Category Latin-America 2008

Bocas del Toro and Panama City

I've spent the past week in Panama. I crossed the border via Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast and first traveled out to the Bocas del Toro archipelago in northern Panama. It’s an incredibly idyllic place, with a handful of different islands featuring palm trees, Caribbean beaches, jungle, and rich wildlife. To get around between the islands, you travel by water taxi.

San Jose and Cahuita, Costa Rica

I’ve just spent four days in Costa Rica, which is of course far too little. Costa Rica is Central America’s most popular travel destination, and you can definitely feel the difference - there are noticeably more tourists there, especially Americans.

Granada, Nicaragua

After spending an evening in Guatemala City with some local girls I met, I flew from Guatemala to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. The next morning, I headed to Granada, which is Nicaragua’s oldest colonial city, founded by the Spaniards in 1524.

San Pedro La Laguna and Panajachel, Guatemala

The past three days I’ve spent in the village of San Pedro La Laguna, located on Lake Atitlán, about two hours north of Antigua. The nature here is absolutely stunning. The view from my hotel room is of a large idyllic lake, a majestic mountain range, and two giant volcanoes stretching toward the sky on either side of the lake.

Antigua and Volcán Pacaya, Guatemala

I have spent a few days in Antigua now. Antigua is a charming old colonial town where characteristic small adobe houses, each painted in a different color, are packed closely together. The town is surrounded by three volcanoes, each between 2,500 and 4,000 meters high, and they can be seen from anywhere in the city.

Semuc Champey, Guatemala

Hi everyone. On the way from Flores to Antigua, we stopped in Semuc Champey, which is located a two-hour drive from Cobán, in the heart of Guatemala. I had an active day here, where we hiked, climbed, and swam through an underground maze of caves. The caves are partially filled with water, so you have to climb, lower yourself up and down, and sometimes swim to get through.

Flores and Tikal, Guatemala

Flores is a town located on a tiny island in Lake Petén It’s really beautiful here, and the conditions are perfect for swimming in freshwater. Today I visited Tikal, which is an incredibly impressive collection of Mayan ruins located deep in the jungle.