Got 6 weeks up your sleeve and want to see what Central America has to offer? You've come to the right place, our 6 week Central America itinerary packs a whole lot in. 


For such a tiny part of the world, Central America is packed full of all kinds of natural beauty and great activities. From zip lining past sloths in the cloud forests of Costa Rica, to boarding down volcanoes in Nicaragua, to scuba-diving shipwrecks in Utila and snorkelling with whale sharks off Belize, Central America really has it all.

We have been through Central America twice now. We've gone North to South and then South to North and both times we've done loads of things and seen some truly amazing places.

Now to truly see and experience everything Central America has to offer we're recommend at least 2 months. However you can still see lots of places and visit multiple countries with less time as travel between countries is quick-ish (emphasis on the ish) due to the small size of them. If you don't have endless time then 6 weeks in Central America is definitely enough time to pack a whole lot in!

Now although Mexico is technically part of North America we're going to include it in this itinerary because it's an easy base to fly in and out of AND it's an awesome country with LOADS to see and do (you could easily spend months just in Mexico and only scratch the surface)
​
Without further ado, here is our 6 week Central America itinerary.

​If heading Nth → Sth: Fly in to Mexico City or Cancun (usually via LA if you're coming from Australia/NZ) and fly home from Panama City or San Jose. If heading Sth → Nth then reverse the itinerary! This Itinerary could take you anywhere from 2 to 4 months.. Or even longer! This is an itinerary combining our two trips to the region. It is by no means exhaustive, but we hope it is helpful in planning your own little jaunt.

• Mexico
  • Yucatan Peninusla: (If flying in to Cancun)
    • Cancun
    • Isla Holbox
    • Playa Del Carmen
    • Isla Mujeres
    • Tulum
  • Central Mex: (If flying in to Mexico City)
    • Mexico City
    • Oaxaca
    • San Cristobal
    • Palenque
    • Puerto Escondido (Only if surfing)
  • All of Baja Mexico but further away, probably best to do on a separate trip unless you have loads of time

 

• Belize
  • Caye Caulker

 

• Guatemala
  • Flores (Tikal Ruins)
  • Semuc Champey
  • Lake Atitlan
  • Antigua

 

• El Salvador
  • El Tunco

 

• Honduras
  • Utila (Only if scuba diving)

 

• Nicaragua
  • Leon
  • Granada
  • Corn Islands
  • Isla Ometepe
  • Popoyo (Only if surfing)
  • San Juan Del Sur

 

• Costa Rica
  • Monteverde
  • San Jose
  • Manuel Antonio
  • Nicoya Peninsula
    • Montezuma
    • Sata Teresa
  • Corcovado National Park
  • Puerto Viejo

 

• Panama
  • Bocas Del Toro
  • San Blas Islands
  • Panama City

​

MONTEVERDE

Where to Stay:​

• Pension Santa Elena

What To Do:

• ​Canopy Tour
  • ​Ziplining & Tarzan Swing
    
  • Bird watching
    
• Butterfly House

Our Central American 6 week journey began in Mexico City. 

We landed at 11pm and had seriously overestimated the amount of English that would be spoken. Needless to say we were a little out of our comfort zone. Luckily we'd booked a transfer and hostel for the night through our travel agent (at a ridiculously expensive price we later realised) so we didn't have to fend for ourselves.. yet.

We awoke the next morning and set out for the bus station. After many broken conversations, mispronunciations and a series of buses we arrived in San Cristobal de las Casas. San Cristobal was a cute colonial town with beautiful colourful buildings and a groovy local market. We stayed at Planet Hostel, a standard hostel and at only 220 pesos for a double room (around $18AUD) we had nothing to complain about. 

From Planet Hostel we booked a tour that would take us to the town of Palenque via Agua Azul, Misol Ha and the Palenque Ruins. The tour was a great way to get from A to B and all the stops were definitely worth visiting. See photos below.

The town of Palenque itself is nothing special as it is mostly a place to rest your head before or after visiting the ruins (which themselves are amazing!) depending on the time of day you arrive. Nether the less we stayed at Hostel Yaxkin for 200 pesos ($20AUD) and had a cute little room with a double bed and hammock out front.

From Palenque we booked a bus-boat-bus from one of the many local travel agencies in town to cross the border into Guatemala, and onward to Flores.  The bus-boat-bus is exactly what it sounds like, catching a bus to the Mexican border, then catching a small boat an hour up and across a river, and then continuing on to Flores via some seriously dodgy roads on bus number two. We were a little nervous prior to leaving as we'd heard various rumours about buses being held up on the Mexican side, and passengers being assaulted and robbed at gunpoint on this road out of Palenque. However our journey went along without a hitch, and I'd definitely recommend it as a fairly hassle free border crossing to fellow travellers. During the journey our entrance and exit fees, and passport stamps were taken care of via the 'tour' leader, making it an easy and stress free option for crossing our first border. And at only 350 pesos (~$30 AUD) per person we weren't in a position to complain.

Next stop... Guatemala.