Joe, I only made it as far north as Nicaragua, but here's some quick suggestions:
Panama: If you're going to be in PC, you may want to consider seeing the Canal. There is a visitor center at the Miraflora Locks (the main one you can get to). Get a sense of what it took to build this huge hole considering the year and available technology.
Boca del Toro: more on the northern part of Panama, number of islands with lots of water and beaches. Very mellow, laid back, somewhat rustic (though not terribly so), about a 6 hour bus ride from PC (if I remember correctly). Probably a lot of what island life was like before it was built up and super-commercialized (though it is probably changing somewhat). If you go, get a "collective taxi" (a taxi that picks up people and drops them off along the way) to Boca del Drago on the other side of the main island for at least a few hours. Almost entirely pure island beaches and life...one small restaurant with a sand floor.
Boquete, Panama: perhaps consider the "Boquete Tree Trek", a zipline tour though the Panama mountains. About $60 USD per person, but a lot of fun to zip on wires through the mountains.
Costa Rica: I didn't spend much time there either, and didn't plan to so I didn't get much info on CR. Only visited San Jose. A few museums to check out, otherwise a lot of just big city. I hear outside San Jose, there are a lot of beautiful jungles and beaches, though....
Nicaragua: San Juan del Sur. This is the coastal beach/surf town on the south side of Nicaragua. Also mellow and laid back with hostels, restaurants, access to surfing. If you go, check out Casa del Oro Hostel. Whether or not you stay there, they can help with day trips outside of the main town to beach areas.
Granada is a nice historical town, and a good main point to branch out to other locations nearby. From Granada, you can get to places such as Masaya if you want to see local arts and crafts, plus San Juan de Oriente. You can also get to Masaya Volcano National Park and Mombacho National Park. Another option not terribly far away from Granada is San Jorge, which is the port city to catch boats to Ometepe Island, a huge volcano island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, one of the largest freshwater lakes in North America (and rumored to be the only one with live sharks in it - normally sharks are in saltwater, of course. However, I've heard that may be more myth than reality). Managua is not worth spending time in, in my humble opinion and especially on a tight timeframe.
You may also consider checking out www.quetzaltrekkers.com, where you can hike up a volcano to see one live. The one I really wanted to go on was the full moon trek. However, by the time I was in Nicaragua and it would have lined up with a full moon, I was past ready to head home and had seen everything else I wanted to see so I decided perhaps another time. That said, it appears there is a full moon tour on Sept. 4, so you'll have to see if that works for you.
After that, again you're going north of where I went, but I hope that gives some ideas.
Reply to this 
