The Ultimate Central America Backpacking Trip: a 3 month itinerary
You guys…
I have just returned from the most epic 3 month Central America backpacking trip and have SO MUCH to share with you all. It was truly the trip of a lifetime. Not only was I able to check so many things off of my bucket list, but I met the most incredible people as well.
When it comes to backpacking, there are a few well known and well traveled routes all over the world, the most popular being through Southeast Asia! That is an incredible place to dip your toes into backpacking, as the backpacker route is so well-established. If you’re looking for something a little different, however, I highly recommend a backpacking trip through Central America.
It is slightly less built up for tourists, but still has a heavy backpacker presence. It’s also fairly linear, so chances are when you meet someone, they’re headed in the same direction as you! Because of this I was hardly EVER a solo traveler, even though I started the trip alone.
Places like South America are also hot spots for backpackers, but there’s not one comprehensive route, which is what makes Central America so appealing to me! I kid you not, two of the girls I met in the first week of my Central America backpacking trip traveled with me from Belize all the way to Colombia, and we had the best time ever.
How long to spend in Central America?
When planning a backpacking trip, typically the longer the amount of time on your hands, the better! Travel days are no joke here in Central America - it’s not like Asia where you can just hop on a night bus and sleep the travel day (night?) away.
I had 3.5 months to spend in this region, and most people spend about 2 months in Central America specifically. Additionally, most people I met either tacked on a month in Mexico or a month in Colombia, or both if they really had some time to spare! So this itinerary isn’t quite a clean 3 months, but it is 3 months and just under 2 weeks.
Personally, I spent about a week in Mexico, 2 months traveling through Central America (from Belize to Panama), and then a little under a month in Colombia as well! While Mexico and Colombia aren’t technically a part of Central America, they are excellent additions and fit perfectly into a Central America Backpacking trip.
Without further ado - Let’s get into it!
The Ultimate Central America Backpacking Trip:
A three month itinerary
Personally, I am SO happy with the itinerary I came up with for my Central America backpacking trip - and I’m gonna brag a little bit. Oftentimes, when travelers and backpackers come to this region, they skip a few countries in the name of safety. I, having the massive travel ego that I do however, was determined to hit every country - partly just to say that I had.
Imagine my surprise when the two countries that people tend to cut out of their itineraries, El Salvador and Honduras, were my two favorites?? I’m not even lying you guys - and I’m a little blonde American solo female traveler. I never once felt unsafe and I am personally begging you to give these countries a chance! I wouldn’t cut them out of my itinerary for the world.
Because of the addition of these two countries, I did have to cut out a few cities or beach towns that I would’ve liked to visit for the sake of time, but I’ll add them into this itinerary as optional or additional stops - don’t you worry! This will be a full comprehensive itinerary for just about everything there is to do in the region.
(Ngl - I wish I had something like this before I left because there are so many things I learned about or discovered on the road when it was already too late to make changes to my plans! Not everything can be found on TikTok you guys - and there are quite a few things to do and places to see that I wish I knew about beforehand that I’ll add here just so that you’re aware:)
Mexico
Like I mentioned previously, I only spent a week in Mexico! As an American, I have been to Mexico a few times, and while I do need to plan an entire Mexico backpacking trip in the future, I only had time for either that or Colombia, and I chose Colombia this time around!
That being said, Cancun is a fabulous airport to fly into to begin your Central American adventures, so I highly recommend spending a week on the Caribbean coast of Mexico before heading down into Belize.
3 nights Tulum or Playa Del Carmen
I KNOW, I know, neither Tulum nor Playa Del Carmen are great backpacker destinations, but they are a good place to head to immediately upon arrival in Cancun. Spend a few days getting a base tan or doing a Scuba refresher course before heading further south!
I spent three days in Tulum and spoiler alert: I hated it! It was so not my vibe and in hindsight, I wish I had chosen Playa Del Carmen! One of my friends stayed in the Che hostel there and had the time of her life. The only saving grace for me in Tulum was scuba diving in the Cenotes, but honestly this first stop is to get you slightly closer to our next destination, which is the reason why I recommend you don’t skip a little stint in Mexico at the front end of your trip!
