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THE Central America is the thin section of land that connects the North American continent with the South American continent. Geographically part of North America, it consists of seven small, mostly tropical countries, which have much more in common with South America and Mexico from the richest north. Mexico is sometimes considered part of Central America because of the language and cultural heritage it shares with several of the countries in the region.
Countries
Important cities
Ancient Guatemala (Spanish: Antigua Guatemala or just Antigua) - Capital of the Spanish colony of Guatemala from 1543 to 1776. In 1773 the city was destroyed by a strong earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale, with the result that the authorities ordered the relocation of the capital. Known for its well-preserved Baroque architecture, Antigua was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 and today is one of the most popular destinations in Central America.
Guatemala City (Spanish: Guatemala City) —
City of Belize (English: Belize City) —
Panama City (Spanish: City of Panama) - The most cosmopolitan capital of Central America.
San Jose (Spanish: San José) —
Like Pedro Soula (Spanish: San Pedro Sula) —
San Salvador (Spanish: San Salvador) —
Tegucigalpa (Spanish: Tegucigalpa) —
Additional destinations
Cocos Island (Spanish: Coco Island) - The 1997 film "Jurassic Park" was shot on this secluded island in Costa Rica and captured in its tourist success. However, disembarkation and camping are prohibited.
Koimba National Marine Park (Spanish: Coiba National Park) —
Kopan (Spanish: Copan) - Its top archeological site Honduras, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1980 by UNESCO.
Corcovado National Park (Spanish: Corcovado National Park) —
Arenal Volcano (Spanish: Arenal Volcano National Park) - Active volcano in Costa Rica which rises east of Lake Arenal
Ometepe Island (Spanish: Ismet Ometepe) —
Central American Reef (English: Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, Spanish: The Mesoamerican arrecife) —
Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve (Spanish: Reserve from the biosphere of Río Platano) —
At a glance
Until the 1990s, the region (excluding peaceful Honduras, Belize and Costa Rica) suffered violent repression (Guatemala), civil wars (El Salvador and Nicaragua) and opposition confrontations between the US and the Soviet Union.
This dark political and social situation changed with the end of the Cold War and after the signing of peace agreements in the early 1990s. Now the region is experiencing a process of change and reform that we hope will allow travelers to discover an interesting and cheap travel destination. In general, the people of Central America are kind and warm and welcome foreigners. There is a variety of culture from one end of Central America to the other and indigenous culture plays an important role in the region, especially in Guatemala, the El Salvador and Honduras.
Languages
Due to the extensive Spanish colonial presence in the region, its American dialects Spanish language is the primary language, especially of government and cities. (English is the official language Belize, a former colony of the United Kingdom, but you will still find many Spanish spoken in the country.) Native languages are still spoken in many rural areas. However, English is co-official on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, along with indigenous languages. English speakers can be found on the Caribbean coasts of Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama.
How to get there
A visa ahead of time is usually not required
By air
By airFew European airlines operate flights to Central America's international airports.
Turkish Airlines recently launched a flight from Istanbul Ataturk Airport to city of Panama with a stopover at the airport Bogota. Read the announcement in the official web page their.
By road
By roadIt is actually a much easier bus from the United States to Central America than most people imagine. It is a distance of about 1000 miles from the US border at Brownsville with the Guatemalan / Mexico border. The trip can be done in a whole day (not strongly recommended), but the wise traveler will take his time and enjoy the many interesting places like Real de Catorce, the Veracruz, the Xalapa, the San Cristobal de las Casas, the Palenque etc. .The bus ticket from Brownsville to the border of Watte is around $ 130 USD today (Jan. 08).
From the Guatemalan border, you can take a bus like the Tica bus to Panama or any of the CA-4 countries for about $ 130 or less.
There are no roads leading to Colombia from Central America. Alternatively, you can take speedboats between the Caribbean coast of Panama (San Blas) and Colombia (Chocó).
See
- The cloud forest of Cusuco National Park in Honduras. A hotspot of biodiversity visited by Operation Wallacea.
- Cloudy forests of Panama at Boquete. Many hotels are actually located in the cloud forest. or you can take a tour high in the mountains, through the clouds.
- THE Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. One of the most beautiful places on the planet. A volcanic lake with three volcanoes around it.
- Colonial cities such as Antigua Guatemala, Quetzaltenango, (Guatemala). Juayua, Suchitoto in the El Salvador, Gracias and Comayagua (Honduras), Leon and Granada in Nicaragua (oldest colonial city in Nicaragua) or Panama City, San Vlaska Islands - Casco Vigio (Panama).
- Ancient Mayan ruins at Belize, the Honduras, τη Guatemala and El Salvador.
- Amazing beaches in Tela, Trujillo, la Ceiba and the Bay Islands (Honduras), Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limón (Costa Rica). Montelimar, San Juan del Sur, Bahia Majagual, La Flor and Pochomil (Nicaragua); Bocas del Toro and El Farallón (Panama).
- Surf, especially in Honduras, τη Nicaragua, the Costa Rica and El Salvador.
- National Natural Parks, especially in El Salvador, the Costa Rica, τον Panama and Nicaragua which has the second largest rainforest in the western hemisphere, after Brazil.
