Central America Expedition IN PROGRESS

[NoLimitX]

The Central America Backcountry Expedition is well under way and the NLX team is currently crossing the border into Nicaragua from Costa Rica. In preparation we (James & Angela of NO LIMIT EXPEDITIONS) traveled to Panama, where we had two of the NLX Defenders stored which led to at least a few sleepless nights. The humidity had worked its wonder but otherwise the trucks were untouched. That was a relief but still the process of getting them released from the Aduana in Panama proved to be challending due to technical diffiulty - the computer was down and they refused to hand write the permit. With the next days holiday fast approaching, and hours of pleading they finaly wrote the document we needed to be on our way. Yes it was frustrating but not as bad as we were imagining if we missed our window before the week long festival started and nothing would have been done.

Happy to have our Defenders back but not excited about the rains of Hurricane Tomas. We had to travel from Panama to Central Costa Rica to meet up with our group in 1 week and the rains were torrential. Driving in the rain in a Defender requires a raincoat and is not very exciting. But we were happy to be reuinited with Romulus & Remus so we carried on. We drove on the 'main' roads to save time which had more obstacles than your average trail - waterfalls were crashing on the roads, bridges were too low, water crossings every few feet, fallen trees and mudslides were at every turn. We finaly made it to San Jose to prepare the trucks and wait for the team to arrive. The rain was day and night and did not stop until the day everyone arrived. Phew!

The First Day of the Expedition started in a beautiful hotel at the top of a cloud forest and reserve 2 hours North of San Jose. We all enjoyed the surrounding beauty, soaked up the luxury and wonderful meals while getting to know everyone. The group is very diverse with varied backgrounds; James Brown of No Limit Expeditions, Graham Jackson of Overland Training, business owners, an attorney, technology, photographer, etc. Only a few have off road experience so they will get their fill on this 17 day Expedition.

I will keep you posted and hopefully get some photos posted. We are posting a daily trip log on Facebook No Limit Expeditions and will update this post with details from the field.

 

[Rallyroo]

The rain we had when we were in Honduras was bad already. Flooded roads that looked like rivers. Multiple newly created waterfalls feeding even more water onto the roads. And yeah, the Defenders are not exactly leak proof as I have learned from the trip.

Oh yeah, make sure to make multiple backups of your photos/videos this time around. And store the backups in different locations/bags.

I can't wait to hear how things go this time around.

 

[Scott Brady]

A few pictures coming in from Ben - on the iphone

I love the RedOxx bag in the photo

 

[NoLimitX]

Weren't able to get to Playa Naranja in Santa Rosa NP - they said the 'road' was closed until December. Excessive begging didn't help and the promise to not cross the river didn't work either. This is the elusive beach we have yet to make - but in our quest we found a very good alternative with not a soul around. Next day we took a track into Guanacaste National Park with great views of the nearby volcanoe and savannah lands with cool breezes. After another great meal prepared by chef James the group sipped on some Gallo Negro Scotch (translate that to English for a good laugh).

Today the NLX Team crossed the border into Nicaragua with minimal hours wasted and headed for the beach where 'Survivor' was filmed. After a few beers on the beach and another terrifice sunset over the Pacific Ocean everyone is wondering if the title of the show really fits. There are some great photos coming in courtesy of Ben Edmonson (world famous photographer destined to be strapped to the top of another Land Rover). I will try to figure out how to post the pics..... given enough time

 

[007]

subscribed

 

[gjackson]

Team just made into Grenada. Beautiful town with some impressive colonial architecture. As James says, this will be our last day of normalcy for a while. Tomorrow we head for the Mosquito Coast and areas unknown. Few go to the Eastern side of Nicaragua, so things should get much more interesting.


Cheers

 

[Scott Brady]

Few go to the Eastern side of Nicaragua, so things should get much more interesting.

Perfect

 

[REDrum]

Weren't able to get to Playa Naranja in Santa Rosa NP - they said the 'road' was closed until December. Excessive begging didn't help and the promise to not cross the river didn't work either.

This past Sept, roads in southern part of NP between Mal Pais and Coyote were the worst I've ever seen: 30kph max. and rivers were very deep to cross.

Subscribed...

 

[Toyotero]

Tomorrow we head for the Mosquito Coast and areas unknown. Few go to the Eastern side of Nicaragua, so things should get much more interesting.

Very cool, I'm planning a trip over to the Atlantic coast in the future. From what I read, it's completely unlike the Pacific side in geology, climate, infrastructure, culture and peoples. RAAS and RAAN are like other countries inside Nicaragua. Have fun and take lots of photos :-D

Regards,

 

[NoLimitX]

Had a great time in Granada - a UNESCO World Heritage site for its colonial architecture and history. Enjoyed a swim, shower, laundry and a great restaurant. Today - the plan was to get to Puerto Cabeza on the Caribbean coast and get vehicle permits to cross the Rio Coco River into Honduras. There are no ferrys or bridges but everyone has some raft building ideas.

Well that was the PLAN - the reality is they are now in a German mountain resort in the North of Nicaragua eating wienerschnitzel trying to figure out how to fix the steering on one of the defenders. Overlanding never goes according to plan but thats part of the adventure.

 

[NoLimitX]

We knew the border issue between Costa Rica & Nicaragua (news report) was not ideal since the US is siding with Costa Rica and we are Americans in Nicaragua. Had hoped it wouldn't interfere with the plans to explore some of the untouched regions of the North - however the Sandanistas did not give a warm welcome today.

So head for 'neutral' territory in a german retreat? why not! Tomorrow the plan will be to change directions and go for the main border (Ocotal) with Honduras as quickly as possible. The steering issue (pump) will have to wait.

 

[riverguide]

sweet pics, glad you guys are staying safe!

 

[Toyotero]

Personally, I think the disagreement with Costa Rica is much sensationalized by the media and made out to be a much bigger deal than it is. Don't let it scare you out of seeing all the great things Nicaragua has to offer.

BTW, once you are in the northern country, you'll see a lot of police and military checkpoints on the main routes. They are making a heavy presence to provide security for the agriculture producers, especially coffee transports, and they are checking for remission papers for anyone carrying coffee (theft is a problem). There is also much increased security in the cities/towns since most people are paid in cash by their employer. It happens every year at this time.

 

[NoLimitX]

Crew made it to Honduras today. In general once they made it to the North the vibe was different - there are upcoming elections combined with this border issue and 8 Americans in military looking vehicles. Sometimes when you know you are not wanted its best to move on. Lots of other places/people to see and the Mosquito Coast will be exciting enough. We will be back to Nicaragua for sure - just a matter of bad timing.

 

[nickt]

Well, if you can plan it in detail it's not an expedition. As long as you have good company, new experiences and scotch it should be fun.

Hope you guys are still having fun, wish I could have made it.

Nick.
PS I have the scotch. Let me know if you need any