Inner Harbour Victoria

Taking the ferry over from Vancouver is a treat in itself and much nicer than the Vancouver – Naniamo run. You come incredibly close to some beautiful Gulf Islands and the funky houses that dot the landscape. Sailboats and fishermen share the waterways while orcas and porpoises can sometimes be seen.

If you are low on time or feel like splurging I would recommend taking a seaplane into Victoria and a ferry back. They go from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria in just enough time to take in the spectacular scenery and exciting touchdown. I will be trying to get a good deal for our card holders real soon so be on the look out.

The Ferry to Victoria

Once in Victoria there are many great places to stay. If you are on a budget and dig hanging with the international hipster crowd then check into Ocean Island Backpackers. They have an ab fab unbiased travel guide and a groovy bar to knock back a couple pints.

Taking a step up in lodging could get you a room at the Strathcona Hotel. I feel an absolute must in Victoria, is to head up to their rooftop bar and grill. I was a DJ for a few years up there so I should know how fun it can be. See if you can get in on a beach volleyball game (they have 2 sandy courts) and get there early on a Sunday night as it is a hot one.

You will find yourself down at the Inner Harbour (that’s how us Canadians spell harbor) at least once. She is a grand old lady with plenty of amusing things going on at different times. Check into the Tourism Victoria office at one end of the harbour for the low down on area attractions. They can also set you up with tours which help fuel their non profit organization.

Fan Tan Alley

Wandering around “old town” is a delight. You will probably end up in our wee China Town and hopefully either enter or leave via Fan Tan Alley. Extending your walk through the neat neighborhoods of James Bay and Fairfield is delightful and should bring you to Beacon Hill Park and the beaches of Dallas Road. The spectacular Olympic Mountains are brought to you by our buddies to the south. One strange fact – Victorians get USA roaming charges on the beach of Dallas Road, even though we are in Canada!

Being a big University town. There is a bumping array of funky bars and clubs to hit up. The streets roll up fairly early but ask around and you’ll find a good night out almost always. Fancy some chow? Victoria has got it covered and then some. Just about every ethnic flavour is there for the chomping.

Ok, so you walked the walk. Orcas are everywhere around here. No offense to our Navy but they are our secret weapon and can be summoned in a time of need. You, however, can sit back and almost always get up close and personal with these majestic mammals in these parts. Whale Watching is very popular in Victoria. I can’t say one company is better than another but I can say you will get a great deal here.

Another great way to get on the water is via Kayak. Paddling close to town, on a day trip or off on a few day adventure, there are so many options and taking it all in will be a trip highlight.  Here are a few very good options to get the adventure juices flowing.

I am a two wheel nut. Victoria is an awesome place to rent a bike. It’s an even better place to rent a scooter! If you do rent a scooter I would get out of town a little bit. Consider taking some back roads in the country through Metchosin and Sooke. A sweet day out would be to take a scooter on Old West Saanich Road out to the ferry terminal. Hop on a Saltspring 20 minute ferry and wizz around this charming little Island. If it is sunny and hot, stop off for a dip at Durance Lake on the way.

Quaint Neighborhood of Fairfield

We are fortunate to have a top notch museum in Victoria. Inside is probably the best Native American collection of goodies around. The totem poles are incredible and there is always an ongoing collection of local history combined with amazing featured shows. Missing out on our fine museum would be a mistake, even if museums are not your idea of a good time.

There are a great many things to do in and around Victoria. The best way to discover the charms of the city might be to engage in a conversation with one our friendly locals at one of the many coffee shops. My guess is they will point you in the right direction and you’ll end up having a blast.

Tamarindo

While traveling with with some mates I met a few times along the gringo trail, we made tracks to Tamarindo on the norther part of the Nicoya Peninsula. Tamarindo is a pure surf and party location that just happened to be loaded with Argentinian girls on holidays. I stayed at a great hostel with a strange name. La Botella de Leche was one of my favorite hostels in Central America and it had nothing to do with all the Argentinian girls and the swimming pool. Honest. There are many other cool hostel options in Tamarindo that will also do just fine.

