• Ometepe – glorious island in the middle of Nicaragua Lake made up of two volcanos 
• Granada – colorful, colonial city 
• The Corn Islands (Little Corn) – magical car-less island known for its tranquil days & shark filled scuba diving 
• Leon – charming university city known for its volcano sand boarding and its heat

Other destinations to consider: 

• Popoyo
• San Juan Del Sur 

PRO TIPS:

• Bring crisp, “perfect” USD to exchange or use as most places will accept it and then you will get change in Cordobas. This helps avoid ATM fees. 
• Bring some small USD bills for entry/exit fees that pop up at airports and land crossings in & out of the country.
• Chicken busses are a cheap way to get around the country, but take care of your belongings. A quicker (but more expensive) option is shared shuttles. 
• Rent a scooter in Ometepe. It’s one of my favorite things I did in Nicaragua.
• Knowing some Spanish definitely helps in Nicaragua as English is not widely spoken (but Google Translate does wonders).

CITY: OMETEPE

HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed one night at Hospedaje Soma because I was arriving late via the ferry and didn’t want to traverse all the way to the other island after a long travel day. Also some friends I met in Colombia 10 months ago would be leaving early the next morning so we decided one night in the port city would be perfect! The hostel was great- it had a pool and AC, which was such a treat! The staff were incredibly generous and even let me store my big backpack there for a few days while I took my smaller backpack with me on a scooter to the other side of the island. Would happily stay here again. 

The next three nights I stayed at Urrica Loca in Balgue on the other side of the island. It’s a very cozy, cute hostel. Easy to meet people but not loud. There’s a kitchen and fans for every bed. Plenty of hammocks and picnic tables for chilling. Great location off the main road. Would highly recommend. 

WHERE TO EAT:

• Café Campestre is a cute restaurant in Balgue that’s a favorite amongst backpackers. Plenty of food options and nice ambiance 
• El Pital (which you can also stay at) is a great trendy spot for sweet treats, great smoothie bowls and fabulous drinks. It’s had a beautiful deck over the lake with beautiful views of one of the volcanos. Filled with backpackers. It’s actually a cacao farm so you can also do a cacao tour! I went twice for the vibes and swimming 
• Pizzeria Mediterranea bar ristorante for some yummy pizza 
• Breakfast at the hostel was also great- especially the overnight oats!

WHAT TO DO:

• My absolute favorite thing to do was rent a scooter for my whole time on the island. I just loved the freedom. I rented from here and had no issues
• Visit Ojo de Agua for some swimming in a manmade pool but with lovely fresh water. We also did one of the hikes inside the park to see some monkeys. Your entrance fee (~$11) also includes $5 to spend inside the park 
• Do a cacao tour at El Pital (they offer Spanish and English tours so find out their schedule) they only had a Spanish tour while I was there so I did mine in Spanish!!! Pretty cool  
• Scooter around the entire island!! 
• Visit any pop up markets that are on (we went to a Saturday art market) 
• Go to Playa Mango for sunset. We had spectacular sunsets here 

Other ideas (but that I didn’t do) 

• Hike either of the volcanos. One requires a guide, the other doesn’t. Both would offer great views but think about which volcano you’d want to be able to see from up at the top 
• Kayak at sunset 
• Go kite surfing or get lessons 
• Hike Cascada de San Ramon (if you aren’t a confident scooter driver then the hike is significantly longer or you can try to hitchhike part of the way) 

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Wow I really loved it here! Having a scooter really made all the difference as I could be completely independent on what to do and when. Also it was quite unexpectedly social. I got to see Tammy (studied Spanish with her in Colombia in May of last year) and her BF for a night. Then I met Tessa (Dutch) and Cat (Australian) who I did the cacao tour and then sunset/dinner. Then Tessa and I spent 2 days scootering all around. While at El Pital I randomly ran into a British guy who I spent 2 days with in Cambodia exploring Angkor Wat. Lastly at Ojo de Agua, Tessa and I met a lovely local couple and chatted to for a bit. Then I ran into them the next day at El Pital and they offered to make us a local/typical dinner and bring it to us at our hostel to enjoy together. It was one of the highlights of Central America so far. Just so generous! I also loved that my Spanish is at a level where I can have dinner with locals now. 

CITY: GRANADA

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

De Boca en Boca is a backpacker favorite. Lots of dorm rooms to choose from. The personal fan in each bed was enough to keep me cool at night. There’s a locker for your stuff. The outdoor common area has tons of seating and hammocks. There’s a pool table and a tiny pool to cool off. Free breakfast was great and changed each day. There were also tons of activities during the evening to meet people and they organized plenty of day trips you could sign up for. It’s in a good location, but I wouldn’t walk alone at night anywhere in Granada. 9/10

WHERE TO EAT:

I grabbed dinner to go from a yummy Mexican spot called Burrocks around the corner that I’d recommend for good, cheap food. It was convenient to grab and then bring it back to eat at the hostel since I didn’t want to walk late on my own. 

