The Río San Juan & Islas Solentiname
The highest concentration of craft workshops on the islands are just inland from the dock in Comunidad El Mancarrón (also called El Refugio). Feel free to…
Must-see attractions in Central America
Parque Nacional Cerro Azul Meambar
Western Honduras
East of Lago de Yojoa, this well-maintained national park boasts kilometers of trails leading to waterfalls, caves and untouched cloud forest. There's…
La Fortuna
Located 6km west of La Fortuna, this is a well-manicured nature experience that includes frogs, turtles, snakes and crocs, all in their appointed places…
Fortaleza de San Fernando de Omoa
Honduras
Omoa’s claim to fame is this colossal Spanish fortress. Built in brick and coral between 1759 and 1777 under orders from King Fernando VII of Spain, the…
Península de Azuero
The walls and base of the pulpit in this baroque-style church on Parque Belisario Porras are original, as are the painted faces of cherubs on the ornate…
National Assembly Pedestrian Walk
Managua
East of the National Assembly along Av Central is a pedestrian walk with open-air exhibits on Nicaragua's history, featuring everything from historic…
Western El Salvador
The most notable sight in Santa Ana is its large neo-Gothic cathedral, which was completed in 1913. Exquisite ornate moldings cover the church's front,…
Guatemala City
Facing Parque Central, this cathedral was constructed between 1782 and 1815 (the towers were finished in 1867). It has survived earthquake and fire,…
Refugio Herpetologico de Costa Rica
San José
Costa Rica is full of wild reptiles, but for people who prefer meeting things with scales under controlled circumstances, there's the Refugio…
Arenal & Northern Lowlands
This bridge is a popular spot for tourists en route from La Fortuna to Caño Negro. Countless iguanas hang out in the bamboo and trees above the river,…
Western Honduras
Built in response to the tumultuous times of the 18th century, the striking Fuerte de San Cristóbal has fantastic views of Gracias and the San Marcos…
The Road to Chirripó
With over 1600 hectares of primary and secondary cloud forest, this private reserve has miles of hiking trails to explore. Visitors will be rewarded with…
Western Honduras
This lovely museum is housed in a former presidential palace, a one-story, tiled-roof house with a beautiful, manicured garden at the center. Inside you…
León & Northwestern Nicaragua
This series of hot springs and mudholes – likely connected to the Telica volcano and sometimes referred to as 'mud fields,' – is a desolate, sulfur…
Northern Highlands
In Tisey’s lower elevations, just 5km from Estelí, is the inspiring Salto Estanzuela, a gushing 36m waterfall that careens over a bromeliad-studded cliff…
Southern Costa Rica & Península de Osa
South of Río Claro, Playa San Josecito is one of the longest stretches of white-sand beach on this side of the Península de Osa. It is popular with…
Roatán
The impressive Arch’s Iguana Farm in French Cay is just outside of town. Less a farm than the house of a serious iguana lover, it has iguanas pretty much…
Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Camaronal
Península de Nicoya
A good beach and point break, this charcoal-gray stretch north of Punta Islita is strewn with driftwood and sheltered by two headlands. This beach also…
Tegucigalpa
At the center of the city is the Plaza Morazán, often called Parque Central by locals – this is Tegucigalpa's hub. A statue of former president Francisco…
Western El Salvador
The Teatro de Santa Ana is an opulent Renaissance-style building constructed using funds from an export tax on coffee beans. The epitome of wealth, excess…
Boquete
Great for families, this private garden is located in a hilly area 3km northeast of the town center. You can walk to it in about 45 minutes. The 2…
Masaya & Los Pueblos Blancos
From the village of Diriá, a road leads up to the Mirador el Boquete, a peaceful viewpoint overlooking Laguna de Apoyo, without the crowds that the…
Central Pacific Coast
About 8km south of Puntarenas is Playa San Isidro, the first ‘real’ beach on the central Pacific coast. It's quite often empty, and preferred by…
Bocas del Toro Province
In 1903 a 12km-long canal connecting the Río Changuinola and Almirante Bay was dug parallel to the Caribbean shoreline to facilitate the barging of…
Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco
Panama City
Like other Panamá Viejo churches, this is among the settlement's most outstanding structures: rectangular, with stone outer walls, timber roofs, internal…
Western Honduras
This curious sight is perhaps La Esperanza's most notable building: a small cave now converted into a chapel, complete with a cute facade built into the…
Península de Nicoya
Sponsored by the Hotel Punta Islita, this imaginative, open-air museum includes mosaics, carvings and paintings that adorn everything from houses to tree…
Jardín Botánico Else Kientzler
Central Valley & Highlands
This well-tended botanical garden 400m north of Sarchí stadium has 2km of trails winding through more than 2000 types of clearly labeled plants, including…
Tikal
The larger of Tikal’s two museums is in the visitors center. It houses a number of carved stones from the ruins. The photographs taken by pioneer…
Tikal
Complejo Q and Complejo R, about 300m north of the Gran Plaza, are very Late Classic twin-pyramid complexes with stelae and altars standing before the…
Darién Province
From Sambú, visitors can cross the Río Sábalo Bridge to the twin village of Puerto Indio (with permission from the Emberá and Wounaan) and visit…
Nosara Area
From the south, the first beach you'll hit is Playa Garza, still a sleepy Tico fishing village with an arc of pale brown sand, and headlands on either…
Antigua
This double-decker structure on the north side of the park dates from the 18th century. Besides town offices, the palace houses the Museo del Libro…
The Río San Juan & Islas Solentiname
There's not much left of the town's fortress, which dates from 1724, but it enjoys some impressive Lake Nicaragua and Río San Juan views from several…
Jacó
This pleasant outdoor shopping square is where many of the town's good restaurants are located. It's adorned with multicolored bricks, potted plants and…
Quetzaltenango
Rising incongruously from an island in the middle of traffic-choked 4a Calle, this temple was erected by dictator Estrada Cabrera to honor the Roman…
Centro de la Cultura Garinagu de Honduras
Tegucigalpa
It's well worth dropping by this cultural center, and situated right on the Parque Morazán, which is handicrafts, clothing and tools on display, as well…
Ambergris Caye
About 1.6 miles south of San Pedro, this dive site is marked by deep grooves and a long, narrow tunnel. This high-walled passage leads to an opening at…
Western El Salvador
Across the highway from Chalchuapa town center and the Tazumal site sits Casa Blanca, home to some Preclassic Maya ruins set in attractive woodland. An…
Parque Internacional La Amistad
Highlands
Parque Internacional La Amistad was established jointly by Panama and Costa Rica in 1988; two years later it was added to Unesco's World Heritage List. In…
