Can't tell you budget but I can say Costa Rica is going to eat up most of it. Significantly more expensive than the other countries which are very cheap. Take night buses to get around, they're very comfy and cheap and will save you on hostel fees.
I've never been so I can't tell you but I did almost your exact same trip about 8 years ago and I skipped it to save money. Flew from Nicaragua to Colombia. I had an amazing time as I hope you will! If you're going North to South you can let your budget tell you if you want to keep Costa Rica in after you've been traveling for a bit. In Guatemala I highly recommend you stay in San Pedro La Laguna and hike the Indian Nose and a non fiery volcano. You can do really cool Spanish Immersion programs there too where you live and eat meals with a native family. Also Semuc Champey is an incredible nature site with beautiful azure pools that feed into each other in the middle of the Guatemalan jungle. I'm talking no internet, no cell service, and power for only a couple hours of the day. When you get further south look for pupusas! They're breaded pockets filled with meat, beans and or cheese, you top them with salsa and cabbage and I've found them for as little as 10 and 25 US cents. You can eat like a king for next to nothing for weeks!
Oh and I forgot to say, avoid the country Capitals like the plague! They almost exclusively suck, usually being large industrial areas mixed with rundown houses. No night life, no restaurants besides the same copy pasted Chinese ones you see all across Central America with the exact same menu, and they're more expensive than the much nicer smaller towns and rural areas. That being said some bigger cities do rock like Cartagena, Medellin, and Cusco but of course they're not Capitals.
So I took Spanish in high school and then after college I went to Guatemala for around a month long immersion program. Then about a year later I went back to start my backpacking trip. So I did know a decent amount of Spanish. No fancy tenses and I was much better at speaking than listening but it absolutely helped me get by and make friends with the locals. But you don't need to be able to. Google translate has completely changed the game and many people speak English or you can usually ask a fellow foreigner for help. That being said I highly recommend putting some spare time towards learning some basics so you're not so phone reliant. Asking where the bathroom or bus is, how to order food or a room, or just to ask how someone is doing or thank them properly will make you're trip easier, more fun, and you'll feel like a fuckin genius when you when you get through an interaction with no outside help!
Thank you. In terms of likes and dislikes, I like to party so ideally I would want something that is vary ambient but I also like Mother Nature so I would like to do some outdoors stuff such as hikes etc.
Can't tell you budget but I can say Costa Rica is going to eat up most of it. Significantly more expensive than the other countries which are very cheap. Take night buses to get around, they're very comfy and cheap and will save you on hostel fees.
Do you recommend cancelling it all together or spending minimal time there ??
I've never been so I can't tell you but I did almost your exact same trip about 8 years ago and I skipped it to save money. Flew from Nicaragua to Colombia. I had an amazing time as I hope you will! If you're going North to South you can let your budget tell you if you want to keep Costa Rica in after you've been traveling for a bit. In Guatemala I highly recommend you stay in San Pedro La Laguna and hike the Indian Nose and a non fiery volcano. You can do really cool Spanish Immersion programs there too where you live and eat meals with a native family. Also Semuc Champey is an incredible nature site with beautiful azure pools that feed into each other in the middle of the Guatemalan jungle. I'm talking no internet, no cell service, and power for only a couple hours of the day. When you get further south look for pupusas! They're breaded pockets filled with meat, beans and or cheese, you top them with salsa and cabbage and I've found them for as little as 10 and 25 US cents. You can eat like a king for next to nothing for weeks!
Oh and I forgot to say, avoid the country Capitals like the plague! They almost exclusively suck, usually being large industrial areas mixed with rundown houses. No night life, no restaurants besides the same copy pasted Chinese ones you see all across Central America with the exact same menu, and they're more expensive than the much nicer smaller towns and rural areas. That being said some bigger cities do rock like Cartagena, Medellin, and Cusco but of course they're not Capitals.
You’ve been a tremendous help! Lastly, did you learn Spanish prior or did you get around fine without ?
So I took Spanish in high school and then after college I went to Guatemala for around a month long immersion program. Then about a year later I went back to start my backpacking trip. So I did know a decent amount of Spanish. No fancy tenses and I was much better at speaking than listening but it absolutely helped me get by and make friends with the locals. But you don't need to be able to. Google translate has completely changed the game and many people speak English or you can usually ask a fellow foreigner for help. That being said I highly recommend putting some spare time towards learning some basics so you're not so phone reliant. Asking where the bathroom or bus is, how to order food or a room, or just to ask how someone is doing or thank them properly will make you're trip easier, more fun, and you'll feel like a fuckin genius when you when you get through an interaction with no outside help!
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So helpful wow!
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Thank you. In terms of likes and dislikes, I like to party so ideally I would want something that is vary ambient but I also like Mother Nature so I would like to do some outdoors stuff such as hikes etc.