Central America tours
| country: | Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | Departs most Fridays throughout the year |
| price: | £390 (15 days) excluding flights, plus local payment US $300 |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Discover why Honduras and Nicaragua are two of Central America’s best kept secrets. Spectacular scenery, ancient ruins, unforgettable cities and two very special islands will leave you with a true love for this little known region.
There are many attractions including snorkeling and diving on the Caribbean coast and visiting the historical market town of Granada on the shores of Lake Nicaragua. We also visit Ometepe Island on Lake Nicaragua, the world’s largest island on a freshwater lake. One of the highlights of Nicaragua, here you can spot wildlife in the primary forest, search for ancient stone statues, go on volcano hikes, ride horses, or just kick back and relax on a beach. The final journey takes us on into Costa Rica and its lively capital San Jose
There are many attractions including snorkeling and diving on the Caribbean coast and visiting the historical market town of Granada on the shores of Lake Nicaragua. We also visit Ometepe Island on Lake Nicaragua, the world’s largest island on a freshwater lake. One of the highlights of Nicaragua, here you can spot wildlife in the primary forest, search for ancient stone statues, go on volcano hikes, ride horses, or just kick back and relax on a beach. The final journey takes us on into Costa Rica and its lively capital San Jose
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-3: | Arrive Antigua, Copán. Leaving Antigua we cross the border into Honduras and stop at the village of Copán Ruinas. The nearby Maya site of Copán was once a magnificent city and, although less visited, is one of the most important and interesting of all the Maya cities. The ruins are still being excavated and house fine examples of Mayan art. |
| Day 4-7: | Tela - La Ceiba - Roatán. Heading north to the Caribbean coast we stop overnight in the coastal town of Tela before continuing on to La Ceiba where we board a ferry to Roatán. The largest of the sun soaked Bay Islands, Roatán is less Latino than the mainland with a laid back, Caribbean atmosphere. Although there is development on the island it retains its idyllic charm and it is still easy to find your own deserted beach. There are also options for snorkelling and diving. |
| Day 8-11: | Tegucigalpa – Granada. Returning by ferry we head inland to the capital, Tegucigalpa. Tegus (as it’s called by the locals) is a typical colourful Latin city with plenty of history and charisma. Crossing into Nicaragua, we pass through the capital, Managua, en-route to the historical market town of Granada on the shores of Lake Nicaragua. Shadowed by Mombacho Volcano, Granada has plenty of colonial charm, and its Moorish feel will remind many of its Spanish counterpart. There is plenty of time to explore Granada and perhaps head back into Managua to see how the city has rebuilt itself after a history of earthquakes. |
| Day 12-14: | Ometepe Island – San José. Boarding a boat we travel to tranquil Ometepe Island on Lake Nicaragua. The world’s largest island on a freshwater lake, Ometepe means “between two hills” and was formed by two volcanoes. One of the highlights of Nicaragua, here you can spot wildlife in the primary forest, search for ancient stone statues, go on volcano hikes, ride horses, or just kick back and relax on a beach. The final journey takes us on into Costa Rica and its lively capital |
| Day 15: | Depart San Jose |
travellers' tales
Roatan was by far the best stopover on this trip. The people on the tour were fabulous as well. (more)
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
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We are proud to support Tourism Concern, an organisation dedicated to minimising the negative impact of worldwide tourism. Tourism Concern works to raise awareness and implement change by involving both tourism organisations and host communities.
We encourage passengers to learn some basic Spanish before they arrive so they can interact with the local people on a basic level and also as a sign of respect as visitors. We use local operators and specialist guides on our tours throughout Mexico. This includes locally owned hotels, restaurants, agencies and guides for excursions. Our commitment to these local operators means we are constantly putting back into the community and ensuring these businesses continue to prosper. This also empowers local business operators leading to increased confidence and development of their products and services. In the Caribbean, we also support the Caribbean Conservation Corporation & Sea Turtle Survival League. Since 2004 we have adopted a total of 7 Green Sea Turtles in conjunction with the Sea Turtle Survival League. Our support has provided additional funding for the league to establish sanctuaries and maintain habitat protection, continue scientific research and promote and educate others of the threat of extinction to Green Sea Turtles. We have an extensive list of pre-departure documentation which includes maps, regional advice, responsible travel practices and detailed itineraries, and we send this out to our passengers well before their departure to ensure that when they travel they are socially conscious and respectful of their surrounding environments - both during our tours and before/after. Office policy: We recognise that it is not only on-location staff who have environmental responsibilities but also our administration staff in our offices around the world. All our offices endeavour to be environmentally sound through practising energy conservation, implementing recycling plans and being responsible for the surrounding physical environment. We believe in leading through example and operate in this manner to encourage other businesses and individuals to be considerate of the environment and conserve the natural beauty we currently share. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |