This is a story-style travel blog featuring my adventure through Central America in the fall of 2023. I did a 17-day tour called Central American Journey, from the company Intrepid. We visited Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. You can read the blog in order, or about whichever destination intrigues you! Within my stories, I’ll offer some recommendations and some tips and tricks for a smooth journey. When I travel, I mostly do group tours and the reasons are:
* As a solo woman traveler, it is much safer especially if traveling long distances or to countries that can be dangerous in some parts
*The itineraries are amazing and usually include all of the things you’d want to see and do…and if not, there is free time to do as you wish
*You don’t have to worry about booking transport, finding hotels, etc. Sometimes that can contribute to the adventure, but it’s also nice to sit back and relax and let your tour leader be in charge
* And finally…the new people you meet on your tour become your family, and I’ve made lifelong friends in these journeys. For myself, this has equal importance with exploring new countries.
This morning we are leaving at 3am. I absolutely hate this. Haha. I’ve barely slept the night before because I was anxious about getting up early. We need to leave this early to avoid any traffic, and there are some protests that could be blocking the roads. It should take 5-6 hours to drive from Antigua to Copan, Honduras. It’s dark and rainy at 3am, and we all settle in to our seats and will hopefully nap for the next few hours. The roads are windy, and I’ve grabbed a seat closer to the back which is a dumb move. I’m not comfortable enough to sleep, and going forward I’ll need to sit at the front so I don’t get carsick. A couple hours into the drive, I have to pee sooooo bad. It’s a bit of an awkward convo to have with your tour leader on Day 1. We have no plans to stop, but I absolutely cannot wait. It’s a challenge to find anything that’s open this early (or late), and after a few tries we find one. Luckily, I’m not the only one that could use a toilet break. Haha. Around 6am we stop for breakfast at this restaurant chain called Pollo Campero. It’s mostly a chicken place, but they offer a decent breakfast even though it’s waayyyyy too early for me to eat. After another few hours on the road, we arrive at the border. We have to go into the office and wait for them to check everyone’s passports. Check out of Guatemala, check in to Honduras! The drive from here to Copan should be quick, except there is a detour down some windy gravel roads that sets us back another hour or so. I’m at the front of the van now, hoping I don’t feel carsick.
PRO TIP: always carry anti nausea meds in your day bag. You never know when you’ll need them!!
Honduras is the second largest country in Central America, and has a border on the Caribbean Sea. It’s mostly mountainous, with lowlands closer to the coasts. Most of the Hondurans live in smaller villages or isolated settlements due to the nature of the land. Honduras has had a history of political conflicts and unrest, both civil and foreign. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch caused massive destruction to the country. There was an epidemic rise in violent crimes and homicides due to drug cartels and gangs. There are many places in Honduras that aren’t safe for tourists to travel alone, but we are headed to a safer destination.
We arrive into Copan, and check into Hotel Calle Real.
It’s so hot here, and the rooms only have fans. In Central America, alot of hotels offer air con for an extra fee. For me, it’s totally worth it to pay to have some relief from the heat while I sleep. My roomie Ivonne agrees!
This hotel is up on a hill, so we need to walk down to the main square. I’m already dreading the walk back up.
Copan Ruinas is a small town located beside the ancient Mayan ruins of Copan. There is a small square in the central of the town, and surrounding the square is a handful of restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops and some hotels (how I wish we were staying here instead of up that hill! Haha).
The roads are small and there is no public transport…only tuk tuks to get around the town and ruins complex.
After finding an ATM so we can withdraw some lempira (the local currency), we end up at a restaurant called Yaxkukmo.
Yaxkukmo is actually the name of the royal house that reigned it Copan for 4 centuries. The most popular food to eat in Honduras is the baleada – a thick flour or corn tortilla filled with refried black beans and cheese. The one I order also has some shredded chicken inside, and to drink I have a horchata – a refreshing ground rice bevvie sweetened with cinnamon, vanilla, sugar and milk. It’s a popular drink in Latin countries, and each place has their own unique flavors.
After lunch, the girls hire a couple tuk tuks and head over to Macaw Mountain Bird Park.
https://www.macawmountain.org/en/home/
I am so excited about this because I LOVE birds. This park is a rescue, rehab and release center. The scarlet macaw is the national bird of Honduras, and there are many here. The center is in a forested area with botanical gardens and a stream nearby where young kids are swimming to escape the heat.
The main reasons the birds end up here is due to illegal bird trading or as abandoned pets – they can live 50-100 years, so that’s a huge commitment. There are currently around 350 birds in the park, so let’s explore. First we stop to see these scarlet macaws and a few come right over to me to say hi through the cage.
I try to get them to talk; I’m sure they know how to say hello or hola…but I get nothing. Further down the path are a couple of Great Green Macaws- they’re having a snack.
A quick stop to see more birds having snacks – the Red-throated Parakeets.
The Emerald Toucanet pictured here is quiet, and just stares at me.
Next to him is the Black Mandible Toucan. Fun Fact: even though toucans beaks seem like they would be heavy, they are more like a light honeycombed structure.
And one last stop before we leave – an open area where there are a bunch of macaws hanging out on perches; you can get right up close if you’re brave enough. I’m feeling brave, so I get close to have a chat. This one says Hola to me, haha YESSSSS. I try to get the bird to say it again on camera, but of course that doesn’t happen.
There is one bird that seems like he’s gonna try to climb up my arm to my shoulder and while I think this would be super cool, I’m wearing a tank top and those nails would not feel nice on my bare skin. Haha. And there’s no guarantee I won’t get bitten. <sigh> no holding birdies today. We say adios to the macaws and hop in the tuk tuks to take us back to the hotel. We have a short rest before the whole groups jumps in a van for an evening at Luna Jaguar Spa.