- The volcanoes in Guatemala, such as those that line its southern coast λίμνης Atitlán considered by some as one of the most beautiful places on the planet.
- The Semuc Champey and the Lanquin Caves in its Alta Verapaz district Guatemala are unwanted.
- The rainforest (Rio San Juan, Nicaragua). The largest rainforest north of the Amazon, the new eco-tourism destination, the hotspot of biodiversity, many wildlife, a great place for tarpon fishing. Indio-Maiz National Park and other private reserves with ecological accommodation await you.
All this makes this area a great but also untapped and affordable treasure that is worth visiting.
Buy
Almost every country in Central America accepts the US dollar. Other currencies are difficult to exchange. You can exchange the Mexican peso at the Belize border or the Guatemalan border, but it happens. The US Dollar is the official currency of El Salvador and Panama, so there is no need to exchange money in these countries. You can buy almost anything or any service in US dollars, but sometimes it is cheaper to buy local currency. Coins like Cordoba or Lemira are usually very inflated, so you only have what you need. Almost all banks change money from the US dollar to the local currency and usually require a passport to do so. Beyond border cities, currencies are always useless when transported abroad to exchange money with official money transferrs at the border. If you bring U.S. cash to Central America, make sure the accounts are new, clean, and not torn or exchanged. $ 2 bills are considered lucky to give some tips. Banks in Belize do not exchange Guatemalan Quetzal. need to change at the border or at certain travel agencies and travel agents.
ATMs can be found in banks and in big cities, but in the countryside it is often difficult to find working ATMs. Most ATMs distribute local currency and US dollars.
In Central America, you can often find cheap shopping for personalized gifts. Almost everything can be traded except luxury department stores. Tourists usually pay a higher price, so this is where your bargain will come in handy.
Food
Guatemala is the land of tamales, there are regular tamales made from "masa" corn with either meat, chicken, turkey or pork stuffing and tomatoes, and sometimes "Chile". "Black tamales" are similar to the previous ones, but they are sweet, "paches" are tamales made of potatos, "tamales de cambray" are small sweet "masa" balls, tamales de "chipilin", and many more, rellenitos sweet fried Banana currants) is a delicious dessert sold to streetcorners. Black beans are the main ingredient after corn of course. There is a variety of soups ("caldos"). Guatemalan cuisine is a mixture of massage and Spanish dishes.
Gallo pinto is a mixture of rice and beans with a small Koran or onion thrown in, it is the national dish of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. This mix is called Casamiento ("wedding") in El Salvador and Guatemala. And on the north coast of Honduras, casamiento is made with coconut milk.
Pupusas and "chicharron con yuca" (pork skin & yucca) are very popular dishes from El Salvador.
Nacatamales, which are large tamales containing pork, potato, rice, Chile, tomato and a mass of plane leaves, come from Nicaragua and can be purchased in the colonial city of Granada.
Tamales ovens, wrapped in plane trees, are very good in Costa Rica.
Roasted octopus is a very tasty dish in Panama.
Drink
Horchata is a drink made from rice and comes from Spain. He is drunk in most Latin American countries. A popular drink in most Central American countries is "Rosa de Jamaica" (Hibiscus sabdariffa. "Tamarindo" is also a very popular drink
Piña Colada, a drink made from pineapple juice, coconut cream, crushed ice and rum, is drunk all over the Atlantic island.
There are two major rum producers in Guatemala who distill some of the best rum in the region, Ron Zacapa Centenario (ages 12 and 23) and Ron Botran añejo (25 years). Flor de Caña, rated one of the best rum in Latin America. Made in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua. You can also visit the Flor de Caña factory.
Stay safe
THE Nicaragua, The Panama and the Costa Rica are generally safer than Honduras, τη Guatemala, the El Salvador and Belize, who suffer from street gangs and also have the highest crime rates in the area. Police are often not considered trustworthy or trustworthy. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said last year that Guatemala had the highest homicide rate in the world. Latin America, with 70.0 homicides per 100,000. In comparison, the homicide rate at United States is 5.6 homicides per 100,000. Night travel is dangerous anywhere in Central America, especially in national capitals. Illegal drugs are common in the area, so stay clear!
The crossing at South America It may seem like a good idea when you look at a world map, but it is not. The border with Colombia in the Darien Province of Panama is surrounded by a dangerous desert and the only break on the Pan American Highway. Known as the Darien Gap, this is the playground of rogue drug traffickers and militias who will be happy to kidnap or kill you. If you are not equipped with the Predator movie, stay away.
Stay healthy
- Toilets are not always as readily available as you might be in your own country, so take advantage of places where they exist, such as museums and restaurants. In many cases toilet paper will not be provided, so it is best not to get caught and bring your own. Water for hand washing is not always available, so carrying an antiseptic gel is a good idea. Waste bins are provided in all toilets for toilet paper disposal because sewage systems in Central America cannot handle it.
Mosquitoes are quite common even in the dry season and litter spray is often difficult to get close to. Bring a spray high to the DEET. To be on the safe side, bring a bug net to sleep on.
Malaria pills are a good idea, but often expensive.
