Latin America Travels: Part 1

Hola Compañeros,

In 2016/2017 I made the decision to quit my job and take on a monster trip through some of The Caribbean, Central America and South America. I've been back in the UK now for around four months and am using the Christmas break to put the travel blog together so I hope you can enjoy it and possibly take some inspiration away to encourage you to head out for yourself.

This is a documentaion of the first half of my journey.

Spain

I appreciate this isn't Latin America however my first stop was Spain, where I have some relatives. I suppose there was a subtle irony to beginning here before embarking on the voyage across the Atlantic like that of the first explorers, except I imagine their journey to be less than an 8 hour flight to Havana from Madrid. I essentially used this as a base to start from but got some cool city breaks in and visited some incredible mountain scenery while there.

Bolulla, Spain

Sitges, Spain

Sitges, Spain

Barcelona, Spain

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Cuba

After the flight to Havana I had to negotiate with a taxi driver to take me into a prearranged 'casa particular' without any CUC (Cuban Convertible Pesos) and stop at a hotel to switch some euros. I won't go into details about the complexity of Cuba's economics but I will say it is much more complicated initially to pay for anything there. I Arrived at an old town house in Old Havana and was greeted by a lovely old lady who ran it as a bed and breakfast.

I spent a few days in Havana absorbing the atmosphere, drinking and eating before heading to Viñales. My time was fairly limited in the country and I stayed for just over a week in total which is no where near enough time to appreciate the countries diversity and unique blend of afro-hispanic culture.

Viñales, Cuba

Havana, Cuba

Havana, Cuba

Viñales, Cuba

Havana, Cuba

Havana, Cuba

Havana, Cuba

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Mexico

Mexico is potentially the top country I regret not travelling much more of. I stuck to the Yucatan and Quintana Roo which are quite heavy tourist spots in truth however fell geographically conveniently for me due to my plans of heading south. Mexico has some of the most beautfiul beaches I have ever seen and the food was probably the best of my entire trip (great veggie and vegan selection too if that's your thing).

Tulum, Mexico

Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Solidaridad Cenote, Mexico

Tulum, Mexico

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Belize

A brief visit through this small but magnificent country was well worth the time. I stopped at Caye Caulker which is a tiny island in the Caribbean Sea which is amazing for cuisine, boat trips out to sea to see an insane amount of marine life and sunbathing. I also paid a visit to the border town of San Ignacio which is where I did the most incredible caving trip of entire tour. Unfortunately cameras were not permitted due to the current preservation laws about flash photography because of all the Mayan remains visible still. Its like walking through the most interesting interactive museum you've ever been in whilst having to jump and crawl through rivers and cliff climbs.

Caye Caulker, Belize

Belize City, Belize

San Ignacio, Belize

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Guatemala

Hands down a must visit location, Guatemala is the gem of Central America. For starters its extremely cheap, has some of the most friendly people and is of outstanding natural beauty. I spent approximate a month there and could have happily spent more time. Travel times between to locations are long but the jaw dropping scenery that's panoramically available throughout the duration makes travelling there so satisfying.

Flores, Guatemala

Tikal, Guatemala

Tikal, Guatemala

Lanquin, Guatemala

Lanquin, Guatemala

Antigua, Guatemala

Volcan Alotenango, Guatemala

Lago Atitlan, Guatemala

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El Salvador

A relatively unexplored country in Central America, El Salvador boasts some awesome surfing breaks off El Tunco and quite a few other places down the coast. It has some cool Volcanoes and hikes you can do but the level of security and visible guns especially in San Salvador would make most a little uneasy to most travellers. The countries bloody history has inspired some great street art though and beaches are virtually tourist free outside of Tunco.

San Luis, El Salvador

San Luis, El Salvador

Santa Ana, El Salvador

San Salvador, El Salvador

San Salvador, El Salvador

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Honduras

Probably my least favourite country in Central America, Honduras was pretty limited and the only place with the exception of San Salvador where you couldn't go out in the cities at night. It has some minor gentrification and up and coming arts scene but if you're going to travel here stick to the country towns and avoid big cities. Roatan and Utila are some islands in the Caribbean Sea that are famous for scuba diving and one of the cheapest places in the world to get all your tickets but they are individuals in their own right and I would not say they are an accurate representation of mainland Honduras.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Valle De Angeles, Honduras

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Nicaragua

Nicaragua is a unexpectedly cool country with great surfing and a wealth of places to visit. You can go volcano boarding here which is pretty awesome but make sure you wear something to cover your face because you'll be picking volcanic ash out of your eyes for about a week after it if you don't. The locals love to tell you about their victory over the US and have a dedicated musuem in Leon which is mostly some cool artwork and some hardcore veterans showing you all their knife and bullet wounds.

Leon, Nicaragua

Leon, Nicaragua

Grenada, Nicaragua

Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua

Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua

San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua

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Costa Rica

I could happily live in Costa Rica. The people were friendly and the pro environmental green living attitude everyone seems to have is really awesome. Great surf spots but also has the luxuries of more developed countries. In the centre is there are some great nature reserves and the country boasts some of the highest bio diversity in the world! If you like wildlife, beaches and clean living this is certainly a place you'll want to spend some time.

Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Monteverde, Costa Rica

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

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Panama

My final stop in Central America was Panama which for me, was massively overlooked by other travellers I spoke to. It had the best hostel I've ever stayed in (lost & found cloud forest hostel, Chiriqui) as well as the incredible Casco Viejo in Panama City. There are insanely beautiful beaches as well as some awesome islands to visit, most notably Bocas Del Torro and the San Blas (which you can sail to Colombia through). Theres a fiery attitude quite unique to Panamanians but I made friends there I am still in contact with today. All in all and absolute must for the region!

Casco Viejo, Panama

Miraflores, Panama

Chiriqui, Panama

Bocas Del Torro, Panama

Panama City, Panama

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That about sums it up for part 1! I hope it has been of some interest and feel free to hit me up with any questions or advice about specific spots, travel advice, prices or suggestions. I want to stress that this was simply an overview and I could happily write pages on each country.

All my photos were taken on an iPhone 6+

Cheers