Borders That I Have Crossed In Central America
Posted: November 2, 2024 | Tagged: Border Crossings
Many travel bloggers love to quote:
“It’s all about the journey and not the destination”.
So why do most of them just bang on about the destination with little to no mention of the actual journey?
I love the journey more than the destination (I will have to delve much deeper into this idea)
I am one of the few pure travellers still out there. And on my blog, you can find many posts about the actual journey.
This is a follow-up post to my Border Crossings in Africa post and details the border crossings I have made between Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Costa Rica and Panama.
I love the journey more than the destination (I will have to delve much deeper into this idea)
I am one of the few pure travellers still out there. And on my blog, you can find many posts about the actual journey.
This is a follow-up post to my Border Crossings in Africa post and details the border crossings I have made between Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Costa Rica and Panama.
I know Mexico is in North America, but for the purpose of this blog post, I will include it in Central America. The reason is that this post covers the borders between Mexico and Central America, not the borders to the USA.
All of these border crossings were done using local transport as opposed to using cross-border gringo shuttles. Bus to the border, walk across, get onward transport. This is my main modus operandi on all my travels.
Unlike my Africa Border Crossing post, I have blogged about all of these separately:
All of these border crossings were done using local transport as opposed to using cross-border gringo shuttles. Bus to the border, walk across, get onward transport. This is my main modus operandi on all my travels.
Unlike my Africa Border Crossing post, I have blogged about all of these separately:
- Mexico to Guatemala - Ciudad Hidalgo/Ciudad Tecun Uman
- Guatemala to Mexico - El Ceibo
- El Salvador to Nicaragua - Boat - La Union to Potosi
- Nicaragua to Costa Rica - Las Tabillas/Los Chiles
- Costa Rica to Panama - Sixola/Guabito
- Panama to Costa Rica - Paso Canoas
- Costa Rica to Nicaragua - Peñas Blancas
- Nicaragua to Honduras - Las Manos
- Honduras to Guatemala - Corinto
- Guatemala to Belize - Melchor de Mencos
- Belize to Mexico - Santa Elena
Quite a long journey this one. A bus from San Cristobal to Tuxtla, a night bus to Tapachula, a combi-van to the border, and 2 chicken buses on the Guatemalan side before finally resting up in Quetzaltenagno.
I did this crossing during the pandemic. No dramas. No tourists. Just Nomadic backpacker doing his thing.
I did this crossing during the pandemic. No dramas. No tourists. Just Nomadic backpacker doing his thing.
From Flores/Santa Elena to Palenque. A tough day in the heat:
I wanted to avoid going through Honduras, so I took the boat from La Union (El Salvador) to Potosi (Nicaragua).
Although it was a great adventure, in hindsight, I wish I had gone through Honduras:
Although it was a great adventure, in hindsight, I wish I had gone through Honduras:
The border crossing between Nicaragua and Costa Rica at Los Chiles is a bit more adventurous than the main Peñas Blancas crossing. I was the only foreigner using this route:
Costa Rica to Panama, another day at the office. No dramas here. But I was happy to see less Americanisation of everything:
The main border crossing between Panama and Costa Rica. The buses were full with migrants, all heading north in search of a better life. Had to blag my way onto a bus. I was given floor space for a fee:
Getting back into Nicaragua was again a slow and drawn-out process:
This was my favourite border crossing in that I was crossing into Honduras, one of the most dangerous countries in the world. The border crossing at Las Manos was easy but getting transport to the capital was hard going because of all the migrants heading north. Not that they were an issue, per se, but all the buses were full.
I felt sad crossing the Honduras-Guatemala border at Corinto. I enjoyed Honduras but thought I didn't give it enough time.
I am always excited to travel to a new country. Crossing into Belize, formerly British Honduras, at Melchor de Menchos:
The only border where the immigration officers gave me grief. From Belize to Mexico at Santa Elena:
