Journey to the Center of the E arth

86 Outside destinations special postcards from Central America nicaragua: clockwise from far left, puerto Momotombo; the beach at hotel punta teonoste; the cathedral of león; the ferry to ometepe; san juan del sur; street food; león; surfer rex calderon

Dreading winter’s chill? It’s always summer in Central America, where you can still Journey to the of the Earth surf untou ched breaks, summit a ctive volcanoes, an d s cuba-dive pristine reefs from Center Guatemala all the way south to Panama. Book n ow an d thank us later.

photographs by joão canziani

Outside 87 Central America

The contra-Sandinista war ended more than 20 Nicaraguayears ago. It’s time to go see the country’s beautiful future for yourself. by stephanie pearson

The wind is howling, the when it’s your time to die, it’s bats are flying, andI ’m on the your time to die. Not only do I wrong side of the zona de respect Mendoza’s savant-like peligro—no pase sign, peer- knowledge of Nicaragua—from ing into what 16th-century bird species to batty politi- Spanish priests considered to cians—but after a week traveling be the burning maw of hell. It’s together, I’m also starting to get after-hours at Masaya Volcano his Latin pícaro sense of humor. National Park, Nicaragua’s It’s dark, spicy, and not at all PC. first, where a 36-square-mile It also matches the mood of caldera gracefully rises 2,095 Masaya, which I’ve deemed the feet above the dry tropical forest Dark Park because of the near halfway between the capital, perfect metaphor it creates for ­Managua, and the colonial city Nicaragua’s surreal and violent of Granada. The crater I’m peer- history. Hundreds of years ago, ing into, ­San­tiag­ o, is one of the Masaya was used as a sacrificial most ­active in Central America, altar by the Chorotega ­Indians, spewing as much as 1,200 who threw maidens and small clockwise from top left: jicaro island ecolodge; las peñitas ru co; leaving tons of sulfur dioxide per day. children into the crater to granada; cemeterio general de granada The pulsing thump of glowing ­appease the goddess of fire.I n ­magma 1,246 feet ­below sounds the 1970s, dictator Anastasio the 1986 scandal in which the the second-largest intact rain­ like crashing waves. It’s so mes- Somoza Debayle’s hit men Reagan administration illegally forest in the Western Hemi­ merizing that I take a step closer. dumped their tortured prison- sold arms to Iran in order to sphere. It has 25 volcanoes If this park were in the U.S., ers’ bodies here to disappear the fund the contras, the Nicara- ­(seven of which are active); more there would be a six-foot chain- evidence. “Beauty, in Nicara- guan soldiers trained by the U.S. than 750 bird species; empty, link fence topped by razor wire gua, often contained the beast,” to overthrow the Sandinistas. world-class surf beaches on the circling the crater rim. But Nica­ wrote Salman Rushdie in his Add a string of corrupt politi- Pacific; unexplored jungles on raguans have a large appetite for 1987 book The Jaguar Smile. cians and the 2006 resurgence the Caribbean; and a popula- risk and a practically nonexis- Most Americans know more of President Daniel Ortega, tion that is pulling itself up by tent national-park budget. This about its beast than its beauty. a populist Sandinista whose its bootstraps through tourism. no-barriers connection to what Our collective knowledge administration is heavily backed With a growing number of colo­ lies beneath, as well as night- of Central America’s largest by oil subsidies from Venezuelan nial hotels and designer eco- time tours of massive bat caves, country—slightly bigger than president Hugo Chavez, and it’s lodges, the allure of Nicaragua are what make the park so sen- the state of New York, with a clear that while Nicaragua is is no longer a secret. More than sational. My guide, Juan Carlos population of nearly six million no longer a dictatorship, it isn’t a million foreigners—210,479 Mendoza, was here at Masaya in people, and the second-poorest exactly a democracy, either. from the United States—visited 2001 with 150 American tourists nation in the Western Hemi- But even questionably ethical in 2010. Like Costa Rica 20 years when it erupted. sphere—centers on two events. leadership can’t keep Nicaragua ago, Nicaragua is on the cusp of “I heard a boom and thought The first was the five-year civil from finally, fully taking advan- going mainstream. it was dynamite,” Mendoza says. war that killed an estimated tage of its assets: it may come It’s impossible to see the That’s when a volcanic rock 50,000 Nicaraguans and ended as a surprise to most Americans entire country in ten days, so bombed his bus, making evacu- with the socialist Sandinistas’ that the country is on par with we’ve started in Managua and ation difficult.S ince everyone overthrow of Somoza in 1979. Panama as the second safest are making a figure-eight loop came out alive, Mendoza, a The second was the contra- in Central America, behind northwest to the city of León 50-year-old former Sandinista, Sandinista war, a poorly masked Costa Rica, according to United and the beaches of the Pacific; remained calm. He’d seen worse. U.S.-Soviet proxy conflict ­Nations statistics. It’s also one then to Granada; then ­turning “Su turno es su turno,” he tells to control this resource-rich of the most biologically diverse. south to the expat surfing hot photographer João Canziani and banana republic. The war lasted More than 18 percent of Nica- spot San Juan del Sur. From there me as, on cue, a deep boom ema- through most of the 1980s and ragua is protected in 77 parks we’ll visit the newly anointed nates from the crater and I leap killed 30,000 people, but for and reserves, which include the World Biosphere ­Reserve of toward the “safe” side of the fis- Americans the screaming head- more than five-million-acr­ e Ometepe Island in Lake Nicara- sure on the rim. In other words, line was the Iran-contra affair, Bosawás Biosphere Reserve, gua—the ­largest freshwater body

