Southern Costa Rica & Península de Osa
This site, 4km north of Sierpe, offers the best opportunity to view the mysterious pre-Columbian spheres created by the Diquís civilization between 300…
Must-see attractions in Central America
Southern Costa Rica & Península de Osa
Set on a verdant hillside between Pavones and Punta Banco, Tiskita Jungle Lodge consists of 100 hectares of virgin forest and a huge orchard, which…
Museo Arqueológico Gregorio Aguilar Barea
Caribbean Coast
Mystical stone statues rise like ancient totems in the courtyard entrance here. It houses the most important collection of stelae in the country, with…
Western El Salvador
Alongside volcanoes in triplicate, Parque Nacional Los Volcanes has hectares of lush forest that provide sanctuary for hundreds of migrating bird species,…
Guatemala City
A wonderfully presented museum and cultural center set in a house dating from the late 19th century. The owners of the house were collectors with eclectic…
Museo Histórico de la Revolución
León
León is the heart and soul of liberal Nicaragua. Stop into this museum for an overview of the Nicaraguan revolutionaries who stood up against the Somoza…
Southern Belize
Two Kekchí families in Big Falls village have opened up their homes as a cultural experience for visitors and both are excellent. The Cal family…
Corn Islands
This stunner of a beach arcs from a pile-up of local fishing pangas and lobster traps to a wild, jungle-covered headland at its far end. If you’re looking…
Southern Costa Rica & Península de Osa
While much of the Cordillera de Talamanca is difficult to access, Costa Rica’s highest peak, Cerro Chirripó (3820m), is the focus of popular two-day…
Fortaleza Santa Bárbara de Trujillo
Honduras
High above the waves, gazing over the Caribbean toward the European motherland, this 17th-century Spanish fortress could not have a more evocative…
San Salvador
Facing the revamped Plaza Barrios, the cathedral is the most significant landmark in the city and the resting place of Archbishop Óscar A Romero. In the…
Western El Salvador
Edging Guatemala, the mostly primary forest of Parque Nacional El Imposible shimmers with rivers and beautiful waterfalls. Hiking can get muddy and steep,…
Caribbean Coast
Don’t miss Dr Dionisio Melgara Brown’s museum, a 10-minute walk along dirt roads curving away from the river. Brown, a retired teacher, built this museum…
Península de Azuero
One of Panama's top artisans, Dario López has been making colorful masks for folkloric dancers since the 1960s. These days most of his masks and satin…
Granada
Granada's new chocolate museum is excellent if you're traveling with children: the 'beans to bar' chocolate workshop, where participants learn to roast…
El Salvador
Opened in 2000 as a charitable initiative to support victims of domestic violence, the Centro Arte para la Paz now organizes a range of cultural…
San Salvador
Moss-covered bridges, pebbled paths, small waterfalls and ponds home to croaking frogs, turtles and feeding fish provide the perfect antidote to city…
Panajachel
Overflowing with art by Guatemalan painters and sculptors, this gallery functions as both an exhibit space and cultural center, hosting lectures, films…
El Salvador
Local cooperative La Semilla de Dios, founded in 1977 by Fernando Llort, crafts quality products in workshops behind the store. If you ask permission you…
Belize City
This heart and soul of Belize City life, crossed by just about everyone here just about every day, is said to be the only remaining manually operated…
Caribbean Coast
This excellent social project is run by two English-speaking activists, Greta and Yesi, whose small arts center displays painting, handicrafts, clothing…
Museo Histórico Cultural de la Costa Caribe
Caribbean Coast
Learn about the Caribbean region's diverse cultures with a visit to this fascinating museum, which contains an interesting mix of historical items from…
El Petén
Buried within the furthest reaches of the Petén jungle, just 7km south of the Mexican border, the Late Preclassic metropolis at El Mirador contains one of…
El Petén
The Classic Maya sites of Yaxhá, Nakum and El Naranjo form a triangle that is the basis for a national park covering more than 37,000 hectares and…
Panama Canal
The easiest way to visit the Panama Canal is to head to the Miraflores Visitors Center, just outside Panama City. This modern center features a four-floor…
Estación Biológica Las Guacamayas
El Petén
A scientific research center within the Parque Nacional Laguna del Tigre, Scarlet Macaw Biological Station offers wildlife-watching/archaeology tours and…
Finca Los Monos Botanical Garden
Bocas del Toro Town
One of the joys of visiting Bocas is touring the 'Monkey Farm' botanical garden a couple of kilometers northwest of the center. Painstakingly carved out…
Tikal
Templo I, the Templo del Gran Jaguar (Temple of the Grand Jaguar), was built to honor – and bury – Ah Cacao. The king may have worked out the plans for…
Chichicastenango
This church on the plaza's east side dates from 1540 and is often the scene of rituals that are more distinctly Maya than Catholic. Inside, the floor of…
Tikal
Templo IV, at 65m, is the highest building at Tikal and the second-highest pre-Columbian building known in the western hemisphere, after La Danta at El…
El Petén
The most striking feature of Tikal is its towering, steep-sided temples, rising to heights of more than 44m, but what distinguishes it is its jungle…
El Petén
This stunning spring-fed tributary lies just a 90-minute boat ride from Sayaxché, during which you pass birdlife and a mix of farms, fields and forests…
Mal País & Santa Teresa
Playa Santa Teresa is a long, stunning beach that's famous for its fast and powerful beach break. The waves are pretty consistent and can be surfed at…
East Acropolis & Structure 216
El Petén
Near the site entrance is the high point of Yaxhá (literally): Structure 216 in the East Acropolis. Also called the Temple of the Red Hands, because red…
Panama City
Founded on August 15, 1519, by Spanish conquistador Pedro Arias de Ávila, the city of Panamá was the first European settlement along the Pacific. For 150…
El Petén
With its strategic position on the west bank of the Río de la Pasión, the independent kingdom of Ceibal amassed considerable power controlling commerce…
Panama Rainforest Discovery Center
Panamá Province
Geared toward ecotourism and environmental education, this is an excellent facility for birdwatchers and nature-lovers. Since you are probably here to…
Northwestern Costa Rica
At the head of the Golfo de Nicoya, the 198 sq km Parque Nacional Palo Verde is a wetland sanctuary in Costa Rica’s driest province. The park’s shallow,…
Palacio Nacional de la Cultura
Guatemala City
On the north side of Parque Central is this imposing presidential palace, which was built between 1936 and 1943 during the dictatorial rule of General…
San José
Entered via a beautiful glassed-in atrium housing an exotic butterfly garden, this museum provides a quick survey of Costa Rican history. Exhibits of pre…
