© 2007-8 dare2go.com - no commercial use or re-publishing
permitted!
© 2010 for 2010 updates Ian Cassidy - no commercial use or republishing permitted!
Based on the list first published on Dare2go.com and
redistributed with their permission. Updated with additional
sites and our observations when revisiting sites already on
the list.
-
The Dare2go.com guys travelled with a FORD F250 Truck
Camper, ~ 6.4m (22 feet) long, 3.17m (10.5 feet) high and did
not check sites for larger rigs.
-
We travelled with a Class C, 26ft long, 11ft high and 8.5ft wide.
Our updates are marked “2010”. You can read about our trip at
http://grumpyinamerica.wordpress.com/
-
The GPX file with all the campsites listed below is embedded
on the Right hand side of this doc. Just here -
camping
11052010.zip
>
For some reason the icon is not always visible. Just try clicking
on it. If you have difficulties email me on
ian.x.cassidy(at)gmail.com
1 .
M e x i c o
[$ = Prices in Mexican PESOS - current January-June 2007]
TOWN /
CAMP SITE
La Pesca / Gulf
Coast
GPS
N 23°47.390
W097°47.948
PRICE P.
NIGHT
$170
La Gaviota Resort
Cerro Azul / Hwy
180
DESCRIPTION / OUR IMPRESSION
garden of small lake front resort, very quiet!
on grass, tents?, pool, power, water, waste dump,
clean toilets, hot showers with plenty of water
N 21°08.256
W097°45.119
$180
grassy, shaded sideyard of hotel (by the hour), close
to highway bend, traffic noise!
Condado Western
Auto Hotel &
o.k. toilets with warm showers, power, water, 1 or 2
dumps
Trailer Park
Emerald Coast /
N 20°17.691
$140
nice looking place & friendly people, camp on grass
Gulf
W096°50.314
under palm trees, unfortunately near a TOPE and
Quinta Alicia
noisy all night (trucks), tents o.k.
full hook-ups: water, power, waste, clean bathrooms
w. warm showers, 2 pools
near Casitas /
Gulf
N 20°16'55.6"
W096°49'36.0"
$120 / day
next to Neptuno, for which the GPS location applies,
$ 800 / week
some English, nice people, camp on grass some
Yuri's de Alba
distance from highway (still a little noise), ocean
KM 86, Monte
front, large palapa, tents o.k.
Gordo, Tecolutla
water, power (weak), waste dump, WiFi, clean(-ish)
bathrooms w. hot showers, large pool
2010 – Rundown. No Wifi and pool in poor shape.
We moved next door to Neptuno. Far better.
Hotel room due to
battery problems
Hotel Libres in
N 19°28.343
W097°40.961
$120
secure parking in back, private bath w. hot shower,
room w. bath
rooms in back are quiet(-ish), tope in front, bed bugs
(??)
Libres
there's a large PEMEX almost across the road,
where one could probably stay
Cholula near
Puebla
N 19°04.357
W096°17.729
$140 / day
large grassed yard, some shade, (sometimes)
$ 840 / week
gated, good access to shopping and collectivos into
Puebla
Las Americanas
power, water, waste hook-ups, ensuite style
bathrooms w. hot showers, sometimes clean,
sometimes not, tour groups stop here
ask son of owner (white house in back) for free WiFi
access code, quiet for city location
San Juan
Teotihuacan
N 19°40.580
W098°52.124
$150 - 200
grassed yard, some shade, gated, right in town,
good access to ruins, shopping, and bus into Mexico
Teotihuacan
City (40 minutes)
Trailer Park
(weak) power, water, waste hook-ups, o.k.
bathrooms w. hot showers, caravans stop here (then
it can be crowded), noisy church bells nearby,
friendly owner speaks English, ask for free WiFi
access code, safe place to leave vehicle and bus
into Mexico City
San Miguel de
Allende
N 20°54.435
W100°44.938
$164 / day
new campground in walking distance to town, still
$980 / week
improving! very friendly owners, who speak very
San Miguel Tennis
good English, and keep the place very clean!
& RV
narrow access gate, when we were there parking on
web site for
clay (like tennis courts) under some trees, will be
bookings
grassed one day, no tents, good power, water,
waste hook-ups, excellent free WiFi, "cleanest
ensuite style bathrooms in Mexico" with hot
showers, noise from roosters (owners are planning
to remove them) and nearby church, sometimes
noisy parties nearby until midnight
Guanajuato
Bogamville RV
N 20°56.683
W101°15.497
$150
well outside town, bus connection, large grassed
yard away from road, quiet, power, water, dump
Park
station, showers not working!, only 2 toilets, large
caravans stop here frequently (then it will be
crowded)
Guanajuato
Morrill Camping
N 21°01.490
W101°15.149
$150
small campground near Panorámica on hillside
above Guanajuato, steep and narrow access, level
terraces, very steep walk into town, only 4-6 sites,
tents o.k., barking dogs all night (though in the
distance)
power, water, waste dumps, old o.k.-ish bathrooms
w. hot showers, free WiFi, some parking for
neighbours
El Rosario
Monarch
N 19°35.090
W100°16.187
free
take the upper parking lot, which has some level
sections, lower lot for tour buses, quiet and cool
Butterfly
Sanctuary near
(3,000+ meters) at night, busy during day, clean
public toilets (w. bucket flush), tip attendant
Ocampo
Pátzcuaro
Villa Pátzcuaro
N 19°32.047
W101°36.601
$170 - 180 /
grassed hill, most sites level(-ish), some mature
day
trees, communal kitchen, tents o.k., friendly, but
$1000 /
week
temperamental owner (who doesn't like big rigs),
close to town, quiet!
power, water, waste dump, clean bathrooms w. hot
showers (new ones are being built), pool (too cold),
free WiFi (best near pool), corner store nearby, walk
or collectivos into town, area has lots to offer!
Morelia
[- forgot -]
free
WalMart Parking
slightly sloping parking lot in front of WalMart, don't
park near cinema, collectivos into town, traffic noise
(trucks) from nearby peréferico, tip the attendant (if
he's cooperative)
Playa Azul
Hotel Playa Azul
N 17°58'56.9"
W102°21'13.1"
$180
rear parking lot of hotel, walled, some palms, power,
water, waste dump, supposed to have WiFi,
neglected toilets and cold showers = not really
recommended!
when we were there (second week of Semana
Santa) the hotel was absolutely packed with
Mexican families and noisy, only one spot to park
our truck...
Zihuatanejo,
Playa La Ropa
Restaurant El
Manglar
N 17°37'34.9"
W101°32'40.5"
$180 / day
rear parking lot of restaurant, walled and gated at
$1200 /
week
night, end of cul-de-sac, mostly quiet, not much
shade. next to it is a treed lagoon with crocodiles,
turtles, iguanas, and lots of birds; hence no tents.
only one clean bathroom w. cold shower, 30 Amp (!)
power, water, waste dump, only few meters to nice
calm beach, free WiFi in restaurant, which is shaded
and gets cool breeze, serving excellent seafood
dishes (not cheap, but highly recommended!). no
shopping nearby, you have to drive to town (public
bus 1 block)!
Acapulco
Acapulco Trailer
N 16°54'11.6"
W099°58'34.3"
$300 !!
Playa Pie de la Cuesta (north east), ocean front in
sea mist, under cocos palms, good shade, cool
Park
breeze, loud surf, beach too rough to swim, but
overall a nice spot
on compacted sand (some sites w. concrete pads),
power, water, badly positioned waste dumps, o.k.
clean bathrooms w. cold showers, small pool and
shop, bus (½ hour) into town
Acapulco
El Coloso Trailer
Park
N 16°52'36.7"
W099°49'03.0"
$200
other side (south west) of town in suburb Coloso,
large messy campground on a main road, walled
and gated, used car and gravel storage one end,
noisy karaoke bar in an open lean-to on wall the
other end, traffic noise, and also some bus and truck
parking on property = NOT recommended!
neglected (out of season), some grass, power, water
at some sites, waste dumps at some sites, green
pool, dirty old toilets w. warm showers, some good
shade.
Puerto
Escondido
N 15°51'46.2"
W097°03'34.8"
$100
small lot near bridge, probably 4-6 usable sites, hot,
Cabañas de
no breeze, noisy over night from restaurant music,
and roosters, and dogs, overall neglected
Cortes
impression = DON'T STAY HERE!
some power points on trees, dirty brown water,
waste dumps, little shade, filthy or un-usable toilets
(bucket flush) and cold showers
Puerto
Escondido
Palmas de Cortes
[- forgot -]
read
description
$150 w/o air
Cabañas de Cortes is on inland side of the main
$ 250 with
hwy, to reach this campground you turn at the same
a/c
intersection down towards the beach, when you
reach the pedestrian zone turn left into lane (some
shops on left) and turn directly right into the lot (tight
turn), public parking, public baños, and campground
all in one! same manager as above.
the beach front site is covered with cocos palms,
decent shade, tight turns and sites, very good
breeze (at ocean front), 5-7°C cooler than CdC,
fishing boats and clean fish stalls (no smell) just
outside the fence, long trip to shopping and mercado
24 hour attendant, but poor security, power, water,
stupid little waste dumps, the second cleanest toilets
we have found at a camping site in Mexico, cold
showers, on weekend nights some noise from
nearby bars, but otherwise nice...