Mapping my route to be efficient, I decided that moving on to La Fortuna made sense. Although not a great spectacle in it’s self, the ride to La Fortuna and the amazing perfect cone volcano was. There are a great many adventure tours including awesome rafting all over Costa Rica and La Fortuna has some of the best. Going for a dip in one of the hot springs after a tour is a great way to unwind.

La Fortuna Volcano

I scouted around for the best deal on one of the famous Jeep-Boat-Jeep tours buzzing me on over to Monteverde. I really like to combine a tour with travel to my next destination. I managed to save $8 by checking out 4 shops instead of 1. I found Monteverde to be a little nicer than La Fortuna with just as many, if not more, exciting adventures to lighten my wallet. I could go through them all but I really think you just come on down and see for yourself.

I do have to mention another great hostel that I stayed at. Pension Santa Elena may very well have the nicest staff I have ever met, at any hostel in my travels. They also have one of the greatest selections of rooms I have seen and the prices are a lot lower than most of  Costa Rica’s other hot spots. The cool evening temperatures were also a welcomed change for this Canadian backpacker.

Waterfall swimming hole near Montezuma

Although it seemed odd. Heading back to the Nicoya Peninsula via a bus, boat and taxi made sense, both time and budget wise. The bus system on the peninsula is not great and the very pricey shuttle companies seem to take advantage of this. Anyhoo, I managed to share a cab from the ferry with a couple of French Canadian girls. What would be strange almost always, it seems backpacking breaks down boundaries as the girls and I decided to share a room for a few days at an ocean front hotel.

Montezuma feels like Costa Rica should. Its a beach town that is a little rough around the edges with great places to crash, eat and drink. Flanked by fantastic beaches, an amazing swimming hole with a waterfall and an earthy hippy vibe, one might just find themselves staying a little longer than expected. I thought about it, but had a few meetings planned in San Jose.

San Jose

As far as Central American capitals go, San Jose is right at the top of the “pretty cool” list. It has a very dodgy side in many parts at night but they are well known and easily avoided. San Jose has a very walkable down town core with more skate and shoe shops than gum stains on the side walks. I didn’t find the deals to be any better than back home but I did hear from quite a few Europeans that the prices were way better than they get over the pond in Euro Land.

There are quite a few parks and the central square is a great place to grab and ice cream or coffee and watch the Tico’s do their thing. As the main terminal to Holidayville, San Jose has many great restaurants and accommodations. I stayed at 3 hostels and can recommend Tranquilo and Costa Rica Backpackers for value, location, staff and fun.

Being inland for too long in Central America doesn’t seem right with so many

Puerto Viejo

awesome beaches to hang loose on. I hopped on a bus for about 4 hours to the Caribbean coastal town of Puerto Viejo. Having been here about 7 years prior, I was pleased to find it was very similar and not over run with condo development. Very pleased indeed. This coast has a very jah mon Afro Carib vibe that is quite relaxed and enjoyable.

A big shout out to yet another very sweet backpacker hang out. Rocking J’s is where art meets hostel. Lotsa love went into this legendary backpacker hot spot that is more tents and hammocks than rooms and dorms. It’s right on the sea and just a few minutes stroll into town. You should defiantly come by for a beer even if you decide to crash somewhere else.

Dusk sets on Arenal Volcano

As I mentioned earlier. Many backpackers get sticker shock with the prices compared to the rest of Central America. You should plan accordingly and try to save a little extra cash before your trip because Costa Rica has way more to offer than my little blog post has mentioned. It is good value, just a little more. Think of it as the Thailand of Central America. A bit more, but an absolutely fantastic destination.

El Tunco

Having all my fingers in tact, some new found travel mates and I decided that Granada, Nicaragua would be a great place to ring in the new year. Going out of El Salvador, into Honduras, back out of Honduras and finally into Nicaragua on the Tica Bus we arrived in Granada.

Groovy Granada

Staying at the wonderful Oasis Hostel, we found that the word on the street was that San Juan del Sur was the place to be and be seen for New Years. Waking up early and rushing to get there as we found out that every room would be full and the prices will double. We hailed a cab as my mates had to wait for their laundry and a pack of wolves, I mean backpackers, were already on the bus to San Juan with the idea of taking the last cheap rooms. Our cheap rooms!

