BootsnAll Travel Community

For my next trip I've been debating on whether I should go on a solo backpacking trip to Central America or an Intrepid tour to Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Turkey (I've been to Egypt and Turkey before but want to go again). I've travelled to Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Mexico City. I love Latin America so much.

I decided to do the solo backpacking trip to C. America because I thought it would be better to do the other trip with someone instead of going on a tour solo.

I'm looking for itinerary suggestions. My biggest priority is ancient Mayan ruins (not the beach) and natural beauty like rainforests, waterfalls, volcanoes, etc.

Here's what I've come up with so far:
Toronto > Cancun
Cancun > Valladolid (Ek Balam & Chichen Itza)
Valladolid > Coba
Coba > Tulum
Tulum > Chetumal > Lamanai
Lamanai > (St Ignacio) Xunantunich
St Ignacio > Tikal
Tikal > Flores
Flores > El Peten
El Peten > Coban
Coban > Guatemala City
Guatemala City (and surrounding areas) > Antigua
Antigua > Copan, Honduras
Honduras > Guatemala City
Guatemala City > Toronto (if open jaw ticket) or back Cancun

How doable is the first part (Mexico) by bus? Originally I thought I'd be travelling with others when I came up with this and was planning to rent a car but since I'm travelling alone, so it will be public transport.

Can you also suggest approximately how long at each place and if 4-5 weeks is enough time.

Thanks so much!

From Chichen Itza I would go on by the afternoon bus to Merida. Then Uxmal, Campeche and Palenque, possibly by night bus (From Merida it is a long enough ride to sleep.)
Palenque is one of the most stunning Mayan ruined cities; maybe the most beautiful.
From Palenque, make your way to Frontera Corozal and take the lancha on the Usumacinta river to Bethel Guatemala. The afternoon bus will get you to Flores for dinner and you can visit Tikal the next day.
Alternatively you could travel Palenque - San Cristobal de Las Casas and on to the Guatemalan highlands. Then make your way to Lago Atitlan and Antigua. Then, from Guate City, you would take the Flores night bus, visit Tikal and finish your trip with the Belize Cayes.
You would have a lively 4-5 weeks and see most of the must-sees of the Ruta Maya.

Five weeks will give you a good overview of the Ruta Maya in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, with time left over for Antigua and Lake Atitlan (as louisghiker suggested).

Mexico and Guatemala both have excellent bus service for the areas you want to travel, although Mexico may have the nicer buses on most of the routs.

Copan, Honduras is also easy to do by bus from Antigua or Guatemala City. If you have a chance, find a copy of the old National Geographic that has an extensive article on the excavation of the older pyramids under the new pyramid. It will make your visit much more meaningful. Also, if you are lucky, the museum will be open. It is well worth any additional fee they charge.

I would split my time up 50/50. Half for Mexico, the other half for Guatemala and Honduras. About 2-3 days for Honduras, including travel time.

Get out of Guatemala City as quickly as possible if history and beauty are your main interests. Also, be aware that some of the places you are going will be so interesting and enjoyable that you will want to spend a week or more at each one.

The following is really really bad advice:

quote:

Get out of Guatemala City as quickly as possible if history and beauty are your main interests.

There are three easy to get to museums of great value in Guate and two more are a bit harder to get to, but still intriguing. There is also a zoo that also has the animals you are least likely to see on your trip, the jaguar and its smaller version, the margay. Four of these places are within walking distance of the Zona Viva.

Myaphile is correct. Guatemala does have the best zoo in Central America. The museums are also fairly interesting. I was giving advice to a person who has only a few weeks to see 3 countries.

Myaphile is one of very few people, who have been to Guatemala a number of times, who thinks Guatemala City is interesting. He also does not like Antigua. This goes against the advice of 95% of the people who have been to both places.

He must just enjoy being a contrarian. Any city of 4 million people that has no more to recommend it than a few museums, 2 or 3 expensive restaurants, and a zoo, to me leaves a great deal to be desired. Guatemala City is a dangerous human sewer, where one must spend American prices to be somewhat safe in Zone 10 (Zona Viva).

