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…
Must-see attractions in Central America
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…
Estelí
Be sure to stop by this moving gallery devoted to fallen revolutionaries, with displays of faded photos, clothes and weaponry. Check out the exhibit (with…
Quepos to Uvita
Around 1.5km east and uphill from Dominical, this wildlife sanctuary takes in injured and orphaned animals as well as illegal pets. Its mission is to…
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…
Casa Museo Comandante Carlos Fonseca
Matagalpa
Commander Carlos Fonseca, the Sandinista equivalent of Malcolm X (read: bespectacled, goateed, intense, highly charismatic), grew up desperately poor in…
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…
Northern Belize
Built in 1886, this fine old Spanish Colonial building once housed a bustling market beside the old customs house. It was one of only 11 buildings spared…
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…
Northern Belize
Perhaps the most fascinating Maya site in Northern Belize, Lamanai lies 24 miles south of Orange Walk Town up the New River (or 36 miles by unpaved road)…
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…
Veraguas Province
This national marine park contains Panama's largest island, the 503-sq-km Isla de Coiba, as well as astounding biodiversity; more than two dozen species…
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…
Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Caño Negro
Arenal & Northern Lowlands
This remote, 102-sq-km refuge has long lured anglers seeking that elusive 18kg snook, and birders hoping to glimpse rare waterfowl. During the dry season…
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…
Western Highlands
This viewpoint is 4km uphill from Chiantla. It's worth the steep climb on switchback roads for the absolutely stupendous views. On a clear day you can…
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…
Quiché
The ruins of the ancient K'iche' Maya capital of K'umarcaaj remain a sacred site for the Maya, and contemporary rituals are customarily enacted here…
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,…
Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Gandoca-Manzanillo
Southern Caribbean
This little-explored refuge – called Regama for short – protects nearly 70% of the southern Caribbean coast, extending from Manzanillo all the way to the…
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…
Western Highlands
A remnant of the Mam capital, the Zaculeu archaeological zone was 'restored' by the United Fruit Company in the 1940s, leaving its pyramids, ball courts…
The Río San Juan & Islas Solentiname
The second-largest tract of intact primary forest in the country, the Reserva Biológica Indio-Maíz is a vast wilderness and a hugely important rainforest…
Colón Province
The impressive Gatún Locks, 10km south of Colón, raise southbound ships 30m from Caribbean waters to Lago Gatún. Just the size of them is mind-boggling:…
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is Belize’s most famous sanctuary and one of its biggest protected areas. This great swath of tropical forest…
