With cerulean seas and verdant forests, magnificent Maya ruins and smoking volcanoes, Central America is like a tropical fairy tale – except all of it is real.
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Hike the glorious lakeshore trails of Lago de Atitlán, Guatemala, explore the big blue of Belize’s Caye Caulker, or explore Maya temples at Copán, Honduras.
Lonely Planet writer Ashley Harrell explains why she loves Central America. "When I was 12, my dad took me on a medical mission to Nicaragua, where I vividly remember diving into a murky swimming hole, devouring my first whole fried fish - eyeballs included - and drinking a Toña, my first beer (thanks Dad!). twenty years and countless beers later, I wanted more of those raw, unpackaged travel experiences, so I moved to Central America and stayed three years. The highlights include sledding down an active volcano, dancing wildly to Garifuna drumming and diving with hammerhead sharks. Oh, and learning that you can even eat fried fishtail, which tastes like a potato chip."
Central America Top 10
1. Lago de Atitlán, Guatemala
2. Caye Caulker, Belize
3. Bocas del Toro, Panama
4. Bay Islands, Honduras
5. Copán, Honduras
6. Granada, Nicaragua
7. Costa Maya, Mexico
8. Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua
9. Tikal, Guatemala
10. Panama City, Panama.
- Colour maps and images throughout
- Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests
Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trou-ble spots
- Honest review for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
- Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - Central America To-day, History, People & Society, Arts & Culture
Coverage includes: Mexico’s Yucatán & Chiapas, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa(more...)
Curator: Ashley Harrell
Writers: Isabel Albiston, Ray Bartlett, Celeste Brash, Paul Clammer, Steve Fallon, Bridget Gleeson, Paul Harding, John Hecht, Anna Kaminski, Brian Kluepfel, Tom Masters, Carolyn McCarthy, Regis St Louis
Get to the heart of Central America and begin your journey now!
by The Raven Brothers
Out of shape and unprepared, The Raven Brothers return to the road in a collection of ten quests to travel to their dream destinations against all odds! After two decades pioneering new routes across the globe, you would expect the authors of 'Driving the Trans-Siberian' to be hotshot explorers, with a sixth sense and an ability to survive in almost any situation. Think again! With virtually zero knowledge of the workings of the internal combustion engine and very limited skills of wilderness survival, Simon and Chris struggle into their hiking boots and power across three continents by river, tarmac and trail.
Venture to the top of Norway, cruise the road to Damascus, hike the Camino trail into Spain’s Wild West, row the Ganges, explore Frida Kahlo’s world in Mexico City, hangout with the dead in Sicily’s eerie catacombs, crawl deep inside Bolivia’s notorious silver mine, seek lions in Gujarat, wellness in Berlin and journey into the Naga Hills where tribal kings still rule.
Noted by Lonely Planet for their talent to portray an “accurate view of what to expect”, 'Hike, Drive, Stayin’ Alive!' signals a return to the duo writing “buttock clenching” travel comedy with the first in a series of candid stories of adventure by The Raven Brothers.