Backpacking Through All of Central America, need Transportation Ideas?

Question

Hi All Im taking a long Trek throughout all of Central America at the end of Summer! Im flying into Cancun and then from there I want to take a bus to Belize and so on..... I have places to stay in each country accept Honduras and Nicaragua. Any suggestions on ways of Travel and safe routes for an American traveling alone?

Answer 1

When you travel through Central America, try to stay away from the South Eastern side of Honduras (along the border with Nicaragua), there are risky and dangerous drug cartels who are present there, i don't know if the Honduran side is doing anything about it but Nicaragua has successfully dismantled many on the North-Eastern region.

As for accommodations, it depends on what cities you'll be staying in. In Managua, the capital, San Juan del Sur, a beautiful beach town, and Granada, the oldest colonial city in mainland America, hostels are cheap and relatively easy to get to. There are many hostels run by Europeans and U.S. ex-pats in Granada and San Juan del Sur so language won't be a great barrier. In Managua i would say hostels are run (equal in number) by ex-pats and Nicaraguans. Travel by car or bus is practically impossible on the Caribbean coast, to get there you would have to take a plane (it costs around $70 - $100), you can land in Bluefields, Bilwi (Puerto Cabezas) and the Corn Islands (my #1 recommendation). English, Nicaraguan Creole, Spanish and Indigenous languages are spoken everywhere, although English and Nicaraguan Creole are the most spoken on the Caribbean Coast and Corn Islands.

If you are looking for more upscale (but not impossible to afford) places to stay, i recommend Barcelo Hotel and Resort in Montelimar (its about an hour from the city of Managua, on the Pacific Coast, but is still in the Department of Managua; it has a casino and private beautiful beach). I've been there many times and it is amazing. It gets full during holidays though so make sure to reserve in advance. I also recommend the Princess Hilton in Managua, Alhambra in Granada and Morgan’s Rock in San Juan del Sur. Morgan’s Rock is absolutely beautiful, it is an hacienda and ecolodge. The view from the bungalows are spectacular, as they sit on the cliff overlooking the beautiful bay and the beach of San Juan del Sur. What i love about Morgans Rock is the activities and how they try to incorporate a very eco-friendliness to everything.

You can use this search function to search for hotels in any city of Nicaragua

http://www.vianica.com/hotel.php