The drive there takes around an hour, and it’s gravel roads and lots of bumps and it’s pushing my nausea to the limit. The funny thing is, if there was a paved road to this spa, the drive would take half the time – or less. We wonder why they haven’t invested in this yet. When we arrive, we cross this suspension bridge as we are taken on short tour of the grounds.
And most importantly, we are told which pool is so hot it will melt your skin off. No joke. Of course I’m not going to put any of my body parts in that pool, but my curiosity is piqued. Haha.
Nestled into the Honduran jungle, this open-air spa is completely gorgeous and serene.
There are giant stone pillars with Mayan designs abundant in this spiritual little spa world. The atmosphere is meant to be relaxing and healing while at peace with the surrounding nature.
We start at one of the top pools; I don’t find it too hot but luckily there is a cold pool right beside it so the back and forth is an awesome contrast. As we wander though the paths to find the next pool, I’m a little paranoid I’m going to slip on these rocks. I’m not sure if it’s better to wear my shoes or go barefoot.
We try a few more pools and sit in the “sauna”.We find a really cool cave to swim into, and a few us relax and have a chat. It’s only the first day of the tour, so we’re all still getting to know each other! Next stop is the pool where you walk around in the circle, holding onto the middle pillar stepping on various rocks that are meant to give a natural foot massage.
It’s getting dark and harder to navigate the paths, but the place looks even cooler at night. As I prepare to lower myself into the last pool, I misread how deep it is. I’m not prepared for there to be an underwater ledge to sit on, and I slip on it and fall forward into the water, scraping and bruising my leg. Great. Haha. I knew I wouldn’t get out of this spa without an injury.
We are having dinner at a nearby restaurant that I think is part of the spa complex? We have the place to ourselves and dinner consists of chunks of grilled meat, rice, fried plantains, and the most amazing fresh fruit juice.
As we get back into the van, I pray that my dinner will stay in my stomach for the bumpy ride home (it does. Haha)
The next morning, me and Ivonne walk down the hill to get something for breakfast. There aren’t a lot of options so we choose a small café and have a simple coffee and pastry meal. We make that fun climb back up to the hotel and I really wish we had told our tuk tuks to pick us up down here instead. We drive over to the main attraction here in Copan – the Mayan ruins/ archaeological site. As a group, we’ve hired a guide named Mauricio and he takes us around the complex, offering stories and history of this intriguing ancient city. It is one of the most important Mayan sites; excavation and exploration started in the early 1800’s. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a cultural monument by Honduras. Back in the day, the land was very fertile but also prone to flooding and over time many structures were destroyed by the Copan River.
We start our exploration in the Great Plaza – the grass is still wet from the morning dew, so I’m dealing with wet sneakers and being careful not to slip on the grass.
Wild macaws fly around, perching high in the trees and watching us down below. In the plaza there is a step pyramid that can be climbed, so it’s perfect for a cool pic.
There are many stelae scattered around this open area. Here are a few pics of some of the cool looking ones.
I think most of them represent the many kings that ruled over Copán, who have crazy names like Uaxaclajuun Ub’aah K’awiil. Even my spellcheck is like, excuse me? Hahah.
We head over to the ball court.
The natural acoustics are pretty cool, since there were no speakers back then. This type of ball game was a sport with ritual associations, sometimes combined with human sacrifice.
Next stop is the most impressive structure here – the Hieroglyphic Stairway. It contains inscriptions of the history of the rulers of Copan. It is covered to protect it from weather erosion.
There is a tunnel under the staircase that leads to a tomb but it’s not open to the public.
We carry on to the eastern and western courts, and now the climbing begins. My short legs aren’t built for these giant stones.
Oh, and let’s not forget to mention that it is HOT today.
PRO TIP: aside from the obvious of staying hydrated, I have a few other tools I use to keep cool in the extreme heat. A handheld fan, a battery-operated fan that hangs around my neck, and Avene thermal water mist spray. And of course, wear light-colored clothing and mineral sunscreen!
The tuk tuks take us back into the town and we have a few hours to kill before we leave for our next destination. Before I arrive in any country, I research what to eat/drink, where to eat/drink, what to buy, what to see. For lunch, I choose a place called Llamas de Bosque and the group joins me there. We order a round of Salva Vidas, the national beer of Honduras.
To eat, I figure it makes sense to have one last baleada. This one is HUGE.
After lunch I find a small market and a couple of shops to quickly grab some souvenirs.
PRO TIP: some cool things to buy here in Honduras are: traditional pottery/ceramics, leather items, jade and costume jewelry, cigars, cornhusk dolls, anything that features a macaw, and Copan ruins replicas.
I meet Marvin at a shop where he is going to help us buy SIM cards to use all over Central America. I’m still having some issues with my eSIM. Even with his Spanish translation, we end up purchasing cards that do not work on our phones, so it’s a huge waste of money. Not super happy about this, but sometimes shit like this happens when traveling. We have one last walk up that nasty hill and this time, it does me in. I feel so gross, and I think it’s from heat exhaustion and maybe the food I ate earlier. Here’s hoping I don’t need to make any emergency stops. We get to the Guatemala border crossing, and I’m still not feeling great. This is not fun.
Since we arrived in Honduras yesterday, the protests in Guatemala have escalated (it’s been peaceful though) and there are road blocks set up. We cannot drive through. Marvin has arranged for a van to take us to the road block, and then we grab all of our belongings and walk about 10 minutes through the protest to the van that’s waiting for us on the other side.
It is really powerful to see the people out in solidarity; it is in response to a recent election and its integrity. We make it through just fine, and drive to our second border crossing of the day…El Salvador…..
Everywhere On Earth With Erin 