Four countries in 14 days
Honduras
This portion of the trip was DIY style. I found and booked the hotel online as well as a transfer from the San Pedro Sula airport.
We stayed in Copan Ruinas at the Plaza Yat B’alam for two nights where we explored the town and the ruins.
Guatemala
We had been to Antigua once before on a day trip from El Salvador. It’s colonial charm and rich history captivated me and I was looking forward to wandering the colourful streets once again.
From Antigua we travelled to Rio Dulce where we spent a wet night amongst the mangroves. This stop was really just to break up the drive to Tikal.
It would have been nice to spend a little more time here exploring the area but Tikal was calling and we had to leave.
Tikal is in northern Guatemala and is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization.
It took some effort convincing a few in our group that the Coatis weren’t going to harm them. They clearly look to people for food and are unafraid to approach in the hopes that they will be rewarded with snacks.
We spent the night in Flores on Lago Peten Itza.
Belize
The next day we crossed the border into Belize and spent a day and a half in San Ignacio.
With free time to do optional excursions, the husband decide to do a caving mission and I opted for a less wet, less claustrophobic self-guided tour of the ruins of Cahal Pech.
It was a small site but the fact that no one else was there made it that much more special.
From San Ignacio we travelled on to the coast and the ferry that would deliver us to Caye Caulker.
We were eager to experience the ‘no shirts, no shoes, no problem’ vibe of this Caribbean island. As soon as we got off the ferry, it was apparent this place was on island time.
Unfortunately it rained most of the time we were here.
Mexico
Our final stop on the tour was Playa Del Carmen. We had been here before and were not particularly looking forward to the pushy sales tactics and the overwhelm of every shop on the street bursting at the seams with souvenirs. At the same time, we were still on vacation somewhere warm and experiencing new things.
Time always goes by fast when you are travelling but we never felt too rushed during this trip. It was a great way to explore an area that encompassed more than one country without having to worry about the logistics of how to get around.
