Central America July Aug good idea or not?

Sneachta

Hi folks,
Am looking into going to central america for about 6 weeks in july and august. Have read up a bit and not sure what the weather is gonna be like at this time of year. will it rain everyday etc?
Also looking to hear from people on wheres good etc.
Will have emphasis on being close to the sea as much as possible.

One other question; whats columbia like?

dory

It certainly won't rain everyday. I was in Nicaragua in October and it rained a lot then. But still not all day every day so it didn't bother us too much. And it's hot tropical rain anyway, not the miserable type Ireland gets.

As for where is good, I loved Panama. Went to Bocas Del Toro, typical holiday, cheap shots kind of place. Has a trampoline in the clear blue sea - that kinna thing.

Then went to Costa Rica, wasn't too gone on the place and it was quite expensive. We stayed in a beach hut on the west coast, can't remember the name now.

Nicaragua is a very interesting country. Leon and Granada were great. I never went further north so can't help with the rest of the countries.

baztard

Sneachta wrote: »

Hi folks,
Am looking into going to central america for about 6 weeks in july and august. Have read up a bit and not sure what the weather is gonna be like at this time of year. will it rain everyday etc?
Also looking to hear from people on wheres good etc.
Will have emphasis on being close to the sea as much as possible.

One other question; whats columbia like?

Rainy season in Central America means at worst it will rain heavily for an hour or so a day at about 2pm.

The place is great, I spent over 3 months passing from southern Mexico to Panama. No matter where you are at any time you will only be a day or two max from the sea.

There are too many places to list that are good (and I've forgotten some names!)

Anyway briefly:

Mexico - Could spend all your 6 weeks here. Best beaches I've ever seen, especially Tulum.

Belize - Small and english speaking. Caye Caulker and the other Islands are a carribean paradise. Inland San Ignacio has the ATM Caves, which are one of the best things to do in all of cantral and south america.

Guatemala - Amazing hikes and Volcanoes and a million things to do. Tikal, Semuc Champey, Pecquia (sp?), Antigua, Xela, Lago Atitlan. The best country in CA.

El Salvador - Great beaches (El Tunco) and people. Most of the country is off the beaten track. More great volcanos and scenery.

Honduras - Great north coast, and very not very many tourists in most of the country. La Ceba, Bay Islands.

Nicaragua - Another gem. Check out Leon, Granada, Omotepe, San Juan del Sur (beach).

Costa Rica - More great beaches. Not as expensive as people say if you avoid the package holiday destinations. The country is a wildlife heaven. Go to the most remote national parks and you wont be able to walk 5 minutes in the jungle without seeing snakes, monkeys, tropical birds, and so much more.

Panama - More decent beaches in Bocos del Toro. Very remote hiking in the south of the country.

I wish I could go back!

Flynn

I did this same route over 4 & a half mnonths (spent one month on caye caulker though - paradise) I agree with everything baztard has just said and his list is spot on.... Guatemala was my favourite too.

Things you can't miss are.

Mexico - The Yucatan (mailny tulum, but you can find some magic beaches you'll have all to yourself by hitch-hiking down the coast, bring a hammock to the yucatan and just string it up wherever you please:)) I don't think you'll have time for the rest of mexico, it's a trip in itself..

Belize - Caye Caulker

Guatemala - Semuc Champey (you can book from El retrio in Lanquin - a hostel that can't be missed), Volcan Pacaya, Tikal, San Pedro (studying spanish in Xela is real cheap too but i think you'll be stuck for time)

El sal - I only spent a week here surfing so can't say much else about it, but as baztard said a great place to visit if you wanna learn would be El Tunco.

Honduras - Diving on Utila, I didn't like mainland Honduras too much, i found it very americanised and the people were the least friendly out of all CA.

Nicaragua - I loved this place, San Juan Del Sur!

Costa Rica - I love the caribbean so i stuck to the east coast, Rocking J's in Puerto Viejo is a cool spot to hit before you cross over into Panama (if you choose to go that route)

Panama - Best part of Panama is the San Blas islands hands down, It was the most beautiful place i have ever been. As you were asking about Colombia
i suggest you sail from Panama to Colombia via the islands (5 day trip). Amazing.

And yes Colombia is an amazing place. Cartegena is one of the most beautiful cities i've ever visited.

Ok i pretty much just repeated there but what harm! Good luck.

