Refugio de Vida Silvestre Islas Taboga y Urabá
Panamá Province
This 258-hectare wildlife reserve was established in 1984 to protect a key avian habitat. Taboga and nearby Urabá are home to one of the world's largest…
Must-see attractions in Central America
Western Honduras
Comayagua's impressive cathedral is the largest colonial-era place of worship in Honduras. Built between 1685 and 1715, it's adorned with intricate wooden…
Tikal
Between Templo IV and Templo III is Complejo N, an example of the 'twin-temple' complexes erected during the Late Classic Period. This one was built in AD…
Managua
The malecón (pier) has been perked up by the Puerto Salvador Allende tourist complex at its base, and comes alive in the evenings (particularly on…
Central Valley & Highlands
This artisanal woodworking studio is run by Hermes and Miguel Quesada, sons of renowned Tico carver Macedonio Quesada. The brothers maintain the campesino…
Northern Highlands
This destination for wildlife lovers is where you’ll find the best remaining patch of virgin cloud forest (although deforestation is a serious issue),…
Western Highlands
Dating from 1524, the Iglesia de San Jacinto, was the first church built in Central America. It is also known as the Ermita Conquistadora De La Inmaculada…
Nicaragua
This small rural community at the base of Volcán Mombacho is part of the UCA community-tourism project. It offers guided trips through organic coffee…
Ambergris Caye
The dive site is a bit deeper than most around San Pedro, with coral heads rising up to 50ft and a wall with spurs that spill out from 90ft to 120ft, but…
Central Valley & Highlands
On the northern edge of San Ramón park, this informative museum run by the University of San Ramón accounts the cultural heritage of the area with a…
El Valle
For the largest selection of orquídeas (orchids) in the region, visit this idyllic, not-for-profit garden east of the center, run by the local association…
Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Bahía Junquillal
Northwestern Costa Rica
The quiet bay and beautiful protected beach at Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Bahía Junquillal provide gentle swimming and snorkeling opportunities…
León
This interesting little museum inside the Casa Cultural de Subtiaba, is a beautifully muraled building; you may need to ask that it be opened. You’re…
Western Highlands
Huehuetenango's main square is shaded by cylindrical ficus trees and surrounded by the town's imposing buildings: the municipalidad (with a band shell on…
Northern Belize
This temple (Structure N10-9), fronting a 100yd-wide plaza, was built in the 6th century AD and modified several times up to at least the 15th century – a…
Nosara Area
The private 35-hectare reserve behind Lagarta Lodge has trails leading through a mangrove wetland down to the river and beach. Stop in the Lagarta lobby…
The Pacific Slope
At the archaeological site of Monte Alto, on the outskirts of La Democracia, huge basalt heads and pot-bellied sculptures have been discovered, probably…
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
West of town, this farm and botanical garden has long produced organic pepper and cacao, along with more than 150 tropical fruits and ornamental plants…
Northern Highlands
Artist and naturalist Alberto Gutiérrez is, some might say, a bit of a hermit – but a welcoming one who loves showing off his orchid-studded property,…
Masaya & Los Pueblos Blancos
Among the major buildings worst hit by the earthquake of 2000 (which also destroyed about 80 homes) was Iglesia de San Jerónimo, built in 1928, the…
Caribbean Coast
This reforestation and ecotourism project near Pueblo Nuevo is set in lush gardens surrounded by jungle. There are a number of hiking trails and a lookout…
Honduras
Rivers entering the Punta Izopo Wildlife Refuge spread out into a network of canals that channel through the tangle of mangrove forest. Monkeys, turtles…
Dangriga
Renowned throughout Belize for his art and music, Pen Cayetano's workshop and gallery displays Garifuna artifacts and crafts. It also has works of art and…
Área Silvestre Protegida Lagunas de Volcán
Highlands
Some 4km west of Volcán, this protected area encompasses the highest lake system (1240m) in Panama. The two picturesque lakes swell in the rainy season,…
Masaya & Los Pueblos Blancos
Birdwatching and coffee tours are conveniently rolled into one at Gaia Estate, a lush, 90-acre organic coffee farm. Over 150 species of birds live here,…
Northwestern Costa Rica
Don’t cruise through La Cruz without stopping at this oddly shaped ‘tourist and cultural center’ on the western edge of town. You might stumble across an…
Masaya & Los Pueblos Blancos
Inside the Mercado Artesanías complex, this small museum focuses on dance, local myths and the cultural traditions of Masaya. Apart from excellent photos…
León
The 1639 Iglesia de San Francisco is one of the oldest in the city, a national heritage site with lots of gold, a gorgeous nave, and a rococo interior. It…
Greater Astronomical Complex (Plaza F)
El Petén
To the northwest of the site stands one of Yaxhá's most ancient constructions, the Greater Astronomical Complex (Plaza F). The arrangement includes an…
Ambergris Caye
Due to chumming, this San Pedro dive site was once the spot to see nurse sharks and grouper. The feedings have stopped and the fish have moved elsewhere,…
Península de Azuero
Master mask-maker Carlos Ivan de Leon creates the most elaborate and frightening masks in Panama at his house just after Calle Segundo Villareal. He…
Museo de Paleontología, Arqueología y Geología Ingeniero Roberto Woolfolk Saravia
Central & Eastern Guatemala
This small, out-of-the-way museum is filled with prehistoric skeletons – some reconstructed and rather menacing-looking. Most of the bones of three giant…
Whale Shark & Oceanic Research Center
Utila
This center studies whale sharks and monitors the coral reef. It offers regular snorkeling trips to track down whale sharks and spear invasive lion fish…
El Petén
About a 20-minute walk to the northwest of the airstrip are Grupo B and Grupo A, the latter featuring the more formidable structures around the city's…
Isla de Ometepe
Rich with wildlife and fringed with black-sand beaches, this wooded ecological reserve is a quiet spot for hiking, birdwatching and taking a dip in the…
The Pacific Slope
Monumento 21, a copy of which is in the Museo Cultura Cotzumalguapa, still stands with three other fine sculpted stones in the Finca Bilbao cane fields to…
Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio & Around
Biologist Jimmy Mata leads magical one- and two-hour sojourns through the Butterfly Atrium, Reptile & Amphibian Water Gardens and Crocodile Lagoon, as…
Copán Ruinas
Situated for defense on a mountainside, the earth shifting due to subterranean water flow here has left the remains twisted into unusual formations. This…
Caribbean Coast
Pronounced 'Claw Key' by locals, this slender crescent of white sand is covered with soaring coconut palms. It’s also home to an unfinished three-story…
Central Valley & Highlands
Orosi is one of the few colonial-era towns to survive Costa Rica’s frequent earthquakes, which have thankfully also spared the photogenic village church…