88 Outside destinations special Central America

clockwise from top left: an­ old as we speed toward Managua ­hospital in grana da; ­jicaro; fresh tortillas; a view from hotel punta in a white SUV. We’ve been teonoste; the author on cerro negro; poking around the ruins of cashews; león; punta teonoste’s bea ch in Central America—and finish León Viejo, the second-oldest impec ­cable English, wears a back in Managua. Nicaraguan city, founded in military buzz cut, has a massive army. Mendoza went off to the Tonight we’ve diverted from 1524 and ­destroyed by a severe jaguar tooth dangling around jungle without complaint. the gringo trail altogether. The earthquake in 1610. This former his neck, and never takes off his “I thought it was correct to park is deserted, and we have gold-trading center is Nicara- name tag. He’s the country’s defend my country,” he says. the glow of the Masaya Volcano gua’s firstW orld Heritage site. conduit to the world—from After two years, Mendoza was and the distant view of moonlit “Our history is very heroic,” everyday people on up. When allowed to return to his tourism Lake Nicaragua to ourselves. Mendoza continues. “This Pope John Paul II was scheduled job; he was assigned VIPs like From this vantage point, it feels country has so much potential, to visit in 1996, Mendoza was Kuwaiti princes and a Central like Nicaragua’s moment is now. but I don’t think I’m going to live the man assigned to show him American president. He’s been long enough to see its future.” around. Unfortunately, the plans at it ever since, guiding for “ I consider myself to be Mendoza is the future of were changed at the last minute. Careli Tours, a company owned very nationalistic. I love my Nicaragua. Five foot eleven “I could have ridden in the by the Melchiors, the ­family country,” Mendoza tells me and barrel-chested, he speaks Popemobile!” he says dejectedly. that pioneered Costa Rican Mendoza was also, as they environmental tourism. say, “en la lucha”—in the fight. It’s impossible to fully under­ ACCESS AND RESOURCES Customize a trip through Careli After graduating from John stand a country as conflicted Tours; www.carelitours.com. HOW TO GET THERE: Fly direct to F. Kennedy High School in and convoluted as Nicaragua. Managua on Continental from Houston or on a number of air- Fremont, California (his family While it helps to study the past, lines from Miami. WHEN TO GO: Late November through May for sent him to the U.S. after an it doesn’t do any good to dwell the Pacific oast;c avoid the Caribbean side—hurricane season— earthquake demolished Mana- on it. Within an hour’s radius in October and November. WHERE TO STAY: Strand yourself at gua), in 1980, he was selected of León, there are plenty of ways Jicaro Island Ecolodge; doubles, $480; jicarolodge.com. On the by the ministry of tourism to to ditch the beast and connect Pacific oast,c Hotel Punta Teonoste’s thatch-roofed bungalows undergo a yearlong intensive with the beauty. We hiked 2,395- sit on an empty mile-long beach near stellar surf breaks; $100 training program, studying the foot Cerro Negro Volcano, a per night per person, including breakfast; puntateonoste.com. history, geography, wildlife, jet-black dome with a crater so Down the coast, Morgan’s Rock Hacienda and Ecolodge is set on flora, fauna, and volcanology active that it melted Canziani’s 4,448 acres of virgin forest and farmland; from $184; morgans of Nicaragua. In November hiking boots. On Juan ­Venado rock.com. And stay at Hotel Villa Paraiso on Ometepe Island 1983, he was hired as one of Island, a mangrove-lined estu- in Lake Nicaragua. Climb volcanoes and kayak or cycle around the country’s first official tour ary that parallels the Pacific, we the island, where some of the 42,000 residents still use bulls as guides. Five months later, he saw caimans and a pale-billed transportation; doubles, $59; villaparaiso.com.ni. was drafted into the Sandi­nista woodpecker so elusive that

