last edited Dec 11, 2019
Getting to Central America
Location Map of Central America
Central America
Open the interactive map
By air
From elsewhere in the Americas
- North America: no problem, major US or even Canadian cities have numerous direct flights to Central American countries.
- Caribbean: Panama City benefits the most from direct flights (thanks in particular to Copa Airlines) to/from the Caribbean or at least islands like Cuba, Jamaica, and the former Dutch Antilles. Otherwise, you’ll mostly find routes between Mexico and Cuba.
- South America: again, Panama offers the most options for flights to/from major South American countries.
From Europe
Other
- Asia: only flights to/from China (Shanghai) or Tokyo for Mexico.
- Pacific: no direct connections, requiring a stopover in the USA or Chile.
- Africa: no direct flights, so connections are necessary via Europe or North America.
Overland
From the North
From the north, there’s no issue accessing Central America from the United States and even Canada. Some travelers even arrive by bus or with their own vehicle. Just note that, for example, Mexico City is 4,600 km from Montreal, 4,200 km from New York, 3,500 km from Miami, or 3,000 km from Los Angeles.
From the South
To the south, the passage between Panama and Colombia has always been blocked by the Darién Gap, which has no roads and is barely crossable on foot, if at all, due to security concerns. In short, overland travel is impossible, and you’ll need to take a plane, local boats (short hops), cargo ships, or the new ferry line (FerryXpress) between Panama and Colombia, which reopened at the end of 2014.
By sea
Cargo ships and the Panama Canal
Panama-Colombia crossing
Cargo ships, "coastal routes," "charters," and now ferries—there are several ways to connect the two countries by sea.