Central America Ports« Back to Port Information
| Belize | Costa Rica | Guatemala | Honduras | Panama |
Belize↑ Back to top
Belize City
A mixture of old and new, Belize City offers a glance into history amid the bustling growth of a country. Formally known as British Honduras, this area offers some of the best diving and water sports in the Western Hemisphere. There are an array of historic attractions – St. John’s Cathedral, the Swing Bridge, Government House Museum and the colorful fruit market. This is also a gateway to historic Mayan ruins.
Costa Rica↑ Back to top
Caldera
Tiny Caldera is situated between the volcanic beaches of Golfo de Nicoya and some of the country’s highest mountain peaks. It often serves as a starting point for those touring the country’s interior including the capital, San José.
Drake Bay/Bahia Paraiso
Named after Sir Francis Drake who anchored here in 1579, Drake Bay offers some of Costa Rica’s most stunning scenery: Fiery Pacific sunsets, crystalline waters, and the blue wedge of Cano Island floating offshore. Nearby is Corcovado National Park. Terrain in Corcovado varies from soft sandy beaches to dense forests of spectacularly tall trees, eight ecological habitats in all. The park also is home to incredible wildlife. Jaguars, ocelots, and tapirs roam its forests, and flocks of scarlet macaws and monkeys cavort overhead.
Puerto Limon
Puerto Limon, once an important banana port, is the capital of Costa Rica’s Limon Province on the Caribbean coast. The town offers few sights, but serves mainly as a gateway to Costa Rica’s rugged wilderness. Costa Rica’s capital, San José, is about a 2.5-hour drive from Puerto Limon.
Puntarenas
This major port on the Gulf of Nicoya is a convenient departure point for trips into Costa Rica’s interior, renowned for its unspoiled nature and beautiful scenery, including waterfalls, the Cloud Forest, the Corobici River and Manuel Antonio National Park. Volcanic beaches along the coast give way to verdant jungle and coffee plantations further inland.
Quepos
This former banana-exporting town can serve as a base camp for a day of exploring the rainforest. Enjoy walking along forest trails that lead to waterfalls. Horseback riding is also popular. Nearby is Manuel Antonio National Park with its lovely beaches, easy trails, and animal life.
Guatemala↑ Back to top
Puerto Quetzal (Antigua)
This port was constructed a quarter century ago to provide access to Guatemala’s attractions from the Pacific Coast. The great Maya civilization dominated Central America for centuries. By 250 A.D., great temple-cities were beginning to be built in the Guatemalan highlands. Today Guatemala is the most populous of the Central American republics and the only one largely Indian in language and culture. The country offers Mayan ruins and such picturesque cities as Antigua.
Honduras↑ Back to top
Roatan Island
The island of Roatan is filled with attractive beaches, jungle-covered hills, and heartwarming people with a unique blend of cultures. The island paradise is renowned for its diving and water activities. Roatan, a mere 28 miles long and an average of four-miles wide, is the most developed of the Bay Islands. It is located just 40 miles northeast of mainland Honduras.
Panama↑ Back to top
Balboa (Panama City)
Mostly known for its association with the Panama Canal, this is the port for Panama City on the canal’s Pacific side. Balboa is a fine place to enjoy American tropical architecture in what was an important administrative center for the operation of the Canal. In Panama City, you will find a blend of centuries-old ruins and modern skyscrapers as well as the beauties and ruins of Colonial Panama.
Cristobal (Colon)
Situated at the Caribbean entrance of the Panama Canal is the port of Cristobal (Spanish for Christopher), your stopping off point for Colon (Spanish for Columbus). Colon, founded in 1850 by the Americans working on the Panama railroad, is today Panama’s second-largest city. Colon underwent a massive redevelopment program for the new millennium and is now a fantastic place to shop, as well as a great base for exploring the rest of Panama.
Panama Canal
This is one of the world’s great engineering masterpieces. It represented and symbolized United States’ coming of age and entering the arena of world powers. It takes most of a day to transit the canal. Experiences range from witnessing the raising and lowering of your ship through locks, to an idyllic sail across the large open expanse of Gatun Lake. Good preparatory reading is David McCullough’s The Path Between the Seas.
San Blas Islands
The friendly Cuna Indians live quietly on these primitive islands off Panama’s Caribbean coast. Your visit to their home is still a special occasion for these isolated island dwellers. They are happy to let you photograph them in their colorful attire for a small tip. You can bargain for one of their fancifully designed handmade reverse appliqués called molas.
Some content provided courtesy of CLIA (Cruise Line International Association)