For brunch/lunch I’d check out Cafe del Arte and The Garden Cafe. Both had lovely ambiances but not the cheapest. 

I found a smoothie/bowl place (Pitaya) that was great. I wish I’d found it earlier in my stay in Granada. 

WHAT TO DO:

I was burnt out from the go go go pace of Ometepe so I mostly just chilled while here. 

I did a walking tour, went to the dentist and had a massage (90 min for $35!!). I also did a ton of booking of hostels and flights for the rest of my Central America trip. 

Other popular options: 

• hike a volcano
• Take a cruise of the Islets in Lake Nicaragua 
• Treehouse party

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

I liked Granada and all its charming, colorful architecture, but I wouldn’t say I fell in love with it. It’s worth a stop in any Nicaraguan itinerary, but I wouldn’t say you need more than 2-3 days. Also a girl at the hostel got beat up while coming back to the hostel late at night, so just be sure to be aware of your safety while here. 

CITY: THE CORN ISLANDS

HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed 4 nights at Christina’s Guesthouse which was perfect! It was a 5 min walk to the dive shop and 4 min to most restaurants on the islands. Room had AC, a fan and a little table to sit at. Rocking chair outside the room. There’s no electricity at hotels from 6am-1pm so be prepared for that. It was such a treat to have a private room! I slept fabulously. 10/10

WHERE TO EAT:

• The Shack– I had breakfast here twice and both times got the coconut French toast highly recommend!  
• Desi’s – I loved the pancakes and avocado/chicken sandwich here. Smoothie was also good!
• Tranquilo – activities most nights and food was good. They also have a cute little library you can check books out from. 

WHAT TO DO:

• SCUBA DIVE! I did 6 dives in 3 days, including a night dive with Dolphin Dive. The main attraction is the high chance of seeing hammerhead sharks! Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate while I was here so we couldn’t get to the hammerhead filled dive sites. Given this, I wouldn’t say my dives here were all that spectacular with the exception of the night dive. We saw a nurse shark, doing lobsters, crabs and then the highlight was when we spent 11 min kneeled down in the sand and all turned off our lights. After a minute of our eyes adjusting, we were surrounded by bioluminescent plankton!! Truly magical. It felt like we were in outer space amongst the stars. We all felt like this was the best dive we did while here. 
• I also got a fabulous massage at The Little Corner. 
• You can also hike/walk around the island to get to some beautiful beaches that you’ll have to yourself. 

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

The island is darling! No cars and few people makes for a very cozy, friendly culture. By the end of your stay you’ll recognize most people in town! Everyone says hi to each other as you pass them. My biggest regret is only staying 4 days. I wish I had stayed longer not only because it would’ve given me a better shot at getting to the hammerhead dive spot, but also because this is just a little gem of a spot to spend some time! 

CITY: LEON

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Poco a Poco hostel, another backpacker favorite. Some rooms have AC (check when you book), but all beds have a personal fan which does a great job of keeping you cool at night. Curtains, personal lights & sockets in the beds. Small pool to cool off in + lots of areas to sit (including long picnic tables and hammocks). Great location close to the center of the city. Lots of restaurants nearby. Cheap breakfast available for $2. Overall, I really liked this hostel. 8/10.

WHERE TO EAT:

I found a smoothie spot (Jugoso) as well as another Pitaya location to get a smoothie bowl. Pan y Paz was also a good cafe to get a treat at. The food trucks also had some yummy street food so I had dinner at those two of the nights.

WHAT TO DO:

The highlight here is sand boarding down a volcano before taking the party bus home! The sand boarding was fun but the party bus was less my scene haha. There are two main companies: Via Via and Bigfoot. I did it with Via Via because it skews smaller & slightly older, while Bigfoot takes a way bigger group, and has even more of a party vibe. Overall its a very similar tour!

You can also go on a great walking tour, check out the cathedral at sunset or head to the beaches of Las Penitas.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Leon was a slightly grungy, but very fun city with lots of energy. It was a great last stop. Worth 2-3 days, but you can certainly stay longer.

