It’s a jungle out there and these undiscovered countries want you in it. Nature and wildlife is your bedside, seaside, and mountainside companion where adventure not crowds reign.
Adalberto H VegaNature Calls Honduras is a secret hideaway for those wanting authentic adventure and cultural experiences. A place where unruly crowds are the fish swimming by you on a reef dive. Visit the Acropolis not in Athens but at the Copan Ruins in southwestern Honduras. Copan is seen as one of the most spectacular cities of the ancient Maya civilization. After visiting Mayan ruins, respond to the call of nature – in this case the high pitched sounds of macaws, toucans, parrots and their friends at Macaw Mountain Bird Park. Or Parque Nacional Santa Barbara. Kick back at an ecolodge along Rio Cangrejal – the site for your next day white-water rafting adventure through challenging rapids and lush jungle. Nature is calling your name in Honduras.
Belize Tourism BoardDiver Delights Dive right into Belize’s warm turquoise waters and home to the second largest barrier reef in the world. On any diver’s checklist is experiencing the Great Blue Hole near the centre of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll, just one of 200 islands off the coast of Belize. The Great Blue Hole can be seen from outer space. It is almost 300 metres in diameter and 123 metres deep. Encounters with giant groupers, nurse sharks and various reef sharks are common here – friendly encounters that is. Take the plunge into Mayan culture as well. Hike through lush rainforest to well-preserved Mayan ruins like the Caracol Maya site. Camp and see the sun rise on the spring and summer solstice and vernal and autumnal equinox – truly special occasions in 2012, the first year of the new Mayan calendar.
No Hats Here You won’t find Panama hats (sorry, made in Ecuador) in Panama but you will find one of the world’s most impressive engineering feats – the Panama Canal. Completed in 1914 it remains one of the greatest engineering marvels ever. More than 14,000 vessels from all over the world pass each year between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The Canal is getting a $5.25 billion facelift so a third laneway can be put in and will be completed in time for its centennial. Enjoy the 80-kilometre canal cruise while making your way through the three locks. It’s complexity will astound you as your floating cruise ship rises 25 metres above sea level and goes back down again – with only inches to spare on either side.
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