TIP: buy some fresh tuna filets from the fish stalls
just outside the gate = cheap & yummy!
Puerto Angel,
Playa Zipolite
Rancho Los
N 15°39'56.0"
W096°31'10.9"
$100 /
new campground as part of large property, mango
person
and fruit plantation, some luxurious cabañas, lovely
large pool (cleaned every day), grassed and lush
Mangos
gardens, very friendly managers
power, water, waste dumps (not at all sites), use of
the clean pool side toilets and cold showers, some
good shade (and falling mangoes), not much
breeze, 3 blocks to beach, 2 blocks to shops and
restaurants, very quiet, recommended!
Oaxaca
Oaxaca Trailer
N 17°04'42.9"
W096°42'38.2"
$150
its days are numbered: the site is being developed
with office buildings and car parking, when we
Park
visited there were only 7 (maybe 10) usable sites
left!
power, water (at some sites), waste dumps, toilets
w. (mostly) hot showers, caretaker needs reminder
to clean facilities, some good shade, noise at night
from nearby live music, convenient to shopping and
buses into town
Mitla
carpark at ruins
N 16°55'43.7"
W096°21'32.3"
free
level parking lot at entrance gate to ruins, in
suburban location, some noise from roaming dogs
(and teenagers), o.k. for one night!
during opening hours use of clean toilets at cashier
of ruins possible
La Ventosa
PEMEX station
N 16°32'48.6"
W094°56'58.3"
free, hot
this was our first night at a PEMEX, and we picked
showers
the wrong one: busy intersection nearby, trucks
$12 / person
coming and going all night = no sleep at all! the
campgrounds in Tehuantepec, which we passed
before, appeared unusable...
only plus: the restrooms and showers were
maintained pleasantly clean
Puerto Arista
Jose's Cabañas &
Camping
N 15°55'52.3"
W093°48'03.3"
$40 / person
friendly canadian-mexican owned property at south-
+ $20 f. a/c
use
east end of town. the small town was almost dead at
the time of our stay, not many options even for basic
shopping, o.k. beach with rough surf and some
palapa restaurants
tents o.k., you might get power from some power
points at the cabañas, water can be filled near main
gate, the only waste dump (behind toilet block) is
difficult to reach due to low trees, the basic toilets
and showers are kept very clean! this is a hot spot
with too little shade = we didn't stay long
Chiapa de Corzo
Zócalo
N 16°42'29.5"
W093°01'03.3"
free
we first tried to stay within the one-way street
system going around the zócalo, but passing traffic
was too close to get rest, I then moved to the only 2way section along the road coming up from the boat
launching area, which didn't had many cars passing
through... o.k. sleep from a bit before midnight until
5am when the cleaning crews arrived
there could be a quieter spot (with good breeze)
behind the cathedral (enter between mercado and
cathedral, go down to T intersection, turn right),
small park with large trees, almost above stairs
down to the boat launching area, but the access to
this place is very tight (walk it first)!
San Christobal
de Las Casas
N 16°44'02.2"
W092°37'19.2"
$50 / person
large property at the outskirts of town, access roads
$25 / kid
through town are narrow, almost rural setting, green,
Rancho San
lots of trees and grass, some cabañas and
Nicolás
communal kitchen, good spot to meet other
travellers, long walk (almost ¾ hour) into town, cool
to cold nights, cabañas are cheap and tenting would
be rather cold o/n, mostly quiet, some nights barking
dogs...
power (reverse polarity), water, waste dumps to
about 6 sites, old, but o.k. toilets and hot showers
2010 – We were told that the route though town was
too tight for our rig (8.5ft wide) so we found an
alternative way in via the Perifico. Coming north on
190 turn right onto the Perifico at XX and then drive
until YY (about 4 kms) and then turn sharp left onto
dirt road. You’ll probably have to go further down
the road and u-turn. The site is tight for larger rigs I’d guess 30ft would be the max. Toilets are flush
by bucket, showers okay and WiFi is no longer free.
$280 per night for us - $70 per person including kids.
Tonina near
this is one place where we did NOT STAY! we were
Ocosingo
Parking lot of ruins
told by other travellers that they had stayed here
early this year, but we were sent away by security
guards; there are cabañas just up the road, and we
get the impression that the owner works hand-inhand with the guards. at the cabañas you can camp
for $100, but don't get much except some very
uneven ground (too slopey) and the use of toilets...
Agua Azul
Parking lot
N 17°15'26.0"
W092°06'51.6"
entry $10 /
we felt safe here (despite other reports). not overly
person
busy during weekdays, very quiet over night: all you
hear is the water rushing down the rapids. there are
some decent low(!) shade trees and the water cools
the place down a bit over night.
use of toilets ($3) and cold showers ($5) during
daytime hours (locked over night).
Palenque
Mayabell
N 17°29'14.9"
W092°02'17.5"
$150
large property with trailer park, restaurant (live
w.power
[less w/o
music), large pool, lovely gardens, some good
shade. tents o.k., cabañas to rent (some air-
power]
conditioned!), quiet during nights, but busy w.
Mexicans over the weekend. only 2 kms to ruins,
uphill, so take a collectivo (we didn't and regretted
it!).
power (voltage too high?), water, dumps too high,
large clean(-ish) bathrooms w. hot showers.
Frontera Corozal
Escudo Jaguar
N 16°49'22.2"
W090°53'07.9"
free *)
*) first we were asked to pay $150 with use of
bathrooms, $100 to stay with no facilities, which we
near boat launch
to Yaxchilán
found ridiculous since their rooms start at $170!
upon second question at ticket counter for boats we
were allowed to stay w/o payment...
parking lot, some shade, some slope, near river, but
still hot, quiet overnight
we recommend to take a good flash light into all ruin
sites!
Lacanjá
Chansayab
near Bonampak
N 16°46'06.5"
W091°07'32.2"
$25 p.
person
some rooms and a restaurant next to a river w. wide
waterfall, decent shade in rainforest setting,
relatively cool. nice and peaceful spot =
Campamento
recommended!
Lacandones
very basic, but clean toilets and (at our visit)
unfinished cold showers
Campeche
New Samula
N 19°49'01.8"
W090°33'08.6"
$80
suburb Samula: south of university, down Calle 12,
turn right into Calle 19, left into Calle 16, property is
on your left (sign Trailer Parck), it's really a suburban
Trailer Park
house with a nice green garden, room for maybe 3-4
vans or small campers, tents o.k., despite the heat
it's cooler here than downtown.
some power, water, simple toilet and shower,
palapa, owner (older lady) speaks some English,
bus service into town 3 blocks away, too many dogs
around, public party rental place at street corner
(noisy on weekends).
if you want to stay for free with no facilities or shade:
outside the Tourist Information near waterfront (7lane road) is a large parking lot where
"boondocking" is permitted!
Uxmal
Parking lot of ruins
N 20°21'36.8"
W089°46'01.5"
$100
shocked about the price, but very quiet overnight,
with receipt!
some shade, use of very clean toilets is all you get!
handy to visit the Sound & Light Show in the
evening.
near Uxmal
Restaurant Can-
N 20°23'52.9"
W089°46'05.7"
$100 *)
*) this is a listed campground and the official rate is
$200. we arrived a little after 7 pm and the place
Nah
was closed - no access to (locked) bathrooms hence the next morning we demanded a lower price.
grass under low trees near road, still quiet over
night, some morning shade, power, water, swimming
pool (which we didn't inspect), tents probably o.k.
Mérida
Rainbow Trailer
Park
N 21°02'29.9"
W089°37'48.2"
$200
on main road to Progresso, next to Liverpool
department store, mostly an industrial area with the
accompanying noise. some shade, camping on
grass, tents probably o.k., terrible mosquito problem
at the beginning of the rain season! decent bus
connection into downtown, heaps of US-American-
style shopping and dining nearby.
power, water, dumps (all 3 are difficult to coordinate), old bathrooms with solar hot water, old
showerheads which spray in all directions (or not at
all), fairly clean (we were the only guests).
2010 – Campsite as described above. Very dry in
March. Clearly getting run down and minimal
maintenance. We paid $250 for the first night and
then the owner spotted we had 2 children. Told us
to pay another $100 per night or get out. This was
at 7pm. Very unpleasant experience. I would not
bank on it being open much longer.
Izamal
Zócalo next to
N 20°56'00.0"
W089°01'06.5"
free
a friendly English "Welcome" by the tourist
policeman José, who said of course we could stay
convent
(he hinted a tip for himself) and the small town would
be quiet overnight... that wasn't the case! it seems to
be the main Saturday night entertainment to cruise
with cars and noisy mopeds around the plaza until
the wee hours of the morning - just before the first
people arrive for the 6 o'clock mass...
Piste
near Chichen Itza
N 20°52'00.5"
W088°35'21.5"
free *)
*) we ended up staying in a residential area: good
morning shade and relatively quiet sleep, but under
a flickering street light. other people recommend to
drive into the hotel zone near the ruins!
we first stopped at the "Piramide Inn", the only
remaining official camping option in town, and were
allocated (for $40 p.person incl. fairly dirty cold
showers) a site in their front yard, about 4 meters
from the Highway 180. during the day it was quiet
enough, but over night traffic picked up, mostly
semi-trailers and b-doubles, and there's a bumpy
tope just down the road - so sleep was impossible
and around 1:00 am we went searching for another
place. we found the entire ruin site blocked off by
armed police.
