Skip to content
Most popular Instagram photos of 2021

Our Ten Most Popular Instagram Photos of 2021

Join us as we look back over Central America’s 2021 in pictures. Check out our top ten most popular Instagram photos of 2021.

For the fourth year in a row (four years now!!), we’re proud to publish our ten most popular Instagram photos. Those of you feeling a little nostalgic can check out our most popular pics of 2018, 2019, and 2020 if you want. Or, if you don’t want, just stick with the present, soon-to-be-over year.

In 2018, our top ten images came mostly from Guatemala and Costa Rica. Then Costa Rica dominated the list in 2019, with 2021 also full of the Land of Pura Vida and a sprinkling of Panama mixed in. But this year, for the first time, our list is full of Belize and Guatemala. You’ll see for yourself below.

It works like this. We spend the year collating our favorite images from around Central America, all taken by you. You could be a pro-photographer, an enthusiastic amateur, a local or a tourist. It doesn’t matter. If we like it, we’ll add it to our Instagram and give you props and a shout out to get you more followers. And then at the end of the year, we post the most popular ones right here.

Please keep snapping and keep on tagging us or hashtagging #centralamericaliving and get your pics noticed in 2022.

Anyway, with no further ado, find below our most popular images of 2021. If you love this region, please give the original photographers some love by following them. 

10. Our tenth most popular Instagram image of 2021 comes from Costa Rica. It was taken by @costaricachef88 who happens to be our friend Aaron Atkey, who we interviewed this year about life in his home town of Santa Teresa on the Nicoya Peninsula. He snapped this one from a plane just before landing at Tambor Airstrip.

9. The first of our Belize photos in this list comes from Caye Caulker, with this awesome drone shot looking straight down onto The Split, a channel that separates one part of the island from another. Thanks to @d.harleydavis for this one!

8. Our eighth-most popular pic is another from from above (we’re seeing a pattern of planes and drones so far, which is all good) and another one from Costa Rica. Here’s the city of Puntarenas – El Puerto – as snapped from way up high by @bras_boreals.

7. @tomhines23 wins the seventh spot with another drone shot – this time, back in Belize with an wonderful overview of the Hummingbird Highway, considered one of the most beautiful roads in the world.

6. As we approach the halfway point of our annual list, we start to see Belize dominate. This time, we present a beautiful moon taken from the streets of Hopkins Village by @hopkinsuncut.

5. Time for our first Guatemala shot on our annual list. Our fifth-most popular image comes from the colonial city of Antigua. Here, @toscano_foto sums up Antigua’s charms in the most perfect way.

4. Another pic of Antigua, Guatemala here. Great to see what is probably Central America’s most scenic city being represented. This one comes from @fer_gt22.

3. Back to Belize for our third-most popular pic of 2021. This time, Instagrammer @sammyjo.inthewoods captures the sandy streets of Caye Caulker.

2. We have no idea who took this picture, as it comes from a long time ago. The 1920s, in fact. Or maybe before, but the cars look like the 1920s. Again, we’re back in Guatemala, back in Antigua. Thanks so much to @revista_quepasa and @fotosdeantigua for drawing it to our attention. It’s our second-most popular image of 2021!

1. Our most popular Instagram image of 2021 comes from space. Yep, in November when we posted this image by @nasa, we had no idea how much our Instagram followers would like it. Sure, there were people saying it’s fake, but whatever. It’s obviously enhanced, yes, but it still sums up the beauty of the planet and the isthmus we call home. We love this image!

Thanks to everyone who posts pics of Central America. We love looking for your images and seeing if we can boost your profiles, blogs, and businesses on our page. Keep on tagging us and we’ll keep on promoting your work in 2022. Happy New Year and remember to follow us at Central America Living!

James Dyde is the editor of CentralAmerica.com. He lives in Escazu, Costa Rica.

James Dyde

James Dyde

James Dyde is a British immigrant to Costa Rica and the editor of this website. He has lived in Central America since 2000 and retains a deep love for the region. He lives in Escazu, Costa Rica.