Surf's up in...El Salvador??

Not too long ago, who would’ve predicted it? The Central American country of El Salvador, once known mostly for being both poverty-stricken and war-torn, has become a surfing power of sorts, attracting millions of surfers to its Pacific beaches.  

D

Read more…

6 awesome volcanoes of Nicaragua

Volcanoes – there’s something just incredibly compelling about them and the primal forces they represent, isn’t there? The western side of Central America‘s most volcanic country is lined with some 18, both extinct and active – in fact, one of Nicar

Read more…

León, Nicaragua's most venerable city

When it comes to tourism in Central America’s largest country, the city that tends to get most of the attention is Granada (while ironically, capital Managua is pretty much avoided by all but business people). But in many ways I find its traditional

Read more…

The Mayan sites of El Salvador, and the 'Pompeii of the Americas'

The allures of the tiny Central American country of El Salvador are still not all that well known beyond its borders. Furthermore, local tourism, even though ramping up infrastructure, has been further challenged by perceptions of insecurity, though

Read more…

The cultural allure of Guatemala City

I confess, I am especially fond of Guatemala. In many ways, it’s the country of Central America which more than any other truly “has it all”. That includes breathtaking Mayan archaeological sites (Exhibit A: Tikal), lovely Spanish colonial architect

Read more…

Panama paradises

You’ll barely hear a sound, except maybe for the wind and the waves. For there’s a side to Central America’s southernmost country, away from its famous Panama Canal and the bustling streets and towering skyline of capitalPanama City, that still looks

Read more…

10 cool things to do in cloud-forested Monteverde, Costa Rica

Up 4,600 feet in the mountains of northwest Costa Rica, a roughly three-hour drive from capital San José, Monteverde is famous for its cloud forests (rain forests whose microclimates make them usually foggy); nature and wildlife; and adventure attrac

Read more…

Top 6 reasons to visit Panama

It's been just over 500 years since Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa “discovered” the Pacific Ocean while traipsing across the isthmus ofPanama. That event changed mankind’s concept of geography and the world, and Panama has played a key role i

Read more…

Unplugged paradise: Panama's San Blas archipelago

 

Panama of course has no shortage of islands, ravishing beaches, and secluded paradises. But this archipelago of around 365 islands and cays (barely 50 of them inhabited) spread over some 300 square kilometres (100 sq. miles) off the country's Ca

Read more…

In Nosara, Costa Rica, it's all about surfing and yoga

Look up anything about Nosara, Costa Rica, and you are going to find mention of yoga and surfing. First surfing, and then yoga, has been a magnet for four decades to the quiet stretch of sand, ocean and tropical dry forest on thePacific’s Nicoya Pen

Read more…

What makes Costa Rica's Los Sueños resort an ideal luxury destination

Located in Heradurra on Costa Rica's Pacific Coast, near various beautiful beaches and national parks, Los Sueños Marriott Resort and Marina is an exquisite 1,100-acre oceanfront spread including a luxurious 201-room hotel as well as 600 apartment

Read more…

Dreamy destination weddings in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is an exotic and gorgeous Latin American country that is a gem for destination weddings. It 's very stable politically and offers spectacular backdrops for making your day extra special and memorable. Exotic beaches, breathtaking sunsets,

Read more…

El Salvador as Emerging Destination – Ready for Prime Time?

Here's my just-published post on Frommers.com:

When you think of the tiny Central American country of El Salvador – which I’m betting is rarely if ever – chances are that nothing particularly pleasant comes to mind. Throughout the 1980s there was a br

Read more…

Save some time for El Salvador's appealing capital, San Salvador

 

Central America's smallest country (tinier than the US state of West Virginia and just a bit bigger than Wales) gets a bad, exagerrated rap because of gang violence that's limited to a handful of the capital's rougher neighborhoods. But in fact El

Read more…

The unplugged tropical secrets of Panama's San Blas Islands

Just imagine this scene – you are lying in a hammock, a gentle sea breeze in your hair. Your favorite book in your right hand, freshly open coconut in the left one. You turn your gaze to the white-sand beach with beautiful turquoise water. You hear

Read more…

CentAm destinations cited in '12 Top Destinations for African-Diaspora Travel'

 

Welcome to February! Since 1970, it's also been Black History Month in the USA, and since 1995 in Canada, as well (whereas it's observed in October in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands). And though the reason for the African diaspo

Read more…

Hitting Jacó, Costa Rica for a wonderful beach holiday

Costa Rica is famous among other things for for its Caribbean and especially Pacific beaches. And the place that started the beach-tourism boom back in the 1980s - because it was closest to capital San José, about an hour and a half drive away on t

Read more…

Honduras' most marvelous places

Holidays in Honduras are truly economical and holds a wide range of beautiful places to see and do, including Mayan ruins, jungle adventure and ecotourism, Caribbean isles, and lively towns and cities. Here are its top highlights:

read post

Read more…

A heavenly retreat in Costa Rica's Central Valley

Read more…

Discovering Soberanía, one of Panama's nifty nature parks

Panama is a Central America country small in size but big in offerings and heart, including history, culture, food, beaches, and ecotourism. This time I'm highlighting one singular spot rich in the last category. Welcome to Soberanía National Park

Read more…