3 nights Bacalar
Bacalar, oh Bacalar, I am OBSESSED with you. I had the very best four days in Bacalar, even with some gloomy weather rolling in. Bacalar is also called the lagoon of 7 colors, and for good reason. To this day, I have not seen water that GLOWS that way the water in Bacalar does.
You can take boat tours, paddle board, kayak, hang out at one of many waterfront cafes and restaurants, or my personal favorite, visit Los Rapidos (pictured above!)
Bacalar is well worth a stop, and was one of my favorite places from my entire trip.
Belize
6 nights Caye Caulker
Before Coming to Belize, the only place I saw backpackers going was Caye Caulker, and they all raved about it and told everyone not to waste their time going anywhere else in Belize.
As a result, I spent an entire 6 days on Caye Caulker, and loved every second of it. Even though it’s a tiny little island, I was never wanting for things to do. Snorkel tours, Scuba diving the second biggest barrier reef in the world, tanning on The Split, spending my sunsets petting the resident stingrays… it was PARADISE.
Caye Caulker brought my little Caribbean island dreams to life and I highly recommend adding at least 5 days here to your Central America Backpacking Trip.
Optional: San Pedro, San Ignacio, Hopkins
Although I have no regrets with spending all my time in Caye Caulker, other places you can visit are San Pedro (I visited on my scuba surface interval and it seemed to be mostly older Americans on vacation!), Hopkins, which is another quieter beach town, and San Ignacio! The main thing to do in San Ignacio is the ATM caves, which look EPIC. Unfortunately they are rather pricey so unless it’s important to you and you’re able to fit it in your backpacking budget, then definitely go for it! I would love to come back one day and experience them.
Not to mention, a pit-stop in San Ignacio would definitely break up your travel day from Belize to Flores nicely.
Guatemala
Okay you guys - 2 weeks or so into our trip and we’ve finally made it to what very well might be the best country on this whole list - Guatemala! There is literally so much variety here it’s insane - and while not all the cities made it onto my list of tops, the country as a whole has so much to offer and you can easily spend a month here soaking it all in.
3 nights Flores
The most logical place to start your journey through Guatemala is in Flores. I took a shuttle bus across the Belize/Guatemala border and it was a smooth (but very long) journey. Flores is primarily a quaint little island town filled with colorful houses and surrounded by a lake, but most people use it as a jumping off point to visit Tikal and other ancient Mayan ruins!
If you get good weather, consider joining Los Amigos’ boat party or grabbing a local Lancha over to Jorge’s rope swing! It was actually pretty chilly the days I was there, so I personally stayed on land, but was super bummed about missing the rope swing!
3 nights Lanquin
If you’re not up for a full day of travel into (as well as out of) Lanquin, you can always fly to Guatemala city from Flores and continue your journey through Guatemala that way - but if you can brave the windy roads into the jungle, your next stop will be Lanquin.
Lanquin is home to Semuc Champey, a spectacular river formation inside a valley that makes for epic caving adventures, stunning hiking trails, fun tipsy tubing, cliff jumping, and lazy days swimming in the natural pools. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
Not to mention the top two hostels in Lanquin (Greengos and Zephyr) are to die for and worth a day enjoying in and of themselves!
2 nights antigua
Don’t worry - we’ll come back to Antigua! Spend your first few days here acclimating to the altitude, exploring the old city (which is a UNESCO world heritage site!) and eating your little heart out. You’ll need the extra carbs for our next adventure:
1 night on Volcano Acatenango
Get in loser, we’re hiking Volcano Acatenango today.
Hiking Acatenango is one of the most physically difficult challenges there is in Central America, but if I can do it, I firmly believe you can too. The hike consists of a 6-7 hour hike to base camp, an optional 4 hour hike to and from Fuego (the neighboring active volcano) if you want to see the lava up close, and then another 2 hour hike starting at 4 a.m. to hike to the summit for sunrise.
