Central America
Central America cruises visit ports on the Caribbean and/or Pacific sides of Central America. On a Central America cruise along the Pacific coast, you'll find drier weather and more mountainous terrain onshore. Central America travel on the Caribbean coast will be characterized by a more humid climate and lush vegetation.
On a Central America cruise, you can scuba dive or snorkel in the reefs around Roatan, Honduras; go zip-lining in the jungles of Belize; traverse the Panama Canal; or visit the lush national parks and amazing diversity of wildlife in Costa Rica. Central America travel is always warm, and cruises are available year-round.
Banana Coast (Trujillo)
Banana Coast is located in Trujillo, offering a host of retail shops and a 10-acre stretch of beach. Christopher Columbus landed here more than 500 years ago during his last voyage to the Americas performing the first Catholic Mass on the New World mainland. Since then, the area has been a Spanish colony as well as under the control of the Dutch, French, English - and pirates. During the early 20th Century it was the banana export capital of the world peaking at over 8 million stems of bananas shipped annually. Today, visitors can enjoy the sun and sand, and the beautiful tropical rainforest close by. Be sure to see the Santa Barbara Fort, built in the late 16th century to protect Trujillo from pirates, and the nearby historic British, French and U.S. consulates.
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Curu Reserve
The Curu Biological Reserve, on the Peninsula de Nicoya, offers diverse wildlife from white faced monkeys to phantom crabs. Though smaller than Ireland, Costa Rica boasts an amazing biodiversity. With more butterfly species than the whole of Africa, more bird species than Europe, its precious tropical rainforests harbour over half a million plant and aninial species. Small wonder that about a quarter of Costa Rica is protected nature reserve or national Park. Among the first inhabitants of Costa Rica were the Guymi Indians, who greeted Columbus when he arrived in the early 16th century. The area was colonized by Spain in 1506, but the Indians successfully forced them off their land. Several additional failed attempts by the Spanish to colonize Costa Rica followed until 1563 when Spanish governor Juan Vasquez de Coronado arrived. Costa Rica's independence was established in 1821, and the coffee trade flourished.
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Drake Bay
Drake Bay is one of the most remote and natural settings that tourists will encounter in Costa Rica. The abundance of wildlife, (particularly birds), combined with great accomodations and friendly people make this one of the most spectacular and memorable places to visit.
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Guatemala City
Guatemala City is the capital and largest city of the nation of Guatemala. Within the confines of modern Guatemala City is the ancient Maya city of Kaminaljuyu. Kaminaljuyu dates back some 9,000 years and is one of the Americas' most notable archaeological sites. The center of Kaminaljuyu was located a short distance from the oldest part of Guatemala City.
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Isla de la Plata meaning in English "Silver Island" got its name from Sir Francis Drake and his suppossedly buried silver treasure there. This island some 30 km off the southwestern mainland was for a long time in private hands but was bought by the state in 1979 and turned into a national park. The island supports a dry tropical scrub vegetation and is an important nesting site for sea birds.
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Playas Del Coco
A very popular area for sport fishing, Playas del Coco is the largest village in Guanacaste province. Known primarily as the gateway for surfers to reach places like Ollie's Point and Witches Rock, where the waves are superb, this busy beach is a prime scuba diving spot, with many tour and dive companies set up here.
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Puerto Caldera
This port of call is the door to the inner beauty of Costa Rica, a country waiting to be discovered. There are volcano tours that pass through strawberry plantations and along the coast with inviting beaches trailing off into the distance. San Jose is a short trip inland and the center for nightlife and all of your delightful excursions.
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Puerto Quepos
Microclimates characterize Costa Rica, but in a nation of verdant rain forest, the region around Quepos, on Coronado Bay is one of the richest and most bio-diverse places on earth. Its unspoiled natural beauty has secretly drawn visitors for decades and a cottage tourism industry has arisen to accommodate city-dwellers seeking a glimpse of the planet's vanishing wilds.
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San Juan del Sur
San Juan del Sur is a small and very nice village placed inside the bay with the same name that overlooks the pacific ocean 60 kms west of Granada and 24 Kms from Costa Rica's frontier. Enclosed by prehistoric volcanic hills, characterized by a very broad beach of white sand, that is 3 Kms long, and with very good climate for the whole part of the year it permits to practice surf, underwater fishing, deep sea fishing and bathing. It is possible to eat fish, crustaceans and other tasty specialities in characteristic and cheap restaurants hearing the sweet sound of the sea and to spend evenings in the beautiful and small snack bar that overlooks directly the beach.
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San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo is located on the southern coast of Honduras, right on the Gulf of Fonseca, that Honduras shares with El Salvador and Nicaragua. It is the most important city in the department of Valle and home to the port of Henecan, Honduras’ port on the Pacific.
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Tortuga Island
Tortuga, a dream island and a little paradise in the Pacific Ocean, has something for everyone. More than just a beach, white sands and sun, Tortuga also offers luxuriant flora, fauna and adventure. Tortuga Island is a reflection today of the more than twenty years of hard work by a Costa Rican family in the field of conservation and sustainable development. Over the last two years the island has seen changes that allow visitors to enjoy its natural beauty to the fullest.
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