This is the Belize chapter from Lonely Planet’s Central America guidebook.

With one foot in the Central American jungles and the other in the Caribbean Sea, pint-sized Belize is packed with islands, adventure and culture. The Belize Barrier Reef is the second largest in the world, and is paradise for scuba divers and snorkelers.

• avail yourself of the amazing array of aquatic activities – from kitesurfing and paddleboarding to snorkeling and diving – at Caye Caulker
• maps
• do some serious spelunking in Actun Tunichil Muknal, Belize’s most dramatic cave
• transport
• enjoy a sunset cocktail on the deck of a sailboat cruising offshore San Pedro
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Belize City & Around, Northern Cays, Caye Caulker, Ambergris Caye & San Pedro, Northern Belize, Community Baboon Sanctuary, Altun Ha, Lamanai, Orange Walk Town, Corozal Town, Sarteneja, Western Belize (Cayo District), Belmopan & Around, Hummingbird Highway, San Ignacio, Mountain Pine Ridge & Caracol, West to Guatemala, South-ern Belize, Dangriga, Central Cays, Hopkins & Sittee Point, Placencia, Punta Gorda, Toledo Vil-lages, Understand Belize, Belize Today, History, Culture, Landscape & Wildlife, Survival Guide.

This is the Costa Rica chapter from Lonely Planet’s Central America guide-book.

The bellowing of howler monkeys echoes across the treetops. Magnificent frigate birds circle high overhead, while less-than-sonorous squawking reveals a pair of scarlet macaws. Morning is breaking in Costa Rica’s coastal rainforest.

• slide silently through Tortuguero’s jungle canals in search of wildlife or volunteer to protect endangered sea turtles
• maps
• surf, sample the culinary scene, laze on the beach and party in Puerto Viejo de Talaman-ca
• transport
• hike the slopes of Volcán Arenal, then soothing your weary muscles with a soak in volca-no-heated pools around La Fortuna
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: San José, Central Valley & Highlands, Alajuela, Parque Nacional Volcán Poás, Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, Cartago, Valle de Orosi, Turrialba, Carib-bean Coast, Tortuguero Village, Puerto Limón, Cahuita, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Sixaola, Are-nal & Northern Lowlands, La Fortuna & Volcán Arenal, Tilarán, Los Chiles, Sarapiquí Valley, Northwestern Costa Rica, Monteverde & Santa Elena, Liberia, Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja, La Cruz, Península de Nicoya, Playas del Coco, Playa Tamarindo, Playa Sámara, Mal País & Santa Teresa, Montezuma, Central Pacific Coast, Puntarenas, Parque Nacional Carara, Jacó, Quepos, Manuel Antonio, Dominical, Uvita, Southern Costa Rica & Península de Osa, San Isidro de El General, San Gerardo de Rivas, Palmar, Sierpe, Bahía Drake, Puerto Jiménez, Parque Nacional Corcovado, Golfito, Pavones, Paso Canoas, Understand Costa Rica, Costa Rica Today, History, Culture, Landscape, Wildlife, Survival Guide.

This is the El Salvador chapter from Lonely Planet’s Central America guide-book.

El Salvador suffers horribly from bad press. While gang violence still dominates international headlines – and keeps so many adventurous travelers at bay – the vast majority of this beautiful country remains untouched by ‘the troubles.’

• track your gourmet coffee from plantation to cup on the Ruta de las Flores
• maps
• hike the Parque Nacional Los Volcanes’ active peaks
• transport
• kayak through mangroves in the Bahía de Jiquilisco
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: San Salvador, Central El Salvador, Santa Tecla, La Libertad, La Costa del Bálsamo, Western El Salvador, Santa Ana, Parque Nacional Los Volcanes, Lago de Coatepeque, Chalchuapa, Metapán, Parque Nacional Montecristo, Ruta de las Flores, Sonsonate, Tacuba, Parque Nacional El Imposible, Eastern El Salvador, Cojutepeque, Ilobasco & San Sebastian, San Vicente, Alegría, Usulután, Bahía de Jiquilisco, San Miguel, La Unión & Around, Golfo de Fonseca Islands, Morazán, Northern El Salvador, Suchitoto, La Palma, Under-stand El Salvador, El Salvador Today, History, Culture, Landscape & Wildlife, Survival Guide.

This is the Guatemala chapter from Lonely Planet’s Central America guide-book.

