Central America clearly covers a number of different countries, but all our featured destinations – Guatemala, Nicaragua, the Yucatan Peninsula of America and Cuba – are safe to travel around and present minimum risk to visitors.

As we specialise in private tours of our featured countries, we will always design itineraries that are enjoyable, practical and safe, fully supported by our wonderful local agents.

For our UK clients, country by country information can be found via the Foreign & Commonwealth office website at https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

There are currently no compulsory vaccinations for travelers from the UK visiting any of our featured Central America destinations. Those visiting from an ‘at-risk’ yellow fever country will probably need to provide evidence of vaccination against the disease.

Regardless of the lack of mandatory vaccinations, we strongly advise all our clients to seek expert guidance on recommended vaccinations for their intended holiday destination. In the UK that can be from your GP or https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/

Clearly, every country in Central America will have different rules regarding visas, including different rules for different nationalities. We are happy to provide guidance to UK passport holders on the visa situation for our featured destinations while up to date advice can also be found via the Foreign & Commonwealth office website at https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

Aside from visas, many countries now require all visitors to register online before arrival, often for a fee.

Please note too that, for those visitors travelling to Central America via the United States, at the very least an ESTA will be required, at worst a full visa.

While it may not always be mandatory to have travel insurance when visiting Central America (travel insurance is however compulsory when visiting Cuba), our advice is that it is foolhardy to travel without it. It is also a condition of booking a holiday with Beyond The Ordinary that clients have full travel insurance.

Although the vast majority of visits to Central America pass off without incident, should you have an accident or become ill while on holiday, medical costs can quickly mount. Should your situation require medical repatriation to your home country, the costs involved will be substantial.

While all Central American countries (with the notable exception of El Salvador) have their own national currencies, the US$ still holds considerable weight in the region and can often be used to make direct purchases for goods and services, especially in Cuba, Nicaragua & El Salvador.

Even where it is not possible to pay in US$, if taking cash to change into local currency, the US$ will always be the easiest currency to change and result in the most beneficial exchange rate. We recommend against taking GBP £s to Central America.