BootsnAll Travel Community

We are looking at a trip to La Moskitia in Honduras for sometime between January and April. Has anyone been? any recommendations?

Just don't watch "The Mosquito Coast" in prep...one of those horror movies of people 'getting away from it all'. Unless, of course you have a great sense of humor.

quote:

Originally posted by marty:
Unless, of course you have a great sense of humor.

Or have a special relationship with ice...

I think the tourism industry is best developed around the Rio Platano, if you are looking for established tours.

This is definitley the path-less-taken kinda place.

I visited La Mosquitia in July of '05. It was an awesome experience other than my brother coming down with malaria months later and my being face-to-fang with a fer-de-lance. An unforgettable trip to say the least.

We visited the village of Mocoron with the help of the Norma Love Foundation. I'm not sure if they are currently running any kind of visitor program. Just google Norm Love foundation to learn more.

To give you an idea of what kind of experiences await you, here are two links to stories I've published about my trip:

1. Baseball the Universal Language

2. Midnight in the Jungle

Moskitia is one of the only regions in Central America I haven't explored. (The Darien and Gulf of Fonseca are the others.) I've read a few travelogues that have really piqued my interest ... someday.

Thanks for the replies- I think we have decided to fly to Brus Laguna, take a launcha to Raista and hire a guide to La Marias and the petroglyphs. Does anyone know if we can hire an English speaking guide?

I was in La Moskitia for some time this year - if you're going to be in Brus Laguna for any time, watch out for the incredible amount of sancudos, they're vicious there. Be warned that you may spend days waiting for transport (planes and/or boats). Rais Ta, Belen and Cocobila are all different villages, but close together on a strip of land that runs between the sea and the lagoon. There is good accomodation in Belen, and they can help you find a guide down to Las Marias. It isn't the most English-speaking area, so I wouldn't bet on an Engish speaking guide, and be aware that it may be very expensive to get down the river to Las Marias, depending on how much petrol is around and how good you are at bargaining. If in any trouble, talk to Robby Modesto Morales in Cocobila, he's a local but speaks English and works for a charity there. Hope you have a great time. Miskito for 'hello' is 'Naksa', and 'where is the hotel' is 'Aniru Hotel Burasa' - might come in handy.

Thanks- any comments on our itinerary? It seems we may have to forge about an English speaking guide- we do speak some Spanish. How long does it take in the boat from Raista to Las Marias?

The itinery sounds good - I'm sure you'll really enjoy the trip, as long as you are prepared for delays, etc - time runs differently out there! The boat trip to Las Marias, downstream, takes 8-10 hours - leave as early as possible, as it gets pretty hot on the river. It might take a little while to organise the boat trip, depending on how much you're willing to pay - the cheaper, the longer the wait! The locals are all really friendly, and enjoy chatting to foreigners - there are few enough visitors around to still be a novelty. The return trip to Rais Ta will only take 5 hours or so, and from there you can fly to La Ceiba, or to Puert Lempira, or back to Brus Laguna - or you could take more boats elsewhere - whatever happens, it'll be fun!