Looking for some advice i have about 6 weeks of time i wanted to hit guatemala and honduras. I found super cheap airfare in and out of Honduras though i was mainly interested in diving at Utila there, as im a bit concerened with traveling for the political situation seems a bit unstable, should i be concerned? Also should i expect any problems crossing the border, where is the best place to do this from. Sort of new to the backpacing experience and i was wondering the best way of dealing with $ carrying it exchanging it and so on. Maybe some spots i shouldnt miss would be great also. I plan on leaving in early December and my budget is around $3000 i love the outdoors, hiking, down for any adventure if that helps for trip suggestions. Thanks everyone!!!!!!!

You'll be fine. If there's any recent news that suggests unrest in the country, make sure you register at your embassy. That way, they'll know where you are and they will be able to help you get out in the unlikely case that you cannot do so on your own. You'll never be more than a few hours by bus away from a border in Central America, so if you hear something that make you anxious to be out of there, you'll probably be able to leave quickly and easily.

The borders are easily crossed, at least as long as you cross by bus or by plane. By boat may be more complicated, as the immigration office may not be open or even exist at the port where and when you arrive. Stick to buses and there will be no problems.

Regarding cash, you should always carry some money, but not all your three thousand dollars. There are ATMs available in cities, so each time you leave one of them just figure out how long you will be away from civilization and make sure you bring enough cash to keep you going. I'm not sure if there's an ATM in Utila, but it being slightly remote and very islandish, you should bring the money you think you're going to need there.

Your budget is fine. There are lots of cheap options for everything, and those are usually not bad options. See the room before you pay for it. I think you'll be there out of season for whale shark snorkeling/diving, but if not, you can get a full day of excellent opportunities for that for around 100 dollars by shopping around a bit.

There are many places where you can just hike on your own pretty much for free, or for a small nominal entrance fee. In Guatemala you may choose to get a local guide, though, as there sometimes are thieves and robbers around the hiking trails. Ask around about the situation before you head into the wild, bring little cash and few valuables, and if you encounter trouble, give them what you have. And by "what you have", I mean money, not resistance.

Happy trails,

Bjørn
http://bjornfree.com/

Thanks for taking the time to reply great info appreciate it

Be careful hiking about in the Peten, and be careful in general. Always inquire about safety of a particular hiking path.

Ah.. the call of the wild. Please keep this in mind. Jungles are often muddy and wet, and you don't see a lot except for insects and the occasional sound of a howler monkey and noisy bird. You do a lot of stumbling between tree roots and often into mud holes, and scrambling up wet hills. Lots of insects buzzing around you. Before you go thinking you love the jungle, take a half day/full day tour of the jungle with a guide. Keep in mind that a multi-day hike is more of the same. If you love it, great. If you love the sound of animals at night, go for a 3 day tour. At this point you'll KNOW if you love being in the jungle more than being wet and sticky.

Amen to the mud. It's somewhat hard to believe in the dry season, but do any of you guys know we have a central american thread where I believe this whole topic logically belongs?

didnt see the central america thread- sorry for any loss of sleep this may have caused you.

At the moment things are on a day to day basis in Honduras, with almost no problems for a tourist to be concerned about. When the socialists become too active the government does close the international airport in Tegus, but the airlines usually help passengers work around this. There have been no problems with the borders being blocked for a couple of months now.

With your ample budget you can be quite flexible. If you are stranded in an area by a strike by the teachers or unions, just relax, have some great food with wonderful people around you, and wait the trouble makers out. Don't go anywhere near any demonstrations.

They are having presidential elections at the end of November. This may or may not cause things to calm down completely. It all depends upon whether the U.S. and Europe accept the results. Chavez and his buddies will do everything possible to keep the situation unstable.

Thanks, Juan...I didn't ask the question...But I fret over my favourite country and hope to be back there soon. Glad to hear that the bloodless coup isn't restricting travel.

D

I was in Guate and Honduras in Sept/Oct. Honduras was fine, I had no problems at all. I entered the country just after the ousted president returned to the Brazilian embassy. I spent a week or so on Roatan and even though it's nice to have the beach at West Bay all to myself...well there were about 5 other tourists on the beach....it was a bit too empty for a solo traveller like myself. I was also in Copan and the capital and saw/heard/experienced no problems at all.
I took a minibus from Antigua to cross the border. 4 out of 6 travel agents I asked said the border was closed so I decided to risk losing my $8 and went anyways. It was an easy crossing.
I also took 6 weeks and my budget was about $2600. I cut it really close with the budget, although I also did a side trip to Belize and Nicaragua. I stayed in hostels that were from $6 -$12.50 and didn't do any diving.....I know thats terrible, but I don't have a certificate and I knew my budget was tight, $5 snorkeling was still pretty good.
Have a great trip!

edit: I crossed the border at Copan. I left Guate from Antigua.

GTjeff519,

Thank you so much for this post. It is people such as yourself who make this site so helpful to others. It is wonderful to have very up to date information for CA, as conditions can change so quickly.

no problem juan. i acutally used your info from before about going to copan and it being fine to help me with my decision to go there. im so glad i did, it was definately worth it.