Direct decendants of Honduras

Less touristy than Tela and with better beaches than La Ceiba, Trujillo is a laid-back town with a great vibe.  The mix of Latin and Garifuna culture here makes for great food (try the sopa de caracol) and fun.  The mountains rising up in the background also make for a dramatic and beautiful setting.

Trujillo is best to visit when the annual festival is going on in June. You might be able to see where Columbus first set foot on land.

The beaches in town are not the best, but if you head just outside of town they are pristine and the water is warm and calm.

Cool music, bright colors, amazing nature, tons of smiles-that's La Ceiba, the perfect amalgamate! Located 400 km north from the capital city, "Ceibita La Bella" is considered one of the most attractive destinations in the entire Central American region.

Beloved by Hondurans, ex-pats and travelers alike, Ceiba is the spot for nightlife in Honduras.  Each year at the end of May, hundreds of thousands flock to Ceiba for the local Carnaval, the largest in Central America.  Parades, music, dancing in the streets... it's Mardi Gras with Latin American flavor.

There are numerous day-trips around Ceiba, including whitewater rafting on the Rio Cangrejal, hiking in Pico Bonito National Park and visiting Garifuna villages on the coast. La Ceiba is also the jumping off point for the Bay Islands, with daily ferry service to Roatan and Utila.

San Pedro can serve as a base from which to visit many different destinations. While it is best to make arrangements for tours into the countryside before arriving in San Pedro Sula excellent local operators can be found through the major hotels. One favorite outing is to the Copan Ruins which are a three-hour drive away.

Other possibilities include Lake Yojoa and Pulhapanzak Waterfalls (a scenic one-day trip); Cusuco Cloud Forest (a four-wheel-drive outing to see birds orchids bromeliads and sometimes tapirs and armadillos); Tela (including visits to a banana plantation a mahogany-wood-carving factory the Lancetilla Botanical Gardens a swim at the beach at Villas Telemar and a tour of a Garifuna village); and Omoa Fortress (a tour of a 1700s outpost combined with a trip to a beach resort).

The Maya built Copan in one of the most beautiful areas of Honduras on the banks of the Copan River in a fertile valley with a near-perfect climate.

The Copan Archaeological Park covers 74 130 acres/30 025 hectares at an elevation of 2 100 ft/640 meters. Only a fraction of the ruins have been excavated but as jungle growth is cleared away from each new section and more mounds are tunneled into even more wondrous things appear.

The Bay Islands is a province of the Republic of Honduras and it is made up of three main islands: Roatan, Utila, and Guanaja. It has rapidly become a very important scuba diving destination in the Western Caribbean and it is blessed with the second largest barrier reef in the world.

Roatan is the largest and most developed island of the three. There are direct flights from Houston, Miami and Milan, Italy.

Your best bet is to fly to the Honduras mainland and from there you can reach the three islands either by inexpensive ferries or a 15 minute short flight from La Ceiba or San Pedro Sula.

Lake Yojoa is the largest fresh water lake in Honduras made by a depression formed by volcanos. It is surrounded by National Parks; Santa Barbara National Park on the west side and Cerro Azul Meambar National Park on the east side. 

The lake is a popular fishing area and you can either fish yourself or frequent one of the restaurants that specialize in fish along the lake. Bird watchers love this area as well as there are almost 400 species of birds to be found here.  

Anthony's Key Resort

Anthony’s Key Resort has been in the are for over 40 years and offers many activities and things to do. You can dive along the reefs and enjoy the dolphins with a fleet of 10 diving boats and several instructors. Hiking is spectacular in the tropical gardens. You can also lounge in the wooden cabanas along the shoreline and order what ever you like.  

Sports Fishing

Lake Yojoa is very popular with the sports fisherman. It has been repopulated with black bass and there are several hotels that offer fishing tours or you can just rent a boat and use your own equipment. The Honduyate Marina rents sailboats and offers many other water activities.  

Accommodations

Cerro Azul Meambar Park offers well marked trails and beautiful scenery to go hiking in. The park is well developed and you can even stay in a room in the park for less than $50. If you are a bird or botanical enthusiast you will love it here and bring your binoculars.

