Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for central america
Small But Mighty in Costa Rica
By Linda Tancs
Home to verdant rainforests and white-sand beaches, Manuel Antonio National Park is Costa Rica’s smallest national park. Despite its size, it’s one of the most popular parks, where visitors flock to see wildlife like three-toed sloths, endangered white-faced capuchin monkeys and hundreds of bird species. Hiking trails are aplenty. One of the most popular is Mirador, a route less than one mile with over 200 stairs to Punta Serrucho (Saw Point), a beautiful viewpoint of the rugged coastline.
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Two Seas in Costa Rica
By Linda Tancs
A Costa Rican gem, the size of Rincón de la Vieja National Park allows you to experience both the Caribbean and Pacific sides of the Cordillera de Guanacaste. Known for its biodiversity, you’ll find rare species such as sloths, tapirs, kinkajous, pumas and jaguars, along with over 300 bird species. Boasting over 30,000 acres, you’ll want a full day to explore over 30 rivers and lakes, two volcanoes, impressive waterfalls and an abundance of hiking trails. A day tour from Guanacaste is the best way to visit, which generally includes an English speaking driver/guide to show you highlights along the way, all entry fees, and a detailed map of the park.
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Cave Tubing in Belize
By Linda Tancs
Caves Branch River is a popular destination for caving, tubing and rafting in Belize. In fact, some of the best cave tubing in Belize takes place on the river. Many tours involve a guided hike for about 20 minutes through the Belizean rainforest and then a tube excursion down the river and through spectacular cave systems which the ancient Mayas regarded as a sacred underworld. This activity is an especially popular cruise ship excursion.
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Where History and Nature Meet in Panama
By Linda Tancs
Located in the eastern sector of the Panama Canal, Chagres National Park is a place where history and nature meet. It’s home to the forest that shelters the Chagres River (the largest river in the canal’s watershed) and where you’ll find remnants of the Camino Real, a colonial route that transported goods like gold and silver from coast to coast before the canal was built. Comprising over 300,000 acres, hiking opportunities are abundant, like the peak of Cerro Jefe and its spectacular views of the canal. Rafting, kayaking and fishing are popular activities as is visiting the indigenous Emberá community by canoeing up the Chagres River. Book a tour operator for the best experience, such as an indigenous culture tour or a full-day jungle expedition.
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Valley of the Flowers
By Linda Tancs
Blessed with an ideal, year-round climate, Panama’s Boquete is affectionately known as the Valley of the Flowers. Nestled in the Chiriqui Highlands, it’s adorned with masses of red and purple flowers. It’s also known for its coffee, the main industry in this region. Both the flowers and the coffee are celebrated each January during the Flower and Coffee Festival. The event features over 30,000 blooms (highlighting the prized orchid), coffee vendors and over 200 stalls with a variety of local artisans.
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The Three Giants
By Linda Tancs
Lake Atitlán is one of the most prized tourist attractions in Guatemala. It’s flanked by three volcanoes, Atitlán, Tolimán, and San Pedro, known as “The Three Giants.” The picturesque setting is a favorite with hikers, particularly those willing to endure the arduous climb to the summit of Atitlán, nearly 12,000 feet. What’s particularly spectacular about the cloud forests of this region is the horned guan, a rare bird endemic to the region with a red horn on the top of its head. You can take a shuttle from Guatemala City to the lake, which will take about four hours or so depending on the traffic.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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The Hummingbird Highway
By Linda Tancs
Named for the abundance of hummingbirds found in the country, Belize’s Hummingbird Highway connects the Western Highway outside of the capital city of Belmopan in central Belize to the Southern Highway just outside of the town of Dangriga in the Stann Creek District in the southeast. Generally regarded as one of the most scenic routes in the country, the 53-mile road winds its way through postcard-worthy views of jungles, orchards and pretty villages. Although it only takes about two hours to drive through, you’ll want to stop and take in some of the popular attractions like Blue Hole National Park and its jungle trails as well as Hummingbird Gap, the highest elevation on the journey at almost 1,000 feet.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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A Rocky Ride in Nicaragua
By Linda Tancs
Forty-five minutes from León, Nicaragua, stands Cerro Negro (Black Hill), Central America’s youngest volcano. A mere child at nearly 165 years, its crater offers amazing views of volcanic chain Los Maribios, not to mention the sensory overload of heat and sulfur gas owing to its active nature. In recent years, it’s found favor beyond avid hikers and volcanologists: the adventure set have taken to boarding down its rocky, ash wall. Thanks to Nature’s thinly-milled rock, thrill seekers can opt for a modified snowboard ride down a forbidding slope at even more forbidding speed (50 miles per hour or more). Wear long pants, and prepare for a hard landing.
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A Retreat Fit for a Filmmaker
By Linda Tancs
Talk about star quality: Blancaneaux Lodge, a luxe resort in Belize, is the former family retreat of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. Lucky for us he decided to share it with the rest of the world over a decade ago. This hideaway in the rainforest is a birder’s paradise, offering the potential to view the ecosystem’s 300+ species like the Stygian owl, black-headed siskin, rufous-capped warbler, Great Pewee and solitary eagle. Voted #1 Best Resort in Central and South America in 2009 and 2010 by Travel + Leisure, the menu includes local favorites like shredded beef salad flavored with sour orange and cilantro and classic Italian fare from the Coppola family cookbook.
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Caribbean Honduras
By Linda Tancs
It’s getting harder to enjoy the quiet life in the bustling Caribbean, but there’s still hope at Roatán, the largest of Honduras’ Bay Islands. West Bay Beach hosts a coral reef that meets the shore at the south end, allowing you to commune peacefully with a variety of colorful fish, sponges and sea fans. The cruise ships generally meet up at a southern point referred to as “Tabayana Beach.” Even so, the area is remarkably quiet–particularly, though, at the northern end. There you can enjoy the fine, silky, palm-lined sand and its accompanying turquoise-blue water. Either way, it’s a win-win.
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