T shirts in San Juan del Sur

So the cabby bombed down the road getting us there in under an hour. The first place we checked had two rooms with 4 beds each and a joining balcony looking over the strip and onto the beach. This was a lucky score for $15 usd each. Next up, Flor De Cana, and lots of it.

I do believe that every traveler in or around Nicaragua plus mass amounts of Nicaraguans had the very same idea we had. It was a four day gong show. On January 2nd the place looked like a ghost town and the dust had settled.

Ometepe Sunset

A 45 minute bus ride, 1 hour ferry ride and a 30 minute shuttle had us at the door of Little Morgans on Isla Ometepe. In what was probably a blessing ‘ol Morgans was full and we had to settle on a much tamer option about a kilometer down the road.  Ometepe is has been described as a magical fantasy island formed by two massive volcanoes and a strip of fertile emerald land joining them. It is pretty cool, I must admit.

There are lots of things to do on the island but climbing yet another volcano was not one of them this time. Renting some dirt bikes is a very good option and a trip to some waterfalls is also popular. The lake was extremely high and so there was no beach to chill on but I am sure it will be back one day. So will I.

Granada Nicaragua

Having only seen Granada in blur mode. I decided that I would give it a fair shake. Its a touristy place with a very nice area that has been wonderfully restored and a very real part that has been quite neglected. There are lots of great places to eat and drink and more hostels than you could shake a stick at.

Tree House Hostel

I heard about a couple guys that decided to sell everything they own and build a tree house hostel on a hill in a jungle. I decided to visit. It is a short 2o minute drive and a long 10 minute hike (straight) up to the hostel. They have done an amazing amount of work in a short period of time and started to create what will most certainly be a backpacker hot spot for years to come.

I decided to take another short trip out of Granada to Laguna de Apoyo. There are two main backpacker options. The Monkey Hut is a little more lively and is a very good option. The other is Paradisio and quite a bit lower key. Hanging on the Laguna is a great recharge getaway. Watching the sun rise over this massive crater lake and having the waves and wildlife put you to sleep is very soothing for the soul.

Leon

Having been back to nature I took two quick air conditioned shuttle buses to Leon. Having to spend about two minutes in Managua was a bonus. I really liked Leon. It is a real city with real charms. It is also home to a Central American backpacker highlight. Volcano Boarding! Big Foot hostel are the absolute experts on this crazy craze and they also have a groovy party friendly hostel with loads of cool treks and trips. I have got to mention a great vegetarian restaurant as well.

I did not get to see all I wanted to in Nicaragua but I often leave some good bits behind if I know I will return to a country. I know I will return to this awesome backpacker and budget friendly

One of the amazing murals around Leon

country with fantastic local hosts. If I don’t to move on to Costa Rica now I might never leave.

West End, Roatan

A common stop over en route is at Copan Ruinas. Too many ruins can ruin your holiday but this cool little town has a great atmosphere and very detailed Mayan artifacts to see. It is also a great place to learn some Spanish and Guacamaya Spanish School comes highly recommended.

I stayed at En La Manzana hostel. It was a pretty chilled little hostel that is run by the folks at Via Via cafe. Gerardo, the owner,  is a very outgoing personality and is a wealth of info on all things travel and all things Honduras. They run some pretty cool tours out of there and it is a fantastic place to have a drink and chow down.

tila moments before take off with Captain Vern

The next leg of the journey will most likely bring you to La Ceiba. This place is nothing to write home about but the scenery on the bus ride is. In fact all of Honduras has amazing views from the road.  There are two good outfits that run rafting and other tours through their jungle lodges. Omega is a little more upscale and I hear very good things. The Jungle River Lodge will save you some dollars and I have personally heard great things as well. I don’t think you can go wrong with each lodge and they are only a few kilometers away from each other.

Next up is a pretty rocky ride to either of the islands. The ferry to Roatan is probably 4 times the size of the ferry to Utila and about $5 usd more. They both are located about 5 kilometers from La Ceiba at the same terminal.