This is an activity you need to book in advance! I recommend going with either Tropicana or Soy tours. I personally did Tropicana as they offer hiking boot rentals (not to freak you out but there was a girl with a broken ankle in my dorm room in Antigua so definitely bring or rent hiking boots with ankle support! The gravelly terrain is slippery and no joke). Soy tours offers rentals for just about everything except boots, so keep that in mind!
Both have excellent views from base camp, amazing tour guides, delicious food, cabins to sleep in (not just tents!) and come with very high ratings.
The night spent watching Fuego erupt will live rent free in my head FOREVER, I’ve never seen anything like it.
3 nights Antigua
Now that we’re back in Antigua, make sure you treat yourself to a nice hostel with comfy beds and clean showers - it’s an absolute mission to rid yourself of the ash from Acatenango and to feel like a human again. I spent my first day in bed bingeing missed episodes of The Bachelor and eating snacks. As I SHOULD.
The next few days, take a walking tour, head up to Hobbiton, explore the old ruins and monasteries, and enjoy the incredible restaurant scene in Antigua!
8 nights Lake Atitlan
Lake Atitlan is, in my opinion, the gem of Guatemala. Surrounded by volcanoes and endless little towns, Lake Atitlan deserves at least a full week of your time. I split my time up between the three most popular towns around the lake: San Marcos, San Pedro, and Santa Cruz.
I timed my days in these cities around a few different factors. In San Marcos, I wanted to be there on a Community Day at Eagle’s nest, which gives you access to their incredible yoga platform (which has the absolute BEST view of the lake). You can check the website if you’re interested in planning your trip around a Community Day! Alternatively, just stay there for a few nights 😉
In San Pedro, I was sure to be there for the weekly Mr. Mullet’s Thursday boat party, which was so much fun. There aren’t very many boat-based activities in Lake Atitlan, so this is a must.
Last but not least, I was dying to stay at Free Cerveza, a popular hostel in Santa Cruz, and I worked my schedule around which days I was able to book! This place fills up quick so be sure to book well in advance.
Optional: Trek from Xela to Lake Atitlan
So I had no idea this adventure even existed until it was already too late and I was 5 days into life on the lake - but if I had known? GIRL I would’ve been all up in that.
It takes 3 days to hike to Lake Atitlan from Xela, which you can reach via shuttle from Antigua. I saw pictures from fellow travelers and it looks EPIC. You only have to carry your day bag and they chauffeur your bigger backpack to the end point, so don’t worry about that!
Let me know in the comments if you did this!! I can’t believe I missed it:(
optional: El Paredon
For the sake of time, I skipped out on the usual next stop on the backpacking route: El Paredon. I knew that since I wasn’t skipping El Salvador that I would have plenty of time to spend on black sand beaches, but if you’re skipping El Salvador (plz don’t), then be sure to hit El Paredon!
Since I didn’t go, I don’t have much information, other than the fact that it’s a huge destination for surfers (and as hard as I’ve tried to be, I simply do not fall into that group of the population), the sand flies are a force to be reckoned with (derogatory), and the thrift shops are unmatched.
If you’ve been, let me know how it is!
El Salvador
Okay - time to convince you not to skip El Salvador! It could have been the group of people that I lucked out with, but truly, El Salvador was a dream - not to mention the fact that it’s home to my favorite cuisine of the whole entire trip! If I could eat pupusas every day for the rest of my life I WOULD.
4 Nights Santa Ana
I spent a long day traveling from Lake Atitlan to Santa Ana, but because of shuttle times, my friends traveling from El Paredon actually ended up getting there even later than I did! It’s not as much time spent traveling, but they just got a later start.
We took a walking tour of the Santa Ana, hiked the Santa Ana volcano, hiked the 7 waterfalls in Juayua, went to the hot spring waterfalls, watched local soccer games, and ate our weight in Pupusas. There are so many things to do in Santa Ana that 4 nights are totally necessary!
Some people opt to do 2 or 3 nights in Juayua so that they don’t have as long of a travel day when they hike the 7 waterfalls, but it’s totally do-able from Santa Ana if you’re on a time crunch. Staying in Juayua is also great if you want to do the Ruta De Los Flores (a motorbike loop through a bunch of small towns), but seeing as the time of year we visited (March) was not flower season, we decided to skip.