Again I say, if you are looking for history and beauty, get out of Guatemala city as quickly as possible. If you enjoy, squalor, abject poverty, danger, generally poor food, and high prices, take Mayaphile's advice and waste your time trying to find something you enjoy doing in Guatemala City. If, on the other hand, Mayaphile gives you any advise on the best places to experience Mayan culture, see the ruins, or where to stay in the truly historical locations, take his advise. He is truly an expert in these areas.

Most travelers who have been been to both Guate and Antigua have not even walked outside the Guate airport, except to get into a shuttle or a cab to Antigua. Except for a couple nights at the Hotel Panamerican downtown that were included with one trip at its end, I was pretty much the same way, except that I seriously preferred Peten. The one difference between me and so many was that in 2002, while staying in Antigua with friends after a Mirador trip, I realized that the city just wasn't for me.

Well after that, and not that long ago, a young Chapin. Manuel Chirouze, decided to remodel a large house his family owns in Zone 10 and to turn it into a hostel. Because it was in Zona Viva, it had to be stylish. I heard about it and stayed there after my 2006 trip and was enchanted with it. There is a 20Q set price restaurant with good food and friendly people about 2 blocks away and some of the best restaurants in Guatemala were within blocks and a late night beer run only took ten minutes. It was my stays at the hostel, Xamanek, that got me to finally seeing Guate museums after all this time, especially those within walking distance.

It was my wife on our Christmas 2007 trip, who got me to the zoo and it was worth it. We walked to it and to the three museums I mentioned on two different days during our stay in Guate. It is true that we spent $35 for our double ensuite room. Had I been alone, I would have paid $15 for a dorm bed, which I suppose is also similar to US prices.

Juan, it was due to the time constraints that I did not mention the Museo Miraflores, which is about the Pre-Classic Kaminaljuyu ruins inside Guate City. Although it is walkable from the museum to those ruins and a friend and I did so, the route isn't all that straightforward, so I don't recommend actually walking it, although it didn't strike me as dangerous. However, both are worth seeing by anyone with interest in the Maya.

Another intriguing museum I have visited there is the Mirador Basin Museum in zone 6, and it is not easy to get to. However, it is the only way to see a lot of artifacts from El Mirador and to meet the beautiful and young museum director.

Places I want to visit, but have not yet done so in Guate are the Mirador Basin lab near the airport and the tomb of a hero of mine, former Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz, but I don't think these are of general interest.

__________________________________________________

By the way, LoveTraveling, other than what I quibbled with, the foregoing advice here by two very knowledgable travelers was excellent. I would suggest an open jaw trip with a short stay in Guate City at the very end. Do stay out of the city slums though and don't just wander around downtown at night. Know where you are going and go straight there. Otherwise, you might wind up with an opinion like Juan's.

Thank you so much for the thoughtful and passionate replies!

Here's what I've come up with based on your suggestions - please note I have absolutely no interest in seeing any zoos - I'm not supporter of them but I do love museums. I will spend at least one day in Guatemala City...I just play it by ear once I get to the place, sometimes I leave quicker or stay longer and just take something else out.

I think this itinerary will be better since I don't require an open-jaw ticket - the only thing is that I don't know if there's bus service to place to place or only from major hubs/cities:

Toronto > Cancun
Cancun > Merida
Merida > Uxmal
Uxmal > Campeche
Campeche > Palenque
Palenque > San Cristol or Yaxchilan?
San Cristol or Yaxchilan > Antiqua
Antiqua > Guatemala City (surrounding areas)
Guatemala City > Copan
Copan > Coban (or back to Guatemala City)
Guatemala City > Coban
Coban > Peten
Peten > Tikal/Flores
Flores > St Ignacio (Xunantunich)
St Ignacio > Orange Walk (Lamanai)
Orange Walk > Chetumal > Tulum
Tulum > Playa de Carmen > Cancun

I'm not sure if this is over ambitious. I like the idea Juan suggested of splitting Guatemala and Mexico equally. I was thinking of spending 2 weeks in Mexico, 2 weeks Guatemala and 1 in Honduras and Belize.

