Florida, Caribbean, Central America

The argument

Fifty-two days from Romania across Florida, Puerto Rico and five Caribbean and Central American countries, March into April 2023 - the first time we’d covered this region properly. The Florida opening is wider than first read: Miami Beach as a base, a long Everglades day across the Tamiami Trail, the full Florida Keys drive down to Key West, then a week-long Puerto Rico loop with a Vieques island day and a swing through the central mountains - Yauco, Adjuntas, Jayuya. Then the month-long hop through the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Panama, Cuba and Costa Rica before a Houston layover on the way home. The single densest day was Guatapé in Colombia - the painted village and the long climb up the El Peñol monolith. Cuba was the densest country of all, nine days weighted heavily toward Havana, Viñales and Trinidad - and a full cycling day across the tobacco valley on Mar 31.

Trip shape

US 9d

US 7d

DO 4d

CO 4d

PA 5d

CU 9d

CR 11d

US 3d

Pace · photos per day

Frame data

Duration: 52 days · 51 nights
Countries: 6 (US · CU · CR · CO · PA · DO)
Anchors: Miami Beach · San Juan · Higüey · Medellín · Panama City · Havana / Viñales / Trinidad · Costa Rica-roving · Houston
Path shape: home → CDG → Miami → Keys → Puerto Rico → DR → CO → PA → CU → CR → Houston → AMS → home
Photos: 8,025 across six countries
Hikes: 12 tracked · ~24 km
Cycling: 2 logged rides on Mar 31 in Viñales · 40.5 km / 322 m total

The six legs

01

Florida, Miami · Everglades · Keys

1 Mar → 9 Mar · 9 days

Photos: 1,727
Hikes: 8 tracked
Shape: Miami base · Everglades day · Keys drive
Anchor: Miami Beach (with day trips out)
Pace: fast / varied

Mar 5 · the Everglades chain - seven tracked boardwalks in one afternoon along the park road, from Coastal Prairie down to Anhinga - and Mar 8 · the Keys drive to Key West, the full chain through Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon and Lower Matecumbe.

Mar 1-3 · the long arrival via Paris, settling at Miami Beach for the first Wynwood, South Beach and downtown days
Mar 4 · west across the Tamiami Trail - Pinecrest, the long roadside drive and the Miccosukee Indian Village
Mar 5 · the Everglades day proper, Homestead in the morning and the trail chain through the park
Mar 6 · Key Biscayne and Robin’s Birding Trail out on the barrier island
Mar 7 · a second Tamiami day - Everglades City and the Big Cypress fringe back toward the Miccosukee village
Mar 8-9 · the Keys drive to Key West via Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon and Lower Matecumbe, with a Stock Island touch

02

Puerto Rico, full loop

10 Mar → 17 Mar · 7 days

Photos: 1,126
Shape: San Juan base + Vieques day + central-mountain loop
Anchor: San Juan (Old San Juan + Río Piedras)
Pace: moderate / varied

Mar 12 · the Vieques island day - the ferry from Ceiba out to the wild south coast at La Hueca and El Pilón - and Mar 14-15 · the central mountains through Yauco, the Cabo Rojo southwest, Adjuntas and Jayuya.

Mar 10-11 · San Juan - the old town, Río Piedras, Carolina and the Loíza coast out toward Fajardo
Mar 12-13 · the Vieques day - the morning ferry from Ceiba, then the south coast across Sector Tortuguero, La Hueca and El Pilón, returning via Fajardo and the Comunidad La Vega cluster
Mar 14 · the southwest run - Yauco and the Comunidad del Toro / Cabo Rojo coast
Mar 15 · the central mountain loop - Cruce de Jauca, Altos de Arena, Adjuntas, Jayuya
Mar 16-17 · the loop back to San Juan and the exit toward the Dominican Republic

03

Dominican Republic, Higüey

17 Mar → 20 Mar · 4 days

Photos: 209
Shape: single anchor · eastern DR
Anchor: Higüey (near Punta Cana coast)
Pace: moderate

The quietest leg of the whole trip - a slow stretch of resort-coast days near Punta Cana, the camera mostly resting.

Mar 17-20 · the slow resort-coast days around Higüey, the trip’s quietest stretch

04

Colombia, Antioquia

21 Mar → 24 Mar · 4 days

Photos: 1,090
Hikes: 1 tracked
Shape: Medellín base + Guatapé day-trip
Anchor: Medellín
Pace: fast / urban

Mar 23 · Guatapé - the densest day of the entire trip, the painted zócalo village and the long climb up the El Peñol monolith.

