveling two months through Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Belize and Mexico.
Note: This article was written in 2018. So do keep in mind the information below might be out of date.
This is a short article of what I thought of each country I traveled through. Normally, I don’t write about my travels as there seems to be enough information on the web. I felt like a lot of countries in Central America don’t.
For each country I will also state the needed budget. This might of course differ for everyone. Mostly it’s based on:
- Price for a hostel/hotel
- Local food
- Activities like museums, tours and trips
- Transport
# Costa Rica
The first thing you should know about this country: it is (relatively) very expensive. 💰
Having traveled in 2016 to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, I thought I had an overall idea of the costs of South and Central America. Well, Costa Rica does not belong in that list of ‘budget’ countries.
Even street food is pretty expensive and not delicious.
If the prices are equal or higher than my country theNetherlands 🇳🇱 , for me (a student backpacker during two months) it’s too expensive. This is also the reason why I only stayed for a week in Costa Rica.
It’s a beautiful country, but paying 15 USD just for the entrance of a waterfall (La Fortuna) is quite ridiculous. Especially when you can visit four waterfalls in Juayúa, Guatemala for free.
Costa Rica seems like the country that a lot of American tourists go to and because of that it is overpriced.
I’d love to go back and see more of Costa Rica, but until then I’ll save more money.
Budget: $$$$$
My initial plan was to travel from Costa Rica to Nicaragua by bus 🚌. When I saw pictures on Twitter of people walking with rocket launchers in Nicaragua, I assumed it would be better for me to take a plane to Guatemala. At the time of writing, there is still a civil war going on in Nicaragua. Lots of hotels and shops are either closed or only open a few hours a day and there are lots of blockages on the road. Too bad, because I would’ve loved to visit the country. I hope it will soon get better as this is bad for all sides.
At a finca having a fresh coffee nearby La Fortuna. ☕️
# Guatemala
Lacking in any pre-research as usually, Guatemala is the country that surprised me the most. Mostly in a good way; sometimes bad.
It’s not overcrowded with ‘extranjeros’ but it seems they make good use of the tourists: offering nice and cheap tours and shuttles to nearby cities. The food is definitely not the best, but there are beautiful places to visit with a standard route for many travelers: Antigua, Lago de Atitlan, Rio Dulce, Semuc Champey, Tikal. From stunning Vulcano hikes to natural lakes, forests, rivers up to the Mayan ruins. Guatemala is a country you could visit for 2/3 weeks and do a range of different things. In general you would spend less money in Guatemala, but in some parts you’ll see an increase in expenditure. Taking a boat at Rio Dulce, the entrance to Tikal and sometimes decent food was quite expensive for what you would pay.
Budget: $$$
A beautiful view on top of Vulcano Acatenango (Antigua, Guatemala).
# El Salvador
A country you barely hear from and therefore it’s good for us as travellers to escape from the touristic places. And it’s very cheap.
Try the pupusas (traditional Salvadoran dish of a thick corn tortilla stuffed with a filling). Visit the small town like Ataco and do a coffee tour for 6 USD (oh yes, since the year 2000 El Salvador uses dollars). Continue to another small town called Juayúa and visit the free (!) waterfalls. They’re just a 15 minute walk away and even though hostels would recommend you to take a tour, it’s not necessary.
The capital San Salvador is not liked by many as it is ‘just’ a big city. However, I loved it. It’s a vivid city to wander around, buy some cheap juices (ask them to make your juice without sugar) and many other things. Another advantage is that El Salvador is a small country, so you will only need a week or less to visit most of the countries’ hot spots.
Budget: $$
View from a mirador in Ataco (El Salvador)
# Honduras
Starting at the capital of Honduras called Tegucigalpa, I immediately noticed the lack of tourists. I went from a full hostel in San Salvador to (what seems) one of the only hostels in Tegucigalpa which was almost empty. Honduras is the country that many people warn you about, because it’s ‘dangerous’.
For more information about the dangers of traveling, see the bottom of this article.
Honduras was nice in a way that I could finally escape all the backpackers/travellers and just be mainly with locals to improve my Spanish. For the first time during my travel I noticed that the time of the year to travel might be of big importance. I was there in August (which is the low season), so therefore traveling in May might be more congested.
Sometimes this might be good when visiting a national park for instance, but when visiting the colonial town Valle de Angeles I was a bit disappointed: lots of shops were closed and there was not much to do. Same for Comayagua, which was a pretty nice town except there wasn’t much to do.
From Comayagua I went to La Ceiba in the north of Honduras. La Ceiba is a city which most people would like to avoid, but it’s the gateway for people to go to the popular islands Utila and Roatán.
What you could say in general about Honduras is that it’s a beautiful country, but somehow it has its name of being dangerous. Therefore tourists totally seem to avoid it.
I talked to a local business owner who said that La Ceiba was really booming back in 2013, but after the crisis it became worse and it hasn’t got back to normal (yet).
Oh and another thing when visiting Honduras: get yourself some delicious baleadas (a typical Honduran dish, flour tortilla with beans and cheese).
Budget: $$
Street art in La Ceiba, Honduras.
# Utila and Roatán
I will give the islands in the north of Honduras its own part as you can say it’s not really Honduras. You could even say it has no similarities with Honduras. Not a bad thing, because you can expect: beautiful beaches, nice weather, a relaxing atmosphere and parties (if that’s your thing). In Utila you can get one of the cheapest diving certificates so expect a lot of diving here. If you are not into diving, there is still a lot to do such as taking a ‘lancha’ to beach bar Neptunes.
