Motorcycle trip into the world of the Maya

The motorcycle adventure in Central America begins in San Pedro Sula in Honduras, the capital of the Cortés Department, where the group meets at a first joint dinner. The next morning, after a short briefing, we set off: A flawless, paved road runs along the Rio Chamelecon. Many curves then wind their way up from Entrada to Copan, the largest and most impressive Mayan city in Honduras. The small town of Copan Ruinas shows its Spanish colonial roots in its cobbled streets and roofs with red tiles. In the afternoon, we visit the temple complexes. We admire artfully decorated stone figures and the famous Hieroglyphic Stairway that leads to the sanctuary at the top of the step pyramid. The stairway is the longest of its kind.

To quickly get through the somewhat tedious border processing at the El Florido crossing, we set off early in the morning. Guatemala greets us with very pleasant yet winding roads with a great landscape. Guatemala City, on the other hand, stands for the typical chaos of Latin American metropolises. After dealing with that, we drive for a few kilometers on the legendary Pan American Highway over the mountains to Antigua - a World Heritage site.

The colonial era sweeps past us: Magnificent houses of worship and monasteries with beautiful inner courtyards and tropical gardens characterize this city. In the afternoon, we take rather poor roads to Lago Atitlan. Three massive volcanoes surround the clear lake in the Indio highlands. We find our accommodation today in Panajachel. The next day, we explore some villages of the Indians on the shores of Lago Atitlan. Particularly bright colors characterize their traditional clothing. A tango of curves leads us to Chichicastenango, where we visit the popular Indian market.

At this point, we start the off-road adventure through the most beautiful areas of Guatemala. We traverse an incredibly beautiful landscape with tropical rivers in deep gorges and lush vegetation. Coffee and banana plantations line the way, and we get breathtaking views of the surrounding mountain landscapes of Alta Verapaz. Only shortly before dusk at San Christobal de Verapaz do the motorcycles roll back onto paved roads.

We wind over tropical mountains to Coban, the administrative seat of the Alta Verapaz Department. Here is Guatemala's coffee center. Our motorcycle journey now leads into the rainforest of Peten, the northernmost and largest department of Guatemala. Temperature and humidity begin to creep up on us. But the roads to Sayaxche are flawless. In the deep jungle, we discover another Mayan hideout: El Ceibal. We cross the Rio de la Passion and rush along a great road to Flores on Lago Peten Itza. After that, we explore the sunken temple city of Tikal, which is the most important and oldest Mayan city. The step pyramids rise above the jungle, and the towering trees can easily reach 50 meters! Colorful birds, such as toucans and parrots, flit around, and loud howler monkeys make their presence known. We continue to Lago Peten Itza and our next overnight stay: a jungle lodge by the lakeshore. We use the following morning for some refreshing swims in the lake or a stroll through the Cerro Cahui National Park.

The last leg of our motorcycle trip is dedicated to the small Central American country of Belize. The first stop is San Ignacio. From this city, we take an excursion over remote gravel and dirt roads into the Pine Ridge Nature Park. Here we explore the Mayan city of Caracol. Although we stand before the highest Mayan pyramid in Central America and the entire site shows immense dimensions, archaeological excavations have hardly been conducted here.

Belize is behind us, and Guatemala has us again. First, we visit Lago Peten Itza with our motorcycles and then drive on rough roads south to Rio Dulce. Depending on the schedule, a boat trip through the mangrove forests may still be possible. On the last day of the trip, we once again pass extensive banana plantations until we reach the river Motagua, where we cross the border back into Honduras. Washed-out asphalt roads guide us to the Atlantic coast. In the sunshine, we make a final stop in Omoa and enjoy a delicious meal by the sea. In San Pedro Sula, we have returned to the starting and ending point of our enduro trip through Central America. It’s either time to say goodbye to Honduras, Guatemala & Co or one might add an extension: snorkeling, swimming, and relaxing on a tropical island with sand and palm trees.