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Few highways hold such as magic as the legendary Pan American Highway. Stretching from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska down to the southern end of the South American continent in Argentina and Chile, the highway is comprised of a network of roads measuring almost 50,000 km or 30,000 miles in total length.
The only missing link in this remarkable feat is the 87 km or 54 mi long Darién Gap; a piece of undeveloped swampland forest that makes it impossible to travel from Panama to Colombia by normal car. Closing the gap would be cumbersome and expensive, and numerous environmental groups and indigenous populations are against it since they wish to protect the rainforest in its inhabitants from exploitation. Other reasons that have been put forth not to close the gap is to prevent the trafficking or drugs and people, to avert the spread of tropical disease, and to keep foot and mouth disease from returning to North America.
If you want to get a good sense of what its like to travel the Pan American Highway, the famous section known as the Inter-American Highway is a great option for a family road trip. It is not very long, but quite adventurous and runs through no less than seven nations; eight if you count the U.S. Also, while in Guatemala it is fairly easy to make a detour into the small English speaking nation of Belize on the Caribbean coast if you want to visit all Central American nations during your family road trip.
Guatemala is a mountainous land where the climate varies greatly depending on altitude. It is famous for its well preserved Maya Ruins and you can still see local women wearing traditional handmade Mayan blouses (huipiles) and skirts (cortes). As mentioned above, Guatemala is where you should make a detour eastwards if you want to visit its neighbour Belize.
The Guatemalan stretch of the Inter-American Highway will take your family through the capital, Guatemala City, and then southward to border of El Salvador. El Salvador has been plagued by armed conflicts and internal turmoil up until quite recently, but is now a growing economy that is striving hard to leave its painful history behind. In this little visited country, a series of environmentally-oriented community-based organizations promoting eco-tourism has been formed and you and your family has a unique chance to visit natural wonders that few tourists have ever seen before you.
After El Salvador you will reach Honduras, where the Inter-American Highway runs through the western part of the country. In Honduras you can for instance swing by Comayagua, the former capital of the country. Comayagua has retained much of its colonial old-world charm and does for instance sport a beautiful cathedral in its historic town centre.
The next stop on the line is the largest, but also poorest, country of Central America: Nicaragua. Once infamous for dictatorship and war, Nicaragua is now rising from the ashes and is luring and ever increasing stream of world travellers to its shores and inland regions. The once dreaded road system has improved dramatically during the last decade and the Inter-American Highway now connects to several top-notch roads. The newest addition is the foreign aid backed artery from colonial Leon to the sun and surf villages of Las Penitas and Poneloya on the west coast.
South of Nicaragua you will find Costa Rica; arguably the most well-known country in the region and the honey moon destination of choice for thousands of Yankees and Canadians. Costa Rica has no army and sports a high standard of living compared to its poorer neighbours. During recent years, it has also become a popular destination for U.S. residents in need of affordable health care.
Last but certainly not least is Panama, the international business centre with the largest economy in Central America. It controls the Panama Canal that links the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific, but is also unique from a biological perspective by having such a fascinating mix of South and North American plant and animal species.