I went with the crowd at the Banana Republic hostel in La Ceiba to Utila first. This was a good call. Utila is a chilled little island that offers lots of diving and lots of drinking. There are certainly a few other activities but those are by far the most popular.

The sweet set up at Utila Dive Center/Mangos Inn

I was greeted at the dock by many touts offering incredible deals. I decided to take up Utila Dive Center/Mangos Inn up on theirs. It turned out to be a great choice. They have undoubtedly the best dive center in all Central America with a very upscale but backpacker and budget friendly accommodation.

After too much fun at Tranquilo Bar and a few others I decided to take Captain Vern up on his catamaran sailing trip to Roatan. This is the only way to get between the islands without going back to La Ceiba. It was just me and Captain Vern today and so we turned up the classic rock and sailed into paradise.

The crazy stuff divers do when they graduate!

About 100 meters from the dock was Chillies Backpackers. This is the best budget digs on the island of Roatan. The beach is about 15 feet away and it is close to all the action but far away enough from the late night party bars down the beach so you can sleep easy. Roatan has real nice beaches and fantastic diving. There are many more activities to do here and a slightly older crowd than Utila to mingle with.

There is a great many other places to go in Honduras but I decided that moving into El Salvador might make sense for me next. Enjoying the spectacular ride on the bus, wishing I had a motorcycle, I arrived at Santa Rosa De Copan.  This was a great little stop and a very authentic taste of real life Honduras. Next stop, El Salvador.

Flores

I started my journey in Flores. A great little town that also happens to be an island. One of the last major Myan settlements is a world heritage site. Sunsets, swimming off the docks and boat trips around the lake are just a few highlights. This is also the most popular place to bunk down before a very early bus ride to the grand daddy of Mayan sites, Tikal.

Tikal is a must see even if ruins are not your thing. Getting there early for sunrise is the best way to enjoy this marvel and about 70% of the backpackers staying at the incredibly popular and fun, Los Amigos Hostel awake to do just that. The other 30% either just love this town or can’t get enough of this groovy hostel.

Semuc Champey

There are many options from here but only people with extremely limited time miss out on Lanquin and Semuc Champey. One is some of the most crazy cave tripping you will ever do and the other is one of the most beautiful swim-able natural wonders in the world. There is a fantastic new lodge to stay in called Zephyr. Everybody that I have talked to feel that this backpacker lodge and amazing nature combo is a true highlight of all Central America.

You could blaze a trail down the Rio Dulce and stay at an amazing jungle river lodge on your way to Livingston as the next adventure, but I decided to save that for the next time around. I hear really good stories though.

Antigua

I decided to move along to Gringo Central. Antigua is a special place. Surrounded by volcano’s, this colonial gem is a fantastic town to visit and a hard place to leave. There is a great nightlife due in part because of the many students that study Spanish at the 30 plus schools. It is touristy, but not over run or tacky in any way. Just wandering around the cobblestone streets with an ice cream or coffee feels like travel should.

I stayed at a couple hostels. Yellow House was clean and quiet. I would highly recommend this place to a couple looking for a private room. The tour office is also one of the best. I liked the Black Cat. Sure it could be considered party central but it does shut the bar at 10pm and there is no way you will ever find a better breakfast included in the price of a dorm. You will also make lots of new friends and should probably climb one of the surrounding volcano’s.

San Pedro, Lake Atitlan

A few hours east along the Gringo Trail and you arrive at what many call “the most beautiful lake in the world”  Lago de Atitlan. Yes, it is fantastic, but I have not seen every lake in the world. San Pedro is a charming town and very “gringofied” It is made up of many trails and paths connecting some of the best value accommodations and fantastic food joints in all of Central America.

Like many places in Guatemala, this place is hard to leave. I did make it to a few other towns around the lake and can confirm that San Marcos and Santa Cruz are worth a visit. I do got to give a heads up to La Iguana Perdida in Santa Cruz as this place is awesome.

There are a great many more amazing sites, adventures and cool mountain villages to explore in Guatemala. Trying to see everything would be foolish as you will almost certainly want to return for a second visit. I left many highlights for my next trip to this fascinating country full of warm and wonderful people. Until next time Guatemala!