Travel in Central America

Central America is known as the landmass that connects North and South America. It includes seven countries as well as many small islands. The land is fertile, rugged, and has volcanic mountain ranges, some of which are active. Central America has about 41.1 million people. It extends from the southern border of Mexico to North Western Colombia, South America.
Central America, an unstable portion of the earth’s crust, is on the western edge of the Caribbean plate. Subduct ion of oceanic crust beneath this edge about 25 million years ago formed a peninsula and archipelago. Many years later, about three million years ago, the scattered islands joined to form a land bridge linking North and South America.
Central America has at least 14 active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, had an earthquake in 1972, which left 10,000 dead. In 1976 some 25,000 people were killed in an earthquake registering 7.5 on the Richter scale in the Motagua. This lead to a great depression in Guatemala leaving 25 percent of the country’s population homeless.
The area between Mexico and Colombia had a large Mayan population. The Maya civilization originated in the highlands of Guatemala reached its peak between fourth and tenth centuries in what are now northern Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Maya civilization’s influence was widespread in artistic and scientific achievements which were superior to contemporary Europeans. The influence of the Mayan culture on the lifestyles of many Central Americans is visible in the northern and Western areas, while the Spanish culture is prevalent in the rest of the region. Native American cultures like the Mayan and Cumin Indians exist as do some Blacks along the Caribbean coast.
Most of the inhabitants of Central America live on the Pacific side. On the rainy, forested Caribbean slope and coast you’ll find that the area is sparsely settled. The countries of Central America have relatively undeveloped economies in which agriculture is the major sector. Manufacturing largely involved processing raw materials. The result is that the annual per capita income is generally low.

Travel in Mexico

Va Mexico! An area known to be huge and has a lot to offer, there are many popular places here. From Cancun to Oaxaca and Porto Escondido, you’ll find true beauty in this area. Mexico’s size has two different effects on travelers, one good, the other not so good. The good aspect is that because of the size of this area, you can find many gem areas that you’ll have completely to yourself, in addition to the fact that they are many great things to do and see without having to look very far. The downside is that you’ll have to spend many hours on buses to get to the spot you’d like to be, and this cost can seriously mount up. For example, it is a six hour journey from Mexico City, to Oaxaca. On a premier bus it would blow your daily budget for almost any traveler. You can also travel on local buses, although the accommodations aren’t as nice, it is much cheaper. You’ll often hear backpackers from the USA complain about how expensive Mexico is, although it’s really not quite as expensive compared to the super power to the north. You’ll find that it is much more expensive than the rest of Central America. There are many hot spots that draw a great amount of tourists, like Cancun, which is nearer to Miami than Mexico City is, and has many daily direct charter flights from Europe.

Costs: US $25-$35 daily

Travel in Costa Rica

Well known as a travel and tourist destination, Costa Rica is actually translated in to Rich Coast. Travelers often find more often that not that it is over rated as a country. This is not to say that it isn’t an interesting destination, but refers more to the fact that it is over crowded, extremely pricey, and the sights that are offered there can also be seen at other spots in the world. Costa Rica has been found to be so popular for many different reasons. They have a democracy, which means that it is a peaceful and calm place to travel. Also, the spot is highly marketed which helps more and more tourists want to visit every year. Many who want to see this region take advantage of it because many other areas nearby may seem too dangerous. Because of this, many tourists come from North America, and bring lots of money with them. This affects the inflating prices and also increasing tourist crime. There are some who actually think that they will see a large amount of wildlife when they visit, but really the best place to see large amounts is just the same as anywhere else, in the zoo. All that aside, there are real reasons that you may still want to go to Costa Rica. The country is definitely beautiful, and has easy access to both coasts which can’t often be found in Central America. Although the costs can be high, it is because the area has quality places to stay and eat, and like many places there are always supermarkets so that you’re able to reduce the cost of eating on your trip.

Costs US $30- $40 per day, excluding tours and activities

Travel in Nicaragua

More than just a lake? Nicaragua gets more than its fair share of travelers compared with what is has to offer due to its proximity to Costa Rica. It is home to towns like Granada, which is quite pleasant although nothing too special happens there. They happen to be hives of activity is always full of budget travelers. Granada for example picks up on the Central American trail, where the Bay Islands in Honduras leaves off. He main sights in this area are towns like Granada and Leon, along with several volcanoes that can be found nearby. Lago De Nicaragua, or the lake, is another big tourist attraction. Geographically and biologically speaking the lakes contents are very interesting, but Ometepe, the larges and by far most visited island can’t hold anyone’s attention for very long aside from it being very beautiful. The lake is often found to be rough, and on the island itself mountain biking is the biggest activity, although many find it much too hot to even do this. Public transport is quite time consuming, so make sure that you have a few days to really take in Ometepe. The route through Leon, Granada and Ometepe is the post popular and is worth stopping in at. Elsewhere in the area there are many other destinations that can be difficult to reach since they are off the tourist trail. The Corn Islands are a great example of this. They are off the beaten track, and there is not much to see once you get there unless you just want to relax. At that rate, there are much easier spots to find that are far more impressive to relax in, like Costa Rica and Honduras. In the end, you’ll find that the people are nice, and the region is still very pretty.

Cost: US $20- $20 per day

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