Hello travelers. Until a few weeks ago I had my mind set on traveling solo to Costa Rica for about a month to enjoy some surfing, scenery, and wildlife. Now I'm looking to expand my trip by another month or so to include a number of other countries in the region. I'm interested primarily in finding great beach destinations for surfing and diving, as well as eco-tourism friendly spots for unique scenery and wildlife. I'd also love to check out some Mayan ruins and modern Central American cities along the way. I was considering starting my trip in Belize and working my way south to Costa Rica, but I'm not sure how much time and money this will take. My budget is about 5-6k, including airfare. I don't mind traveling on a bare bones budget if it will extend my vacation and save money for some truly amazing experiences. So if any of you has any suggestions about how to make this trip a reality, I would really appreciate your advice. Particularly:

- What can I expect when traveling throughout the region, both within each country and across borders? Is it a good idea?
- How much time and money should i budget?
- Which countries have the most to offer?
- What's worth seeing and what isn't?
- Where are the best places to stay for a solo traveler?
- What are some rookie mistakes I should avoid?

THANK YOU,

Patrick

Howdy from Minneapolis.

It sounds like you have two months for this trip. That's not enough time for all of Central America, so you'll want to concentrate on three or four countries, tops. With surfing and diving as your top priorities (I can totally relate there), I'd suggest Honduras (cheapest and best diving in the Western Hemisphere), Nicaragua (great surfing, cheap living), Costa Rica (great tourist infrastructure, good surfing, but expensive), and Panama (surfing and diving, the only worthwhile city in Central America).

Guatemala has the best Maya ruins (Tikal), but Honduras has a good site too, at Copan. The biggest choice for ruins is in Mexico*, but that's too far for this trip. Forget about pleasant cities in Central America, other than Panama City. People are mixed about that place, but I love it. Generally, cities in the area are horrible, crime-ridden cesspits best avoided.

quote:

- What can I expect when traveling throughout the region, both within each country and across borders? Is it a good idea?
- How much time and money should i budget?
- Which countries have the most to offer?
- What's worth seeing and what isn't?
- Where are the best places to stay for a solo traveler?
- What are some rookie mistakes I should avoid?

-Your budget totally depends. To rank countries from most expensive to least would be Belize > Costa Rica = Panama = Mexico > El Salvador > Honduras > Guatemala > Nicaragua. I can get by, with beers, for $15/day in Nicaragua, which is more like $35-40 in Costa Rica, including transport.

-Too broad a question. You should read some of the posts on this branch. Piecar and I (among others) have both been up and down the isthmus several times, and have a long-running battle here on the viability of Belize as a destination (it's not worth it).

-Best places for solo travelers, off the top of my head (outside of Mexico): Antigua, Guatemala; Lake Atitlan, Guatemala; Utila, Honduras; San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua; Granada, Nicaragua; Tamarindo, Costa Rica; Manual Antonio, CR; Puerto Viejo, CR; Bocas del Toro, Panama; Boquete, Panama; Panama City, Panama.

-Rookie mistakes? Don't try to do too much in too short a time.

Drop me a line if you're ever Uptown, and I'll talk your ear off about Central America and Mexico over beer.

*Mexico really is the only place with excellent diving, surfing, cities, and Maya ruins, but that's not Central America.

I have to disagree about Belize. Although I recognize that the costs have gone up considerably in the last 2 years but for a country the size of Belize there is so much to see. There is the definite Caribbean scene in Placencia as well as Caye Caulker,Ambergris Caye, Glovers Atoll etc. part of a major barrier reef an easy boat trip from the Mainland. There are some wonderful nature areas including Cockscomb Jaguar Reserve, Crooked Tree,Red Banks, Monkey River and the wonderful river areas. Then woven into allof that are some of the most incredible ruins in the area including Caracol, Lamanai and Actun Tunichil Muknal which I think as no equal.

If you have a budget of 5-6K and your major life goal, at the moment is travel, I would suggest you take 6 months to travel Central America and see all 7 countries. If you choose a low cost airline to get down here, then travel everywhere by bus, you can live a very enjoyable life for about $1,000.00 per month (on average- Felix gives good guidelines).

If and when you get serious about where you want to go and how long you can stay, do some research on your own so you can ask questions that have meaning for you and your likes and goals. From your general questions, you will probably find several things to interest you in each of the CA countries.