Travel to Central America

Centro Nacional de Arte y Cultura

The center offers exhibitions of important artists from Costa Rica and abroad. Additionally, it serves as an experimental theater, and it often hosts art workshops. Those with a particular interest in modern art should visit, as you are bound to learn about the soul of Costa Rica here. The theater is recommended only to those who are fluent in Spanish. Because of its central location, you could visit here as part of a cultural day out. Admission prices vary by the production.

Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves

The location of this one of a kind site in Central America, where Quaternary glaciers have left their mark, has allowed the fauna and flora of North and South America to interbreed. Tropical rainforests cover most of the area. Four different Indian tribes inhabit this property, which benefits from close co-operation between Costa Rica and Panama.

Area de Conservación Guanacaste

Site inscribed in 1999The 127,000-ha Area de Conservación Guanacaste, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999, contains important natural habitats for the conservation of biological diversity, including the best dry forest habitats from Central America to northern Mexico and key habitats for endangered or rare plant and animal species. The site demonstrates significant ecological processes in both its terrestrial and marine-coastal environments

Wajshakib Batz--Mayan New Year

On this day, New Year's Day in the 260-day Mayan calendar, Mayans celebrate the cycle of life coming full circle. Followers of Mayan ritual practice celebrate in sacred sites around the country. New priests are initiated into community service for a full cycle, a solemn honor. The uninitiated may observe some rituals, and should be respectful at all times. Dates and locations of ceremonies in Guatemala City TBA

Dia de la Raza (Columbus Day)

This is a somewhat conflicted holiday in Guatemala as in much of Latin America. Some celebrate Columbus's discovery of the Americas. Others celebrate the survival of indigenous cultures in spite of that discovery and the European conquest that followed it. The designation Dia de la Raza or "Day of the Race," namely a race mixed of colonial and indigenous elements, represents this duality. Celebrations in Guatemala City, centering around the Plaza Mayor, may meet protests. Such meetings, while most often peaceable, do warrant caution.

Museo de los Niños

The Children's Museum was designed for children over five. Their main objective is to support formal education in a fun environment; a place where children can learn through interactive games. There are plans for a shop specializing in educational material and stimulating toys for children. The customer service is excellent and the attendants are always on hand to provide information for visitors in each part of the Museum. It has a capacity for 240 people. Admission: GTQ35 per child.

Peak Sailfish Season

January is the peak of the sailfish season off the Pacific Coast of Guatemala (about 60 miles from Guatemala City), although sailfish are caught year-round here. A happy coincidence of ocean currents makes nutrients and the big fish that eat them plentiful, leading to record catches. Numerous companies run all-inclusive package tours, picking fishers up in Guatemala City, providing transportation, meals, equipment and even entertainment, although the real draw is reeling in the giants. (

Chichicastenango Santo Tomas Celebration

Renowned for its colorful market days (Thursdays and Sundays), Chichicastenango also stages one of Guatemala's best religious celebrations, the week-long tribute (December 13-21) to Santo Tomas, the city's patron saint. The ceremonial center of the festivities is the Church of Santo Tomas, but rituals in this ancient Mayan city mix Catholic with native traditions. Visitors can expect abundant food, lively music and any number of native dances. Also watch for the acrobatic Palo Volador stunts in which performers fly on ropes around a central pole.

Holiday Shopping at Mercado de Artesanias

If you need to do last-minute gift shopping before leaving Guatemala or otherwise don't have time to visit the native craft markets in remote parts of the country, tour the 30-plus stalls of this market for a sense of what's available from various regions. Browse arrays of woolen goods, wood carvings, leather goods, pottery and jewelry. Prices are reasonable. Also, sample regional dishes and sweets, or have a full meal in the Don Emiliano restaurant, open daily. Some market stalls close on Sundays. Parking is available.

Botanic Gardens

In the Botanic Gardens of Belize you can explore the plant world by sight, taste, touch and smell. There are two miles of trails to experience our variety of native and exotic fruits, palms, hardwoods, ornamentals and more delights of the world's tropics. If you want to include hearing in the sensory tour, hire a guide to show you around. For those of you that have trouble on your feet or just too lazy to use them they can give you a driving tour around the garden (or live on the wild side and see it on horseback). You can also go at your own pace with a self-guiding booklet.