Central America
Central America packs ancient history, wild landscapes and very good food into a strip of land you can cross in a couple of weeks. Colonial towns with worn cobbles, Maya temples, white beaches and clear blue water all sit within a few hundred miles of each other. Our tours take in Tikal, Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan, three Maya sites where the scale of the old civilisations still catches people off guard. Days on the Caribbean sand tend to run long and slow. Snorkel over the reef and the fish come in every colour you'd expect and several you wouldn't. Markets fill whole mornings, salsa keeps Old Havana up past midnight, and Costa Rica's national parks ask for proper walking shoes.
Wildlife turns up when you least plan for it: monkeys overhead, toucans in the canopy, turtles offshore, manatees drifting through the shallows. A hammock and a sunset handle the quiet hours, though the zipline above the jungle canopy gets the heart going first, and a sail through the Panama Canal covers one of the seven engineering wonders of the world in an afternoon. Foodie walking tours of Oaxaca, tequila tastings in Mexico City, ruins in Belize: it's all within reach on one itinerary.
A few of our favourite places:
Guatemala. Tikal.
The temples of Tikal rise straight out of the jungle inside the national park, and our local guides know the site well enough to time a visit around the crowds and the light. It's a World Heritage site, and a central piece of Maya history and civilisation. How the acoustics carried across the plazas during ceremonies remains an open question among archaeologists, and standing on the top platform you can test it yourself.
Belize. Caye Caulker.
Caye Caulker runs at its own speed. Paddle board on the crystal blue water, spot manatees, snorkel among fish of every size and colour. The streets are flat enough to cycle in sandals, and a slow walk along the golden beaches ends with a cold drink. Settle into the island way of life and the ferry timetable stops mattering much.
Costa Rica. Monteverde.
Monteverde is a tropical cloud forest holding over 160 species of reptiles and amphibians alongside other colourful wildlife. Nature lovers and forest walkers will find plenty of trails. My cousin swears the hummingbird feeders near the entrance are the best part, though I didn't make it that far up the path myself.
The coffee at the Monteverde visitor centre is roasted a few miles down the road.