Central America’s most diverse country captivates travelers with its amazing landscapes and a culture that reaches back centuries. If you’re into the Maya, mountains, markets, kicking back lakeside or exploring atmospheric pre-Columbian ruins and gorgeous colonial villages, you’re bound to be entranced.

• sidestep the tour groups to find out for yourself why Tikal is Guatemala’s number-one tourist attraction
• maps
• eat, drink and sleep well, study Spanish and climb volcanoes in cosmopolitan and pictur-esque Antigua
• transport
• see another side of Guatemala in Lívingston
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Guatemala City, Antigua, Parque Central & Around The Highlands, Lago de Atitlán, Chichicastenango, Santa Cruz del Quiché, Nebaj, Uspantán, Quetzaltenango, Huehuetenango, Todos Santos Cuchumatán, The Pacific Slope, Retalhuleu, Champerico, El Paredón, Monterrico, Central Guatemala, Salamá & Around, Biotopo del Quetzal, Cobán & Around, El Oriente, Chiquimula, Esquipulas, Quiriguá, Lago de Izabal, Puerto Barrios, Lívingston, El Petén, Sayaxché, Ceibal, Flores & Santa Elena, El Remate, Tikal, Uaxactún, Yaxhá, El Mirador, Understand Guatemala, Guatemala Today, History, Culture, Arts, Landscape & Wildlife, Survival Guide.

This is the Honduras chapter from Lonely Planet’s Central America guidebook.

Reef-fringed white beaches, jungle-covered mountains, exquisite Maya ruins, colonial, cobble-stone villages, fresh seafood grilled on the beach…Yes, all this is found in Honduras, a country of-ten hurried through or avoided entirely due to its dangerous image.

• bliss out in dive-bum heaven in Utila, with beautiful marine life and wild nightlife
• maps
• gaze at Copán’s extraordinary Maya stone carvings and epic ancient structures near a charming, cobblestone village
• transport
• be dazzled by the bluest waters and finest beaches of Cayos Cochinos
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Tegucigalpa, Western Honduras, Comayagua, La Es-peranza, Marcala, Lago de Yojoa & Around, San Pedro Sula, Copán Ruinas & Around, Copán Ar-chaeological Site, Gracias & Around, Northern Honduras, Omoa, Puerto Cortés, Tela & Around, La Ceiba & Around, Trujillo, Bay Islands, Roatán, Utila, The Moskitia, Laguna de Ibans, Reserva de la Biósfera del Río Plátano, Palacios, Brus Laguna, Puerto Lempira, Southern Honduras & Isla del Tigre, Understand Honduras, Honduras Today, History, Culture, Landscape & Wildlife, Survival Guide.

This is the Mexico’s Yucatán & Chiapas chapter from Lonely Planet’s Central Ameri-ca guidebook.

Flanked by the turquoise waters of the Caribbean and the wildlife-rich Gulf coast, the Yucatán Peninsula wows visitors with its Maya ruins, limestone swimming holes, colorful coral reefs and soulful colonial cities.

• wander magnificent Mérida and feast on local treats
• maps
• scale the jungly hills and soaring Maya temples of Palenque
• transport
• snorkel with 15-ton whale sharks around Isla Holbox or spot rare birds in nearby islands
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: The Yucatán, Cancún, Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Isla Cozumel, Tulum, Cobá, Laguna Bacalar, Mahahual, Valladolid, Chichén It-zá, Mérida, Campeche, Chiapas, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Lagos de Montebello, Yaxchilán, Pa-lenque, Agua Azul & Misol-Ha, Understand Mexico’s Yucatán & Chiapas, Mexico’s Yucatán & Chiapas Today, History, Culture, Landscape & Wildlife, Survival Guide.

This is the Nicaragua chapter from Lonely Planet’s Central America guide-book.

Nicaragua offers travelers volcanic landscapes, colonial architecture, sensational beaches, re-mote, idyllic islands, wave-battered Pacific beaches and pristine forests. Few destinations have such beauty as Nicaragua, yet remain undeveloped.

