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:: H O N D U R A S ::

Honduras, the second-largest country in Central America after Nicaragua, and formerly both known as Guaymuras or Higueras, is a magical spot on your travel through Central America. After several weeks of jungle walks, chilly and cloudy villages in the mountains and rather cold dips in murky lakes in Guatemala and El Salvador, the Caribbean cost of Honduras is nothing more than a blessing. It’s not that El Salvador and Guatemala are disliked. In fact they are historically, naturally and culturally rich and beautiful countries with a lot of rural areas. It’s just that Honduras is different and actually resembles the weather and life style you may expect from a Latin American country on the Caribbean.

The coral reef off the coast of Northern Honduras is a continuation of the Belizean barrier reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world, and make for great diving. If one cannot afford to dive in the Belizean keys (or other places around our globe), Honduras lays claim to the cheapest commercial diving in the world. Furthermore, Honduras encompasses the spectacular Mayan ruins at Copán, with pyramids, temples and stone monuments.

Honduras gave name to the “banana republic”-term in the early 20^th century, as bananas provided 66% of Honduras’ exports in 1913. Nearly all policy and interest, therefore, was controlled by the “banana business”, and thus Honduras failed to develop an indigenous land-possessing elite, unlike other Central American countries. While Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua all fought brutal wars in the 1980s, Honduras remained mostly conflict-free. The result is a somewhat subdued national psyche (compared to its neighbors), which makes travel gentle, easy and enjoyable.

:: Copán Ruins ::

There was a strong Mayan presence around the city of Copán in western Honduras in year 150 to 900 as part of the kingdom of Xukpi By the time the Spanish came to Honduras in the 16^th century, the once great city-state of Copán was overrun by the jungle, and the Lencas, not the Mayans, were the main Armerindian people living in western Honduras. In and around present day Copán ruins you’ll find a lot of scarlet macaws, the national bird of Honduras, and much valued by the Columbian civilizations of Honduras.

:: Isla de Roatán ::

Imagine living on a tropical island with swaying palm trees, balmy trade breezes overlooking the beautiful turquoise Caribbean… This is what Isla de Roatán is like! Actually, West Bay boasts one of the most beautiful white sand beaches in the Caribbean. Idyllic turquoise water and soft sand is a sure sign you have arrived in paradise. Also, what makes Roatán so wonderfully appealing is its living cultural and historic mosaic. Bay Islanders take pride in holding the coral reefs and marine life as priceless jointly owned treasures. A dory diving trip through the labyrinth of reefs and mangrove tunnels to clear turquoise lagoons and up from the shore to jungle covered slopes of undulating hills displays the tremendous natural beauty of the island.

:: Isla de Útila ::

Isla de Ùtila is the smallest of the three bay islands, and is somewhat a budget and backpacker-friendly version of Isla de Roatán. Packed with cheap dive operators and sprawling reefs surrounding the entire island, Útila is a diver’s paradise. If you are there in early August, don’t miss out on the much-fabled Sun Jam Festival. If you are into beaches and treks in the jungle, choose Roatán. If diving is your thing, choose Útila.

:: La Ceiba & Sambo Creek ::

La Ceiba is a port on the northern coast of Honduras beneath the Pico Bonito mountains. And yes – the mountains really are beautiful. Nearby, Sambo Creek, a small beach village, offers the possibility to mingle with black Creoles and Garifunas, originally brought as slaves from Africa to the Caribbean. If you want to hit the Cayos Cochinos (the Hog Island), Sambo Creek will much likely be your point of departure.

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:: Cayos Cochinos: Thirteen far-flung tropical keys ::

Los Cayos Cochinos – or the Hog Islands – are thirteen far-flung tropical keys, 30km north-east of La Ceiba. Paradise-like, they display sand as white, water as clear and coral reefs as packed as you’d want. If you go there, you can stay with local fishers in primitive beach huts on one of the keys. Approximately, 100 local Garifunas live permanently on the islands

Future places to go and activities to perform in Honduras

- Trekking in the Celaque Plateau – four peaks over 2800m including the highest in Honduras

- Trekking in the Cusco cloud forest and climbing Cerro Jilinco (2827m)

- Visiting indigenous villages in the vast Miskito Region, e.g. the Tawahka (Sumo) people in the Tawahka Asangni Biosphere Reserve

- The third island in the Bays Islands remains unvisited: Guanaja

- Visiting the islands in the Golfo de Fonseca

- And – ultimately – visiting the inaccessible Swan Islands (Islas Santanillas)

Fast facts and hints on Honduras

Daily budget: On the cheap: 15-20 US$ (not on the bay islands); More activities and transport: 20-40 US$; The Bay Islands are more expensive, especially Roatán Island...

Pros: Encompasses a continuation of the Belizean barrier reef; Unknown far-flung paradise-like keys in the Caribbean Ocean (Cayos Cochinos)...

Cons: Copán Ruins is expensive to visit; Travel days in Honduras are long and exhausting...

In a nutshell: The cheapest commercial place in the world to dive...

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