D&D Microbrewery and Bed and Breakfast offers pretty good food and mild tasting brew.  D&D offers a few rooms, swimming pool, and restaurant in the middle of a coffee grove.  

Cataratas Pulhapanzak Waterfall

About 20 minutes away is Cataratas Pulhapanzak, a beautiful waterfall. There is a secrete passage behind the falls that takes you to a small cave. You will get wet trying to get there and never go alone in case the water knocks you down.  There is a wooden stairway that leads you down to get behind the falls and you may have to jump some pools and get your feet wet, but you’re going to get wet anyway. No matter what you can get some pretty spectacular views from above and below the falls.  

Make sure to go to the little shops and restaurants along the lake for the local flair.   This area is the nature lover’s heaven so you can hike and boat to your heart’s content.  

Tegucigalpa is the largest city and capital of Honduras. Hurricane Mitch destroyed much of Tegucigalpa in 1998, especially the poorer and more dangerous sector known as Comayaguela. The city provided such heartbreaking images during the mega storm that brought endless rain - resulting in flooding and mudslides.

Tegucigalpa has a new face now - new buildings, new roads, and new commerce. It's safer and cleaner than 5 years ago.  The city is a good central gateway and transportation hub (bus terminals and airport) with easy connections all over Honduras incl. the Bay Islands, Copan Ruins, and other Central and South American cities, as well as the USA.

Tegucigalpa is definitely worth a visit on your way into or out of Honduras - by plane or bus. While you are in the capital, make sure you visit the quaint mountain towns nearby like Santa Lucia, Valle de Angeles, and Yuscaran (where they make the famous local alcohol) or Danli (where the export-quality puros or cubano cigars are produced).

Tegucigalpa is just on the doorsteep of the beautiful "La Tigra" National Park.. (great for day and overnight hikes).

Utila is just 11 km long and 4 km at its widest and surrounded by vast coral reefs with prolific undersea life. The smallest of the major islands in The Bay Islands group, Utila is renowned as being one of the least expensive and most beautiful places in the world for scuba diving.

From the Mayan Indians, through the years spent as a British Colony, to the present day as part of Honduras, Utila provides a rich and diverse cultural experience with it's unique blend of British, American and Spanish heritages making Utila a Caribbean Island which is still a largely undiscovered and unspoiled paradise.

With over 50 different dive sites to choose from including caves and numerous wrecks (such as the famous Halliburton) scuba diving around Utila Island is always interesting and never crowded. Utila is also famous for divers encountering the Whale Shark migrating through the waters of Utila. The Whale Shark is the world's largest fish. The slow moving Whale Shark is a harmless zooplankton, snapper egg and shrimp eating fish which grows up to 12-18 meters in length.

Siguatepeque, Honduras is a city along the highway about halfway between Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula (about 30-45 minutes north of Comayagua). It is often overlooked as a truck stop along the highway, but is a fun little city. The population is around 75,000. The 21st of August Street ("Veinte-uno" as the locals call it) is the main street that runs through the whole city. There are a variety of tasty comedors and shops along the street and it runs right down into El Centro (downtown area).  There are a few churches and markets (including a GREAT Sunday market that always has fresh fruit, vegetables, & meats) downtown as well as lots of restaurants, street vendors, souvenir shops and internet cafes. There are also a few Banco Occidentes, post offices, and quite a few small medical facilities if you need to take care of any business. The weather is a little cooler than Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula as Siguatepeque is in the mountains, and so it receives more rain than the other cities. San Pablo (Saint Paul) is the patron saint of Siguatepeque, so there is a San Pablo Market, church, and various fairs throughout the year in his honor.

Hotels: There are various hotels downtown and a few more along 21st street as you head back towards the highway, including Hotel Palacio Real, a few miles outside of el centro and along the main road.

Schools: Siguatepeque is home to a variety of bilingual schools (like Escuela El Alba) as well as public schools. The public schools start in February and have their "summer break" in December and January. The bilingual schools usually run on an American school year.

Getting There: It is easiest to fly into either San Pedro Sula or Tegucigalpa and then take the bus. Since it is along the same highway, there are busses that go directly there from both cities. Once in the city, the "Urbano" buses are frequent, fast, and everywhere, providing for easy travel through the whole city, although walking is easiest downtown. There are also taxis driving around at all times of the day.