BUDGET FOR 15 DAYS IN NICARAGUA:

Nicaragua is a cheaper destination (for example I averaged only $18 on food per day), but you can easily find ways to spend money, especially if you head to the Corn Islands

• Accommodation: $377 ($25 per night) – spent 4 nights in a private room in the Corn Islands
• Food: $275
• Activities: $460 (6 dives + 2 massages)
• Local Transportation: $370 (including flights to the Corn Islands)
• Miscellaneous: $93

Total: $1575 (Daily average: $105)

Transportation to next destination: $84 (Shuttle to El Salvador)

• Panama City – great starting point to any itinerary, Panama Canal, beautiful old town
• Valle de Anton – hiking town located in the base of an extinct volcano
• Santa Catalina – beach town known for its diving!
• Boquete – hiking town up in the mountains, including the tallest point in Panama
• Bocas del Toro – popular beach town where you take water taxis from island to island

PRO TIPS:

• No visa needed for US citizens as of March 2025. Both the airline & the immigration did ask for what date I was leaving the country but never actually asked for hard proof. YMMV.
• Panama uses USD so that made it very easy for me. I brought some USD with me but also it’s easy to go to an ATM & get more without worrying about a bad conversion rate.
• Panama wasn’t SUPER expensive, but it wasn’t cheap either. Meals were often $10-15 and hostel beds were $15-25 depending on how nice they were.
• If it makes sense (aka you’re not a solo traveler) renting a car seems like a great way to travel. Roads were great and gas was cheap!

CITY: PANAMA CITY

HOW LONG: 1 NIGHT

ACCOMMODATION:

Eden’s Garden hostal – nice free breakfast and a few hammocks. No social vibe at all. Barely met anyone but luckily a couple arrived at the exact same time as me so we ended up hanging out! I’ve never seen this before but the bunks were handmade and you could completely enclose and lock the entire bunk. There was also room to keep your bag up in the bunk at the foot of the bed. Great for privacy and securing your bags but not great for social vibes in the room. Also it was pretty dark. Neighborhood felt safe but I wish I had stayed closer to Casco Viejo (luckily it’s only a 15 min / $5 Uber away). I would try somewhere else next time I was here. 6/10

WHERE TO EAT:

In Casco Viejo, I tried Mahalo for a cacao banana smoothie. Very aesthetic cafe & beautifully decorated. 

Al Alma– small brunch chain based in Colombia with delicious brunch food available all day – so you know I love it I had a French Toast sandwich for an early dinner.

Right around the corner from the hostel I ate at Oh My Burger! with the Dutch couple I met.

WHAT TO DO:

Visit Casco Viejo, the beautifully colorful colonial part of Panama. I had fun trying out my new camera here! It’s fun to just walk around the small streets of this old town. Also, visit the RAKO store – super fun store with hand crafted designs like beautiful, colorful bandana. I never shop but managed to spend $50

I also visited Panama Viejo with Alex & Kai. For $17, we got to see the archaeological ruins of old Panama including a robust museum & a bell observation tower.

I didn’t visit the Panama Canal, but that’s a popular activity.

Another popular choice is a day trip to the San Blas islands, but I was too tired and jet lagged to attempt that long day. Pro Tip: If you are headed to Panama from Colombia (or vice versa) you can do a 5 day sailing trip through the San Blas Islands as you head to Panama City. It’s a popular backpacker bucket list item.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

I was planning to stay 2 nights (to give myself a full day to recover from my red eye flight), but I ended up meeting the Dutch couple (Alex & Kai) who had rented a car and were headed to Valle de Ánton so instead of waiting around an extra day to then have to take a shuttle, I forwent my second night in Panama city and hopped in the car with them!

CITY: EL VALLE DE ÁNTON

HOW LONG: 2 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at a Bodhi Hostel & Lounge. Very cute and pretty clean. Free breakfast was great! Lots of areas to lounge indoor and outdoor, including an area to watch movies and lounge beds outside. Dorm bunks are three high so if you are afraid of heights then consider that. I spent one night in the dorm and one night in a private room (such a treat!). WiFi wasn’t the best but it did the job. Picnic table to eat any meals you cook for yourself in the kitchen. I never waited for a bathroom. Curtains and personal plugs in the bunk. Good location in town (but town is small). Helpful with organizing things to do or transport to your next destination. Would stay here again. 9/10 

WHERE TO EAT:

Madre Pizza was right next to the hostel with yummy, reasonably priced pizza. Other than that I mostly ate at local restaurants with $3.50 menu del día meals with my Dutch friends. 

WHAT TO DO:

There is tons of great hiking (here’s a great list) in El Valle, but Kai had an injury on the bottom of his foot so we picked a shorter, but popular one: India Dormida. After a $3 entrance fee, we quickly got to see some ancient petroglyphs. Then we passed some small waterfalls that you can swim in before or after the hike. Here’s a great guide to it.

After the hike we drove to another viewpoint, which was fairly underwhelming.

