From Holes to Summits – Epic 3 Weeks Central America Itinerary Roundup

A whirlwind 3 Weeks Central America Itinerary comprising Guatemala, Belize, Honduras from the largest sinkhole of the world to the volcano summits high above the clouds.
Central America 20 places 1,050 miles (1,690 km)

It has been already more than a month, since I am back home in good (c)old Germany from a 3.5 weeks vacation in Central America. And what a vacation!

For me personally, it was full of achievements and unforgettable memories. I did get over my fears and dived the Great Blue Hole in Belize.

I did survive the toughest and the most rewarding hike ever to the Acatenango Volcano at 3976 m/13044 ft elevation, watched the eruptions of Fuego up close above the clouds and slept in the shadow of this active volcano in Guatemala.

I did swim through a tunnel in El Salvador and realized that I am no longer afraid of dark waters. I hiked through tropical jungles and relaxed at idyllic beaches in Honduras, and gathered many more memories I will not forget anytime soon. I brought back tanned skin, sore toes, bug bites, and thousands of great pictures.

Since my return, I have been sorting out two thousand-something photos, and I am in the midst of writing up the posts one by one in parallel. However, a jam-packed summer is awaiting me and I realize it will take quite some time until I can publish all those highlights. Thus, I thought I could give you a foretaste of my trip.

As I want to see this and that, and that too within a limited time frame, it is not always easy to work out the perfect itinerary. I spent months planning the trip and it was just about perfect, although I had decided with a heavy heart to skip a lot of places…The time allocated felt too short everywhere, but hey! I have more reasons to return someday to this beautiful geography.

Here is the itinerary built around my personal interests back in 2014, and tips you may find helpful while planning a trip to Central America (mentioned prices as of 2014).

A Whirlwind 3 Weeks Central America Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Guatemala City, Guatemala

Just an overlay to catch an early morning flight to Flores. If you are not short on time but budget, you may want to catch a bus to Rio Dulce, chill out a few nights on the river, and then continue to Flores/Tikal by bus.

Day 2: Morning Flight to Flores, Santa Elena, Guatemala

The long journey from Europe was not yet over. For onward transportation to Tikal, we took a cab after some tough negotiation. The driver stopped by the San Juan’s office in Santa Elena to let us buy our tickets for the next morning shuttle to Belize City.

Due to time constraints, I decided to stay overnight at the Tikal National Park. Otherwise, there are several daily tours or minibuses from Flores to Tikal too. If you want to party at night, Flores might be the better option for you.

For payments at the park, carry enough cash. The network connection is not reliable. If you have Euros with you, your best bet to exchange them would be the exchange office at the Guatemala City airport. We had issues with exchanging Euros during our entire trip, either not accepted at all or exchanged at a very poor rate.

Day 2: Afternoon Tour of Tikal Ruins, Tikal National Park, Guatemala
About an hour drive later, around 10am, we checked into our room at Jungle Lodge located right next to the entrance of the Mayan ruins. The room with shared bath was smallish, but just fine for a night. The shared bathroom was clean at all times, and it was not used by so many guests. Staying here was the most convenient option for us (45 USD/double).

After having a nap, we explored the ruins without any rush. There were not many tourists around, and having the Temple IV all to ourselves was priceless. The view from the top of the Temple IV, high above the jungle canopy paid off all the effort and cost of coming here for such a short time.

Note that, it would be wise to spend a night more in the region, if you can. It was for us quite a lot of stress to travel almost 36 hours, arrange the next day’s shuttle, and visit the ruins, all within 2 days.

Basically 3-4 hours would be enough to cover the main attractions in the park. There is no temple which faces the sunset, and due to the (seasonal ?) fog in the morning hours, sunrise might not be seen either. If you have only 1 day here, visit the park anytime you want; don’t bother with sunrise or sunset too much.

Day 3: Transfer to Caye Caulker

The next morning, we were picked up by San Juan shuttle at our hotel quite on time. The shuttle departing from the park waits for the one coming from Flores at the road junction past El Ramate. We had to wait there for about 20 minutes, and we were transferred to the shuttle coming from Flores. It was full, hot and not so comfortable.

Once arrived at the border, you need to take your luggage with you, then exit Guatemala, and then enter Belize, and find your shuttle on the Belizean side. It was indeed a pretty chaotic immigration. Guatemalans charge about 2.50 USD unofficial exit fee, hence they accept whatever you give them. If you don’t have enough change handy, either try not to pay any cent provided that you have the time and energy, or negotiate. I ended up paying around 3 USD for two, and it was just fine for them.