destinations special Outside 89 Central America

clockwise from top left: cerro ne­ gro; from local volcanic rock and inside cathedral of león; gui de juan recycled wood. This is one of carlos mendoza; león; the ­cathedral; making tortillas; museo de la those getaways where, after ­revolucion; a punta teonoste view you’ve completed your yoga, Mendoza had to look it up in meditated, and taken a dip in the miles northwest of the Costa beyond the gate, the road dead- his Birds of Costa Rica book— lake, the chefs will prepare you Rican border, the beach town of ends at a parking lot where a Birds of Nicaragua doesn’t yet a honey-infused tropical-fruit 18,500 people sits on a half- truckload of local surfers are exist. A few miles up the coast smoothie for breakfast before moon bay with a statue of Jesus packing it in for the day. The in the village of Las Peñitas, you sprawl out by the pool. looking down from one hillside offshore breezes here are gener- we ate ruco, a whitefish fried But sometimes the beast rears and the guests at the luxury ally perfect in March and April, whole and ­sautéed in tomatoes its head even in paradise. An Pelican Eyes resort looking but it’s February and the heavy and red sauce, under palapas employee at Jicaro, who wished down from the other. We’re in winds blowing off Lake Nica- over­looking a wild beach that to remain nameless, began town only long enough to pick ragua, to the east, are chopping stretched for miles. fighting for theS andinistas at 17. up Rex Calderon, the 19-year- up the swell. A day later, we’re 80 miles “I try to forget it. It wasn’t a good old Central American surfing Beyond the palm trees and southeast on a 23,100-square- time,” he told us at break­fast. “If champion, who grew up a block palapas, the beach opens up foot island in the northwest I wanted to smoke a cigarette, from the beach. The unassum- into a mile-long crescent. To corner of Lake Nicaragua. It’s I had to hide it in a b­ anana leaf ing five-foot-six, mustached the southwest, the mountains one of the only freshwater so the enemy couldn’t see the and muscled pro is going to of Costa Rica rise in the hazy lakes in the world populated by light and kill me.” show us how to catch a wave distance. Out on the water, sharks. (The dictator Somoza The only benefit of the war, Nicaragua style. Calderon, Nicaragua’s answer delighted in feeding them cows.) he adds with a smile, was that From San Juan del Sur, Men- to Mick Fanning, is cutting­ We’re sharing Jicaro ­Island when it finally ended there doza drives 30 minutes north through the waves with the Ecolodge with a Colombian were seven women for every on a dirt track through the dry grace of a cat, launching impres- photo­grapher, his assistant, and man. “I’m so happy because my scrub and stops at a wooden sive air and popping effortless a Brazilian model, who are here wife is young and I enjoy life,” gate manned by two armed 360s. To his right is Johnny to shoot a cover for a tony U.S. he says. “The war was over 20 security guards. One of them Goldenberg, a 43-year-old travel magazine. This stunning years ago. Now all we have is a pokes his head into our SUV Canadian expat and local real and simple nine-casita lodge, beautiful future.” and charges $3 per person to estate entrepreneur who moved which opened in 2010, was the enter the private property that to San Juan del Sur five years vision of British businesswoman For the good life, wealthy grants ac­ cess to Playa Hermosa, ago. With a gap-toothed smile Karen Emanuel, who partnered Managuans and expat surfers a beach so untouched that the and a body full of tattooed Bud- with British architect ­Matthew congregate on the Pacific oastc last two seasons of Survivor dhist wisdom, Goldenberg is Falkiner to create an oasis made at San Juan del Sur. Twenty-five were filmed here.A few miles Calderon’s benefactor, ­providing

90 Outside destinations special Central America him with Eberly boards. “Rex is a good kid—he doesn’t drink, smoke, or do drugs,” PanamaR edefine roughing it in Islas Secas Goldenberg tells me as he zips by elizabeth hightower allen up his wetsuit. “And he’s a coldhearted killer in a contest. They left us there, on that with two papaya smoothies. The only problem is trying to ­deserted island. My husband Islas Secas is my kind of get him to leave Nicaragua to and I watched as the 40-foot roughing it. Guests stay in seven compete. He loves it here.” Munson landing craft pulled solar-powered yurts, each with “I’ve had to travel far and away, beaching us on a speck of its own bathroom and a planta- wide to find a surf spot with jungle surrounded by the Gulf of tion bed wrapped in mosquito only three guys in the water,” he Chiriquí. We had only our bath- netting. Every morning at 6:30, continues. “The only way I’m ing suits, two beach umbrellas, Enrique delivered a fresh carafe her (2) her

leaving is if I can’t afford to live a double kayak, snorkels, masks, of coffee. Dinner was a stroll c here anymore. Nicaragua is a fins, a cooler ofB alboa beer, two to another yurt on a crescent- enba s cross between Cuba and Cabo. fresh pasta salads, four fluffy shaped beach, where chef s ro

It’s got that natural beauty, but towels, sunscreen, bug stuff, Alexander Rojas cooked up fish g an the look and feel of socialism. and a shortwave radio. These curry and fresh-picked-mango i ; br

The nervousness when nobody meager provisions would have cheesecake on a bay that, each s o would invest is gone.” to last us three hours. August, fills with breaching t A friend of Calderon’s has It was our two-year anniver- humpback whales. on pho

just finished telling me how sary. We waved and set off in our That’s the real draw of Islas ti c e safe it is here when a security kayak to explore Isla Pargo, one Secas: the sea life—parrotfish, s er guard wearing a beer is an of 16 islands in the remote ­private puffer fish, king angelfish, t n i ­appetizer T-shirt drives up in archipelago of Islas Secas. shovel­nose guitarfish; whitetip op: t

a rusty Land Cruiser and urges I’d heard about Islas Secas reef sharks, green and ridley m ro me to hide my camera. The only ­Resort from my childhood friend turtles, spotted and spinner f other person within a mile is a Carter Andrews. Carter and I woman in a bikini sunbathing. I grew up normally enough in wonder out loud who he thinks Nashville, Tennessee, but then from top: life in panama; fishing might steal it. The security guard he went on to become one of the near isla pari da; points to the dense jungle scrub world’s best fishing guides, with isla pargo behind the beach and is about to sea-monster cameos on ESPN. expound when a surfer appears Last year he signed on as the out of the water. He intro­duces fishing director forI slas Secas himself as Juan Manuel Caldera, and several other properties a local developer. owned by a conservation- “It’s very simple. We have minded billionaire. “You’ve kids who watch surfers with got to get down here,” he told fancy sunglasses and shorts, me. “This place is ridiculous.” and they start snatching things,” He wasn’t kidding. The Caldera explains. “We’ve solved ­approach alone is like some- that by putting security here.” thing out of Jurassic Park. From Caldera, it turns out, is a the small mainland fishing- Nicaraguan journalist who cov- lodge settlement of Boca Chica, ered the contra-Sandinista war we hopped in a 34-foot SeaVee for NBC and now owns the off- boat and roared an hour toward the-grid solar-powered devel- the Pacific horizon. By the time opment Las Fincas, a few miles we sighted Islas Secas, 25 miles away. He, like Mendoza, had the out, the mainland had disap- resources to leave Nicaragua peared. We slowed past green during the worst years. But for cliffs lined with frigate birds both men, the pull toward home and arrived at a long dock where was too strong to resist. ­Enrique the bartender waited “Nicaragua is the safest, most wonderful country in Central ACCESS AND RESOURCES From $600 a night, all-inclusive (except fishing); a weeklong fishing America,” Caldera tells me as package starts at $6,000; islassecas.com. HOW TO GET THERE: United flies to Panama City from we slowly walk back down the Houston; from there, catch a domestic flight to David, and the resort will send a driver and a boat to empty beach. “But it’s all about fetch you. WHEN TO GO: December to May. ALSO CHECK OUT: You can see the Gulf of Chiriquí on a perception. We have got to budget, too. Day trips to Coiba leave from the diving hub of Santa Catalina; stay overnight in a modest change the perception.” o cabin at the ranger station if you bring your own kit ($20; coibanationalpark.com).