The rest of the afternoon I read, walked the main street of the tiny town, and enjoyed my private room by calling a few friends.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

I honestly thought I would like this town more but it was little just okay. There wasn’t much to the town and the hiking was pretty but didn’t blow me away. However, it was certainly cool to stay inside the crater of an ancient volcano!

CITY: SANTA CATALINA

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at an awesome hostel called Bambuda Santa Catalina. It had a hotel vibe but in a good way. Pool is very nice with a swim up bar. Plenty of chaise lounges and seats to read or soak up the sun. Rooms are modern and clean. The four bed dorm has one bunk plus two single, which is awesome. Bathroom is incredibly nice (felt like a nice hotel). There’s a restaurant to eat at (not super cheap but food looked good) or you can walk down the main road 5-20 min to find a variety of other options. Annoyingly no kitchen, but not the end of the world. It overlooks the beach/ocean. I wouldn’t say it was incredibly social but my Dutch friends were staying around the corner so I mostly hung out with them. I loved reading by the pool in all the shady spots they had. 10/10 would highly recommend, even though it’s a little bit of a splurge for a dorm bed.

WHERE TO EAT:

I ate at three cute spots in town!

• Cafe Panachocolate – the one super cute smoothie bowl cafe. Lots of backpackers hanging and working on their computers. Food was delicious and it wasn’t too expensive ($9 smoothie bowl). 
• Firestone Grill – Fun burger & taco joint up on a little hill. We played monopoly deal for an hour after eating! Fries were delicious – we even ordered a second round of them.
• PanaWok – Located in a fun, new upscale outdoor food hall. It’s a build your own wok bowl with lots of options. Portions were huge and I had half leftover for lunch the next day!

WHAT TO DO:

• Visit Coiba National Park! Whether it’s by snorkeling or scuba diving, it’s a can’t miss!
• Sit by the pool & soak up the sun
• Take surf lessons
• Go on a horseback ride

My highlight was obviously doing 3 scuba dives in the National Park. We saw over 50 whitetip reef sharks, a bull shark, a huge Hawksbill turtle and 20+ green turtles! It was spectacular and one of the best dives experiences I’ve had. Highly recommend if you are a diver!

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Town is tiny, but between a cute cafe, an awesome hostel, and incredible diving, this was my favorite place in Panama! It was sadly my last stop with Kai & Alex, but we had a blast diving together, playing monopoly deal & eating lots of food!

CITY: BOQUETE

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Socialtel – wow what a cool hostel. It’s a former Selina hostel so it has a co-working space. Such a cool property with a literal river running through it! Lots of hammocks and spots in the shade to chill. Best of all are the cool cylinder private rooms. I loved how cozy the space was (but there’s little room outside the bed ). Shared bathrooms didn’t bother room, I was just happy to have my own space and a double bed! 10/10 would recommend – especially if you can splurge on a cylinder room.

WHERE TO EAT:

• Café Unido – yummy breakfast sandwich at a simple, cute cafe with views of the stream!
• Olga’s – best breakfast in town! Highly recommend a stop at this family run restaurant. You’ll be treated with a hug & kiss on the head.
• Saori’s Ice Cream – great ice cream spot. Known for their pistachio ice cream. I added chocolate hard sauce to mine!
• Gelateria La Ghiotta – I didn’t go but wish I had

WHAT TO DO:

The main thing to do here is a sunrise hike to the tallest point in Panama. You start at midnight if you want to hike or 4am if you want to take a 4×4 up (the more popular way). I honestly have done so many volcano hikes & I was exhausted from the fast past from the start of my time in Panama, so I decided to just enjoy my cute private room and the hostel property.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

It was nice to be up in the mountains as it was a very pleasant temperature each day and cooled off in the evening (very welcome after the past few towns). I enjoyed my very chilled time here. Definitely worth a few days here!

CITY: BOCAS DEL TORO

HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

Bocas del Toro is a cute little area filled with tons of islands. There’s the main town aptly called Bocas Town and it has tons of cute beach restaurants and cafes. There’s plenty of hostels to choose from here. However, I stayed on an island a 5 min boat taxi away and it was one of my favorite hostels I’ve ever stayed at. Bambuda Lodge does a great job with everything from the food, to the views, to the social atmosphere, to the volunteers and customer service. Truly impeccable. You are isolated on the island unless you want to take the $5 taxi boat to the main island, which makes everyone hang out together most of the day/evening at the pool or other hangout areas. There are hammocks, a workout room, and plenty of chaise lounges. There’s also a 150 ft slide that goes into the ocean! The volunteers organize a welcome drink every night where everyone goes around and introduces themselves. Fun to see all the friends you are about to make. Also the food is excellent and portions are generous. The fans in the beds were enough to keep you cool at night but just remember you are on an isolated island with minimal infrastructure so don’t expect luxury. 10/10 would love to go back! I ended up extending to 4 nights here.