Roatán is known to be the more expensive island. This is definitely true, although you could still keep it within your budget by avoiding the fancy restaurants and eating street food and staying at a hostel. The beaches were one of the best I’ve ever seen.
Budget: $$$ (Utila), $$$$$ (Roatan)
#beachlife (Roatán, Honduras)
# Belize
Yes, the only English speaking country in Central America. Entering Belize is like you are entering a different world. You can say goodbye to the Guatemaltecos and suddenly get sucked into the chilled laid back Rastafarian culture. I (apparently) forgot my charger at a hotel and 15 minutes later a Belizean man biked after me to give it back, which was my first encounter with the people there that set the tone for how the people are.
By all means you will need to visit the island Caye Caulker and just chill down for a day or two. During the day relax at the beach and at night visit the Sports Bar and afterwards the Reggae Bar to demonstrate some of your dancing skills.
Although it’s relaxed and a very different compared to the previous countries, it is also quite expensive. Besides that, you know that islands in general are more expensive than the mainland. In my experience, Belize is as expensive as Costa Rica. Once again, this is relative and it could differ for everyone. Some people base the budget on local food, whereas others would base it on how much a beer costs in said country.
Budget: $$$$$
My travels in Belize was two days due to me heading to Mexico by bus. Keep in mind (!), you have to pay 20 USD to leave the country. It still hurts me thinking about it.
Caye Caulker, Belize
# Mexico
Entering Mexico from Belize is another beautiful crossing, you suddenly enter the country with the most delicious (and cheap) food. After traveling most of my time in the previous countries I can conclude that there is no big food culture there. Mexico is different, where the culture is surrounded by food. This is one of the reasons why Mexico reminds me a lot of my native country Turkey: everywhere you can find cheap and delicious food. They actually take their food serious everywhere you go.
For me the most part of traveling consists of trying the local food and drinks. Because of this I loved Mexico. Starting in Chetumal, I continued to Tulum and afterwards to Playa del Carmen. Although Playa is quite touristic with lots of big brands and stores, I really enjoyed my time there as the nights are very vibrant.
Three things to consider at the coast:
- At the moment of my travel the sea was covered with algae: it was not a pretty sight at all.
- The coast of Tulum is filled with resorts and hotels which makes it hard to find beaches to relax on without actually staying at the resort.
- The humidity. I truly like warm weather, but 15 minutes of walking outside and being totally soaked in sweat is kinda annoying.
What I liked in general is that every city/regin has its own specialy of food, traditions and architecture. After visiting the coast (and skipping the very touristic Cancún), I went to Mérida and afterwards to Palenque (Chiapas). I really recommend to visit Agua Azul and the Mayan ruins nearby Palenque. ‘Después’ to Oaxaca to try its delicious local food and observe the beautiful architecture and its traditions during a wedding. From Puebla I ended my travel in Mexico City, which is a big city. I stayed for a week in ‘CDMX’ and maybe only saw 5% of it. I could write an entire book about Mexico City (or Mexico in general), its places to visit and the food. Did I mention the food already? 👾
Budget: $$$
View from the teleférico (aerial lift) of Puebla, Mexico.
By all means, traveling for just two months through all these countries is not enough to really get to know each country and place. Besides that you can experience a country or place totally different based on your interests, what type of traveler you are, what time of the year you travel and for how many days you stay at a certain place. Likewise, I’ve not added all my experiences or the complete story of each country or its place as it would take me much more than a small article to talk about them. If you’re visiting one of these countries and/or cities, you can always send me a message. ✋
# Things that surprised me.
- You can actually do pretty good vintage shopping in most of Central America. I’ve seen pretty rare sneakers and clothing. If you’re into vintage stuff, Central America might be a perfect place to visit.
- Smartphones are everywhere (note: everywhere). I’m so amazed to see these devices in these countries and sadly see that these devices have not just taken our lives. Even what I would describe as people with less money, they would own a smartphone. It seems that it’s not just ‘us’ in the Western world that are living in our phones but it’s a global thing. 🗺
- Central America isn’t as popular as Colombia when it comes to dancing. 💃 Finding places to dance like salsa is difficult or none-existent. Seems like for dancing salsa you would have to visit Colombia (or Cuba?).
- Being used to getting natural juices almost everywhere in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru; Central America didn’t have many places that sold juices (except for Mexico). Yes, you could buy cheap and delicious fruit everywhere, but it seems like juicing is not as popular as in Mexico or South America.
- I have not visited the US yet, but it shocked me when I visited Central America and Mexico that I would hear a lot of American music (even country music in Honduras). Besides that you can find hamburgers, hotdogs and fried chicken (pollo frito) everywhere.
# Dangerous?
If there is something I learned from traveling a total of more than five months through South America and Central America: people will always say certain areas, countries or moments during a day are dangerous.
Yes, by all means I’ve heard some cruel stories of people getting robbed or threatened, but things like that happen everywhere. Luckily, I haven’t had any bad encounter during my travels. It is definitely about being careful and partly trying to fit in. Don’t walk with your Lonely Planet book in your hand, looking like a tourist with your pink Abercrombie and Fitch T-shirt and making pictures with your big-ass iPhone 8 Plus of every person and place. I try to fit in by not wearing anything too crazy or that shouts: “Hey look at me, I’m not from here”. Though, I’ve traveled with my jewelry (rings) and Apple Watch all the time without any problem.
But then again, I am a man. So much easier for me to say. By all means, always be careful. :-)
During my travel time I shot short videos that I compiled into one. I prefer shooting these snippets instead of taking pictures to show the daily life of my travels with movement and sound.