Cultural Photography Tours & Trips in Central America

You'll photograph traditional mascaradas in Escazú and spot wildlife along Tortuguero National Park's canals, where Jesus Christ Lizards and migratory birds make great subjects. At a cacao farm you'll document chocolate-making, then capture colorful scenes at Quepos farmers' market before heading to Monteverde's Hanging Bridges to shoot layered cloud forest views.

Island-hop to Ina Island, Anmardub Island, and the Natural Pool's bright turquoise waters with plenty of chances to snap photos along the way. Take a guided tour through a Guna village where you'll see colorful molas and handicrafts being made, then grab snorkeling gear and swim among coral reefs in the clear Caribbean waters around Pelicano Island to photograph the marine life.

You'll get amazing shots at Tikal National Park, a UNESCO site where 575 square kilometers of jungle hide thousands of Maya ruins from 900 BC. Head to Lake Yaxha in Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park for sunset photography, and while you're there, you can photograph spider monkeys, river turtles, and exotic birds.

You'll get great photo opportunities at Semuc Champey's stepped turquoise pools and the towering Mayan pyramids of Tikal in the Petén rainforest. Chichicastenango Market offers vibrant indigenous culture shots—it's one of the largest authentic markets in the Americas—and there's colorful textiles to photograph in San Juan La Laguna during a village tour. Lake Atitlán's volcano-rimmed waters and Antigua's colonial architecture during a walking tour round out the highlights.

You'll head into La Fortuna's rainforest to find sloths and photograph dart frogs and toucans in the wild. Walk across the hanging bridges at Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park for great canopy views of the Arenal Volcano region, then join a guided night walk to see nocturnal wildlife. Ages 15+, 4 days, includes tortilla-making at El Fogon de Chela and a coffee tour at Doka Estate.