WHERE TO EAT:

I ate every meal at the property and loved every meal. Each night you have about 6 dishes to choose from on and it changes each night. Pro tip: Brownies were incredible! The family style meals are great for meeting people! 

WHAT TO DO:

I didn’t do much besides pester all my new friends with questions about how to construct my Central America itinerary. They were all very helpful and I’m eternally grateful for the information exchange that happens at hostels. 

Other than the fun evening activities the volunteers organize like trivia or drinking games, I also went on the island hike to see some of the famous red frogs & huge golden orb spiders. It was a fun way to move my body and meet some of the other travelers! 

Other ideas:

• Take a boat taxi to one of the main beautiful beaches
• Do a day trip to snorkel and swim around the fabulous sites in the area
• Go diving
• Go to the epic, well known Filthy Friday party that happens every (you guessed it) Friday.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Bocas del Toro was a much needed break and I loved spending all day “trapped” at the beautiful resort with all my new friends! Also hilariously I ran into a girl (Bekah) I had met at a hostel 5 years prior in Gili T, near Bali. So random and so delightful! 

BUDGET FOR 13 DAYS IN PANAMA:

Panama was definitely not the cheapest destination in Central America, but I also contributed to the high than average spend. Panama can definitely be done cheaper than how I did it

• Accommodation: $600 ($46 per night) – I did double pay for accommodation one night as I last minute changed plans to leave Panama City a night early. Also, because I was feeling so burnt out, I did treat myself to some private rooms hehe (including 3 nights at $95 per night, which is abnormal for me)
• Food: $350
• Groceries: $20
• Activities: $255 (diving + massage)
• Local Transportation: $115
• Miscellaneous: $90

Total: $1,430 (Daily average: $110)

Transportation to next destination: $129 (Bus to San Jose, CR, one night at hostel then bus to Ometepe) Basically I traveled from 9:30am to 5pm the following day straight with 7 hours to sleep in San Jose. This was a very long journey haha.

Of course I am using my 35L Tortuga Setout backpack They don’t sell the exact backpack I have anymore, but here is their latest & greatest! Can’t recommend their bags more. I have used a Tortuga backpack on each of my longterm trips!

Overall tips:

• Use packing cubes! I love that my Tortuga packing cubes perfectly fit the dimensions of my bag, but Amazon should have plenty of options!
• Think through how the clothes will feel in heat. Linen & lightweight materials will be best. 
• Make sure that every top works with every bottom and works with every shoes. Use a capsule wardrobe as inspiration.
• Less is more! Even though I have done this full time for over 36 consecutive months (holy moly), I still inevitably pack 1-2 items that I never end up reaching for. Think through if you actually will where it or if it’s just an aspirational item.

PACKING LIST FOR CENTRAL AMERICA:

CLOTHES

• 2 pairs of Lululemon Fast & Free Crop’s – I’m trying to make it easy to workout while on the road this time around.
• 1 pair of Lululemon Align pants – can be used for working out/walking around town or I can dress it up.
• 1 Romper
• 2 Jumpsuits (Madewell) – I’m obsessed with this jumpsuit – it’s great for hot weather but still provides mosquito coverage. I love it so much that I had a copy made while I was in Hoi An, Vietnam. I picked a fun orange print & added cap sleeves.
• 1 Cute shirt (I’m only taking one as I think I’ll be in my rompers and jumpsuits most days)
• 3 sports bras
• 4 athletic shirts (for running + sleeping in). Three are from Lululemon.
• Booty shorts (to sleep in)
• 5 pairs of underwear
• 6 pairs of socks
• 1 black bralette
• Running shoes
• Waterproof sandals- I just bought Teva dupes (will act as my water shoe as well as my cute shoes- I never said the backpacker lifestyle was glamorous haha)
• Light Patagonia puffer – good for chilly planes/busses & for when I visit countries that are a little cooler, even in the summer. It also smushes down fairly small so it’s a great backpacker jacket. I’ve also used it as a pillow in a pinch.
• 1 Swimsuit (feel free to bring 2-3 if that’s your thing)
• Sunglasses (Warby Parker)
• Rain coat (Patagonia; you can pack it up into it’s pocket so I can easily attach it to the outside of my bag via a carabiner)
• Tortuga Daypack (they don’t sell the one I have anymore sadly). This acts as my personal item for flights and I can use it for adventures during the day. 
• Sling crossbody bag (I put it into my daypack on travel days). I use this out and about on a daily basis.

