Travelling to CA for the First Time!

Hello, I'm new to this but my sister and I are planning on volunteering in Guatemala in July for two weeks just outside of Fronteras, near Livingston.

We want to do two weeks of travelling wherever we can and we're flexible in terms of our volunteering (travel a week before and after).

We are planning on flying into Cancun and then busing south to Belize City before taking the ferry from; I think, Punta Gorda to Livingston.

I'm having problems figuring out the best way to get from Livingston to the Copan Ruins in Honduras. Does anyone know? Also does anyone know of any websites for bus services or transportation info that I could find online or for information regarding hostels.

We don't know where we want to go since we've never travelled to CA before. Does anyone have any suggestions for our short period of time? (Particularly in Belize City and Santa Rosa de Copan?) Thanks!

We are budgeting about $50 per person per day. We are interested in ruins, maybe a beach or two (but we're not surfers), more nature and cultural aspects. We speak French and beginner Spanish. (Oh, and I know that Mexico is not part of CA, but I've found that its cheaper to fly there, then elsewhere.)

Not an expert but do know it's easy to get from Livingston by boat to Rio Dulce & there are tours that go from Copan there so should be able to do it in reverse & when in Belize City it's only a 45 minute water taxi ride to Caye Caulker which is a great place to chill out for a couple days.

Yes, traveling in Central America is a little different than traveling in, say, Europe. You probably aren't going to find many websites for things like transportation or hotels or hostels.

When you get to Cancun, take the ADO bus from the airport to the city for about 35 Pesos. Then when you arrive, just have a look at the posted bus schedules for times and destinations. Repeat this as you travel through Mexico and Belize. But keep in mind that once you get out of Mexico and Belize, things work a little differently. In Guatemala, usually the "bus station" is some random corner or intersection somewhere that everyone just seems to know about. Different buses leave from different places at different times for different AND similar destinations. If you go with a more expensive bus they will usually have a small office with some seats to wait on, but schedules are "flexible" on a good day, and nonexistent on most days. And most buses are "chicken buses" and will certainly not have a website to book ahead. But don't worry - this actually makes travel easier! When you wake up in the morning, just pack your bag and get to the "bus stop" in your own good time and then walk around yelling out your destination and you'll magically find yourself heading in the right direction a few minutes later.

Don't worry about getting to Copan to see the ruins. Get to your destination in Guatemala, and then just ask people where the bus for Copan leaves from. They'll know.

Belize City isn't where you want to stay, but Busman7 is right - Caye Caulker is just a short water taxi ride away and is a GREAT place to relax for a bit. And the bus will probably drop you off right at the water taxi station anyway.

Good luck!

You didn't say how you planned to get from Belize to Livingston but you can book bus transportation to Guatemala at the water taxi terminal

I am going back to Canada Apr 18 from Antigua via Rio Dulce, Livingston, Belize City & have only managed to find one way which is via Punta Gorda then chicken bus to Belize City but am hoping to find a way by water to the city. That's part of the fun travelling in CA, making spur of the moment plans as onward info is some times only available once you arrive at a destination.

Sorry, but I don't think there is a boat to Belize City. You can go from Puerto Cortes, Honduras to Placencia or Dangriga but from Puerto Barrios or Livingston the only route is to Punta Gordan and either plane or bus to BC.

That's all I could find for scheduled service but Lonely Planet guide book says might be able to hook up with a group charter or water taxi so hoping but if not no big deal, am in CA & that's all that matters.

Well I'm hoping that I can bus from Belize City to Punta Gorda or wherever they have a ferry that can take me to Livingston.

I'm just wondering how the easiest way to get from Livingston to the Copan Ruins. I'm not sure if it would be easier to ferry to Puerto Cortes and then bus down, or if I can cross somewhere at the border of Guatemala and Honduras. I don't see any major routes though that go through from where I am.

You could take the launcha from Livingston to Rio Dulce and pick up a bus to the border and on to Copan.

Go by launcha from Livingston to Fronteras. In Fronteras you can take a shuttle that will be arranged by a travel agent there, or find out which buses to take to get to Copan Ruinas.

In Copan, check out the hostle Iguana Azul (The Blue Iguana). It is one of the nicest hostles I have ever enjoyed.

By the way, if you do take a bus to the Honduran border, don't be concerned if it doesn't cross the border. Just get in one of the vans or in the back of one of the pickups on the other side of the border and they will take you the twelve or so miles to Copan.

Enjoy Copan Ruinas. You'll want to arrive at the ruins as early as possible, since it gets hot fast.

Its a great town, very civilised, relaxed and friendly!