Introduction
We went to Honduras in May 2000. This was my third visit to central America, after 2 visits to both Guatemala and different parts of Mexico, so I already knew a bit what to expect.
The mainland of Honduras is definitely an off-the-beaten-track destination. Of course, May is low season, but we hardly saw any tourists on the mainland. The Bay Islands are of course more touristic.
We definitely enjoyed our trip. It depends of course also a bit on what you expect. Don’t expect the majestic Mayan ruins as found in Guatemala or Mexico. Copan is nice and worth a visit, but it can’t match Tikal or Palenque. Also we didn’t see any Indians with their colourfull dresses, although if we would have spent more time in Copan, we would probably have seen them.
Reasons why you should go to Honduras
We did see some marvellous Garifuna villages, and all the people we met on the mainland were incredibly friendly, much more so then in Mexico f.i. where you’re probably just another tourist. Also, you’ll be able to take marvellous pictures from the locals, since no one ever refused their picture taken, sometimes they even offer you to have their picture taken. So this is definitely one reason to visit Honduras: the people are so friendly.
Another good reason are the beautiful nature parks. We only visited a few of them, but they were really beautiful (see Tela page). We also did a great rafting on the Cangrejal river. This was pretty spectacular, even during the dry season.
The main reason people go to Honduras is of course the Bay Islands. It is definitely worth going there, although it’s difficult to compare with the mainland. It’s much more a tourist destination and most of the tourist business is under foreign control, with consequently higher prices.
Itinerary
The regions we visited were:
- Copan
- San Pedro Sula
- Tela
- La Ceiba
- Bay Islands (Roatan)
Highlights of our trip
Tela: Los Micos laguna trip, especially Miami Garifuna village
Rafting on Cangrejal River
West Bay beach is one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen
Diving and snorkelling on Roatan (though beware of the sandflies).
Guidebooks
If there's 1 guidebook I want to recommend, then it's the "Honduras & Bay Islands guide" published in August 1999 by Open Road publishers. OK, they're not so famous as LP and Moon, but for Honduras they're definitely the best with very up to date info on both practical things like hotels and transportation, and nature reserves. You'll find good info on rafting, and extensive reviews of most of the hotels. It's written by an American living in Copan. What could be improved is the number of maps. Most common places like Tela, San Pedro don't have a map. Also, the book has been updated a bit since Mitch (11/98), but not completely. Visiting banana plantations for instance is much more difficult now.
Order the Honduras & Bay Islands guide for only 13.56 US$!
Once you get to Honduras, don't forget to ask a free copy of "Hondurastips" at your hotel. The have plenty of practical info on hotels, restaurants, transportation, and they do have maps on most cities.
The best book on the Honduras nature reserves is the "Honduras: adventures in nature" book. It is not so practical on accomodation and transportation as the Open Road book, but it is indeed much better on the nature reserves. Their info on rafting f.i. gives detailed descriptions of the different rivers.
Order the Honduras: adventures in nature guide for only 14.36 US$!
Another book which I considered buying was the Honduras Handbook by Moon Publishers. It is OK, but nothing like the Open Road book, and the info on nature reserves is not very detailed. Also the info on rafting is very short. However, the info on hotels etc... is good.
Order the Honduras Handbook for only 12.76 US$!
If you only want to visit the Bay Islands, you might consider buying a book dedicated to this area only, and then the Diving & snorkeling guide to Roatan & Honduras' Bay Islands might be a good option, although the 2nd edition already dates from 1/97.
Order the Diving & snorkeling guide to Roatan & Honduras' Bay Islands for only 11.96 US$!
If you are visiting Honduras as part of a trip through Central America, you will probably stick to a book covering the whole area. My personnal favourite is the Footprint's Central America Handbook published each year in december, but the LP is equally popular although not updated as frequently. I think the footprint is worth the extra money.
Order the Footprint Central American Handbook for 19.57 US$!
Order the Lonely Planet Central America on a shoestring for 15.96 US$!
The Rough Guide series now have a competitor of LP's Ruta Maya (June 1999), called "Maya World". They have here info on Guatemala, Belize, and Yucatan, but also El Salvador and Honduras. I read parts of this book and it's excellent value for money, better than LP in my point of view. The Honduras part is not as detailed as the other countries and only has info on the most visited parts like Copan, San Pedro, La Ceiba and the Bay islands (Tela is not included).
Order the Rough Guide Maya World now for only 15.96 US$!
Websites
A website which will surely prove to be usefull while preparing your trip is the http://www.honduras.com/default.htm site. It has plenty of info on all the regions in Honduras with a good list of hotels and activities.
Another useful site is the http://www.hondirectorio.com/default.htm. it has plenty of e-mail addresses of hotels, dive operators and travel agents. Definitely useful if you want to make inquiries or reservations.
Wegwijzer
For those of you speaking dutch, it is definitely worth considering becoming member of "Wegwijzer". This is a non-commercial organisation based in Bruges, Belgium. They have an incredible amount of info coming from guidebooks, leaflets but also reports from members. Since 2001 you can now get a lot of these reports online!! Membership is only 25 Euro a year, and this includes a good magazine they publish every 2 months. Have a look at http://www.wegwijzer.be/default.htm. I myself am a member since almost 20 years now.