Sin1981

Hi OP,

I'm thinking of doing the same trip in October - Dec, and I'm aware that it's rainy season. On the plus side apparently everything is nice and green and lush, that's if you're planning on plenty of jungle treking. I'm not overly put off by the rain.

sorry to hijack your post, but can I just ask Flynn about the San Blas trip. I know you can either fly or sail from Panama to Cartagena. I'd definitely prefer to sail and go via the San Blas, but I'm a bit worried about getting on a boat and being sea sick for 5 days solid?!!? what you reckon? would it depend on the time of year? also, is the sailing expensive, and it is easy to find a boat/sailor?

thanks very much.

enjoy your trip Sneachta!

Flynn

hey Sin,

If you've been on boats before you should be fine and you can always take tablets for travel sickness. The first night we left we hit a thunderstorm. I'm pretty good with boats, but some people did get sick. The next 4 days were clear and the final 2 days sailing the water was like glass.. it was eerie.

You set out from Colón north of Panama city, sail for one day then dock near some islands for 2 or 3 days then sail a further 2 days to Cartegena.

Finding a boat is easy, just hang around Panama city and check around the hostels, we satyed at Luna's castle and they found us a boat. You may have to wait a few days untill the boats fills up. It cost us $350. It was worth every penny as you have 5 nights accom. and all your food included. I think a flight was $250 at the same time.

I think the trips vary depending on who you go with. We went on a 60ft yacht and there was 11 (plus 3 crew) but you might get a boat that can only sleep 4 and someone might have to sleep in the wheel house (met a guy who did this) so just do your research. Make sure the boat has snorkeling gear. If not bring your own, I saw more in 10 minutes snorkeling here than i did in 4 days diving in Utila. Fantastic.

Also there are over 300 islands to visit, i don't think it matters too much which ones you visit but you might want to look into it. Some captains do this trip for the money they make off backpackers, we went with a guy who needed to get his boat to Colombia and was making cash as a bonus, he took us to some off the map islands, so you might wanna look into that.

As for the rainy season i don't know if it will mean choppy seas or not. But it would be so worth it if yout not prone to sea-sickness.

Good luck with it!

Sneachta

Thanks for all the replies folks, sorry took so long to get back to this thread.

Just what i thought, everywhere is good. Its so hard to decide. 6 weeks but dont want to spend half of it on a bus so thinking maybe of just trying to do Columbia, Panama, costa rica and nicaragua so need to find out about flights in and flights out.

Anyone know anything about flights have tried ringing trailfinders and usit but was on hold with both for ages.

InKonspikuou2

Sneachta wrote: »

Hi folks,
Am looking into going to central america for about 6 weeks in july and august. Have read up a bit and not sure what the weather is gonna be like at this time of year. will it rain everyday etc?One other question; whats columbia like?

In July and August it all depends on which coast you are near and your elevation. Caribbean coast should be dry from mid March to around August. On the pacific coast it is should be wet from May till around November. In the wet season it will rain most days. Possibly 80-90% of the month. Usually in the afternoon for a few hours but days of rain are not uncommon. In highlands it is quite similar to the pacific side. July and August aren't the best months to be going unless you stick to the Caribbean side. Which can be quite remote in Honduras and Nicaragua. But it won't ruin the trip and you will still get plenty of dry periods or days.

In and around Cartagena July and August are probably the driest months of the year. I grew up there and the weather was great then. Beautiful country too. Well worth the trip and the stop off at Islas San Blas.

Sneachta

Hi again,
Thinking of skipping Leon and doing Granada, ometepe and San Juan del Sur while in Nicaragua, would it matter too much to miss Leon considering we will see Granada and want lots of beach/surf time?

also wondering if we should bring much dollars?

and finally how dangerous is it to get a boat from Panama to Colombia or is it dangerous at all?

dory

I didn't think Leon was anything crazy. I did see photos of people using snowboards to go down a volcano which looked pretty good. But if like me you prefer beach to concrete you could easily give it a miss.
I brought dollars just to have some cash to change in case there was no ATM. Not everywhere changed Euro.

As for the boat. I've heard of lots of people getting it, doesn't seem dangerous at all. I regret flying now, but when I was in Ecuador the lady in the Columbian embassy told me I couldn't go there because I'm Irish. The law had only just been changed to allow Irish in after the IRA incident. But when I'm there again I'll definitely do it.

Fenwick

Hey all, sorry to hijack. Im heading planning a similar trip soon and looking for a bit of advice; starting to try and pack and really dont know what to bring to wear. How casual is acceptable in bars/ reastaurants around CA at night. Also, pyjamas wise - would I be mad bringing anything but shorts and t shirt type? Thanks for any hints!

kraggy

Can I butt in and ask what you would need per week in euros around Central America?

I realise various places are different but ballpark figure would be great.

Also, typical prices for

accommodation
beer
cheap lunch

would be great too. Thanks.