One of the most beautiful, green and lush corners of the earth is Central America. There are jungles, rivers, waterfalls, beaches and mountains along that curved strip of land that we see on the map. Central America is a destination for all types of tourism and backpackers come from all over the world because for the traveler with dollars or euros in their pockets it is also cheap.
Let's add cheap with exoticism and we have a pearl in our hands. Renting a car is a great way to enjoy and feel this part of America on the front page. If you decide on this option there are three great routes to do, one in El Salvador, another in Belize and another in Costa Rica. Write these down three tourist routes in Central America: The Flower Route, the Colibrà Highway and the Arenal Route. Three destinations, a wide range of beautiful landscapes.
The Flower Route
This picturesque and beautiful route is in El Salvador, over the Pacific Ocean. The country has an area of ​​just over 21 thousand square kilometers and is inhabited by about six million people. Traveling this route is a good way not only to know its geography, its fauna and its flora but also its rich history and culture.
La Ruta it crosses the west of the country, cross several villages, many with indigenous and colonial legacy, in their architecture and customs. The usual thing is to start the tour in the city of El Salvador itself and about 70 kilometers we come across the first of a series of villages: Nahuizalco. They will follow Salcoatitán, Juayúa, Apaneca and Concepción de Ataco, and some interesting attractions such as the so-called Laguna de las Ninfas and the Santa Cecilia archaeological site, the Cruz del Chico, the Cruz del Cielito Lindo and the Atzumpa Pools.
Weekends these villages organize markets So if you happen to have one, the experience is wonderful because you can buy handicrafts, taste regional food and be among Salvadorans. The one in Nahuizalco, for example, is a night market, in the center of town, that is lit with candles. In Salcoatitán, a coffee town, a gastronomic festival is organized on Sundays and there is a beautiful colonial church to see. The same festival of typical foods takes place in Juayúa, but here you should not miss the Los Chorros de la Calera waterfall and the Laguna de las Ranas, both located around.
El Salvador is a coffee producing country and many of the villages of the Ruta de las Flores they are coffee villages, as they say. Apaneca is also the owner of the Laguna de las Ninfas, whose waters are covered by flowers, and Santa Cecilia, an archaeological site with 25 thousand-year-old sculptures. How's it going? But so much color and culture are not without sadness because in 1932 the military troops cut the throats of many peasants from these coffee plantations because they were protesting.
They were indigenous people who suffered from the exploitation of landowners and although history does not want to reveal the exact number of deaths, they say it would be 30 thousand. The bloody and unjust episode is known as the Peasant Massacre. The Flower Route ends in Tacuba, a good eco-tourism destination, but also a site with coffee farms that offer guided tours.
The Hummingbird Highway
This tourist route is in Belize and it is a segment that connects two more highways. By sectors it uses the structure left by an old railway line. Many say that it is the best route in the country because cross the jungle and fields planted with orchids and citrus, small and picturesque villages and even mountains. What you see and what you can do, excursions in the jungle, visiting caves and taking the best photographs of your life, have made it very popular.
Belize is a citrus producer and the route passes precisely through these fields and through some fairly new bridges it crosses over canyons and streams. Travel 90 kilometers from Belmopan to Dangriga. The terrain is limestone and with rolling hills, so stop by a couple of great places to get off and get to know: the Cave of San Germán and the famous Great Blue Hole. Then he begins to climb because he already enters the Mayan Mountains that we glimpse to the west and continues his journey to the Cinco Azules Lake.
The mountains are studded with palm trees and tropical species so the postcard is beautiful. And it continues to rise until suddenly it begins to descend again towards the Caribbean Sea. You pass through several villages on the way and in this second part of the route you will see the fields planted with citrus fruits, a sea of ​​colors as there are lemons, oranges and grapefruits. If you want to walk and see waterfalls there is the Billy Barquedier National Park.
When you can see the sea well, you are in Dangriga. One last tip but super important: you have to leave Belmopan with a full tank of fuel because there is nowhere to load up to Dangriga.
Arenal Route
Arenal is in Costa Rica and the route that crosses this region can be taken from both the east and the east. If you start the journey from the west you will leave through Tilarán. the route it is paved and reaches the north shore of the Arenal Lagoon and its surrounding forests. If you start from the east you come from the green hills and go down to the lake. The villages with their cafes, restaurants and shops, the green forests and the Platanar Volcano they will complete the postcard.
It is precisely in the surroundings of the volcano that there is much to do in terms of adventure Turism: waterfalls, rappelling, trails, mountain bike routes, rafting, kayaking, fishing, in short, everything that has to do with exploring you must do here. And if you get tired there is a pond whose waters are hot due to volcanic activity. You are sure to relax your muscles.
Obviously, I can't leave out the Arenal Volcano itself and the surrounding tourist complex, with a lagoon of 200 hectares and 66 meters deep, also another great tourist destination, in fact, with more international name.