3 nights El Tunco
El Tunco is the most popular beach town in El Salvador, and is very similar to El Paredon! Technically we stayed in La Libertad, but they’re right next to each other. The water feels amazing, the black sand beaches are gorgeous, and there are so many little shops and restaurants in the main strip.
The main thing to do here is to surf and watch the sunsets - and seeing as I do not surf, I made a POINT to not miss a sunset at the beach. El Tunco sunsets hit so hard every time - they’re unreal.
Honduras
1 week in Utila
My favorite travel activity to add into my itinerary wherever I can is scuba diving- and even if you’re not certified, Utila is the cheapest place in the world to get your certification, so I still think it’s a destination that is well worth your while no matter what.
I flew from San Salvador to San Pedro Sula, where I took a bus to La Ceiba and a ferry to Utila. It is a rough travel day, but to make up for it, we spent a solid 7 days on Utila swimming with dolphins, diving every day, making friends at the dive shop, eating pastelitos, and singing karaoke every night.
It was my #1 favorite destination of this entire Central America backpacking trip, and I’d go through the hellish travel days anytime if it meant I got to do it all over again.
Nicaragua
3 nights in Leon
After a horrific 20 hour shuttle from Utila, we arrived in our sixth country of the trip - Nicaragua!
Spend your first three nights in Leon - exploring the city, taking pictures on the roof of the iconic cathedral, and checking off a bucket list item you can ONLY accomplish in Leon - volcano boarding!
4 nights Granada
Now - Granada is a gorgeous colonial town in Nicaragua that is well worth doing a walking tour of, but most people come to Granada for the parties.
Every Wednesday is a boat party ran through the Oasis hostel, and every Friday is the infamous Granada tree house party - so be sure to plan your dates accordingly!
Additionally, if you’re up for yet ~another~ volcano hike, check to see if Masaya Volcano is open! It was closed due to dangerous conditions when I was there, but I’ve heard really good things about the day trip!
4 nights Ometepe
Ahhhh Ometepe - my favorite destination of Nicaragua. Ometepe is a small island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, and it is stunning. There are even more volcanos to hike (I passed on those I won’t lie - there’s only so many volcanoes a girl can hike in 3 months!), gorgeous sunset locations, swimming holes, kayak tours, chocolate farms, and more.
One thing to note is that this the main method of transportation on this island is motorbike or quadbikes, and normal bicycles will simply not cut it. It takes about an hour and a half on a motorbike to cross the island, and the attractions are pretty well spread out. Since I’m comfortable on a motorbike, I loved Ometepe, but some of my friends who didn’t feel safe riding one really did not enjoy their time there.
4 Nights San Juan Del Sur
My last stop in Nicaragua was the lazy beach town of San Juan Del Sur! This felt like one of those places where it’s so easy to get ~stuck~ there and simply never leave. There isn’t a particularly wide variety of things to do here besides go to the neighboring beaches, but it does have the perfect little beachy atmosphere that so many people fall in love with.
Be sure to be here for a Sunday - Sunday Funday is an epic pool party bar crawl that is quintessential San Juan Del Sur.
optional: Popoyo
Popoyo is yet another little town that I had never heard of until I got to Nicaragua, but I definitely wish that I had time to visit! It’s another big town for surfers, but also a favorite amongst digital nomads! There are pretty big weekly parties as well, and you should definitely add it to your itinerary if you have the time!
Costa Rica
Now I’m gonna be honest for a sec - Costa Rica was NOT in the budget for me, and as an American who doesn’t live too far from there, I wasn’t too pressed about fitting it all in. I know that I’ll probably be back for a proper holiday sometime soon, but I still wanted to see a little bit of the country.
3 nights La Fortuna
We started our brief stint in Costa Rica by arriving in La Fortuna, and after the sweltering heat of Nicaragua, we welcomed the moody, misty weather with open arms.
We swam in stunning waterfalls, marveled at the iconic volcano in the distance, jumped off of free rope swings, and cooked every single meal - #budgetbabes
I’m going to tell you a secret: I wanted to hate Costa Rica??? I thought it was overdone, overpriced, and overhyped. I humbly come before you to say - I was WRONG. We instantly fell in love with the lush greenery and incredible wildlife, and I’ll definitely be back.