92 Outside destinations special Central America

Belmopan Gulf of Honduras MEXICO BELIZE Roatán CostaGet schooled onRica the Nicoya Peninsula GUATEMALA HONDURAS by mary turner Lake Guatemala City Atitlán Antigua Tegucigalpa The waves have gotten big- chose Nosara, on Costa Rica’s San Salvador CaribBean sea ger, and Ru Hill, owner of the Nicoya Peninsula, because of La Libertad coast NICARAGUA Surf Simply Coaching Resort the consistent, year-round EL SALVADOR Managua in Nosara, Costa Rica, can see waves at the undeveloped Masaya Volcano Lake Nicaragua San Juan del Sur that I’m focusing more on not four-mile stretch of white sand COSTA RICA Panama getting clobbered than on riding at Playa Guiones, 800 yards Canal Nosara San José one. “Instead of thinking, How from the resort. The surround- pacific ocean Nicoya Panama can I avoid that wave crash- ing jungle and protected nature Peninsula City PANAMA ing on my head?, start thinking reserve didn’t hurt. Gulf of Chiriquí about where to be positioned to Each day of the weeklong Islas Secas catch it,” he says. “There are the ­program includes two 90- 300300 milesMILES hunters and the hunted. Turn ­minute surf sessions (morning COLOMBIA yourself into a hunter.” and afternoon), family-style I’m learning how to findS pot meals, a theory class (on dolphins. The Gulf of Chiriquí 700-pound marlin than anyone X—the best place to be to catch everything from how to read a serves as a nursery for the else on Panama’s ­Hannibal a wave. Over the years, I’ve been storm forecast to how to judge a Tropical Eastern Pacific Marine Bank. At one point, we came to two other surf camps and had surf contest), and afternoon Corridor, a nutrient-rich high- upon four boobies ­sunning numerous individual lessons, yoga. With a max of 14 guests— way of currents stretching from themselves on a flo­ ating log, where I’ve paid $75 an hour to from Facebook execs to athletes Costa Rica all the way to the watching for fish. Carter stopped hear “Stand up like a champ!” to families—there’s a three-to- Galápagos. To put that a little the boat. “Mahi—under there,” Thankfully, Hill, a 33-year-old one student-coach ratio, divided less scientifically: the fishing he said. One cast and a dorado expat from Bristol, England, into groups from level 1 (begin- and diving are insane. Much of was on the line, flashing green. takes a functional, almost ners) to level 4 (advanced). this bounty is found in Coiba Carter handed me the rod. scientific approach to surf in- Earlier in the week, the National Park, a 430,825-acre “You know what you caught struction, breaking it down into coaches filmed my level 2 sanctuary surrounding the there?” he said, radioing back to logical, obtainable steps. He’s group—which is how I found 124,320-acre volcanic island Chef Alex that dinner was in the been gathering data for more out that I sometimes surf in of Coiba. Coiba was belched boat. “Passion-fruit ceviche.” than ten years while teaching the poo stance, with my rear up from the Galápagos hot the sport in Polzeath, Cornwall, end sticking out—and analyzed spot 70 million years ago. More and Costa Rica, where he moved what we needed to work on, recently, until 2004, it was in 2007. “You’ve got begin- including proper stance, how Panama’s most notorious penal ner lessons, and then you’ve to trim and carve turns, and colony. Now a Unesco World got professional coaching, and where to put the board on a a palapa at the Heritage site, the park includes islas secas nothing in between,” Hill says. wave. Each day, we’ve learned the most biodiverse waters in ­resort; Below, The point of Surf Simply, which a new skill by studying video of the path the region. Islas Secas is the to dinner Hill opened in March 2010 with surfers doing it right, decon- closest jumping-off point. his wife, Gemma Yates, is to structing the mechanics of how We circled Coiba one day bridge that gap. and why a move works, and with Carter and his family, Hill and Yates searched the practicing the techniques in his three-year-old daughter, world—from Portugal to Bali— front of a mirror, on the beach, Payton, snorkeling alongside for the perfect location. They and in the water, coaches by our her mother in 25 feet of clear water. But most days we fished, ­banging 30 miles out to the ACCESS AND RESOURCES From $2,570 a week, all-inclusive; seamount of Montuosa to cast surfsimply.com. HOW TO GET THERE: Delta, American, and popping lures for 50-pound Continental fly to Liberia; from there, a Surf Simply rep will drive yellow­fin tuna. Carter has a you the two hours to the resort. WHEN TO GO: The dry sea- bear’s physique and a bruin’s son, December through April, and the green season, June, July, mane of hair; his first mate, August, and November; the resort is closed May, September, local Juan Spragge, is a 21-year- and October. ALSO CHECK OUT: Spencer Klein, Jack Johnson’s her (2) her old fishing prodigy.T he other former tour assistant, spent years traveling in Central America. c enba