ELECTRONICS

• Computer + Charger
• iPad
• iPhone + Charger (I get a 6 ft cord so I can always reach the plug from my hostel dorm bed!)
• AirPod Pro’s
• Fujifilm x100vi – YOU GUYS I BOUGHT A CAMERA!!! I’m so excited to try it out this trip!!
• Headphones (Bose; noise-cancelling for travel days)
• Plug adapter (I use this one)
• Portable charger (like this one)
• AirTag (This is a no brainer these days; provides peace of mind incase I am forced to check my bag or when it’s below me in a bus. Always nice to confirm it’s still with me!)
• Extra sim cards for my new camera
• Extra battery for my new camera

TOILETRIES (I USE A BUNCH OF LITTLE TOILETRY BAGS TO KEEP THESE ALL ORGANIZED)

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Flosser
• Any medication you take
• Retainer
• Deodorant
• Tiny roller perfume
• Makeup
• Makeup Remover (I’ve become obsessed with cleansing balm for this because it isn’t a liquid, & it’s highly effective at getting makeup off at the end of the day! 
• Razor
• Conditioner + Shampoo (Get containers to put your products into & refill on the road!!)
• Face wash
• Moisturizer
• Brush
• Pocket Hand Sanitizer– I keep one in my backpack and one in my sling/purse. Great in general, but also for when inevitably there is no soap at a random bus stop bathroom
• Sunscreen (I love Sun Bum or Goop)
• Tiger balm (I picked this up in Southeast Asia and it’s now a staple in my bag. Great for mosquito bites and just feeling a little sick. It’s kinda like Vick’s vapor rub).
• Chapstick (Don’t forget to get one with SPF)
• Ibuprofen
• Hair ties and bobby pins
• Moleskin
• Bandaids
• Electrolytes (these are a must for traveling, but especially in hotter climates)
• A few protein bars for emergency snacks! You never know when you’ll be stuck on a bus in the middle of nowhere & get hungry.
• Cough drops
• Topical steroid cream for bed bug bites or regular bug bites to help with itchiness

MISCELLANEOUS

• Passport – no explanation necessary
• ID (I bring my driver’s license)
• Travel Credit Card- I bring 2-3 cards with me in case I lose one it gets stolen or it gets hacked. Important to get ones with no foreign transaction fee; I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve (hello lounge access!) + Capital One Venture Card.
• Debit Card (Charles Schwab has the best one because it reimburses ATM fees from any ATM in the world )
• US Dollars – I always bring 1-2 Hundred dollar bills as an emergency source of cash (luckily most places in the world would take USD if it was truly an emergency & you needed some cash to get you out of a situation), however, in the case of Central America, I’ve taken more! USD are used in some countries here (like El Salvador), but also some businesses will give you a better rate when paying in USD. Take some smaller bills as they are helpful for border exit/entrance fees.
• Record of your plans (I make folders within my email inbox to keep track of everything or you could print out a copy of your itinerary)
• Extra Passport photos
• Thumb drive with all documentation if desired
• Quick dry towel – From REI
• Sarong for a beach cover up or for lying on.
• Water Bottle – Camelbak
• Ear Plugs
• Eye Mask (you can either go the classic eye mask route or get one like this that almost acts like your eye mask + ear plug since you can play white noise through the built in bluetooth speaker- pretty cool!)
• Lock (for staying in hostels or locking my bag.) Get the combo lock so you don’t have to worry about tiny keys. I take three to be able to lock two different compartments in my bag AND so I can keep my computer/passport/iPad compartment still locked when I use the other one to lock a locker within a hostel (+ one for backup!).
• 3 carabiners – I just attach them to my backpack and over the course of the trip they will hold everything from my water bottle, shoes, rain jacket and more. You will not regret having a few on hand.
• Pack of playing cards (My sister got my a custom deck with some of my favorite photos from my travels – such a thoughtful gift)
• Monopoly Deal – a fabulous compact game for the backpacking trail!
• Face mask (I’ve used this while feeling sick as well as on a dusty motorcycle ride)
• 2 pens for writing postcards
• Ziplock bags of various sizes. I inevitably need to put dirty shoes, wet bathing suit, leftover pizza, or dirty socks somewhere and I am always incredibly relieved to have some ziplocks at the ready. Plus they take up no space/weight so there’s no downside to bringing them.

Here is what I packed in each packing cube:

All packed up and ready to go!!

