Belize: Belize is a small country that's easily traversed with tourism spread into two main areas. The west interior region showcases incredible limestone caves and river systems. The highlight is the infamous Actun Tunichil Muknal where you swim, crawl, squeeze, hike, 
and scramble deep into an underground river system with ancient Maya skeletons. The proximity to the border of the area's main hub, San Ignacio, makes this a convenient connecting point to Tikal in Guatemala. Off the Caribbean coast lies two main islands offering a plethora of aquatic adventures. Caye Caulker is more a laid-back, low-key, reggae-vibe hangout with a lot of young adult travelers with basic, beachfront cabanas. Ambergris Caye is more developed, has resorts, big hotels, more services, and a city center. Both islands have trips out to all the offshore reef dive sites site as well as beautiful beaches.
Guatemala: This is an extremely welcoming country with a ton of highlights offering a raw and adventurous experience and beautiful colonial architecture surrounded by dense jungles. 
Antigua is the international hub with a ton of Spanish language schools set in the shadows of Volcan Agua, just south of town. Lake Atitlan provides an awesome environment to chill in laid-back, lakeside villages with great hiking in the surrounding mountains. The country's claim to fame is the magnificent Mayan ruins of Tikal and a must-see architectural wonder set in the middle of the dense primary jungle.
Honduras: The two highlights of this mountain country lie on and off its Caribbean coast. The Bay Islands offer two unique Islas that center around the diverse aquatic life just beneath its shores with Utila being
much like the laid back style of Caye Caulker in Belize but a bit more developed, and Roatan, which is just like Ambergris Caye of Belize which is developed with resorts, big hotels, and a city center. Both islands have tons of dive shops with whale sharks commonly spotted migrating through the offshore reefs when they're in season. Utila has one mediocre beach that's accessible to the public and Roatan has a plethora of white sand.
Nicaragua: This not-so-hidden gem of Central America offers wicked little beach towns on the Pacific Coast that draw surfers from around the world to the hip towns of
San Juan del Sur in the south and Poneloya outside of Leon in the north. Inland, Isla Ometepe is a gorgeous dual volcanic island with picture-perfect cones that make for beautifully challenging 12-hour summit hikes with lazy beaches and jungle hammocks. Once you're ready for some rainbow reefs, fly east out to the Corn Islands in the Caribbean for world-class diving and snorkeling in a deserted, Robinson Crusoe setting with no roads, cars, or towns.
Costa Rica: This eco-tourism pioneering country has one-third of its landmass donated to national parks and reserves, no army, and some 
of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. Tourism is the number one industry for a land blanketed in rain and cloud forests bordered by pristine white sand beaches that are pounded year-round with world-class waves. Highlights are the Monteverde Cloud Forest, Arenal Volcano National Park, Manuel Antonio National Park, Playa Tamarindo, Playa Hermosa, and the raging Sarapiqui river. The undeveloped Nicoya peninsula to the south offers wild, untouched primary jungle that borders right up to the sand and offers magnificent rainforest-beach hiking expeditions.
Panama: With the flood of international trade and travel pouring into Panama after the completion of the canal over 100 years ago,
the country has seen a lot of money and development around the city with the rest of the country left fairly unspoiled. The indigenous Kuna Indians that inhabit the San Blas Islands off the southern Caribbean coast are a marvel to observe and many boats pass through this archipelago ferrying travelers to Cartagena, Colombia. The Bocas del Toro archipelago on the northern Caribbean coast has thick, jungled islands, beautiful reefs, great surfing, and lively nightlife in Isla Colon.