captains call them Yogi and In addition to one-day kayaking, birding, and SUP outings, his s s

Boo-Boo, which might bother adventure outfitter,E xperience Nosara, offers weeklong SUP and ro them more if they weren’t paddle-surfing tours in the area and guided charter-boat surf trips g an i

tagging and r­ eleasing more in Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua; experience-nosara.com. br

94 Outside destinations special Central America clockwise: surf simply’s gemma yates rips it at playa g­ uiones; ziplining; the surf simply resort; owner ru hill

paddleboarding the flatwaterR io N­ osara, thick with roseate spoon- bills and 500-year-old great kapok trees. And—no-brainer here—schedule a massage. While I haven’t mastered ­every skill in five days,I ’m leav- ing with a wealth of knowledge that would’ve taken years to acquire through one-off surf lessons, and a massively renewed stoke. At the end of the week, I find myself battling my way “out the back” through 12-foot walls of green water, bigger than anything I’ve ever seen. Coach Martin Reynolds, side, their feedback constant from Exmouth, England, turns and specific. Y“ ou see a lot of to me after I catch my breath. guys saying, ‘Feel the rhythm of He sees a nice double-overhead the ocean’ and ‘Just go with the 9:30 p.m. Between surf ­sessions, wave ­approaching and cheer- wave,’ and that’s terrible coach- we all sneak chill time by the fully asks, “Shall we have a go ing,” Hill says. “We wanted to cerulean-bottomed pool (with at this one?” Holy hydraulics! get away from anything that’s howler monkeys roaming the I decide to go for it. “Paddle ambiguous and cool about surf- trees above) or watch surf movies hard!” Reynolds yells, help- ing and make things accessible. in the open-air rancho, raiding ing me along as I dig into each ‘You learn these three skills in the stocked fridge. On the mid- stroke. I catch the wave, drop

this order, this is how you do week day off guests can choose down the face, and have the ride (2) y l them, and then you’re going adventures, from a canopy of my life. Then I start planning p sim to be able to do these things.’ tour of the jungle to stand-up my return visit. f There’s no magical connection r su

f

with the sea.” o ­nosara’s y s

All fiveS urf Simply coaches e

wild coast t r are highly trained lifeguards u o c ; with International Surfing l e i