• San Salvador
• Santa Ana
• Juayua (Ruta de las Flores)
• El Tunco
• La Union

PRO TIPS:

• I FELT SO SAFE. Like truly, I think this might’ve been the country I felt the most safe in which was not on my bingo card. The turnaround is very apparent.
• This is the smallest country in Central America so it’s super easy to get around! I mostly took ubers or chicken busses! You can practically use uber to get around the whole country (that’s how small it is), but the chicken busses are incredibly cheap (I spent $2 on a 4 hr journey across 3 busses).
• Although the chicken busses are incredibly efficient, El Salvador would be a great place to rent a car as it’s so small that you’d be able to really see it all in a rental car. The roads all seemed pretty great (not what I would’ve expected) so no worries there. They are super strict on drinking/driving so don’t mess with that.
• Until very recently, El Salvador was very dangerous. With the turnaround so fresh, there are still very few tourists visiting the beautiful country
• When flying to El Salvador, you likely will go to San Salvador airport. I thought that meant I should stay in San Salvador for a night or 2 to orient myself. However, turns out that this country is so small that the airport is actually just as close to the beach as it is to the capital. As such, I’d recommend skipping San Salvador entirely & go directly to your first destination.
• They use USD so it’s pretty easy in terms of cash. Some places take card, but a lot don’t so take some USD with you.
• There wasn’t much English spoken so brush up on your duolingo or get your google translate app ready.

CITY: SAN SALVADOR

HOW LONG: 2 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at La Zona Hostel and it was pretty good. The free breakfast was basic. The beds were capsule style and comfy. AC worked (just make sure to set it to a comfortable temperate as one night it was too hot and the other night was too cold). The area is safe, but there’s not much going on. A few restaurants near-ish by. They had potable drinking water on site. Fairly easy to meet people. I met a group of Canadians to hang with so that was fabulous! Katie, in particular, became a good friend!

WHERE TO EAT:

Honestly no recommendations, except try some cheap pupusas when you come across them.

WHAT TO DO:

I didn’t love the capital We never could find the “cool/fun” center of town to stroll. It all felt very rundown and chaotic. However we always felt safe and given the history of the country, I understand why the city isn’t necessarily bustling (yet). We did a free walking tour was fabulous to get the background on what’s been happening in this lovely country.

The highlight (if you can call it that) was “hiking” to the nearby volcano, but it’s really just a 15 min nature walk. Overall it was nice to see but also if you are going to do the Santa Ana volcano, feel free to skip this one.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Again, not my favorite and would recommend skipping the capital.

CITY: SANTA ANA

HOW LONG: 2 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

We stayed at Rick’s Hostel. The room was huge and the bed was cheap (literally $7.50) so I can’t really complain. BUT the hostel was pretty loud and I gotten eaten by mosquitos. No AC, but the beds had a little fan which did the job (and helped a little with the mosquitos). It was centrally located. Again it was $7 so I have no issues recommending it

WHERE TO EAT:

Nothing notable. I had some good pupusas from a random spot and a hot dog from one of the stalls in the main square.

When we went to see the ruins though we had a local dish of chicharron + yuca (literally from this town) at a spot right outside the main entrance to the ruins. Absolutely recommend stopping here for a meal.

WHAT TO DO:

Main highlights:

• Hike Santa Ana volcano – It’s a long hike and slightly complicated to navigate but just talk with the hostel front desk. Basically you need to do it with a tour guide so get there early. The hike was not hard but not easy. It gets hot so bring water + sun protection. Bring cash for the various entrance fees and in case you want to buy a snack/water from the folks near the top.

• Do the walking tour – there is a guy (Hector!!) that does a fairly famous walking tour here. I sadly didn’t have time but everyone I met who did it raved about it!!! I am very sad I missed it. He talks very candidly about his experience growing up in El Salvador and how its changes have impacted those around him.
• Visit the ruins! Parque Arqueologico Tazumal is a nicely preserved Mayan City (it’s small so don’t expect a whole city though!). We took a chicken bus from Santa Ana to get there and back. You could take a very cheap uber (would recommend seeing what this costs as it’s probably the more efficient move.

• We loved walking around & hanging in the main square in the evening. We met an El Salvadorian Tik Tok star who danced with us on his Live and then we got interviewed by a YouTuber. It was a pretty fun experience.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Santa Ana was far more charming than San Salvador! 2-3 days here would be plenty to do all the activities mentioned above.

CITY: JUAYUA

HOW LONG: 2 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at a fairly new hostel called Que Ondas. It’s a small but beautiful property at the edge of the small town and you feel like you are in a magical garden. The rooms are nicely done and have curtains. No free breakfast but wifi worked well. Plenty of spots to chill and read and socialize. Would definitely recommend this place.

WHERE TO EAT:

There are two great pupuserias that are a must try!

• Pupuseria Esmeralda – the pupusas can take a while so be patient – they are worth the wait!
• Papusas y Panes Rellenos Sugey – also a great pupusa spot. Literally like $1-2 per pupusa!

