Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/613854
P A N A M A C O L O M B I A C O S T A R I C A N I C A R A G U A H O N D U R A S E L S A L V A D O R G U A T E M A L A M E X I C O B E L I Z E J A M A I C A Caribbean Sea Panama Canal P A C I F I C O C E A N San Blas Islands Roatan M O S Q U I T O C O A S T Gulf of Fonseca Lake Managua Gulf of Honduras Lake Nicaragua Bay of Coronado Gulf of Chiriquí Gulf of Mosquitos Gulf of Panama Panama City San José Managua Guatemala City San Salvador Tegucigalpa Belmopan Colón David Puntarenas Limón Bluefields Antigua Guatemala San Pedro Sula Belize City Mexico City Connected geographically to North America and culturally to Mexico and South America, this isthmus of seven beautiful countries is a literal bridge between the two. In this subcontinent that floats between worlds, everything here is, in a word, diverse: the rainforested volcanic landscape; the mestizo heritage of European and Native American roots; the variety of foods that springs from fertile ground. Don't just sample but savor chocolate where it was first cultivated by the ancient Mayans and dubbed theobroma—"food of the gods"—cacao. Put on your most adventurous sandals and see if you can identify even close to the 8,000 different plant species in this region's forests. Turn your face skyward to taste clean water that took ten minutes just to permeate the dense canopy of the tropical rainforest from the heavens above. Or, head for the surf and sand. It's not hard in Central America, where not a single destination is farther than 125 miles from the oceans that surround it, and the waves are renowned for being as spectacular as the cloud forests that float languidly between mountain valleys. Will your lasting impression be of minnows that flit between round river rocks and your toes through crystal-clear freshwater streams in Belize? Or the rush of adrenaline you'll awaken in Costa Rica as you soar across a zipline, raft fast-moving currents, and hurtle into forest depths on a bungee? Perhaps the European charm of Nicaragua's Granada—nearly as Moorish and Andalusian as its namesake in Spain—is what you'll remember most vividly. With so many fresh destinations to be discovered in Central America, who's to say what yours will be? Welcome to CENTRAL AMERICA Welcome to Central America | 7