Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama; A Journey Through The Heart of Central America

Cerro Negro, Nicaragua

The joy of visiting Central America is in getting to experience so much diversity and uniformity all at once; the Spanish language that unites the region also changes subtly from Guatemala to Panama, the Caribbean cuisine prevalent across countries like Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, has its own distinct flavors in each country, while travel experiences also change dramatically from country to country.

Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica

Nicaragua, the ‘Land of Lakes and Volcanoes’, is exactly as its nickname suggests; teeming with majestic volcanoes and quiet lakes. One of the most famous volcanoes is Cerro Negro, a looming black mass just 10km from Malpaisillo. Here, atop the crater of one of Nicaragua’s most active volcanoes, travelers tear down the ashy slopes on top of a rickety wooden board. Just make sure to hold on tight, as the boards can reach up to 90km per hour!

Bocas del Toro, Panama

Costa Rica offers its own host of intrigue, not least for the spectacular biodiversity within the country. The country is said to be home to over 5% of the world’s biodiversity; some of which can be enjoyed at Corcovado National Park and Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. Visitors to Costa Rica can explore the many natural parks, reserves and wildlife refuges that make up more than 25% of the land. One ‘must-do’ includes climbing to the top of Mount Chirripó to see both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea at once.

Panama marks the end of Central America, and
has a lot more to offer than just its famous canal. Bocas del Toro is an archipelago in the north of the country that never fails to tempt travelers to extend their holidays and consider early retirement. The islands are ideal for scuba diving, snorkeling and surfing, making Panama the perfect destination in Central America for beach-loving adventurers.

Before You Go... 

Pick up our Central America South GPS Mapset. This GPS map will give you turn by turn directions to your destination using a point of interest (POI), city point, and/or latitude and longitude, with the ability to preplan driving destinations before getting into your car.

The easy to follow instructions allow you to download and install the map into Garmin BaseCamp desktop software and transfer it to your Garmin GPS in minutes. This installable map is compatible with ALL Garmin GPS units .

It's like having your own personal travel guide with you on your trip!

Screen Capture from our Central America South GPS Mapset

Screen Capture from our Central America South GPS Mapset

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Amazing El Salvador

El Salvador is amazing! We have been to most of these places in our travels. Plan your next trip to El Salvador.

Los Tercios Waterfall

Montecristo cloud forest

Indian tower Decameron Hotel

Puerta del Diablo

Hotel Royal Decameron 

Salinitas - Los Cóbanos

El Zonte

La Ruta de las Flores

Los Tercios Waterfall

Amazing waterfall, dam, and
spillway. Crystal clear water.

Tazumal - Largest Mayan Ruins in El Salvador

Teatro Nacional

Abandoned mansion in Santa Ana

El Sunzal is a gorgeous beach

See more of our pictures here.

Before You Go...

Pick up our El Salvador map. This GPS map will give you turn by turn directions to your destination using a point of interest (POI), city point, and/or latitude and longitude, with the ability to preplan driving destinations before getting into your car.

The easy to follow instructions allow you to download and install the map into Garmin BaseCamp desktop software and transfer it to your Garmin GPS in minutes. This installable map is compatible with ALL Garmin GPS units .

It's like having your own personal travel guide with you on your trip!

A Screen Capture from Our El Salvador GPS Map

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

You can also connect with us on Google Plus, see our travel guide pictures on Pinterest, and view some of our videos on YouTube.

Trip and Route Planning Advice for your Garmin GPS

What to do when your GPS 'wigs out'!

We all love technology (especially Kip). Except when it's not doing what we think it's supposed to. A GPS can be one of these "technological hazards" but there are ways to prevent a problem and also to prepare for the possibility of one. Here are a few tips for finding success using your GPS to enhance your travels rather than being caught at the mercy of the unpredictable.

1. Know how to use your GPS.  This may seem very elementary but it is important. Be sure to read your GPS owner's manual before traveling. And then it might be a good idea to take it with you just in case. Your GPS is a technological device and unforeseen problems like trouble locating satellites, or searching in the wrong city are a reality; but your owner's manual has troubleshooting guides for just such problems that can get your device back in working order quickly.

2. Check your GPS settings. You can choose to have your GPS select routes based on several factors. You can choose to use main roads whenever possible, or to route according to least mileage, or according to fastest time. Make sure you have selected the option that fits your needs and desires.

3. Plan your routes and stops in advance. The GPS can be really nice to have, but it doesn't replace good ol' study and logic. You never know when map data or programming could have a kink in it or be outdated and the route takes you in a strange direction. Most of the time maps will have just what you need, but problems can occur. Make sure you know where you are going and how you want to get there before you start so you won't be caught off guard if your GPS is inaccurate.

4. Pre-Plan back up routes and stops. My husband and I pulled into quaint Copan, Honduras one evening excited to stay at this bed and breakfast we had read about in a guidebook.  Before our trip we had put the B&B's lat/long coordinates into our Garmin GPS and found that it was already on the GPSTravelMaps.com Central America map. We saved it and a few other hotels of interest to our "Favorites" on the Garmin so we could easily find them again.  When it came time to navigate to the B&B the Garmin led us to the coordinates flawlessly! The only problem was when we pulled up we discovered that no where in the vicinity of those coordinates was there a B&B. It appeared that it simply no longer existed.  It was getting dark and neither of us had been to Copan before, so thank goodness we had other hotels also in our "Favorites." The first one we routed to was fortunately still in business and ended up being one of our favorite places to stay that trip. 

                                               Sunrise in Copan, Honduras

Changes in businesses, roads, construction and more can catch you unaware, but if you have studied out your route and destination options beforehand you will be able to find the best way around any "roadblock" you might find.

5. Save your planned routes and waypoints as favorites. Saving points and routes in advance not only makes it easier to find them again when you are actually ready to route to them, but it also allows you to make sure that the point is already marked on your map. Especially when traveling internationally be sure you know in advance what points are marked on your map. And if a point isn't marked already you can mark it by saving it as a waypoint. 

It's quick and easy to save waypoints on your GPS. Just touch a location on the map and hit "save." Give the point a name and it automatically saves to your "favorites." You can do the same thing in Garmin Basecamp on your computer and Basecamp also lets you save routes.  Then just load your map to your GPS again and your saved points and waypoints will load with it. Or if you are using a GPSTravelMaps.com map simply send us an email, let us know what location is missing and we'll add it to our map for you and send you an update free.

6. Be aware and use common sense. You may find sometime that your GPS voice navigation is telling you to turn one way while the actual map is showing to turn the opposite way (Happened to me in North Carolina). Your GPS may direct you to go down a one-way street the wrong way (Been there in Texas). Or it may recalculate a route for you and show some really odd and inefficient way to get where you want to go. The beauty is, it doesn't really matter! You are smarter than that machine. You can turn off the voice navigation, you can read road signs and follow them instead of the GPS, and if you've studied your routes beforehand you will know better than the GPS how to get back on track if you are rerouted.  Just be aware and think through each situation. Then use your best judgment to make a decision on where to go and how to get there. The GPS has no control over you. The opposite is true - you are in charge of the GPS and how you allow it to assist you. 

Here's to you and your next travels with your GPS! Be sure to make sure you have an updated map for your destination. We can help you with that at gpstravelmaps.com or send us an email at support@gpstravelmaps.com