Xpu-Ha
La Playa [sign!]
N 20°28'20.0"
W087°15'29.3"
$150
bumpy dirt road off highway to a beautiful white
beach with turquoise calm water. elevated campsite
with good breeze (if there is any) and nice view (only
interrupted by a cyclone fence).
full hook-ups, though only very few power outlets,
and the water is a little salty. bathrooms with cold
showers were cleaned after we politely asked for.
there are also cold beach showers in front of the
relatively expensive beach restaurant. overall a nice
spot (out of season - might be too busy with
longterm campers during season) - we went back for
a longer stay!
near
N 20°52'21.4"
US$15 +
narrow property with some cabañas right at the
Puerto Morales
W086°51'58.6"
US$5 for a/c
Acamaya Reef
beach and about 8 campsites behind.
too much seaweed on the beach, large resort 2
properties up the beach, too little breeze, and a
construction site right next door all didn't encourage
us to stay more than one night...
sites are narrow with full hook-ups, unisex toilets
and cold showers (there's supposed to be hot water
during season) with only curtains for privacy, small
restaurant which was closed for re-modelling, some
nasty mosquitos.
north of Majahual
Solymar
N 18°46'35.8"
W087°40'17.9"
$100
basically paid for nothing but a space to park (and
sleep) overnight
no facilities (not even use of a toilet), some english
spoken, not a nice beach: dirty with trash and
seegrass, shallow water. some shade from cocos
palms, good breeze, quiet overnight
a british group of marine biologists claim to have
leased the entire property for a year; they don't want
others entering it once their equipment has arrived!
Calderitas near
Chetumal
N 18°33'39.9"
W088°14'55.3"
Yax Ha Resort
$250 - $350
depending
our last camping place in Mexico is one of the most
expensive ones, but it also looks quite nice and well
size
cared for: grassy property with pool next to the
of camper
ocean, palms and trees, small beach and marina,
clean and modern ensuite-style bathrooms with hot
water. tents probably accepted, free WiFi
(unreliable)! weak 15 amp power (120 + 220 Volts!),
place to fill with fresh water and another place to
dump waste water.
this could be a nice and quiet place, but the
owners/managers let people in overnight to party at
the waterfront; we were woken up one night at 5:00,
the next at 1:40 by noisy drunks...
update: Chetumal was once again hit by a cyclone in
mid 2007 - this place might have been affected
2010 – Campsite is still there and in good condition.
Free Wifi, clean pool & toilets, hot showers, good
food. However their water ran out the following
morning so no showers, and toilets were flushed
using buckets (from the pool). The campsite had a
very large number of campers in tents. Probably
because it was Semana Santa
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2 .
B e l i z e
[B$ = Prices in Belize Dollars / 2B$ = 1US$ / current July 2007]
TOWN /
CAMP SITE
GPS
PRICE P.
NIGHT
DESCRIPTION / OUR IMPRESSION
Old Belize
near Belize City
N 17°28'20.2"
W088°14'54.3"
B$10
+
address: Mile 5, Western Highway, Belize City
marina with good restaurant, artificial beach, and
B$5 f.power
Old Belize tourist attraction.
Cucumber Beach
Marina
obviously at the ocean, so a good (sometimes too
strong) breeze, cool enough overnight, quiet,
security & night guard, use of decent hot showers
and toilets, laundry facilities, free WiFi, secure
vehicle storage whilst visiting the cayes (islands) =
not bad at all!
Baboon Sanctury
Bermudian
N 17°33'20.3"
W088°32'05.3"
B$5
some late afternoon shade, good breeze during the
p.person
day, cool enough over night, use of new (unfinished)
Landing
Parking Lot
toilets and cold shower.
2010 – toilets & showers finished. Parked around
the back. Local lady cooked a dinner of fried fish for
us on request to the “baboon” office ($4pp)
San Ignacio
Inglewood
N 17°08'20.2"
W089°05'14.4"
Camping
B$21.80
+ metered
little shade, hot!, some palapas, a cooking shelter,
power and water to all sites, a spot to dump waste
power
water near toilet block, some highway noise (main
road to Guatemala), simple clean bathrooms with
electric warm showers. supposed to have WiFi (for a
fee!) which wasn't on when we stayed there. tents
o.k.
2010 – April 4th. Clean hot showers & toilets, good
& free Internet. Just don’t try to walk back into town
in the dark. Road is dangerous. We were the only
people there in early April.
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3 .
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G u a t e m a l a
[Q = Prices in Quetzals - current July-September 2007]
TOWN /
CAMP SITE
GPS
PRICE P.
NIGHT
DESCRIPTION / OUR IMPRESSION
Tikal
N 17°13'34.5"
Q25
[ staying at the campsite of the ruins is Q30 per
Jaguar Inn
W089°36'42.5"
p.person
person and you get less shade and cold showers
only. ]
some decent shade, very quiet overnight, but early
risers at around 4:00 (who join the guided morning
walk at 4:30) might wake you up. tents o.k., they
even rent tents or hammock spaces.
use of warm showers and toilets, both in ok
condition (= not that clean, not really dirty).
restaurant serves decent food and offers very
expensive internet (US$5 per hour).
2010. Can’t remember how much for the camper
(<$10). Toilets & showers in poor shape – no
running water when we were there. You’ll probably
want to use your own.
Lago Petén Itzá
we didn't use
either
free
1. El Remate: coming from El Cruce, when entering
the town, there's a large level lot on your left on the
lake shore; it's community land where we were told
we could boondock. another camper told us about
some palapas along the northern shore (direction
San Román, just out of town).
2. Santa Elena, one-way-street along lake shore, on
the right just before the bridge to Flores: we were
told by the INGUAT tourist office that it would be o.k.
and safe to boondock on the large cleared and filled
lot on the lake side (very exposed, no shade!).
americans with an RV told us that they had stayed
at a hotel with an arched gate, in the hotel yard right
by the lake (before you reach the bridge - probably
not free).
Santa Elena
N 16°54.170
W089°54.895
TROPIGAS
after much searching and asking we found a plant
outside town. this description has been written well
after our visit; update and GPS thanks to Kathy and
Rick!
go to the west end of town, turn left into another
main road, follow it to a Y intersection (Shell
station), take the left fork towards San Francisco,
and follow this out of town for about 1 kilometer,
TROPIGAS is on the left hand side.
Poptún
Finca Ixobel
N 16°18'12.0"
W089°25'13.6"
Q22
a very lovely, quiet property just south of Poptún,
p.person
very popular with international backpackers, offering
+ Q10
f.power
rafting, caving, horse riding, and walking tours. it's a
little paradise...
power is very weak and unreliable, only power point
at bathroom! tents o.k. camping on a large grassed
field with lots of mature shade trees and nice
gardens, surrounded by simple "tree houses" for
rent, shared clean bathrooms with electric warm
showers. water only at bathroom building, no
dumping facilities! sometimes unlocked WiFi at the
restaurant for same fee as their internet computer
(US$5 per hour)!
good restaurant with large buffet style dinner (Q40
for a plate or Q55 for all-you-can-eat), good place to
relax and meet people, not so good for immersing in
the local culture ;-)
2010 – Nicest camp ground we visited. Kids loved
it. Food great. Prices still close to above. Still only
very limited power from toilets and no dump point.
Rio Dulce
or Fronteras/El
N 15°39'34.9"
W089°00'06.6"
Q50
small, partly well shaded, parking lot on the northeast side of the bridge. we didn't get enough sleep
Relleno
here: restaurant too close, opens before 6:00 for
Bruno's Hotel &
breakfast... quite a bit truck noise from the nearby
Marina
bridge (engine brakes) starting already around 4:00,
in harmony with local roosters. there are only a
couple of power points, so if you want to have power
your options are limited.
use of semi-clean toilets and hot showers, WiFi
(usually for a fee, was unlocked during our stay),
popular restaurant and bar at waterfront, small pool
(fee).
Quirigua
Parking lot of ruins
N 15°16'26.0"
W089°02'31.0"
free
good shade, next to busy road into adjoining Del
we tipped
Monte banana plantation, quiet overnight. woke up
the guard
in the morning at 5:30 to crop-duster plane.
use of really clean toilets (open all night).
Biotopo Del
Quetzal
N 15°14'10.4"
W090°15'05.3"
Q100 !
very friendly English speaking owners. restaurant
gets good reviews. 2 little A-frames and rooms for
km 166.5 to Cobán
rent. tiny pool and a sauna (fee?). parking is on part
Country Delights
gravel, part grass. a little too close to highway
(which is quiet overnight, but traffic starts early),
tenting on grass further away from road. nice nature
walk through forest and viewing platform (we didn't
see any quetzal, although the owner assures us that
they are around).
use of clean toilet and cold shower, power point at
bathroom shelter.