I'm pretty flexible and open to suggestions about Belize because I haven't researched it too much and don't know where the best places to go are - I know about snorkelling and that's about it.

I just want to get a basic framework/direction for the itinerary and then research it in more detail.

Similar itinerary from touring company offers this tour in 14 days!!

Juan thanks for the tip on the National Geographic article, I'll be sure to look for it.

I'm planning on going sometime in January, still got plenty of time.

Loves Traveling,

You are definitely planing a lot of destinations for a very short period of time.

Your comment that a tour company offers a similar itinerary in a 14 day period, reminds me of a good friend who took a European tour of 6 countries in 21 days. When she got back, 90% of her photographs had been taken from the window of a train or bus, and she usually was unsure which country the photos were of.

The roads and driving conditions of Mexico and Central America are nothing like those of Canada or the U.S. One is lucky if a bus will average 55 miles per hour in Mexico. And, in Central America the best drivers can only average 45MPH. You can see that you are talking about a lot of travel time with your current plans. Many of the places you plan to see will require 6 to 10 hours to travel to. There are usually good schedules to almost everywhere you plan to go, but the trip itself can be exhausting. You will need to allow your body recovery time from travel, if you want to be able to truly enjoy the marvelous places you intend to visit.

As you study and make more definite plans, come back on and we can give you much more specific help.

As Juan3 writes,You will be doing much more road travel than is advisable. Look at shortening it and not doubling back anywhere. But since you seem very interested in Mayan cities, I suggest following Palenque with Bonampak and Yaxchilan, on your way to Tikal (See Mayaphile's site Mostlymaya.com for the Bonampak leg.). In the Tikal area, you might enjoy an extra day to visit Yaxja. Then go down to Rio Dulce for a day and on to Copan Honduras. From Copan there is a Hedman Alas express luxury bus 5 hours to Guate and Antigua.
After the Guatemalan highlands, you can save a day by taking the night luxury bus Guate-Flores and arrive in Belize 12 hours later. Even cutting out Copan and Alta Verapaz I'm afraid I didn't shorten your trip. There is so much to see one has to choose.

quote:

Originally posted by Louisghiker:
I'm afraid I didn't shorten your trip. There is so much to see one has to choose.

So you see my dilemma! What should I cut out?

Juan, trust me, I know that things don't operate as they do in Canada. It's much more laid back and people operate on their own schedule. That's why I said in the beginning of the post - I'm not sure feasible it is. I think if I had a car, it would be a different story.

Is there a good website that shows distance/time from each place so I have an idea of how long the travel time is? I'm hoping there are night buses for long-distance travel so I can just sleep on the bus.

I'm used to (and like) jammed pack itineraries - I can handle it so I'm not worried about that but like you said, I don't want to be spending most of my time on the bus!

I will research some more and be back with another draft of my itinerary.

Ok I spent several hours figuring out the approximate travel time between each (in brackets), I realize buses break down and you can't rely solely on this kind of info.

I also put after the : the day or overnight trips I'd be taking. I'm pretty happy with this itinerary as my starting point:

Cancun > Chichen Itza (2.5 hours)
Chichen Itza > Merida: Uxmal, Loltun & Ticul (1.5 hours)
Merida > Palenque: Yaxchilan (8 hours overnight bus)
Palenque > Antiqua: Chichicastenango, Panajachel & Guatemala City (not sure of time)
Antiqua > Copan (4 hours)
Copan > Quirigua > Rio Dulce or straight to Flores? (3 & 4 hours, total 7-8 hours)
Flores: Tikal
Flores > St Ignacio/Cayo: Xunantuich (3 hours)
Cayo > Lamanai via Belize City/Orange Walk (approx 4)
Lamanai > Chetuamal (2-4?)
Chetumal > Tulum (if time) > Playa De Carmen (if time) > Cancun (5 hours in total)

I'd obviously take earliest buses for shorter trips and night buses for long journeys to save daylight hours.

