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[troispistoles]

Hi!

How easy is it to rent a car and drive around the countries (Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico)??

We would like to do the Maya Road by ourselves...

Anybody did this before?

Thanks

[mmbcross]

Hello 3 pistoles,

I presume you will be arriving at Cancun. Most (but not all) rental companies will allow you to drive through Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. There is usually an additional fee for documentation and additional insurance may be required.

I suggest you contact directly as many rental companies in Cancun as you can by e-mail to see what their conditions are. Use the same request for all of them. You will have to give them a tentative itinerary with dates of border crossings. Don't try to leave this for arrival in Cancun. It will be a nightmare. Use your "gut feeling" to select the best of the bunch.

Here's a good site that has some advice about driving in this area and a list of car rental companies in Cancun. Note the recommendation regarding insurance. I love their photo of the Hertz rental lot! If the company doesn't have a web site on this list, just google the name. For example I found Master Car by typing - master car cancun or executive cancun.
http://www.cancunsouth.com/get_rentcar.html

If you live in the BVI, the roads in Central America will not be a big deal. Obviously if you are accustomed to North American highways, you may be somewhat put off by narrow, winding mountain roads filled with trucks and daredevil buses belching noxious fumes.

If I were in your shoes, my itinerary would be:
Cancun - Chetumal - Belize City (side trip to Caye Caulker) - San Ignacio - Flores/Tikal (Guatemala) - Rio Dulce - Side trip to Copan, Honduras - Guatemala City (go through - don't stop) - Antigua - Chichicastenango - Panajachel/Lake Atitlan - Quetzaltenango - Huehuetenango - La Mesilla (Return to Mexico) - San Cristobal de las Casas - Tuxtla Gutierrez/El Sumidero Canyon - Palenque - Campeche - Merida - Cancun.

Hope this helps

[troispistoles]

Thank you for your reply!

That looks like what we had in mind, but I think we might go deeper into Honduras for the diving.

We found a car rental company that could let us drive into all these countries, thanks a lot! I will post the details once we are certain.

Did you do a similar trip?

My friend is scared of car attacks, is it that bad around Guatemala? Besides warning to drive at night, I didn't read much about it.

Thanks!

[mmbcross]

I lived in Guatemala for six years. Is there a risk of carjacking? Yes, but it's pretty remote and the only place it is likely to happen is in Guatemala City. I never had a problem in six years, yet a friend of mine was carjacked in his first week after arrival in Guate. Don't let it worry you, just be aware of what's going on around you, especially in larger cities.

Driving at night? I don't find that a problem either. At least you can see the crazy truck and bus drivers coming from afar. There tends to be a lot of traffic early on. Anyway, why drive at night when the scenery is so spectacular. Once we drove from Lake Atitlan to Guatemala City at night and had to drive at 5 MPH due to the dense fog that comes down over the mountains after dark.

You have got the wonderful diving in the Yucatan and Belize. It may not be worth going deep into Honduras for more of the same.

[troispistoles]

Thanks for the advice!

Diving and hiking is our prime objective, so that's a good tip. Also we are not interested in big cities... so Guatemala city will be left out like you said!

Any volcanos you recommend hiking?

Thanks again!

[mmbcross]

Now you have got me started!!!

Here's my story of ascending Pacaya in Guatemala.

ASCENT OF PACAYA
By Martin Crossland, CTC

You can see Pacaya Volcano from Plaza Berlin at the end of Avenida de las Americas in Guatemala City. It is usually smoking, and sometimes at night you can see lava running down its side.

Two or three tour companies organise daily climbs to the summit from Antigua. We sign up for the group operated by “El Gran Jaguar”.

After a ninety minute bus ride, the last part up a bumpy mountain road, we get to the village of San Francisco, which is as far as motorised traffic can go.

18 souls hoist their backpacks and gird their loins for the ascent. We are lead by a 70-year old local guide in wellington boots, tatty red sweater and ancient straw hat. We start up a steep path between the rude shacks and the ever-present garbage of plastic bags, and are soon out in the clean countryside. The soil is jet black, the grass emerald green.

The guide sets a fast pace that does not faze the strapping young Europeans in our group, but old timers like us huff and puff away at the rear. We are chided to keep together, as there have been hold-ups along this wooded trail. We remember films seen on Discovery Channel where predators take out older and weaker game at the back of the herd. If there is to be a hold-up, we will be the victims. Without breath in our lungs to call out for help, we are easy prey.

Living in a poor farming community on subsistence, it’s hard to ignore a daily entourage of tourists arriving from wonderland. The only person profiting in the village is the owner of the Coke stand. Therefore it seems reasonable that some of this wealth be distributed more equally. The backpacks are full of nice warm clothing and unusual food and drink, like power bars and Gatorade. The kids enjoy the food, and the clothes, although usually too large for locals, can be sold in Guatemala City. Unfortunately, this redistribution of wealth gives Guatemalan tourism a poor image. The Tourist Commission, emerging from its traditional lethargy, has finally provided security guards, persuading the less honest local lads to keep their hands off the goodies.