Cobán
Hostal De
Doña Victoria
Calle 3
N 15°28'06.7"
W090°22'17.4"
Q20 plus
parking lot at rear (off Calle 4), untidy gravel lot on a
Q20
slight slope, dead-end lane, gated and fenced.
f.shower
looked quiet and empty when we arrived, but used
overnight by several collectivo and bus drivers; last
arrival after 11:00, first got up at 3:15, then one after
another every 30 minutes, all with the obligatory 510 minutes warm-up of their diesel engine and car
stereo... NOT really recommended! if you want to
use this location then park at the eastern end near
school yard, away from the gate.
we paid extra for the use of basic toilets and
showers with lots of hot water.
Cobán
possibility
N 15°28'13.2"
W090°23'08.2"
not used!
parking lot of shopping center "Plaza Magdalena",
turn right at their clock tower, there's a small lot in
the back (near interior food court) with some trees,
away from road, should be quiet, river wier right
behind - try to find an arangement with the security
guards!
Semuc Champey
Parking lot
N 15°32'11.1"
W089°57'17.9"
Q35
new fee!
road not recommended for large vehicles with little
clearance - very rough, narrow and steep in sections
(starts at an altitude of over 1100 meters, ends
around 260 meters)
end of the road, very quiet over night, some good
shade, unfortunately too warm to leave camper
closed, and lots of no-see-ums (little biting flies).
tents?
use of clean (newish) toilets (no showers), not
locked overnight
Lanquin
Hotel "El Recreo"
N 15°34'33.0"
W089°59'02.3"
Q50
camping in parking lot near road (no traffic
overnight), under trees, gravel (to mud), sound of
their private waterfall.
use of very clean toilets and electric hot showers.
Uspantán
in front of
police station
N 15°20'53.2"
W090°52'12.0"
free
we were a little late and very exhausted = stranded!
upon enquiring we were told that overnight the town
would be quiet... not so: this was our second most
disturbed night so far with less than 2 hours of
interrupted sleep! the station is next to the zocalo,
from where all tuc-tucs, buses and collectivos leave;
the last went past our camper around 1:30, the first
arrived at 3:00 with loud music and the driver loudly
calling out his destination every 2 minutes, from
then on buses almost every 15 minutes = we had
breakfast around 3:45 and left...
upon leaving town we noticed on the western
outskirts a hotel with a parking lot big enough to
accommodate a camper our size - if this is an option
we don't know...
Panajachel
Hotel "Vision Azul"
N 14°44'55.0"
W091°09'50.5"
Q80
beautiful location right on the lake shore with
stunning view, some shade trees, camping on
grass, tents probably o.k. unfortunately overall a
very neglected property with rubbish laying around,
green pool, unkept bathrooms, partly broken
palapas, long grass, terrible driveway, etc. = we
didn't feel like staying more than 1 night!
power and water (need extensions for both!) at bar
palapa, no dumping facilities, use of bathrooms with
cold showers.
2010 – Big improvement on description above. Site
still has great location and views but is spotlessly
clean and very well tended. Lots of electricity
points. Friendly English speaking owner took it over
about a year ago. Cold showers and “ok” toilets but
the owner was quick to offer access to a room for
hot showers. Pool was clean. Q100 per night.
our preferred option, the Hotel & Trailer Park
Tzanjuyú (see below - on the lake shore closer to
the main road and town) was closed at the time: no
water and no electricity!
Panajachel
Camping
N 14°44'18.2"
W091°08'56.5"
"Campaña"
Q70
very narrow sidelane with 90° turn, off the road to
(Q50
Santa Catarina, camping on grassy slope with some
f.longer
trees, better suited for tents or smaller vans. friendly
stay)
american owner, several longterm old american
+ Q5 hot
shower
hippies seem to live here. good 15 mins. walk into
town, tuc-tuc Q5/person.
it's a quiet location. use of o.k. toilets and showers,
shared kitchen (all could be a bit cleaner), hot
showers upon request for a fee. weak power
connection with long extension cord, no dumping
facilities.
Panajachel
Hotel "Tzanjuyú"
N 14°44'33.3"
W091°09'48.0"
Q75
nice location on the lake shore similar to "Vision
Azul" (above), few shade trees, camping on grass,
tents probably o.k. the property seems to have
changed hands and during our stay they started to
do some work, at the time one old caretaker did his
best to keep on top of things (overall cleaner than
"Vision Azul")...
quiet over night, and relaxing even in daytime.
security is non-existant. relatively short and easy
walk into town, even closer to boats to San Pedro.
power and water at the closed restaurant, use of
old, but o.k bathrooms, with electric warm showers,
in main building (quite a walk from campsites),
access to dump directly into septic.
Quetzaltenango
or Xela
N 14°50'39.9"
W091°28'55.3"
(took a
room)
Hotel Del Campo
hotel at outskirts of town, in town we couldn't find
any decent spot or even a hotel room with secure
parking. this hotel (recommended by one in town)
has a large paved parking lot, unfortunately rather
close to a main road which is busy from early in the
morning with trucks and buses.
we didn't enquire about sleeping in our camper
(though we should have - the room wasn't very quiet
either). the parking lot is certainly big enough for
one or two campers and their visiting buses.
Quetzaltenango
no reading
TROPIGAS
this description is from before we started to take
GPS readings, and has been written well after our
visit!
on the main road between Cuatros Caminos and the
town center (well past the turn off for the bypass to
San Marcos) are 2 plants on the right hand side; the
first is a ZETAGAS, who refused to fill our bottles,
the second is a TROPIGAS plant, who filled our
bottles.
Later we found this
option outside of
Quetzaltenango
near Zunil
N 14°45'01.6"
W091°28'48.0"
Q40/person
Fuentes Georginas is a hot springs resort above the
+ Q20/car
town of Zunil, south of Quetzaltenango (Xela). take
the road to Retalhuleu (to Pacific & CA2), just before
Zunil there's a Y intersection signposted to the left to
Fuentes Georginas
"Aquas Georginas". narrow windy road through
market gardens, lovely views. resort (w. cabañas) is
at the end of the road. not recommended on
weekends (too busy)!.
level parking lot, use of toilets and poolside shower.
we didn't use the hotsprings or the shower since we
found it too cool (overcast and only 12°C); quiet
except for noisy generator (turned off late at night).
Mazatenango
along CA2
not used!
possibility
parking lot of a large US-american style mall with
fastfood outlets and a Hiper Paiz. there are spaces
up the hill well away from the highway, currently the
place seems to be not overly busy. we only stopped
for some shopping. try to find an arangement with
the security guards!
between Frontera
El Carmen
N 14°55'00.8"
W092°05'38.6"
Q100 !
address: Kilometre 272 Panamericana, around 5
miles from border on T intersection to Malcatán.
and Malcatán
new hotel which welcomes campers! arched
Hotel Real Pacifico
entrance, left gate (locked - park on road side)
[website not done yet]
easily tall enough for buses, steep-ish paved
driveway down to river, some low overhanging
branches. camping site is a large grassed area right
above the river, some trees, a bit muddy (rain
season), at the time of our visit they were building a
large palapa which had provisions for several power
outlets.
use of lovely pool, free WiFi, and poolside bathroom
(toilet and cold shower) - all uphill from campsite.
quiet, away from road, and the bubbling river cuts
out remaining traffic noise.
Chichicastenango
parking lot
N 14°56.664'
W091°06.576'
from
another site
To get there continue down the street from the Shell
station (7 Avenida), past the Hotel Santo Tomas
about 2 or 3 blocks and look for a black gate on your
left about the middle of the last block before you
come to the end of the street. A hand painted sign
says parking or parqueo. That's the entrance. If it's
closed, holler or bang on the gate and someone will
come. These people are interested in having RVers
stay. They have had several before us and had
good experiences with all, plus Diego had to have a
serious surgery 2 years ago and can't do the kind of
work he used to, so they are struggling to hold onto
their land. It cost 100 Quetzals a night. Don't be
confused by the sign at the end of the street for
another parqueo, it's not the one. If you can't find it,
ask for Diego Canil, he is well known in town.
Telephone: 77562419 or cell: 55524059
The parqueo is completely fenced and secure, and
is convienently located a few blocks from the
market. There is a bathroom and shower for a small
fee.
Antigua
Hotel Real Plaza
N 14°33'08.1"
W091°44'16.1"
(took a
hotel on the western by-pass route around town,
room)
with a large walled parking lot in the rear (we heard
that they accept campers) - it's close to the bus
station and traffic starts early (before 5:00)...
facilities would include pool and use of poolside
bathrooms. free WiFi!
we splurged and took an expensive room.
Villa Nueva
no reading
ZETAGAS
this description is from before we started to take
south of
GPS readings, and has been written well after our
Guatemala City
visit!
Km 19 Carretera Pacifico [CA 9] a little south of
Villa Nueva on the left. we needed to make a U turn,
then pass the first ZETAGAS plant, take the small
road to the right (with an enclosed factory bridge
across) just before the ZETAGAS fuel station, the
gate is on your left... this was a very bureaucratic
place, where it took over 30 minutes to fill 2 bottles.
Chiquimula
Posada El Canja
N 14°47.161'
W089°32.323'
Q50
on CA10 just out of town - hotel set back a bit from
the (not so busy) road, 2 arched gates with well over
4 Meters clearance. parking on concrete (or possibly
on grass) near clean pool, no shade, use of clean
toilet, but no shower. possibility to fill water from tap
near fountain.