Association instructor awards. an d c

They’re also fun, enthusias- m

. c tic surf geeks. Coach Harry Knight’s theory class on board opher

design is spot-on, because he’s ist hr

designed surfboards himself. c ; y l

In the yoga studio, Hill unveils p sim a 10-by-6-foot surfingT ree of f Knowledge poster he spent years r su creating. It’s a detailed road map f o y s of the steps from ­beginner- to e t r advanced-level surfing and u o confirms my suspicion: he’s a c on; methodology maestro. t This isn’t a vacation for sloths. I’ve been thanking the surf gods : ben hor t that every detail, from deli- h ig cious meals to airport transfers r op t to equipment, is taken care of m

by Surf Simply so I can focus ro f my energy on paddling. Most e guests tuck into bed in one of ckwis o

the resort’s four luxe chalets by cl

96 Outside destinations special Central America

HondurasGo deep in Roatán’s virgin waters BY BONNIE TSUI

With more than 700 spe- cies of birds and an expanding ACCESS AND RESOURCES national-park system, Hondu- Doubles from $115; Coco­ ras is no slouch when it comes lobo hotel, cocolobo.com. to land-based offerings. But Diving from $35 per tank the real draw is underwater. with rental equipment; If you’ve heard of Roatán, it’s coconuttreedivers.com, for good reason: deep cuts in westenddivers.info. $800 the reef around the island drop per person for a 3.5-hour thousands of feet, offering expedition to 2,000 feet; vertiginous wall diving, wreck Stanley Submarines, stanley exploration, blooming coral, submarines.com. HOW TO and high visibility. Head to the GET THERE: Continental island’s laid-back West End for and Taca offer nonstop white-sand beaches, open-air flights toR oatán from several lake atitlán, bars, and the Cocolobo hotel, U.S. cities. WHEN TO GO: guatemala which has a sweet infinity pool February and March, for and ten balcony rooms. Nearby calm water and high visibil- you’ll find accredited dive ity. ALSO CHECK OUT: Ask outfitters of long standing like around the West End for the Coconut Tree and West End one and only Miss Mazy Ann, a

Divers. If you’ve got the cojones, who makes the island’s best t e explore the bizarre deep-sea conch soup and iguana. gu ar universe of jelly-nosed eels and LearnGuatemala Spanish—and set up base camp—in Antigua l ghost sharks with Karl Stanley,

In the Spanish a rora; a 37-year-old American inven- clockwise: a colonial city to the lush digs at El Convento, u tor who takes aspiring Nemos beach in ­roatán, of Antigua, you’ll find Centro across from the partially intact e/a c

honduras; life r thousands of feet down in his under­water; Linguístico Maya, one of the ruins of the 18th-century Capu- u o swimming s homemade submarine, Idabel. country’s best Spanish lan- chin convent. Antigua is a perfect e with dolphins; g a archae­olo­gical guage schools. In the shadow jumping-off point to stunning, im

artifacts a;

of three towering volcanoes, more than thousand-foot-deep t e

the Centro offers one-on-one Lake Atitlán—30 miles away gu ar

instruction up to seven hours in the western highlands—with l a day with a private tutor; then sheer-cliff trails and vibrant Maya

practice what you’ve learned villages. But don’t go it alone: a rora; u

at outings to local markets and petty theft and violent crime are e/a c r

ruins. For total immersion, stay on the rise throughout the coun- u o s

with one of the school’s hand- try. Always travel in a group with e g vetted local families or check in an experienced guide. —B.T. a im e; iv h c ar

