Hi, I've got an ambitious plan to cycle from Cancún to Panama City starting in February. I've cycled long distances in various parts of the world before but if you've cycled in this area, I'd love to hear any sort of advice, regarding safety or which routes I should take, or anything really.
Hi Maggi,
That's a pretty vague opening post giving us no details of time, type of bike, whether you're planning to camp etc.....
I've cycled from México to Panama but even though that was only a couple of years ago a lot has changed.
First of all, for safety info I've come to like the Australian Smart Traveller website for relevant safety info. Things can change quickly. For example, Cancún, which was never a problem area has become more difficult. Similarly, El Salvador and Honduras both have large areas under Martial Law currently.
iOverlander is a good app for finding places to camp, cheap hotels and other services.
CrazyGuyOnABike is a great resource for info and routes and there are several Facebook groups.
The basics of Spanish will greatly enhance the experience.
The Summary:
México was glorious but I was not in the area that you are starting from. I believe that area is challenging due to temperatures and humidity.
Guatemala was a mystical place but I far preferred the smaller places to the big cities.
Honduras was one of the friendliest places I have ever cycled
Nicaragua was interesting but due to a race to get a Covid vaccine I was very fast through the traditional, touristy areas in the south.
Costa Rica is beautiful but very difficult on a bike with narrow roads, no shoulders and fast traffic. I believe it has the highest per capita death rate on the roads in the world.
Panama? I hated it. And I did not go to Panama City which has its own challenges to access on a bike.
Both Panama & Costa Rica are far more expensive.
You can pick up the Pan American Highway in southern México and while it's an iconic road in the imagination, in reality, it varies greatly and I found myself looking to get off it as much as possible.
Security is obviously something to be aware of but my experiences were positive with the exception of an armed mugging in Guatemala City - off the bike.
You can find a write up of my adventures, the good and the bad in the Travelogue section or see where I travelled in more detail on Strava under this handle.
Depending on your preferences you may want to investigate the more off-road options. Bikepacking.com is a good place to start.
I'm happy to answer more questions but you'll need to be more specific with your questions. It's a pretty interesting part of the world.