N 14°48.052'
W089°32.747'
just down the CA10, across the river, is on the left
hand side the "Hotel Casa Y Campo": we had this
address from other people who camped there in
2006. it's a large garden lot with lots of trees and a
pool. at the time of our visit it was closed (and
looked closed for some time)!
other options in town, we had heard about, turned ot
to be too small for us...
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4 .
H o n d u r a s
[L = Prices in Lempiras - current September/October 2007]
TOWN /
CAMP SITE
Copán
Balneario "El Jaral"
GPS
PRICE P.
NIGHT
DESCRIPTION / OUR IMPRESSION
N 14°52.136'
W089°03.575'
US$7
p.person
elaborate and well kept balneario (commercial pools
and water slides) about 15 kms from Copán. we
wanted to cool down and have a shower (not in our
tiny bathroom), so we accepted the expensive
price...
camping on sloping grassed parking lot, which was
a little muddy during rain season. use of nice pools,
cold poolside showers (outdoors = no privacy!) and
clean toilets, clean water to fill, but no power (we
used power in palapas for computer and battery
charger). close to road, but surprisingly quiet over
night.
2010 - $20 per night. Full use of the facilities and
they left the gate open for us to use the (outdoor)
showers & toilets. No Palapas & no electricity. 24
hour security. They tried to charge is $40 (2 adults
& 2 kids) but backed down.
second option: most people use the TEXACO
station right next to the parking lot of the Copán
ruins. it's a small old fashioned station, a tip (~ L50)
to the night guard is expected. you can get power
behind the Coke machine and you can fill with
water. we heard it's quiet over night (there seems to
be very little traffic on most roads in Honduras!).
2010 – We were refused here. Told it was a policy
change for security reasons. Were pointed across
the road to a guy’s back yard (turned out to be
Copan guide). No facilities and $10. It was late we
had no choice.
Santa Barbara
Turicentro "Bella
N 14°51.015'
W088°14.949'
L50
just off the main road a good 10 kms south of town.
p.person
not much "bella" about this place: the entire
Vista"
balneario looks rather run down, although (or
because) the place is huge. pools are filled with
dirty river water, toilets and the one cold shower are
very dark and basic, the large gated parking lot is
sloping and partly rather muddy. although there are
some trees and lots of space, it's a hot place with
little breeze. quiet at night, but a concert of roosters
woke us early. upon leaving we discovered a power
point inside the gate house...
Copán – Luna
N14° 59.497’
$30 for use
2010 - Long (23km) dirt road north out of Copan.
Jaguar Springs
W89° 08.011’
of the Hot
We did it in a 26ft Class C and that was the limit. I
Springs.
would not recommend the road unless you were in
Camping
a small camper, 4x4 or had low ratios. The surface
“Free”
was ok but some of the gradients were right at the
limit of our rig. Well worth the drive though. Great
hot springs, clean toilets, cold outdoor showers and
local kids who just wanted to play football and
Frisbee.
Lago De Vojoa
Finca "Las Glorias"
near Peña Blanca
N 14°56.242'
W088°00.436'
L200
large property well away from road, partly a working
coffee and fruit plantation, partly a rather large and
nice looking lakefront hotel. for several years
already the property is undergoing a slow
renovation.
camping on grassy parking lot between orange
trees (which are too close and low - we broke a roof
vent!), and little shade.
use of pool, clean(-ish) toilets, some other
bathrooms with clean cold showers are a long walk
from campsite. at the end of our stay they installed
(weak) free WiFi, otherwise there's an expensive
internet computer to use. one power outlet outside a
salon can be reached with long extension. water
near office. there's a bar & decent restaurant, plus a
shop, next to the pool. busy on weekends, still quiet
over night.
2010 – They must have trimmed the trees. We got
our rig in without problems. Good Wifi – free.
Toilets were a walk away and showers were cold
and outdoor by the pool.
N 15°01.510'
W088°00.090'
L30
second option: Centro Turistico Pulhapanzak at
p.person
the waterfall north-west of the lake. 2 kms access
[+ camping
fee?]
road was very rough at the late rain season. we
know of several people who have stayed here, and
upon arrival the caretaker asked us straight away if
we wanted to stay the night... it's a large partly well
shaded parking lot near the waterfall, some breeze
and some cattle smell, there are so-so toilets.
Comayagua
free
at the town hall we were offered to use a municipal
parking lot with no facilities - an offer we should
have taken up, because our night in a hotel was
rather restless...
the edificio municipal is on the north side of the
plaza near the cathedral. access roads are a little
narrow, but parking is no major problem.
Comayagua is a beautiful colonial town, by-passed
by most foreigners, but well worth a visit. it's a sister
town of Antigua in Guatemala, and its atmosphere
is similar (minus the tourist infrastructure you'll find
in Antigua).
Lago De
Yojoa/Hotel Remos
N 15°01.510'
W087°58.936'
$11
2010 Small hotel on the lakefront. Toilets ok. Use
of pool – Not very clean when we were there. Big
plus is a dump point in the corner of the parking lot
near the steps down to the lower level. They didn’t
tell us about the dump point and I didn’t tell we used
it but it fed directly into the septic tank.
San Juan / Intibucá
Hotelito Crus
N 14°24.287'
W088°25.291'
L100
small semi-concreted parking lot of a hotel at
northern end of town, fenced and secure, quiet over
Callejas
night, but buses start to honk their horns at 5:30...
use of clean (shared) toilet and cold shower, cool
place at over 1,200 mts elevation.
Gracias
Finca "Bavaria"
N 14°35.479'
W088°34.769'
L50
large property at the edge of town, part coffee
plantation, part guesthouse, ask to open the rear
gate, which is still a little narrow, and the access
has a few low hanging (soft) branches. room for
maybe two smaller campers. very quiet over night
[unfortunately the second night was spoilt by the
absent owner's dog barking and whining] and
walking distance into town. some shade, nighttime
temperatures are o.k.
they opened a room for us to use the bathroom
(toilet & cold shower), if we would have taken a
sunny spot we might have been able to run an
extension cord to this room. not so clean water is
available.
N 14°33.536'
W088°34.187'
not used
second option: Agua Termale = around 5 kms out
of town are some hot springs where people
reportedly have stayed overnight. the access road
was rather rough (late rain season - keep left at the
Y) and the driveway is very steep. once there you'll
be hard pressed to find a level area. we wouldn't
recommend this place for any vehicle larger than
ours.
Highway CA04
between Santa Rosa
and El Salvador
N 14°18.905'
W088°58.712'
L30 tip
DIPPSA Petrol Station near La Labor: large
to guard
station with a huge level parking lot behind, hard
packed clay which turned very muddy in the rain.
border
relatively cool and quiet (away from hwy) overnight,
but truck traffic got noisy at 5:00
use of (for a gas station surprisingly!) clean toilets
and a cold shower.
Choluteca
Hotel Gualiqueme
N 13°18.847'
W087°11.483'
US$20 !!
we knew about this place in advance, and were
aware that it's expensive, but we were really
on CA1/CA3 near
exhausted after driving all day through rain and a
Puente Choluteca
very tedious border crossing from El Salvador...
large, rather up-market hotel (rooms are US$80)
with a big paved level parking lot, lovely garden with
2 pools, small bar and snack bar, etc. probably a
little noisy from heavy vehicles, during our stay it
rained too heavily to notice much.
staff are very accommodating: power from outlets in
front of the rooms, water taps along drive way, free
WiFi in reception and pool pavillion, and they even
handed us the key to an unused room (leaking
ceiling) to use the facilities.
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5 .
E l
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S a l v a d o r
[$ = Prices in US Dollars - current September/October 2007]
TOWN /
CAMP SITE
La Palma
Hotel La Palma
GPS
N 14°18.905'
W089°10.077'
PRICE P.
NIGHT
DESCRIPTION / OUR IMPRESSION
$14
very nice looking hotel with pool and restaurant, and
most importantly a level parking lot and wide gate!
friendly staff and owner, whose family fled to
Australia (and still lives in Melbourne). despite some
truck traffic o/n we slept well here and stayed for 2
nights.
we offered to pay for 1 habitacion (1 bed = $14) to
get use of a room with private bathroom and electric
shower. use of power point outside the rooms and
water to fill, also good free WiFi (chance to ring
home).
Suchitoto
"El Mangal de
N 13°56.733'
W089°01.038'
$6
balneario right by the lake, follow the signs to the
"Ferry" and Centro Turistico San Juan, unfortunately
Suchitlan"
long uphill walk into town, but there's a bus service
Piscina &
for $0.30 p.p.. very quiet overnight, camping on
Restaurante
grass lot (a little dirty) with no shade, not easy to get
level and get the breeze. room for 5 or more large
rigs
use of clean pools, o.k. bathrooms with cold shower,
and cheap food and beer at restaurant.
there is a 50 AMP powerpoint w. 50 AMP breaker (!!)
at the bathroom block, as well as several 15 AMP
powerpoints, but you'll need a very long extension
cord...