Coming out of the woods we can relax a little, allowing the racehorses to gallop up the hill, while we oxen shuffle up far behind.

What a formidable sight! The cone of the volcano is black and absolutely bare of vegetation. Smoke seeps out of the gravel flank, the top virtually obscured by sulphurous fumes. Our guide relates that during eruptions, visitors can see lava and molten rocks being tossed into the air like a fiery fountain. Tours are run even at these times, when the trip seems more popular than ever!

For every two upward steps, you slide down one. Above, our file of climbers is etched on the horizon disappearing through the smoke as if entering inferno. A bizarre sight.

It is a tough, but not difficult, climb. The fumes at times are strong obliging you to cover your face with articles of clothing. We can see little of the crater as it is obscured by smoke, but can vaguely discern molten lava swilling about below.

The return is a breeze, and in less than an hour we are back at the Coke stand, handing out the remaining titbits of our supplies to the local children.

[blancarupley]

Dear Sir, what was the name of the car rental you obtained that allowed you to drive into all these countries and what was the fee approximately for.

Thank You!!!!!!
Regards, Blanca

Thank you for your reply!

That looks like what we had in mind, but I think we might go deeper into Honduras for the diving.

We found a car rental company that could let us drive into all these countries, thanks a lot! I will post the details once we are certain.

Did you do a similar trip?

My friend is scared of car attacks, is it that bad around Guatemala? Besides warning to drive at night, I didn't read much about it.

Thanks!

[jarod007]

I'm currently living in Nicaragua. I am looking to see what rental car companies will let you travel to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. If you can let me know, ASAP, it would be greatly appreciated!

Vaya con Dios!

[troispistoles]

Finally I am back from my road trip, it was amazing!

We rented from a place called Caribbean Rent a Car, in Cancun.

The cost was around 800$ US for 3 weeks...

Anyways they told us we could cross from Guatemala to Mexico (Western Borders) because we would need a special visa.

Well we did it and nothing happened there. No fees, no visas. I guess they didn't want us to drive too many miles with their car, which we did anyways!!

No problems on the road, maybe just in Belize where the streets were not too good, and generally there was a lack of directions, everywhere!

I recommend it to anybody who likes a good road trip! Lots of driving, but worth it for the views and the people you meet!

Antigua will be my favorite of all! We did climb the volcano Pacaya, and we saw some lava, just inches away from us.

Anyway if anybody needs tips, just post questions!!

[lcasas]

Finally I am back from my road trip, it was amazing!

We rented from a place called Caribbean Rent a Car, in Cancun.

The cost was around 800$ US for 3 weeks...

Anyways they told us we could cross from Guatemala to Mexico (Western Borders) because we would need a special visa.

Well we did it and nothing happened there. No fees, no visas. I guess they didn't want us to drive too many miles with their car, which we did anyways!!

No problems on the road, maybe just in Belize where the streets were not too good, and generally there was a lack of directions, everywhere!

I recommend it to anybody who likes a good road trip! Lots of driving, but worth it for the views and the people you meet!

Antigua will be my favorite of all! We did climb the volcano Pacaya, and we saw some lava, just inches away from us.

Anyway if anybody needs tips, just post questions!!

[lcasas]

Finally I am back from my road trip, it was amazing!

We rented from a place called Caribbean Rent a Car, in Cancun.

The cost was around 800$ US for 3 weeks...

Anyways they told us we could cross from Guatemala to Mexico (Western Borders) because we would need a special visa.

Well we did it and nothing happened there. No fees, no visas. I guess they didn't want us to drive too many miles with their car, which we did anyways!!

No problems on the road, maybe just in Belize where the streets were not too good, and generally there was a lack of directions, everywhere!

I recommend it to anybody who likes a good road trip! Lots of driving, but worth it for the views and the people you meet!

Antigua will be my favorite of all! We did climb the volcano Pacaya, and we saw some lava, just inches away from us.

Anyway if anybody needs tips, just post questions!!

hi i am traveling to Guatemala in a few days and plan to do volcan de pacaya i am 50 the rest of the people are young, any tips i should know? is it true that you can't ware regular tenis shoes? how about Belize did you spend any days there? if so where did you staY any recommendations/

[mmbcross]

plan to do volcan de pacaya i am 50 the rest of the people are young,

Hello Icasas. I was 60 years of age when I climbed Pacaya. If you are reasonably fit there will be no problem at all. Security is much better now than it was when I did it.

If I were in your shoes, my itinerary would be:
Cancun - Chetumal - Belize City (side trip to Caye Caulker) - San Ignacio - Flores/Tikal (Guatemala) - Rio Dulce - Side trip to Copan, Honduras - Guatemala City (go through - don't stop) - Antigua - Chichicastenango - Panajachel/Lake Atitlan - Quetzaltenango - Huehuetenango - La Mesilla (Return to Mexico) - San Cristobal de las Casas - Tuxtla Gutierrez/El Sumidero Canyon - Palenque - Campeche - Merida - Cancun.

Hello Troispistoles. Congratulations on your magnificent endeavour. How much of this itinerary did you accomplish?