• scramble to the summits for views to everywhere and beyond on lush and lovely Isla de Ometepe
• maps
• swim through crystal-clear Caribbean waters in the Corn Islands
• transport
• savor the architectural delights and spirited streets of colorful Granada
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Managua & Around, Granada & the Masaya Region, Granada & Around, Masaya, Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya, Los Pueblos Blancos, Carazo Towns, Southwestern Nicaragua, Rivas, Isla de Ometepe, Southern Pacific Coast, San Juan del Sur & Around, Tola & the Tola Beaches, León & Northwestern Nicaragua, León & Around, Co-sigüina Peninsula Beaches, Chinandega & Around, Potosí, Reserva Natural Volcán Cosigüina, Volcanoes near León, Northern Highlands, Estelí, Área Protegida Miraflor, Área Protegida Cerro Tisey-Estanzuela, Somoto, Jinotega, Matagalpa, Dipilto, Jalapa, La Dalia & Peñas Blancas, Reserva Natural Cerro Datanlí-El Diablo, Reserva Natural Cerro El Arenal, San Juan de Limay, San Ramón, Caribbean Coast, Bluefields, Pearl Lagoon & Around, Corn Islands, Bilwi (Puerto Cabezas), Miskito Keys, Waspám & the Río Coco, Río San Juan Department, San Carlos, Under-stand Nicaragua, Nicaragua Today, History, Culture, Landscape & Wildlife, Survival Guide.

This is the Panama chapter from Lonely Planet’s Central America guidebook.

In Panama, nature is all about discovery. Explore the ruins of Spanish forts on the Caribbean coast, paddle deep into indigenous territories in a dugout canoe, or explore the wonders of the marine world while diving with whale sharks in the Pacific.

• while the days away sipping coconuts and snorkeling at laid-back resorts on the Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro
• maps
• fuel up for highland adventures with local mountain-grown coffee in Boquete, the town of eternal spring
• transport
• spend the day admiring the faded glory of Panama City’s Casco Viejo, then revel till sunrise on Calle Uruguay
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Panama City & Around, Panama Canal & Around, Isla Taboga, Archipiélago de las Perlas, Pacific Coast & Highlands, El Valle, Farallón & Playa Blanca, Chitré, Pedasí, Sunset Coast, Playa Venao, Santa Catalina, Santa Fé, Chiriquí Province, David, Golfo de Chiriquí, Playa Las Lajas, Boquete, Parque Nacional Volcán Barú, Volcán, Cerro Punta, Parque Internacional La Amistad (Las Nubes), Bocas del Toro Province, Isla Colón, Isla Carenero, Isla Bastimentos, Isla San Cristóbal, Almirante, Changuinola, Colón Province, Colón & Around, Portobelo, Isla Grande, Comarca de Guna Yala, Darién Province, Metetí, Yaviza, El Real, Rancho Frío, La Palma, Reserva Natural Punta Patiño, Sambú, Understand Panama, Panama Today, History, Culture, Arts, Sports, Landscape & Wildlife, Survival Guide.

This chapter contains the Welcome to Central America, Central America’s Top 17, Need to Know, First Time Central America, If You Like..., Month by Month, Itineraries, Big Adventures, Small Budgets, Outdoor Activities, and Countries at a Glance chapters from Lonely Planet’s Central America guidebook.

Your journey to Central America starts here. You’ll find the tools to plan your adventure: where to go and when, how much to budget, plus in-depth info for first-time visitors.

• tailor-made itineraries, arranged by region, themes and events
• list of highlights and best experiences
• everything you need to know about outdoor activities
• user-friendly country overview ensures you won’t miss a thing

Coverage includes: Welcome to Central America, Central America’s Top 17, Need to Know, First Time Central America, If You Like: Snorkeling, Hiking, Wildlife Watching, Scuba Diving, Off the Beaten Track, Colonial Cities, Surfing, Ruins, Volcanoes, Beaches, Yoga, Month by Month, Itineraries, Big Adventures, Small Budgets, Outdoor Activities, and Countries at a Glance.

This chapter contains the Central America Today, History, People & Society, Arts & Culture, Directory A–Z, Transportation, and Language chapters from Lonely Planet’s Central Ameri-ca guidebook.

All the info you need on everything from history, people and society to flights, public transport, climate, money, the internet... you name it. Get tips for women travellers, gay and lesbian travel-lers, travellers with disabilities, and travellers with kids. And get the most out of your conversations with a handy language guide and glossary.

• a rundown on the issues facing the region today
• info on the people and society of Central America
• full coverage of Central America’s big history, from the Maya to conquistadors and be-yond
• details on the arts & culture that makes the region tick

Coverage includes: Central America Today, History, People & Society, Arts & Culture, Directory A–Z, Transportation, and Language.