3 nights Puerto Viejo
To finish of our week breezing through Costa Rica, we white water rafted and shuttle bussed (hilarious travel day honestly) to Puerto Viejo.
One thing I will say I was slightly disappointed in was Costa Rican beaches. Admittedly, we have been spoiled for beaches during this entire backpacking trip, and objectively, the beaches were beautiful. They just have some very tough competition from places like Bacalar, Utila, and Caye Caulker.
We still loved Puerto Viejo, with its little boutiques, animal rescue centers, and gorgeous sunsets. It’s in the perfect spot to continue your travels onto Panama, so even if you decide to do a little more comprehensive tour of Costa Rica, Puerto Viejo is the best place to end.
Panama
Another country that absolutely surprised me was Panama. In the same way that I thought Costa Rica was going to be over-hyped and ended up being blown away - I hadn’t heard anyone raving about Panama but I ended up liking it even MORE than I liked Costa Rica?? Why are we sleeping on Panama??
4 nights in Bocas Del Toro
Crossing the border from Puerto Viejo to Bocas Del Toro is fairly simple, but it does take a little over half the day. Upon arrival in Bocas Del Toro, we promptly got to swimming around our hostel Aqua Lounge, and were thrilled to be back to island life.
We spent our days scuba diving, island hopping (you cannot miss Isla Bastimientos!) and participating in yet another world famous bar crawl - Filthy Friday! And instead of walking from bar to bar, you’re whipping speed boats from island to island. It doesn’t get much better than that amiright?
3 nights Boquete
Ladies and Gentlemen - We’ve reached a pivotal moment in our Central America backpacking trip - the moment I was able to wear a sweatshirt for the first time, thank GOD. Up in the mountains of panama, the air is cooler, you’re walking through cloud forests, and it feels like paradise.
There is a PLETHORA of good hikes to do here - as well as incredible coffee and cacao farms. Not everyone comes to Boquete during their time in Panama, but it was the perfect addition to our itinerary, and I’m so glad we included it.
2 nights Panama City
Buckle in for a long day crossing the country to the east coast, and then settle in for two nights in Panama City! This city is absolutely STUNNING - the architecture took us all straight to Euro Summer, and although we didn’t have much time there, we knocked out a walking tour and stocked up for the next big adventure of the trip: Sailing to Colombia.
5 nights sailing through San Blas
You guys - one of the most incredible parts of my 3 month central America backpacking trip was our 6 day sailing trip that left from Panama City and docked in Cartagena. 1 day sailing to the islands, 3 days of island hopping, and then 2 days of open ocean crossing.
This was an EXPERIENCE. The crew was amazing, we were well fed, the San Blas Islands were something out of a postcard…
…But there were no showers, the waves were big, and it is not for the faint of heart! If you prefer to just take a speed boat through the islands that’s absolutely an option, but I have no regrets with the sail boat! (even if I did throw up 3 times… lol!)
Colombia
We’ve finally made it to Colombia! We have three weeks here, so buckle up! first up is the Caribbean coast. I’m going to be totally honest - so many people rave about Colombia’s Caribbean Coast, but Honduras, Panama, and San Andres were so much more impressive! Of course, I did enjoy my time here, but just wanted to put that disclaimer out there.
3 nights Cartagena
Your San Blas Sailing boat will deposit you in Cartagena, a gorgeous colonial city right on the water. The walled part of the old town is absolutely stunning, and the other neighborhoods such as Gestemani are vibrant and full of life.
Spend a few days here recovering, taking a walking tour, doing some shopping (if you have any room left in your backpack!) and eating your way through the city!
2 nights Minca
From Cartagena, take a bus through Baranquilla to Santa Marta, and from there take a taxi to Minca. We stayed at the most incredible hostel that felt a little bit like a resort (Masaya Casas Viejas), so we didn’t actually leave for one of the days we were there! The other day we hiked to Markina waterfall.