Cafes to check out:

• Bourbon Coffee Roasters – I had a delicious breakfast sandwich and my friends loved their baked treats.
• Bloom Coffee – not a huge food menu but the drinks were good!
• With Love Crepes – I didn’t have time to eat here but I wish I had!

WHAT TO DO:

• Visit the other towns on the Ruta de Las Flores! Either rent a motorbike or hop on a chicken bus. All the towns are tiny, cute and charming. I only had time to visit Concepcion de Ataco, but I really enjoyed it! Pro Tip: Eat at Axul Coffee Artesanías – I had a croque madam here. Super cute vibe in the backyard patio & a cute store was attached. Gekos Cafe right off the main square also looked cute!

• Do the 7 Cascadas (waterfall) tour! You do a nice hike that starts near town and you get to walk through upwards of 10 waterfalls. You even get to hike up one of them (it wasn’t too scary/slippery). You also get to do a facemask with the local mud & then finish the tour with a lovely swim in the last waterfall! Don’t miss this activity!

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Juayua was such a tiny, small town and I loved the slow pace of it. Also the flowers blooming around town were stunning. They don’t call it Ruta de la Flores for nothing 2-3 days here would be perfect. I’d recommend basing yourself in Juayua as it’s probably the biggest town and then just visit the other towns from here.

CITY: EL TUNCO

HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

This was a unique one: Katie (who I met in San Salvador and went to Santa Ana with) went to El Tunco before me and met a Jamaican/American guy who ended up buying a hotel with plans to turn it into a hostel while they were in El Tunco. So by the time I showed up, Katie invited me to stay with her and a bunch of friends she had made that were now staying at the newly purchased hostel. Kemar literally was transforming the place into a hostel while we were there. It was pretty fun to be able to give input on what makes a hostel great and he was super receptive to ideas! It’s now called Karma Muse! It has AC (such a win) and is located about as close to the beach as possible. There are lovely hammocks where you can watch the waves crash on the beach. Highly recommend this spot!

WHERE TO EAT:

Finally a spot with smoothie bowls!!!

I loved the following spots:

• Day Cafe & Salad Bar – my daily sunset smoothie spot (but the smoothie bowl was also great!)
• Point Break Cafe – lots of yummy brunch options
• Ohana Surf Cafe & Ice Cream Shop – more great breakfast options
• Garage Burgers – yummy burgers in a nice courtyard area
• Esquina Los Amigos – our pupusa spot in town

WHAT TO DO:

Surf, read in a hammock, eat a smoothie bowl, find a friend with a pool, watch sunset, rinse, repeat.

Life here is so tranquil and just a series of chilling. I love it

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

This was probably my favorite part of El Salvador. The town is so small so you literally know all the backpackers in town by day 2. It feels like you and your friends are all just running around doing fun, chill stuff all day. One day we sat on the beach and read. One day our friends with a pool invited us over. One day people went to hike the waterfalls nearby. And everyday a bunch of people went surfing and everyday we all would watch sunset on the beach together and then grab dinner. Pure magic!

CITY: LA UNION (CAMPING)

HOW LONG: 1 NIGHT

I missed this destination on my first visit so when I snuck back into El Salvador for a few days while back in Central America, I knew I wanted to go to Espiritu de la Montaña to camp and wake up to the sunrise over views of El Salvador, Nicaragua & Honduras! I struggled to figure out “how” to do this experience but finally found Maravillas de Oriente Tours, who for ~$20 arranged for transport up & down the mountain. It’s a gnarly road so you can either walk it (takes over an hour with lots of elevation) or you can pay this tour company to bring you up on this big overland truck vehicle. It felt like we were on a roller coaster.

ACCOMMODATION:

Some tents on top of a mountain on an observation deck We were able to rent a tent, sleeping bag & sleeping pad on site when we arrived (costs about $20 for all three).

WHAT TO EAT:

There is a restaurant as well as a little convenience shop with snacks. I brought a cup of noodles and oatmeal packet with me so I just asked for some hot water and I was all set.

WHAT TO DO:

Chat with your new friends and just take in the views. It was magical!

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

This was a highlight! I loved being up at the top of the viewpoint and just getting to hang out with all the new backpacker friends. It was a very wholesome evening!

BUDGET FOR 11 DAYS IN El SALVADOR:

El Salvador was so cheap – what a gift before I go to Costa Rica which is unreasonably expensive!

• Accommodation: $163 ($14.8 per night) – SO CHEAP
• Food: $180
• Activities: $50
• Local Transportation: $125
• Miscellaneous: $50 (visa + new pair of shorts)

Total: $568 (Daily average: $52)

Transportation to next destination: $225 for my flight from SFO –> San Salvador + $156 for my flight to San Jose, Costa Rica