Mar 21 · a brief transit through Bogotá into Medellín (Bogotá was a connection-only - landing approach photos, no city day)
Mar 22 · a full Medellín day - Comuna 13, the Botero square, the cable car up to Arví Park
Mar 23 · ★ the Guatapé day - the painted zócalo village and the long climb up the El Peñol monolith, the trip’s peak (the Rionegro / Marinilla approach drive folded in)
Mar 24 · a second Medellín day around the city centre

05

Panama, city + canal

25 Mar → 29 Mar · 5 days

Photos: 444
Hikes: 1 tracked
Shape: Panama City + Canal corridor
Anchor: Panama City (multi-district - Ancón, Bella Vista, Santa Ana, San Francisco)
Pace: moderate / urban

Mar 26 · the Ancón / canal day with the long Metropolitan Natural Park hike up Cerro Ancón and the Miraflores Locks visit, plus a Bella Vista wander on Mar 27.

Mar 25 · arrival into Panama City, the first San Francisco district evening
Mar 26 · the Ancón / Miraflores day - the long city walk up Cerro Ancón through the Metropolitan Natural Park and out to the canal locks
Mar 27 · a Bella Vista day across the cultural / restaurant grid - Calle Uruguay, Marbella, the seafront walks
Mar 28-29 · the Casco Viejo / Calidonia / San Francisco wind-down before the Cuba flight

06

Cuba, 3-city sweep

29 Mar → 6 Apr · 9 days

Photos: 1,814
Hikes: 1 tracked
Shape: Havana → Viñales → Trinidad cross-island
Anchor: Havana · Viñales · Trinidad (rolling)
Pace: fast

Viñales was the most photographed place in all of Cuba - the tobacco valley under its karst mogotes - and Mar 31 was the cycling day there, two rides through the valley back to back.

Mar 29-30 · Havana - the old town, the Malecón seawall, the Plaza de la Revolución and the great Colón cemetery
Mar 31 · ★ Viñales by bicycle - a morning loop of 28.2 km / 220 m through the tobacco-farm valley and a shorter 12.2 km / 102 m afternoon ride, the day’s two rides bookending lunch under the mogotes
Apr 1-2 · the Viñales valley days - the tobacco farms, the karst overlooks, the eastern Havana drive back through San Miguel del Padrón
Apr 3 · ★ Trinidad and the Sendero Caburní waterfall hike up into the Sierra del Escambray
Apr 4-5 · colonial Trinidad and its cobbled streets, with a south-coast touch at Playa Larga and Cienfuegos on the cross-island drive

07

Costa Rica, volcano + coasts

7 Apr → 17 Apr · 11 days

Photos: 1,417
Hikes: 1 tracked
Shape: La Fortuna → Monteverde → Quepos → Uvita → San José
Anchor: rolling - 5 distinct stops
Pace: fast / varied

La Fortuna and the Arenal volcano anchor the leg, with the Manuel Antonio wildlife coast around Quepos and the Bahía Ballena / Uvita whale-tail beach a close second.

Apr 7-9 · ★ La Fortuna and the Arenal volcano, the hot springs at its foot - the leg’s anchor, with the Sendero Bosque 1968 hike on Apr 9
Apr 10-12 · the Monteverde cloud forest, then the long Pacific-coast drive south via Tilarán and the Jacó coast
Apr 13-14 · the Manuel Antonio wildlife coast around Quepos and the Bahía Ballena / Marino Ballena park day at Uvita
Apr 15-16 · the slow Pacific wind-down at Uvita before the inland turn
Apr 17 · a civic stop in San José (Alajuela airport zone) before the exit

08

Return via Houston + AMS

18 Apr → 21 Apr · 3-4 days

Photos: 240
Shape: transit · Houston layover
Anchor: Houston (3-day layover)
Pace: exit

The way home runs through a full Houston layover - a real stop, not a tarmac touch - before the Amsterdam transit.

Apr 18 · the multi-country flight day out of Central America - Costa Rica, Mexico, Belize, the US
Apr 19-20 · a full Houston layover, our first proper time in Texas
Apr 21 · the Amsterdam transit, the last frames before home

Cross-leg memory

Facts visible only at trip scale.

Longest US stay (through 2023): 16 days across Florida + Puerto Rico + Houston
Photo-densest country: Cuba (1,814 / 9 days · ~202 / day)
Country count: 6 substantive destinations
First Caribbean tour: our first comprehensive coverage of the region
Anchor reuse: none across the country legs
Cycling day: Mar 31 · two Viñales rides · 40.5 km / 322 m

Off-path · per zone

Florida Miami + Everglades + Keys ~10% canonical US tourist coast plus a real Everglades day
Puerto Rico full loop ~25% San Juan canonical but Vieques and the central mountains rural
Dominican Republic Higüey ~30% off-resort eastern coast
Colombia Medellín + Guatapé ~5% top-decile Colombian destinations
Panama City + Canal ~30% canal-corridor districts mix tourist and resident
Cuba (Havana + Viñales + Trinidad) ~5% canonical Cuban triangle
Costa Rica ~5% Arenal + Manuel Antonio top-decile
Houston layover ~20% a real 3-day Texas stop, not a tarmac touch

This is a canonical Caribbean and Central America covered properly, so an off-path score doesn’t really mean anything. The story is the depth of each country - nine days of Cuba across three distinct landscapes, eleven days of Costa Rica across five, and a Florida opening that pulled in the Everglades, the full Keys drive and a Puerto Rico loop - not the obscurity of the stops.

