Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
in El Salvador or Honduras because, in my opinion, the countries aren't as safe. Use your judgment, and if
something feels off, wait for the next car.
Flying
There is a limited regional air network in this region. It's mostly led by COPA airlines, which is based out
of Panama. There is also the airline TACA, which flies to many destinations here via their hubs in San José
and San Salvador. But they too don't offer many direct flights between destinations; you have to travel via
their hubs. For example, from Guatemala City to Belize City, you have to connect via San Salvador; you
can't fly direct.
If you do want to fly between countries, there are generally small airlines that service each individual
country. Outside of the capital cities and any international airports, the airports tend to be very small, and
generally you get small propeller planes that fly into them.
I never fly around the region unless I am in a rush. Flights are overly expensive. A flight from Guatemala
City to Belize City is typically as much as $230 USD, whereas the bus is only about $35 USD. This type of
vast price difference is typical of the region. The bus rides may be longer, but if you are trying to see this
region on a budget, you should not fly.
ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTIONS
There isn't a huge selection of museums in Central America, and you'll find a lot of them only have their
signs in Spanish. While in Panama, I went to the Panama Canal Museum (a very popular tourist attraction)
only to find the signs in Spanish. Museums that do exist in this region tend to be small and focused on their
colonial and indigenous (Mayan) history. Local museums cost about $5 USD.
Activities cost more money the farther south you go. Activities cost the most in Costa Rica and Panama,
while activities are cheaper in countries like El Salvador and Nicaragua.
Entrance to the national parks is typically inexpensive, as are trips to see the Mayan ruin sites. Both are
usually around $15 USD. The entrance fee to Tikal in Guatemala is $20 USD. The Copán ruins can get
expensive if you factor in entrance fee (around $9 USD), entrance to the tunnels ($11 USD), and a guided
tour (typically $25 USD). Diving is likely to be your most expensive activity in the region, costing between
$50 USD and $70 USD for a two-tank dive. An advanced open water course is generally around $260 for
accommodations and the course (similar to the deal you find in Southeast Asia).
It isn't easy to save money on popular activities here. Tourism boards don't offer tourism cards like you
see in developed countries, though sometimes local museums will sell combination passes that might save a
dollar or two. In general, however, the listed price is the listed price.
You can get discounts on museums in the region with the student or youth discount cards discussed in
Part One. These are generally 50 percent off the adult price.
How Much Money Do You Need?
Central America is very affordable. Outside of Panama, Belize, and Costa Rica, you can do this region for
around $30 USD per day without any effort on budgeting. Costa Rica, Belize, and Panama are more expens-
ive and require between $35 USD and $40 USD per day. As long as you stick to cheap accommodations,
local food, and local transportation, you'll be hard-pressed to spend more than that as a daily average. Even
