El Salvador/ Guatemala from Copan?

Doing it on your own is simple and definitely cheaper but any ideas exactly what it is you plan to see in either Guatemala or El Salvador?

You could realistically get the first-out border van to El Florido for crossing into Guatemala. Once you get to Chiquimula, it's the transportation hub for that part of the country with connections to everywhere. You could hang-out there for the day, or make quick work to/from Esquipulas (which would put you in good position to recross into Honduras at Aguas Calinetes and then over into El Salvador). Otherwise, El Salvador isn't really doable from Copán Ruinas unless you plan on heading-out and staying gone for more than a day or two.

If you want to see another area as stated above Guatemala is probably your best bet. You could go to either Antigua and/or Lago Atitlan or go the other way to Quirigua and Lago Izabal. In Honduras you could head to Gracias and the small villages in the area or to Lago Yojoa or up to Celaque. I'd advise checking out a guide book or go on the internet to figure out where you want to go.

If you post about the rest of your trip plans we could advise you better. If you only have a day or 2 you might be better off saving Guatemala for a later trip.

Thanks for the replies. I am planning on spending 17 days altogether in Honduras. I arrive in SAP on a Saturday at 1:45PM and still thinking whether I should stay in the city for the night or head directly to Copan for a week. After I would go to the Bay Islands for another week, then back to the city on a Sunday for an early Monday morning flight out. I have spent one day in Tikal last year so I was hoping on seeing some other sites and culture if I were to go to Guatemala again. I heard El Salvador is a beautiful country so I wanted to go see it but it would not be doable to do both El Salvador and Guatemala. I know there are buses to Antigua in Guatemala from Copan but I'm not sure what there is to do there.

Thanks.

In my opinion you won't have trouble justifying a week in either Copan or in the Bay Islands - I've spent more than a month total in each over the last few years and have loved every minute. If you want to give up some of that time, I'd devote at least 3 nights to a Guatemala loop to make the long trips worth it. You could bus or shuttle in the afternoon to Antigua and spend one day there and surrounds and one day on a tour loop further into the highlands (see Lake Atitlan, maybe Chichi if it's a Sunday or Thursday market day), then head back to Copan on an early morning bus or shuttle after the 3rd night. It would be a feast for the eyes but a ton of time on the road. Hope you get back there for a whole trip sometime.

Hope you enjoy Honduras as much as we do and please tell us all about it when you get home.