You can also tour coffee farms, chocolate farms, and if you have 4 extra days, you can do the Lost City hike! This is one of the major things that I regret not doing during my time in Colombia, and it’s not that I didn’t know about it, it’s just that it’s a big time commitment and it’s definitely not cheap.
If you do get to complete this epic adventure, I’m SO jealous of you. I’ll definitely be back to check it off my list.
2 nights Tayrona
From Minca, head to The Journey Hostel! It’s time to visit Tayrona National Park.
Now, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can actually sleep in hammocks or tents inside the park, closer to the ocean, but since I still felt like I was recovering from the 6 days of sailing and was more than content to skip out on this particular experience.
Instead, I stayed at The Journey Hostel just outside of the park and visited for a day! The beach I hiked to (Playa Cabo San Juan) was stunning, the wildlife was incredible, and while the park was beautiful, I don’t think you need more than a day or two to explore.
3 nights el rio (Buritaca
Even farther east on the northern coast of Colombia is a little town called Buritaca. Most backpackers won’t know it by it’s name, however, they’ll know it as the home of El Rio hostel.
El Rio hostel was voted the #1 hostel in Colombia, as well as the #2 hostel in all of Latin America - so trust me when I say: It’s a good one.
They have massive parties at least three times a week, although the main one is a Sunday! They’re also known for their tipsy tubing, which is a hostel activity I will ALWAYS take part it. The facilities are gorgeous, and I had a blissful few days hanging out there.
optional: Palomino
Another stop that’s popular along the backpacking trail in Colombia is Palomino! From what I’ve heard, it’s just another beach town with a mid beach. I skipped, and anyone else I came in contact with told me I hadn’t missed much. If you have the time, definitely check it out, but if you don’t…don’t lose sleep over it!
4 nights Medellin
After an early morning wake up call and a taxi ride from Buritaca to the Santa Marta airport, I finally arrived in Medellin.
Medellin gets rave reviews from just about everyone who visits, and I can understand why. It’s vibrant, fun, full of life, good food, incredible street art, and epic nightlife.
Medellin is HUGE, so you’ll never run out of things to do. From taking the cable cars to the outskirts of the city for the views, to taking salsa classes, and exploring the different Comunas and eating your way through the incredible culinary scene, I could live in Medellin for quite some time and never be bored.
We timed our trip with a massive derby futbol game in which both Medellin Futbol teams played each other, and it seemed like the whole city turned out; the energy was INSANE. Check the schedules and see if you can fit a futbol game into your time in Medellin!
Oh - and don’t forget to do a daytrip to Guatape while you’re here:)
3 nights Cali
I took an overnight bus from Medellin to Cali, where I stayed for 3 nights and did nothing but salsa!
It was on my bucket list to learn salsa in the salsa capital of the world, and I promise you, even if this sounds a little outside your comfort zone - it was for me! - this is well worth it. I loved my time in Cali and highly recommend staying three days and jam-packing them full of salsa lessons.
2 nights Salento
After Cali, head over to Salento! This is one of the main coffee growing regions of the country, and the landscapes are LUSH. The main town is colorful and sweet, and it actually inspired the film Encanto!
I spent one day doing a horseback riding/coffee farm excursion, and it was incredible. The other day was spent checking off a bucket list item: seeing the tallest palm trees in the world in the Valle de Cocora! Salento was my favorite stop in Colombia and a destination you can’t miss!
4 nights San Andres
As with all trips I take, I love to spend the last few days somewhere on an island, doing some last minute scuba diving, topping up my tan a final time, and just reflecting on the epic adventure I’ve just accomplished!
After an overnight bus to Bogota and a 2 hour flight, I arrived at my last stop of the trip: San Andres. This is a small island owned by Colombia, but it’s right up by the coast of Nicaragua! It’s how I justified skipping the Corn Islands, and boy did it deliver.
I highly recommend adding this lesser-known destination to the end of your Colombia Itinerary!
That wraps up this 3 month central america backpacking trip itinerary!
There you have it folks! 3 ish months frolicking through the entirety of Central America, with a little bit of north and south America tacked on for good measure.
Stay tuned - there will be guides for each and every one of these cities and adventures.
Have you traveled Central America or Colombia? Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below!
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