I have 8 bases (where I'd spend more than 3 nights): Cancun?, Merida, Palenque, Antigua, Copan, Flores, St Igancio and Lamanai. I think that's pretty decent for 5 weeks, no?

I'm having difficulty finding transportation information from Palenque to Antigua though, I hope not all buses go to Flores first.

Wow! I never even try to plan that closely. Most times make some sense but it would be interesting to see how on-the-ground reality would turn out.
Palenque-Antigua is kind of impossible to time. You would start with a five-hour bus to San Cristobal de Las Casas and surely miss the morning tourist van leaving for an all-day trip to Antigua. You would end up using three days.
However, Palenque-Flores is doable in one day by bus, boat, bus. (There is no road connection across the Usumacinta River.) But then you should stop on the way to visit Bonampak and a little of Lancandonia.

This is the latest draft, I like a fast paced/jammed pack itineraries b/c I know I will get some criticism for it being too packed. I will slow down or stay longer if I like a place, my itinerary is not set in stone, it's just a guideline

Cancun > Valladolid (Ek Balam & Chichen Itza) - 2 days
Valladolid > Merida (Uxmal)- 3 days
Merida > (stop in Vallahermosa?)>Palenque - 3 days
Palenque > San Cristobal - 3 days
San Cristobal > Panajachel (Chichi, San Pedro)- 4 days
Panajachel > Antigua 3- days
Anitgua > Copan 1-2 days
Copan > Livingston 2 days
Livingston > Flores (Tikal & Nakum?) - 3 days
Flores > Cayo (Cahal Pech/, Xunantunich, Actun Tunichil Muknal, Caracol) - 5 days
Cayo > Caulker (Lamanai) - 3 days
Caulker > Tulum?/Cancun
Cancun > Havana (6 days)

I have a full 42 days, not including the day i arrive or leave (though i will be arriving before noon and leaving in the afternoon).

Question: is Villahermosa worth a visit?

If you can afford it (and they're really not that expensive) I'd recommend staying in Tikal rather than Flores - it's wonderful staying in the park itsself; it makes it a hell of a lot easier to get up in the morning for the sunrise views from Temple IV; and it's really peaceful once all the day visitors have left to head back to Flores. You can arrange onward travel to Belize from Tikal as well.

Oh, and another point to add - for Palenque I'd recommend staying in El Panchan (a small collection of hostels and bars) on the road to the Palenque site, rather than in Palenque itself, which is not very exciting.

There's a lovely atmosphere at El Panchan, and it's easier to get to and from the site as well.

quote:

Originally posted by itinerantlondoner:
If you can afford it (and they're really not that expensive) I'd recommend staying in Tikal rather than Flores - it's wonderful staying in the park itsself; it makes it a hell of a lot easier to get up in the morning for the sunrise views from Temple IV; and it's really peaceful once all the day visitors have left to head back to Flores. You can arrange onward travel to Belize from Tikal as well.

How much does it cost to stay in Tikal?

Also how would I get transportation from Tikal into Belize? That would be ideal but I thought all that sort stuff is only in town, not in Tikal. Is there any luggage storage btw?

quote:

Originally posted by itinerantlondoner:
Oh, and another point to add - for Palenque I'd recommend staying in El Panchan (a small collection of hostels and bars) on the road to the Palenque site, rather than in Palenque itself, which is not very exciting.

There's a lovely atmosphere at El Panchan, and it's easier to get to and from the site as well.

Bah, I didn't like El Panchan. It's full of filthy gutter hippies. If your idea of travel is smoking pot in the jungle while dreadlocked urchins pound on bongos and debate "traveler or tourist," you'll love the place.

Palenque is a must-see though, if you're into ruins. You can fit in Yaxchilan and Bonampak too, between there and Tikal.