Costa Rica Costa Rica is by far the safest place to travel in Central America, with a low level of crime and violence and a highly developed tourist infrastructure. In fact, the country doesn't even have an army, it was abolished in 1949. Costa Rica is generally considered to be the safest country in Central America. To top it all off, Costa Rica is an absolutely stunning country with friendly people, unforgettable cloud forests, and beautiful beaches. In addition, for the most part, foreigners largely get a “pass” when it comes to this type of instability and violence.
Your experience as a tourist in El Salvador is very different from the experience of those who live in poverty on the fringes of society and those who are most affected by insecurity, drug-related violence, gangs, etc. That said, I have traveled to a variety of places that are often perceived as dangerous (such as Yemen, Colombia, Mexico) that influence my own perception of risk and danger. Before my life as a nomadic traveler, I also lived in big cities like Seattle or Washington DC, which have their own safety issues. All of this means that if you've never left your small hometown, you might feel more worried, worried, or wary in ANY of these destinations than any other traveler with more experience.
I include Mexico in this list because geographically it is partially located within Central America and the United Nations considers it part of the Central American geoscheme. Not only that, but it also provides a good framework or basis for evaluating the other Central American countries, since more travelers are familiar with Mexico than with its neighbors to the south. Mexico is incredible, without a doubt. Of all our time in Mexico and Central America, Mexico easily stands out as the “best place to travel” simply because of the wide variety of things it has to offer.
From beaches, mountains, cities, food, culture, low prices, etc. Perceived insecurity when traveling through Mexico extends across much of the country, from problems related to drug trafficking near the border to the interior, in areas that are not as easily affected by drug trafficking. It was also here that two people who were cycling around Mexico were killed and thrown into a ravine. Of course, the inept or corrupt police initially said that both passengers had plummeted off a cliff, but it was quickly discovered that was a lie.
Mexico is undoubtedly the only country where most travelers have died in the region, whether in attempted robbery or other strange circumstances. Mexico was incredible, without a doubt, but I would also consider it the most dangerous country in the region for travelers. Mexico is also the only country (in all of Latin America, actually) where we had more problems with corrupt police, since we had to fight with them on numerous occasions to avoid giving them money. Sometimes, it seems that they are more focused on extorting money from people than on protecting them.
It is important to remember that Mexico is the third most populated country in the Western Hemisphere (behind the United States and Brazil), and it is the sixth most popular tourist destination in the world, with millions of visitors every month, and yet, there are few serious incidents among tourists. All of this only serves to show you that we can objectively observe that it's actually quite safe, even if you might subjectively feel like the least safe of all these countries. El Salvador has an enormous environment of insecurity that makes it difficult to know if it is a remnant of the bad days of the past or a reality of the bad days of the present. I loved El Salvador, but it definitely has a strange sense of insecurity almost everywhere.
When we think of Panama, we think of the canal and the glittering towers of Panama City, but there's also a whole country beyond that. Panama, in general, feels quite safe, but there is also an occasional environment of insecurity, even beyond the obvious things, such as the slums of Panama City. Like everywhere else in the region, Panama felt safe for the most part, but there were times when it just felt a little “out of place” and made you question or doubt things, at least more than elsewhere in the region. Honduras is much like the rest of Central America, friendly and welcoming, and with a little street smarts, you should be absolutely fine.
Is Honduras safe? For many locals, the answer may be a resounding no, but for tourists I think it's an equally safe or safer destination than some neighboring countries. Belize itself felt quite safe, with the exception of Belize City, and the people along the coast or the islands are very friendly and welcoming (the inland ones, not so much). In reality, Belize City is quite incomplete and it's perfectly fine to avoid it, unless you need to visit it for a trip to the islands or to the airport. But with that said, we felt safe practically everywhere we went and had no major concerns while traveling through Nicaragua.
For those reasons (safe, interesting, and affordable), I would choose Guatemala as one of the best destinations for a traveler on a budget heading to Central America for the first time. While there may be bandits in some more remote stretches of Guatemala, particularly in the border areas, the problems most tourists face here in Guatemala are more likely to be things like being overcharged, being charged prices to tourists, or perhaps some gastrointestinal problems (but that happens throughout the region). Costa Rica was the place where we felt safest to venture along unknown and remote roads, camp freely in public spaces instead of in secure and paid camps, etc. Costa Rica is generally considered to be the safest Central American country.
Friendly locals, a vibrant expat population, a developed tourist infrastructure, and low crime rates make it a great place to travel solo. It even ranks 32nd out of 163 countries when it comes to overall peace, ahead of France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Argentina. Petty crime is still high in major cities, but visitors are unlikely to face violent crime and corruption in Costa Rica. Montevideo, in Uruguay, is widely considered the safest place on the South American continent according to the Global Peace Index.
Not only does it have some award-winning hostels, many say that Costa Rica is the safest country in Central America, let's take a look. In addition to that, Ecuador is among the 100 safest countries in the world and is one of the safest places to visit in Latin America. It would be a shame to miss out on everything Central American countries have to offer, especially since the short answer is yes, it is safe to travel in Central America. When you feel like traveling to Central America, it's hard to know which countries are the safest to visit.
Panama ranks second after Costa Rica in terms of being one of the safest countries in Central America. My own ranking of the safest and most dangerous countries in Central America is totally subjective and is not based on statistical violence (once again, which largely affects ONLY the locals), but rather is based on my own perceptions, as well as on the anecdotal evidence of my traveling companions and conversations with them. Similar to Uruguay in more than just the name, Paraguay is another Latin American country that has somehow managed to stay off the tourist radar. The vast majority of locals are happy that you visit their country and want to ensure that you have the safest and most pleasant visit possible.
This is the safest country in Central America, as many visitors to this country don't have negative experiences. In any case, let's move on to my list of the safest countries in Central America, starting with those that are considered the most dangerous to those that are perceived to be the safest. Most people don't realize that Argentina is the eighth largest country in the world and the second largest country in South America. There are dangerous areas in every country, but if you visit the right places, maintain your wits, and behave with respect, you can visit Latin America with confidence and without fear.
It is also one of the safest countries in South America and is even among the 100 safest countries in the world. So there you have it, what I would consider to be the safest countries in Central America along with what I would consider to be the most dangerous countries in Central America. .
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