San Salvador
N 13°41.578'
W089°14.096'
ZETAGAS
address from phone book, turned out to be only an
office: Calle Las Palmas 129, Col. San Benito. very
helpful: they had a full US-American bottle to swap
for our empty, and very cheap.
on road to
Joya de Cerén
N 13°47.759'
W089°21.990'
TROPIGAS
after our ordeal in San Salvador we passed this
TROPIGAS plant, about 2 kms off the CA 1. we
didn't stop to use it.
near San Juan
Opico
N 13°52.309'
W089°22.644'
$5
5:50 pm: this little run-down balneario presented
itself as the only option near San Juan Opico (we
"Manantial Los
were refused to stay at the ruins of Joya de Cerén).
Bajios"
on route to
large pool filled with murky river water, camping next
to it, on sandy dirt, under an enormous mango tree.
Ciudad Arce
very quiet overnight.
use of semi-functioning toilets, outside cold showers
(if you wish). security guards. power point near juke
box.
near La Libertad
"Roots Surf Camp"
N 13°29.621'
W089°23.062'
$3 p.person
pebbled side street (w. sign) to the beach. grassy
sand lot under cocos palms. part campground
CA2 @ km42 in
(mostly tents), part restaurant and bar, part party
El Tunco
place - Saturday nights are noisy with dance music...
Sunday night was quiet.
use of basic bathrooms with clean toilets and cold
salty showers. power from kitchen. friendly owner
speaks fluent English.
Zacatecoluca
Turicentro
"Ichanmichen"
N 13°52.309'
W089°22.644'
$4 + tip
at the western intersection on the CA2 don't turn
north into town, but turn south instead. 43 hectares
of park with mature trees, 3 huge pools, day-use
cabañas, parking, picnic shelters, playground, and
more... not really set up for overnight camping, but
they went out of their way to give us permission to
stay in the office compound under some trees.
driveway gate is a little low - we got through fine.
toilets only accessable during opening hours [7-5],
power from office building.
Alegria
Restaurante
"Cartagena"
N 13°30.637'
W088°29.184'
free 1)
follow the signs from near the plaza; road is steep,
and driveway is a little narrow, but once there you'll
find a large level parking lot. this is a large property
at the edge of town, part tropical nursery, part
guesthouse, and a nice, though little pricey,
restaurant with views "to die for". well worth a visit!
dry-camped and only used their toilet once in the
morning (no other facilities). cabañas are $50/night!
very quiet and, at 1.100 mts. cool over night.
1)
the next day they came up and suddenly asked for $30,
which we refused to pay... there might have been some
confusion, partly based on the fact that we don't eat meat:
when we first enquired we let them know that we intended to
eat at the restaurant, but also asked specifically if they had fish
or vegetarian dishes - yes, they had fish. later, when we sat
down, another waiter told us they were out of fish, so we left
rather unhappy (since we actually didn't feel like cooking).
N 13°29.648'
W088°29.536'
$12
second option: Laguna de Alegria = around 2 kms
+ entry fee
out of town, up a steep and roughly pebbled road,
you'll find the laguna, our reason to come to this
town. it's a beautiful clear green lagoon with slightly
sulphurous water, an old volcano crater, surrounded
by lush forest.
$12 was for an overnight security guard (even
though we felt no need for it). in the right weather a
nice spot to dry camp. turn-off is at the edge of town:
N 13°31.530' W088°29.182' (no sign)!
off CA1 west of
San Miguel
N 13°31.530'
W088°17.542'
San Miguel
N 13°30.037'
W088°10.573'
Turicentro
"Altos de la Cueva"
TROPIGAS
we only noticed the sign (GPS reading taken near
turn-off), but didn't go in.
$10 to camp
2)
+$2.29 entry
2)
they actually rang their head office in San Salvador to find
out the possibiliy and rate to pay for camping.
since we only stayed the night they didn't charge us the $2.29
entry fee.
quieter part of town, called "Riverside" (in good
Spanish - follow the signs). parking near office,
under large fig trees, well away from the road. steel
bar across gate is fairly low!
power from office, use of so-so bathrooms with cold
showers, several pools, which looked nice, but it was
raining heavily, so we didn't go in. taps and hoses to
fill water.
Perquin
Museo de la
N 13°57.525'
W088°09.806'
tip the guards
up the hill from town center, a small level parking lot,
dirt, which was very muddy (late rain season). quiet
Revolucion
over night. no facilities, but very friendly people.
there's another large grassed parqueo across the
Parking Lot
road where one could stay, but some tree branches
are rather low.
PLEASE NOTE: all government run TURICENTROS in El Salvador close at 5:00 in the afternoon. If you're planning to
camp in one it would be best to arrive before 4:30 and arrange your stay.
In case their gate proves to be too low for your rig an early arrival would give you some time to find an alternative
place.
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N i c a r a g u a
[C$ = Prices in Cordoba - current October 2007]
TOWN /
CAMP SITE
GPS
PRICE P.
NIGHT
DESCRIPTION / OUR IMPRESSION
León
N 12°26.810'
free
we were too late and too tired to check for other
Cotton Factory
W086°52.306'
options - we relied on some helpful neighbours (who
intruced Yasha as their Aunty) - not sure if this
would be an option for other travellers!
parking lot of a factory, o.k. for a night, no facilities,
we were woken before 6:00 am and asked to
leave...
By-pass of León
km 91½ Carretera
N 12°26.288'
W086°51.796'
TROPIGAS
right next to the hotel mentioned below
procedure to fill propane bottles here turns out to be
Circunvalación
really bureaucratic: first you need the exact amount
to pay plus their account details, with these you
go/drive to Bancentro (in the center of town), stand
in line for ages at the bank to pay the Tropigas bill,
and then return with the pay slip to get your bottles
filled. I also had to show the guys how to prime the
US bottles because they wouldn't fill properly.
León
Hotel San
N 12°26.253'
W086°51.785'
(took a
it rained a lot, travel was impossible due to floods, I
room)
had a bad flu, and we didn't want to camp...
Cristóbal
hotel is on busy main road, parking lot is large and
shaded, but noisy. rooms are a little quieter.
not sure if they would allow RVs to camp!
Granada
Park by the Lake
N 11°55.262'
W085°56.363'
C$30 entry
entry fee only during day hours, gate opened later,
+ tip f.night
too. at the ferry pier turn right and drive through the
guard
tall arch into the park. play grounds, lake beach, and
a number of restaurants, all a bit neglected.
no facilties, but level parking, morning shade, quiet
weeknights, noisy on weekends
2010 – Told independently by a couple of locals and
the Irish guy running the Irish bar that it wasn’t safe
to park here. So we found the Marina listed below.
N 11°55.759'
W085°56.806'
not used!
second option: Cruz Roja [Red Coss] on road from
town to the ferry terminal (a little closer to town). we
know of several people who have used this place in
the past...
it didn't feel right to us, sorta combination of a
school, homeless shelter, parking lot (buses and
trucks = early starters), and a wrecking yard. some
level parking, power (w. extension) could be
available.
at both locations we wouldn't want to leave our
vehicle for long.
Granada
parking spot
in town
N 11°55.754'
W085°57.186'
free
since the park by the lake turned out to be too busy
on Friday night we thought to try boondocking in
town (and take in some of the late evening
atmosphere...) - no hassles!
we stood right between the cathedral and the
bishop's residence, a spot w/o any traffic, but noise
from a near-by nightclub...
Granada
N11° 53.967'
W85° 55.780'
In private Marina
$4
2010 - Given the warnings about the park we looked
for some options and found a very nice private
marina beyond the restaurants (in the park). Keep
going and turn right about 200m before the road
runs out then follow the marina signs. Great view
across the harbour & lake, access to clean toilets
and security at night. Too far to walk into town
though. No showers, dump point or water!
San Juan Del Sur
Bahia Majagua
N 11°17'56"
W085°54'54.1"
didn't get
this place was recommended by several people: a
there!
beachfront eco resort with the option to camp. it's
about 12 km north-west of the town (which we didn't
like very much), turn-off is outside town near school.
a very rough (and during our visit muddy!) dirt road
which follows a derelict railway track: narrow cuts
through hillsides and equally narrow bridges. after
the turn-off to the left (not sign-posted) you have to
cross a creek, which was a small river during our
visit, then always keep right (we were told). despite
4WD we had to give up on the last 1½ kms,
because the already bumpy road turned into kneedeep wet mud. we stayed instead at the near-by
(closed) Hotel "Playa Marsella" = our most
expensive cold shower (NOT recommended)...
we don't know what the conditions are at this place,
or what the road will be like during the dry season,
but we wouldn't recommend going there with normal
RVs; small campers and vans might be o.k.
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7 .
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C o s t a
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R i c a
[¢ = Prices in Colones, some in US$s - current November 2007 - January 2008]
once you have reached Costa Rica you're in camper's heaven: it's safe and all beaches (you can get to) are
public land = free to camp!
TOWN /
CAMP SITE
GPS
PRICE P.
NIGHT
DESCRIPTION / OUR IMPRESSION
Santa Rosa
National Park
N10 50.145
W85 37.042
About US$4
per person +
2010 - Campsite in the national Park. Lots of tree
cover (may be difficult for tall rigs) and pretty muddy
NP entrance
after 20cm of rain. Basic commissary for dinner. Not
fee. Total of
cheap. Toilets, showers (cold) and water.
nearly US$30
for 4 of us
outside La Cruz
on road to
N 11°06.555'
W085°36.749'
US$10
late, raining and foggy, already dark, this hotel
parking lot presented itself as an option away from
Peñas Blancas
the highway. it turned out to be the o/n stop for
Hotel "Calinas Del
buses running from San José to the border; the last
Norte"
one pulled in at 0:30, the first left just after 3:30...
muddy parking lot, large tree, difficult to get level, no
facilities except use of a clean toilet.