In total 5-6 hours later, we arrived in Belize City around 1pm and we were able to catch the 1:30pm water taxi to Caye Caulker. Phew…finally time to relax.

Belize is a tiny but diverse country. Unfortunately, I had to skip this time mainland Belize and all the activities offered there. As my priority was getting confident with diving, I decided to spend an entire week on Caye Caulker. I intentionally left 2 days unplanned for the sake of some flexibility, and to be able to do day trips by boat to the mainland towns like Corozal. According to my experience, some flexibility is important if you have diving plans and want to achieve certain things. In the end, we couldn’t make it to Belize mainland at all.

If you have more time, or don’t want to spend a week on an island, you could squeeze in a few days on the mainland. Here are my top picks, I had decided with a heavy heart to skip:

• San Ignacio: ATM or Crystal Cave Tour (combines well with Tikal, San Ignacio is right behind the border)
• Corozal and Sarteneja (combines well with Mexico, daily boats from Caye Caulker available).

Day 3-10: Caye Caulker – diving, snorkeling and chillaxing.

I already wrote several posts about the little island and diving on the blog. Check them out!

Day 11: Transfer to Roatan

On a Sunday, we took the water taxi back to Belize City, and then a cab for 25 USD to the airport. Our Tropic Air flight to Roatan was delayed by 30 minutes, but both in Belize and Roatan, the info screens displayed the flight as being on time!!! The time runs differently here, man!

Be aware, flights to Roatan on certain days of the week only! Check out the schedule if planning to fly.

Day 11-15: Pirate Island of Roatan – beach and jungle time

Roatan, the largest of the Bay Islands off the coast of mainland Honduras is surprisingly one big jungle, densely covered by lush green vegetation. I am not sure how long it would remain so though, as it is fast becoming a luxury destination with more and more resorts opening up.

We spent 5 nights/4 days here. It was supposed to be a vacation from vacation, and a backup plan to continue my dive course, just in case. Unfortunately a bad turn in weather welcomed us here that we could only spend a day on the famous West Bay Beach.

West Bay is admittedly a nice beach with good water quality, but we thought it was nothing special, given that you can find way better beaches in South East Asia for a fraction of the money you would spend on Roatan. Moreover, I found the underwater not as good as in Belize, and the expensive day tour to Cayos Cochinos would have not been so special if it were not the kids we met on the Garifuna local island. (I admit I am a little spoiled when it comes to beaches…)

Although I am glad I have seen them all by myself, and I truly enjoyed my time despite the rainy weather, with hindsight, I don’t think it paid off. If I knew that they charge 40 USD exit fee per person when leaving Roatan airport, I would have completely skipped the island from my itinerary. It simply did not justify the total cost of the flights to and from Roatan being as high as the international flight from Europe. It just left a bad taste and a feeling of rip-off in the end.

A tour to La Mosquitia on the mainland Honduras along the Mosquito Coast was something I skipped after long consideration. You may want to give it a shot instead of Roatan.

Day 16: Transfer to Juayua

All flights from Roatan to Guatemala do stop in San Salvador. So urged the idea of visiting the tiniest country in Central America, which is usually overlooked by travelers. It does not have the finest beaches, the most spectacular Mayan ruins, or the highest volcanoes, thus most travelers pass through quickly. Gladly, I dared a glimpse of this little country that I now know I need to return for more. We could only spend 2.5 days in the country, which was of course not sufficient.

BTW, San Salvador airport was the most chaotic of all. Our passport control took half an hour, because the system suddenly did not want to work. It was really a bad welcome, but this was the only bad thing about El Salvador. The flight was this time 20 minutes too early, but it was still considered on time 🙂

Day 16: Juayua

Juayua is a small town on the Ruta de las Flores. We did a quick check in to our room at Hotel Anahuac, which was tastefully decorated and a good value for 35 USD/double.

Day 16: Sunset tour through Ataco’s mural paintings.

Everything was so colorful and lovely here, I wished I could have spent more time. After the dinner, we returned to Juayua to get ready for a long journey next day.

Day 17: Morning tour to Juayua Waterfalls

The day started with an early morning refreshing swim in the Seven Waterfalls (Los Chorros de la Calera). The waterfalls in a green hillside setting was beautiful.

Go as early as possible to avoid crowds. We were the first ones here in the morning, and by the time we were leaving around 9am, it was already getting crowded.

After returning to Juayua town, we bought food and drinks for the evening. We are going to spend the night in the mountains today!

Day 17: Santa Ana Historical Center, lunch break
Here we made a quick stop en route to Montecristo National Park. We made a really quick tour of the historical city center and had lunch. The second largest city in El Salvador is also base to climb the Santa Ana Volcano.