Hike highlights

View all trails in United States → View all trails in Colombia → View all trails in Costa Rica → View all trails in Cuba → View all trails in Panama →

Negative space

absent Cartagena An earlier brief named Cartagena as the Mar 23 peak — the photo data shows zero Cartagena frames across the trip. The Colombian week was Medellín + Guatapé, not the Caribbean coast.
absent Bocas del Toro Panama’s Caribbean archipelago — zero photos. The Panama leg stayed in the canal corridor across Ancón, Bella Vista, Santa Ana, San Francisco and Calidonia.
absent Cayo Coco The big Cuban beach resorts on the north coast — zero photos. The Cuban leg is the Havana / Viñales / Trinidad triangle, not the resort coast.
absent Varadero The big Cuban beach resorts on the north coast — zero photos. The Cuban leg is the Havana / Viñales / Trinidad triangle, not the resort coast.
absent Guatemala Central America’s northern countries — not visited as destinations. The trip’s Central American reach is Panama + Costa Rica only (a single Belize frame on the return flight day doesn’t count).
absent Belize Central America’s northern countries — not visited as destinations. The trip’s Central American reach is Panama + Costa Rica only (a single Belize frame on the return flight day doesn’t count).
absent Honduras Central America’s northern countries — not visited as destinations. The trip’s Central American reach is Panama + Costa Rica only.
absent Nicaragua Central America’s northern countries — not visited as destinations. The trip’s Central American reach is Panama + Costa Rica only.
absent El Salvador Central America’s northern countries — not visited as destinations. The trip’s Central American reach is Panama + Costa Rica only.
absent Tikal Out of scope — the trip is Caribbean + Central American Pacific, not Mesoamerican-archaeological.
absent Galapagos Pacific South America — adjacent in geography to Colombia, not visited.
absent Ecuador Pacific South America — adjacent in geography to Colombia, not visited.

A trip about going deep in six countries, not collecting all fifteen. The deliberate skips line up neatly - Cartagena for Medellín, Bocas del Toro for the Canal, Varadero / Cayo Coco for the Havana-Viñales-Trinidad triangle - each one a country’s other obvious option, set aside for the one we chose. The Florida Keys, an earlier brief had us bypassing - the data shows the opposite: we drove the chain all the way to Key West.

Numbers

Photos / day average: 154
Photo peak day: 399 · Mar 23 · Guatapé Colombia
Photos by country: US ~3,100 (Florida + PR + Houston) · CU 1,814 · CR 1,417 · CO 1,090 · PA 444 · DO 209
Walking recorded: ~24 km across 12 tracked hikes
Cycling recorded: 40.5 km / 322 m across 2 Viñales rides on Mar 31
Cuba photo density: ~202 / day - leg-level peak
Costa Rica regions: 5 distinct stops in 11 days
Puerto Rico loop: 7 days, San Juan + Vieques + central mountains
First photo: 2023-03-01 · Paris CDG transit + Miami arrival
Last photo: 2023-04-21 · Amsterdam exit

From this trip

Where this trip surfaced elsewhere on Travelfoss. Public-facing posts and itineraries, drawn from the same days the data describes.

Post Aug 2023
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Post Aug 2023
Is It Safe To Travel To Cuba And Can You Do It Alone?
Cuba is a relatively safe travel destination, either with a group or alone. Like in any other country, it is important to follow common sense safety practices.
Post Nov 2023
Getting Around Cuba: Your Honest Transportation Guide
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Post Nov 2023
Viñales Cycling Guide: Explore Scenic Routes and Immerse in Cuban Culture
Discover the heart of Cuba's countryside on two wheels. Pedal through breathtaking landscapes, and explore the hidden gems that make this adventure unforgettable.
Post Nov 2023
Viñales on Foot: A Tranquil Guide to Exploring the Cuban Countryside
Immerse yourself in the tranquil charm of Viñales as you explore the town on foot. Our guide offers leisurely strolls and an authentic glimpse into the countryside.
Post Nov 2023
Valle el Silencio: Hiking, Horseback Riding, Tobacco, Rum, and More
From hiking and horseback riding through unique landscapes to tasting local tobacco and rum, Valle el Silencio is the Cuban adventure you've been waiting for.