Bahia De Salinas
beach camping
N 11°02.588'
W085°43.388'
free
from the parque in La Cruz a little up the hill, first tar
downhill, then a mostly good dirt road (follow the
signs to Bolaños Bay, or for most of the way to
Ecoplaya = better sign posting), the beach is down a
track right after Bolaños Bay Resort: a small cove,
just large enough to park the camper (and may be 3
other cars), almost all the time to ourselves. the last
bit of access is a little rough - walk in to check
conditions! there are a few other beaches along this
way...
nice sandy beach with some rocks for character, lots
of shells, gentle calm waves, good breeze, heaven!
NO facilities, but location, location, location! only
morning shade, yet mostly very quiet and relaxing.
near San José
suburb Heredia
N 09°58.741'
W084°10.731'
¢7,000/day
on the outskirts of the capital, a real trailer park,
pay 6, stay 7
wedged between two main roads, and near the
Belén Trailer Park
airport. it comes with all the things you'd expect:
water, power [15 + 50 Amp], sewer hook-ups, hot
showers, toilets, washing machine (¢700, no dryer!),
clothes lines, fast free WiFi, traffic noise, airplanes
overhead - what's missing is a major railway line
(feeling a bit sarcastic today)...
very friendly and helpful american owner, camping
under some mature trees on grass (which we
messed up, sorry, too muddy), traffic is less o/n and
on weekends.
Coyol near
Alajuala
N 09°59.113'
W084°16.332'
TROPIGAS
exit near the "Dos Pinos" factory off the
Panamerican Highway north towards Puntarenas.
and San José
the plant is well off the main road, if you're lucky (like
us) you can follow a Tropigas truck right to the gate.
Samara on
Nicoya peninsular
N 09°52.876'
W085°31.476'
¢8,000/day !
camping on sand right by the beach. at the entrance
you have to lift a few wires, and it's tight to turn and
Camping "Los
fit between the cocos palms (a few centimeters wider
Cocos"
than our camper and you won't fit)! apart from a few
dogs and roosters quiet o/n. some shade, good
breeze from ocean during day, o/n some breeze off
the land.
use of o.k. toilets and cold showers, water seems to
be not salty (so you could fill tanks), (weak) power
from a light fitting near campsite. we tried to bargain,
expensive for what it is - tents pay ½!
Marbella on
Nicoya peninsular
N 10°05.268'
W085°46.829'
free
camping on a sandy driveway onto the beach. the
road from Marbella to the beach is a bit narrow in
Marbella Beach
places w. some low-hanging branches, and along
the beach aren't many spots to turn a larger vehicle!
good surf - not so safe to swim.
not much day time shade where we camped (you
can find better spots with a smaller vehicle). very
quiet o/n, though the surf was very strong and came
almost too close to our campsite.
Junquillal on
Nicoya peninsular
N 10°09.435'
W085°48.433'
¢4,000/day
"Surfcamp"
yard across the road from the beach, no shade for
camper (would be for tents), rather dusty and hot
during day (a hedge cuts some of the ocean breeze).
use of toilet, primitive shower, good water to fill,
power w. extension from house.
near Nicoya on
road from
N 10°10.235'
W085°27.517'
free
behind Hotel "El Regalo", away from main road. the
very friendly owner made us feel welcome and didn't
Santa Cruz
want to charge anything. he offered us the use of the
Restaurant
restaurant bathrooms (opened all night), and he
"Jusavi"
didn't even expect us to eat at his restaurant (which
we did anyhow)!
parking lot doesn't offer much shade, there's a lovely
pool with jacuzzi (just the right temperature)! we
were a little disturbed o/n by noises from a near-by
"Dos Pinos" factory.
Tambor on
Nicoya peninsular
N 09°43.352'
W085°01.446'
free
when the ferry arrived the sun was already down - so
this came up as the first option in the dark: a large
in an empty sub-
sub-division, curbed roads with street lighting - and
division
no houses, but plenty of beautiful trees and some
wild life (anteaters and howler monkeys - our first
since Guatemala)...
we felt secure and slept well, just far enough from
the main road.
Tambor on
Nicoya peninsular
N 09°42.985'
W085°01.025'
free
boondocking at the beach. the dirt track is narrow
and lined with low trees; not many options to get off
at main beach
the track. where we camped wasn't very level, and
close by is a bar (closed on this Monday, but their
sign advertises "The coldest Beer in Costa Rica" and
karaoke for Friday & Saturday nights).
close to surf, on some dune vegetation (which one
shouldn't do), quiet when we stayed there, full sun in
the morning.
near Montezuma
on
N 09°38.035'
W085°04.440'
free
the road from Montezuma to Cabuya is a bit narrow
in places and badly pot-holed = not recommended if
Nicoya peninsular
you don't have the clearance! to reach this spot turn
beach on way to
off on a hilltop, down a bumpy lane to a few houses,
Cabuya
continue past them and you'll reach this camping
site, which is under trees right by the beach. nice
breeze and always cool. good fishing from the rocks,
the beach, which you reach crossing a small creek,
is rather mediocre (spoiled Australians that we are).
this was truly one of our nicer camping spots, even
though there were a few Tico families around on the
weekend it was quiet over night. the site is well off
the main road to Cabuya, so all you hear is the
ocean.
near Sarchi on
road to Bajos De
Toro
N 10°10.102'
W084°18.940'
free
there is supposed to be a campground (with trout
farm and cabinas) in this area; it's called "Nené" - we
never found it! it was getting dark, the road was
on road side
narrow and steep, the going was slow, so we pulled
off onto the first level bit after over 10 kilometers.
cool at 1,850 meters, quiet night with hardly any
traffic, and a gorgeous view to wake up to...
km 70
Panamerican
N 09°38.648'
W083°51.027'
please read
follow the dirt driveway to "Finca Eddie Serano" (one
description
low wire!), this property right before it is owned by
Hwy.
his son - you can stay at either place and rent
south of San José
cabañas. you are almost guaranteed to see
"Paraiso del
Quetzal"
quetzales!
payment: the deal we were offered: camping
including dinner, cooked breakfast, and guide to see
the quetzales in the morning: $US31 for the 2 of us.
the food was simple but tasty, and we got to see 5
(or maybe 7 - don't know if some were the same)
quetzales. plus many "colibris" (hummingbirds)
around their feeders. we found this a good deal!
very cool over night at over 2,680 meters, quiet, but
we didn't sleep very well (due to elevation or
temperature). parking either next to the restaurant
(not very level) or in front of cabañas (level). only
use of toilets in restaurant, probably could have got
power and water (we didn't ask).
San Gerardo De
Dota
Hotel "Savegre"
N 09°33.076'
W083°48.462'
please read
turn off the Panamericana at km 80 (south of San
description
José), 10 kms of steep dirt road in decent condition
(for Costa Rica). it's a nice drive down into the valley.
this is a beautiful hotel in gorgeous surrounds, which
was recommended by several people; it caters
mostly to full board US tourists.
payment: this place used to have camping, the rate
we found on another website was $US20/night,
which we already found expensive - imagine our
shock when we were quoted two options: either pay
US$50 to camp, or eat all meals at our restaurant
(lunch + dinner $US15 each, breakfast $US8, which
we skipped)... it's not really worth this much! there is
another campground just up the road ("El Rancho")
which appeared to be closed (no electricity), other
options in this narrow valley are limited.
only two level parking spots next to their work yard.
no facilities except restaurant toilet, no way to get
power. internet computer for $US2/hour.
Manuel AntonioCabinas Ramirez
N 09°15.077'
W083°51.814'
$10
2010 - Small place. Allowed us to park out front. All
night security. Clean toilet & shower, electricity &
Wifi. Very close to the beach and the National park
(which is closed Monday)
Dominical
beach camping
N 09°15.077'
W083°51.814'
free
one of our best finds: right at the edge of this small
town with everything within walking distance. a small
narrow parking spot under trees right at the beach.
well shaded all day and good breeze keeps
temperature down. friends in a larger rig stayed just
a bit further down the beach.
level spot, quiet o/n. no services, but camping "El
Coco" 100 meter walk towards main beach offers
cold showers for ¢200. frequently policed.
Golfito
"La Purruja Lodge"
N 08°36.188'
W083°06.568'
¢2,000
property on hill outside town, narrow and steep
concreted driveway w. one narrow bridge (just wide
enough for us!). friendly swiss-costarican owners.
there's a "proper" camping area, moreso for tents.
past the main house, we weren't sure if one wire and
a tree were too low to reach it (rain stopped us from
investigating)...
camped next to main house on almost level parking
lot, power from kitchen next to us, use of simple
clean shower and toilets at the camping area (fair
walk). slept o.k., some dogs barking and traffic.
