Granada, Nicaragua’s photogenic colonial city, founded 1524 and burned by Henry Morgan in 1665. Practical guide to the cathedral, La Merced bell tower, Calle La Calzada, the 365 islets of Lake Nicaragua, the Mombacho cloud forest hike, the Masaya lava lake at night, the Pueblos Blancos artisan loop, where to stay across every budget tier, where to eat (including the deaf-staffed nonprofit Café de las Sonrisas), and how to cross from Costa Rica or Honduras. Prices in córdobas, opinions where they matter.

Panama’s Caribbean archipelago: Isla Colón for the party scene, Isla Bastimentos for quiet beaches and Old Bank village, Carenero for the dock-bar crawl. Where to dive and snorkel, when to skip the rainy stretch, how to get there from Panama City, San José, or Puerto Viejo across the Costa Rica border.

Nicaragua is the Central America country quietly avoided by Western travellers since the 2018 protests, but tourist infrastructure works, locals are warm, and the value-for-money against Costa Rica is dramatic. Granada and Leon are two of the prettiest colonial cities in the region. Ometepe is twin-volcano island in a freshwater lake. Volcano boarding on Cerro Negro is a thing only this country offers. Honest about the politics, practical on the rest. All prices in cordobas.

Panama City skyline seen from the hills above Casco Viejo

Panama is the most-developed Central American country and the most-overlooked by Western backpackers. A working guide to Panama City, the Canal, Bocas del Toro, San Blas / Guna Yala, Boquete and Volcán Barú, El Valle de Antón, and the Pearl Islands, with honest costs, transport details, and which parts are actually worth your time.

A first-person Costa Rica travel guide from a long-time Central America traveller. Where to go (Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, the Pacific surf coast, Corcovado, the Caribbean, Tortuguero), when, for how long, and what to skip. Real prices in colones, the food worth ordering, and an honest take on safety, rip currents and how to combine the trip with Nicaragua or Panama next door.

El Salvador went from one of the world’s most dangerous countries to a Level 1 travel advisory in three years. The full picture: world-class surf at Punta Roca and El Sunzal, the turquoise crater lake at Volcán Santa Ana, the painted mural towns of the Ruta de las Flores, the Mayan farming village at Joya de Cerén, the State of Exception you should understand before going, and a practical 7 to 10 day itinerary that links them all.

Guatemala punches above its weight: Antigua’s cobblestone colonial streets, Tikal’s Mayan ruins rising out of the Peten jungle, Lake Atitlan’s volcanic-rim villages, plus Acatenango’s overnight view of Fuego erupting. The practical first-trip guide, with quetzal prices, real bus operators and honest safety specifics.

A small artisan town in the pine-covered hills 22 km from Tegucigalpa: the practical case for a Sunday day trip or an overnight, plus side trips to La Tigra cloud forest, Santa Lucía, and San Juancito.

David is the gateway to Boquete and the Chiriquí highlands. Here is what to do with your hours in this hot lowland capital before the bus leaves: where to eat sancocho, where to stay if overnighting, how to get to Boquete, Bocas del Toro, the islands of the Gulf of Chiriquí, and across the border to Costa Rica.

Most blogs say fly into Guatemala City and leave for Antigua. Here is the case for staying half a day or one night: the Zona 4 creative quarter, the Popol Vuh and Ixchel museums, the Mercado Central under the cathedral, and the food scene that did not exist five years ago. Plus the safety realities and how to actually move around.

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