Hi.
I will have 5-6 weeks free this summer and was thinking about going to Central America. Before i do more research on this region, i would like to know if its possible to do justice to the coutries in such a short time period. I'm thinking of flying into Costa Rica and out of Guatemala, spending 14 days in CR, 14 days in Guat and the rest of the time either on the beach on the Bay Islands or Belize on a fairly limited budget. Also, is this distance feasible in this amount of time? Are there many overnight buses?

Would i be missing out on much if i skipped through Nicaragua and Panama?

Where would be the best place to see active volcanoes?

My interests are beaches, good snorkelling & diving, volcanoes, rainforests, turtles, local culture and good food.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Kind Regards

Peter Hunt

It sounds great! I would play it by ear though. You might find that CR doesn't need a full two weeks for you or it might. The beauty of an open jaw flight like you are thinking of is that you get to see and do a lot without backtracking.

However, you would be a lot better off flying out of Belize City, because you could even get a last swim in if you do that. Guatemala City is not what anyone would call close to an ocean. I like it, but most people don't and frankly, beaches are great at the end of a trip down that way.

There are plenty of overnight buses from Guate to Flores. I doubt Belize has any. The Linea Doradas buses in Guatemala are overpriced compared to normal first class you can take.

Consider Placencia for your last few days before flying home. Go for it!

Hi

I suspect that Volcan El Arenal near La Fortuna in Costa Rica might be your best bet for an active volcano. I think that it is reckoned to be the 2nd most active volcanic peak on the planet. I hae no idea what cloud conditions are like at the time you will be visiting, though.

There is also a national park in NW Costa Rica (Rincon de la Vieja or similar - don't have aguide book or map to hand) which is well known for geothermal activity. Might be worth a look.

Have fun.

I forgot to mention that there are active volcanoes you can see in Guatamala. I climbed Pacaya amost all the way, but with a fear of heights, did not get to see any fireworks.

Pete

Dunno if you're interested but our website has a report of our 3 weeks in Costa Rica last year and we're just getting around to putting the bird photos on there. Reptiles, crocs, monkeys, butterflies, whales and dolphins etc. will come later.

The site is www.avengerpenguins.com
and the report is mainly related to birds/wildlife but there's plenty about travel in CR which might be of interest to independent travellers. I'm sure you can find plenty of similar info. about the rest of Central America, although I expect that most of the countries would repay a full 6-week visit on their own.

Definitely take time to check out Panama. Panama City is OK, but I found the little city of Colón, the canal zone at Colón, and the surrounding islands incredible!

Make sure you go to EL SALVADOR. Don't miss it.