Gandoca
near beach
N 09°35.828'
W082°36.328'
free
almost all Costa Rica maps, we looked at, showed a
road connecting Gandoca with Manzanillo, so
(coming from Panama) we took the turn to this small
village by the ocean... it turned out that the track
connecting Gandoca with Manzanillo is not much
more than a mule track = not suitable for anything
but a dirt bike or maybe a light small 4WD vehicle!
narrow gravel road from hwy to Gandoca crosses
some small old bridges (though trucks get through),
first passing through banana plantations w. some
semi-trailer traffic. road can easily flood during rain!
the beach is fenced off to protect turtle nesting sites,
parking lot was very muddy in rain, so we camped
on an adjoining grassed area - a grumpy man
claimed this was his private land (only 20 meters
from beach = not legal in CR). not much breeze, no
shopping facilities in Gandoca (there is a
restaurant/bar), no services.
between Cocles
and Manzanillo
N 09°38.552'
W082°41.248'
free
the coastal road is in pretty bad condition: not much
bitumen left, mostly pot-holed dirt. left and right of
beach camping at
the road is more development than we have seen
Punta Uva
elsewhere in Costa Rica, blocking a lot of the beach
access. you have to turn off the main road after
Cocles to get to this location. it was busy between
Christmas and Newyear, mostly with Ticos and
young western backpackers...
nice level spot with only some morning sun, shaded
for most of the day, good breeze, very close to water
(some salt spray).
quiet o/n, very busy during day, but rough ocean
muffled the sounds from all the day visitors...
N 09°20.410'
W083°40.132'
San Isidro De El
General
$20
2010 – Parked beside a football pitch at the back of
the hotel.. Very good toilets, no showers, great
Hotel Del Sur
swimming pool and free Wifi.
N 09°50.354'
W082°55.833'
near San
Clemente
free
on coastal road towards Puerto Limón, wide black
sand beach with colourful painted cocos palms.
"Painted Palms"
across the road is the bright purple "comida rapida"
of Ron and Dina, a very helpful American couple...
rough surf when we visited, security seems to be an
issue, so look after your belongings.
almost level, the black sand sticks to everything. you
can fill with clean water at Ron and Dina's place and
use (during opening hours) their toilet and cold
shower. some noise from road.
between Puerto
Limón
no reading
TROPIGAS
right on the main road towards San José is this
Tropigas plant - very friendly staff.
no reading
ZETAGAS
outside this town with two names, on the road
and Liverpool
outside Ciudad
Quesada /
San Carlos
towards Fortuna, we noticed a blue Zetagas plant no time/space to take a GPS reading...
on road to Fortuna
N 10°27.527'
W084°38.664'
Fortuna
"Pura Vida"
camping
on road to waterfall
¢3,000
small, well looked-after camping ground, away from
p.person
main road, better suited for tent camping, although
there is little shade! beautiful garden sloping towards
river.
not quite level, soft gravel parking lot, small kitchen
shelter with tables and chairs, one ensuite-style
bathroom with cold shower. weak power from light
fitting at (flower-)well, water only away from parking
lot (impossible to reach w. our hose). quiet o/n.
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8 .
P a n a m a
[$ = Prices in Balboas - 1B fixed 1 US Dollar - current December 2007 - January 2008]
TOWN /
CAMP SITE
David
Parking lot
GPS
N 08°25.897'
W082°17.750'
PRICE P.
NIGHT
free
"Mall Chiriqui"
DESCRIPTION / OUR IMPRESSION
north end of town on the Panamerican Hwy., in the
back of the lot away from traffic. careful: one side
gets noise from a near-by nightclub. concrete
parking lot w. no shade, slightly sloping, deserted
(and locked) over night (there is a cinema, but even
on a Saturday, our second visit, it wasn't busy).
no services as such, but o.k. toilets near food court,
and water to fill near some lamp posts. fairly quiet.
near David
Santa Clara
Balneario at the
N 08°24.044'
W082°21.275'
N 08°22.445'
W080°06.411'
TROPIGAS
approximate reading - Tropigas filling station right on
the Panamericana.
$3 p.person
+$3 f.power
beach
turn off the Panamericana to the beach (opposite the
XS Memories, see below), take the right fork and go
past the boom gate at the police station: at the end
of the road is this beach balneario with security.
camping on sand, not very level, no shade, but
breeze from beach. relatively quiet o/n (the guard
turned on a stereo at around 3:00) - better than near
Panamericana...
use of outside showers (no privacy - you'll need
bathers) and o.k. toilets, power was a bit iffy.
Santa Clara
XS Memories RV
N 08°23.325'
W080°06.629'
$15
Park
why is it that trailer parks are always near noisy main
roads? this is a nice setting with a small pool and a
beautiful palapa (rancho they call them here). grassy
site is a bit muddy after rain. not much shade, but
(still) plenty of rain - grrr... when we wanted to leave
we got bogged for the first time on our trip and had
to be towed out by the owner's truck - we heard that
this happens a lot during rain!
fairly level, despite soft under foot, full hook-ups
(power, water, waste), only one toilet, cold outdoor
showers w. no privacy, free WiFi. restaurant food
looks good...
upon second visit: it looked like toilet hadn't been
cleaned since our first stay (3 weeks prior), and WiFi
wasn't working (the only reason to come).
2010 – Price now $20. Restaurant food is good and
inexpensive. Good book swap and WiFi was
working. Very dry so no sinking problems. We were
parked beside the Palapa and road noise was
minimal here.
Panama City
N 08°56.382'
free
cross the "Puente de las Americas" into Panama
Parking lot in
Amador
W079°33.053'
City, take the first exit towards Balboa, but then keep
left (instead of right towards Balboa), after a good
kilometer you'll see the signposted entry to this
parking lot on your right. the lot is huge, so take your
pick of any site. in the early evening there are quite a
few couples hanging around in their cars, but later
it's almost deserted (though frequently policed).
lights go off after 11:00. Taxi into town (e.g. to
Barwil) between $3.50 and $5 max., you'll have to
bargain.
mostly relatively level, not much shade, some
rubbish in parts (not too bad), and for a city location
reasonably quiet once everybody has left. we felt
safe here. you could use the drains to dump your
waste water. we filled fresh water at a parking lot on
the last island down the causeway.
A little north in the same area is the "Balboa Yacht
Club" (GPS N 08°56.394' / W079°22.267'), a
prominent meeting point for travellers who are
shipping to South America. free WiFi (not locked) at
the Yacht Club and the Country Inn Amador Hotel
(more stable WiFi) / TGI Fridays Restaurant even a
bit further north.
on hwy. from
Panama City to
no reading
TROPIGAS
there's a Tropigas plant on the main road from
Panama City to Colón - no GPS reading because
Colón
our Garmin was packed away at the time... the plant
is probably about a third of the way coming from
Panama City, on the left (next to a rather big "Hotel
Camping", where we wouldn't want to camp because
of its location right next to busy highway...).
this information might be important for people who
ship from Columbia to Panama and need to refill
their bottles (no full bottles allowed on vessel, though
nobody checked in our case). information might be
outdated once the new autopista is finished - we
don't know its route!
Gamboa
in a side street at
the end of the road
N 09°07.177'
W079°42.360'
free
small spot along a side road which didn't have a
single car come through. level area on some grass
and road buiding material. fairly dark due to large
along the Panama
trees around. quiet except for container trains
Canal
running from Balboa to Colón (we had only three
come past o/n - it will be difficult to get away from the
train line anywhere along the canal).
no services.
near El Roble
N 08°09.282'
W080°40.821'
TROPIGAS
Tropigas filling station right on the Panamericana,
again close to a PANAGAS (same as in David).
butane/propane is cheaper in Panama compared to
Costa Rica.
N 08°10.349'
W081°52.529'
Las Lajas
beach cabañas
$5
there are several options along this beach, we chose
this one because it looked nice and we met up with
some fellow travellers. drive the pot-holed bitumen
road from the Panamerican to its end, turn right and
follow a dirt track, through the gate, for about a
kilometer. clean grassy lot with simple cabañas ($10)
right along the beach, camped on level ground under
(harvested) cocos palms.
level, some shade, good breeze, busy during
christmas day, quiet o/n. use of run-down toilets and
out-side cold showers w. privacy curtains - both were
cleaned daily. we probably could have had power
from one of the cabañas - it was busy, so we didn't
ask.
outside Boquete
gravel lot by bridge
N 08°48.247'
W082°27.165'
free
almost level gravel lot a little away from road with
some large pine trees (a bit further down is an
access to the river where one could be a little less
visible). road is fairly busy until around 9:00, then it's
quiet until 5:30 the next morning - traffic going
across the near-by steel bridge creates a lot of
noise... quiet over night, and cool at 1,315 meters.
no services.
second option: the tourist information on the way
into town offered that we could use their parking lot it's close to the main road and a T junction, so we
were not too keen...
Punta Róbalo
gravel lot in village
N 09°02.288'
W082°14.865'
free
there are not many spots to get off the coastal road
along Panama's Atlantic coast, so we took the turnoff to this sleepy little coastal village. good bitumen
road ends at boat pier; on the left it is this large
(almost level) lot. locals, we asked if we could stay,
were friendly and welcoming.
some breeze, quiet o/n apart from generator until
9:00 and the normal rooster wake-up-call in the
morning... no services.
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