Day 17: Montecristo National Park overnight

The park bordered by El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras comprises the El Trifinio Peak, the highest point (2418m) in El Salvador. It is said to be a pristine cloud forest with outstanding vegetation and wild life. Thus, it simply sounded interesting to me, a cloud forest being bordered by 3 countries with misty dense vegetation…

In the park, there is a camping area, and a few cabins with bathroom facilities. We stayed in a cabin for 35 USD/night (can accommodate up to 6). Apart from us, there were only locals having a weekend escape with their family. While it was still nice being in the nature, and being the only foreign travelers there, I was a little disappointed by the cloud forest itself. There were no clouds at all, and the vegetation was not that lush green as expected. I think it was mainly Murphy’s fault that I encountered sunny weather here. As a traveler short on time, I would honestly skip this park and invest the time somewhere else in the country.

Day 18: Hike to El Trifinio and transfer to El Tunco Beach

The next day we got up at 6am and hiked the Trinifio Peak, which took about 2 hours up and 2 hours down. After the hike, we made it down to the El Tunco Beach on time for sunset. I was hoping to take my very first surf lessons here, but the night at Montecristo was cold that I woke up with a soar throat, which got worse during the day.

We found El Tunco worth spending some more nights. It was a cheap and relaxed place with some night life going on.

All in all, we thought El Salvador was the most authentic country of the trip. The locals are not yet spoiled by tourism and they were truly friendly. No matter whether you surf or not, don’t overlook the tiny country. It has not the best of everything to offer, but exactly this fact attracts less tourists and makes the country an authentic experience. Don’t leave without trying out the delicious pupusas!

Our whirlwind tour in El Salvador was organized and guided by René Barbón from Suchitoto Adventure Outfitters, a knowledgeable, dynamic guy. He will certainly put together the perfect itinerary for you, all you need is just to tell him your interests, time and budget constraints.

Day 19-20: Transfer to Antigua and first tour of the city

We arrived in this cute colonial city by a shuttle from El Tunco, which took around 5 hours in total. We spent the first full day with gathering energy for the upcoming tough hike, checking out the town, and booking our tour to Acatenango Volcano.

Accommodation: Posada Juma Ocag for around 25 USD per night was an excellent value, highly recommended! (Update 2024: This place no longer exists).

Day 21: Transfer to La Soledad, Guatemala

To climb the Acatenango Volcano, this is the starting point. We were brought here by a tour company, but if you want to organize the tour by yourself, it is possible too. Take a chicken bus to La Soledad and book your local guide there. Spanish knowledge would be necessary to do it on your own.

Day 21: Hike up Acatenango Volcano, Guatemala
While I will tell more about this once-in-a-lifetime experience in a separate post, there is one thing to say upfront: Certainly do the hike, do the overnight hike, wear good hiking shoes and warm clothes!!! The hike was really though, it took around 8 hours up on a sandy ground. It is freezing cold at the summit, especially as soon as the sun disappears, but watching the sunset over the clouds accompanied by the eruptions of an active volcano up close was simply priceless, certainly worth every effort.

Day 22: Hike down the volcano, transfer to Antigua

After the breakfast, skiing down on sand took about 3-3.5 hours. We arrived back in Antigua around 1 pm.

Day 22-23: Semana Santa, Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala

I spent the remaining 2 nights/1.5 days in Antigua by hunting Alfombras – the colorful carpets, and by watching the Easter Processions.

If you can arrange, make sure to visit Antigua during the holy week. Bear in mind that it will be crowded during Easter, so it is highly recommended to book your accommodation months ahead.

For me, the time was not enough to explore everything in and around Antigua. I liked the friendly locals, the colors and the lovely city a lot. I would love to come back someday to take Spanish lessons and explore more.

Day 24: Transfer to airport Guatemala City, Guatemala

An early morning shuttle to the airport and flight back home…

!Hasta luego!

Update 2024: obsolete text from 2014.

This time, I prepared an interactive map to present my itinerary. Click on the link here http://www.tripline.net/trip/From_Holes_to_Summits-74527245464610079ACDF71F9B029F07 to take the virtual tour of my Central America trip: first, click the play button to start, then click on full screen. To pause the tour, hover over the information boxes. Click on the boxes for more text, and then click the images to enlarge. You can move through the information boxes with their forward or back arrows, or close the box to let the tour continue.

As promised, I will write detailed posts about each and every leg of the trip as soon as I can, so stay tuned and follow me along on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, while I am on summer break.