ACCESS AND RESOURCES Doubles from $190; El Convento, k n u

elconventoantigua.com. A week of language instruction, $140; r t e/

Centro Linguístico Maya, clmaya.com. HOW TO GET THERE: g

Delta and Spirit fly into Guatemala City, about 45 minutes ran g a

away. WHEN TO GO: November through August. ALSO CHECK l

OUT: The Maya ruins at Tikal are the most spectacular in all ic er of Central America. At press time, Guatemala’s government d re had extended a state-of-siege warning in the region due to an f op: t

uptick in crime, but Gap Adventures is still running trips to Tikal, m ro

and guides say it’s business as usual, albeit with an increased f security presence; gap.ca. Again, go only with a highly recom- e

mended guide. SAFETY UPDATES: Read the U.S. State Depart- ckwis o

ment’s current advice at travel.state.gov. cl

98 Outside destinations special Central America e Mar d

Track jaguars and whales from a Caribbean eco-lodge a Belize s a C f o

Sandwiched between american ­Barrier Reef—the y s e t

Mexico and Guatemala, largest in the Western Hemi- r English-speaking Belize sphere—is just offshore. From u boasts more than two million April to June, you’ll dive with Co y; tt e acres of forest, 180 miles of migrating whale sharks, which g z/ pristine ­Caribbean coastline, come to feed on coral spawn clockwise: El ­salvador’s izalco Pillit and dozens of innovative during the full moon. —B.T. ­volcano; ana­morós eco-lodges. Two of the best? village; casa de mar; The Hamanasi Resort has uncrowded breaks opher ist treehouse bungalows on a 12- ACCESS AND ­RESOURCES ; Chr

Doubles from $195; s mile stretch of beach minutes t or

from 100-foot waterfalls. ­­Hamanasi Resort, hamanasi s

The soundtrack is chacha­ .com. Doubles from $285; re a laca birds calling raucously, Turtle Inn, coppolaresorts l oppo

and daily activities include .com. HOW TO GET THERE: c tracking jaguar prints in the American, Delta, and d or f Cockscomb Basin Wildlife ­Conti­nental fly direct to cis Sanctuary, ringed by the Maya Belize City; take a puddle- ran f

Mountains. For diving, head to jumper to Dangriga (for f o y

Francis Ford Coppola’s posh Hamanasi) or Placencia s e t

Turtle Inn, where the Meso­ (for Turtle Inn). WHEN TO r u o GO: April to June, between ElExplore Salvador the Libertad coast’s Pacific breaks c the dry and rainy ­seasons. rora; rora;

ALSO CHECK OUT: From The civil war is long past, u a

San ­Ignacio, hike to Actun but ongoing gang violence— ACCESS AND RESOURCES on/ ­Tunichil Muknal, a rare though it rarely affects travel­ Weeklong trips from $2,640 s han archae­ological wet cave ers—means robberies can for two (lodging included); l

lined with Maya ­relics happen. Which is why you’ll cadejoadventures .com. hae

and the tomb of a young see armed guards at the super- HOW TO GET THERE: mic y; y; tt

maiden. Go with Pacz Tours, market and why we recom- ­American and Taca offer e g /

whose guides are certi­fied mend going with a guide. But nonstop flights to San t e m

in caving and wilderness don’t wimp out, because this Salvador from major U.S. o c rescue; ­pacztours.net. tiny country is packed with hubs. WHEN TO GO: empty surf, 7,000-foot active November to May. ALSO y; renee y;

volcanoes, and killer pupu- CHECK OUT: ­Wakesurfing tt e sas—fresh corn tortillas filled in the mangrove-lined g snorkeling with refried beans and cheese. ­tributaries of Estero de anz/ l thatch key; s

above, the o Plan a multisport trip with the Jaltepeque. Ask ­Cadejo’s i turtle inn locals at Cadejo Adventures. owner, Roy Beers, to take o r eco-lodge t

Start 30 minutes south of San you. SAFETY UPDATES: ber l a

Salvador on the La Libertad Read the State Depart- d a ; coast, where uncrowded ­Pacific ment’s current travel t ane

breaks range from mellow El ­advice at travel.state.gov. l p y Sunzal to perilous Punta Roca, l

a legendarily long and bone- one l / y

crushing right. Luxury can be d had for less at Casa de Mar, a enne k series of hillside cottages over- ul a

looking El Sunzal. After a few : p t days of ­guided wave hunting, h ig head inland to El Imposible r op t

National Park for two days m ro

of hiking and canyoneering­ f through epic gorges, with rare e

emerald t­ oucans and aardvarks ckwis o

for company. —B.T. cl

102 Outside destinations special