BootsnAll Travel Community

Having just returned from five months in Thailand/Laos, I cant wait to get away again and am beginning to plan my next trip for april/may. Im planning to be away for 4months and at the moment thinking about starting in Honduras and doing some voluntary work before travelling round as much of the region as possible. Just wondering what people would recommend in Central America and what people think/thought of Honduras. Also how much of the region could i see in this time frame and what shouldnt i miss? Any views or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Dave

Honduras is one of those wonderful countries with a combination of rain forest and sunny beaches and with a few Mayan Ruins interspersed. Copan, the Bay Islands and area around La Ceiba( Pico Bonita Parque and Cuero y Salado) are definite not to be missed areas. La Moskitia is more remote- that is where I am headed next. I understand there are many other wonderful areas but I have no first hand experience. I will leave that to other posters. From Honduras it is an easy boat trip to Belize which has even more Mayan Ruins and over to Tikal in Guatemala.

Davey...I have a lot to tell you about Honduras...A lot. But I jut ain't in the mood to type right now. I do suggest you review some of the other Honduras threads here, though.

D

Right. Honduras.... I love Honduras....

Let's start with the tourist Honduras, and go to Copan. Copan is on the Honduras/Guat border. PRetty famous Mayan ruin site, It ain't huge, but is more ornate than Tikal, and it is a nice day walk. You can easily walk there from the town of Copan Ruinas, Remember, Copan is the Ruins...Copan Ruinas is the town.

The most part of Honduras is unspoiled and beautiful. It doesn't see the mass of tourism that Costa Rica does. There are roads there that make you feel like you are the only one for miles....Because you are.


Small villages everywhere, with people that are happy to see you. The services are sparse, the meals are simple, but you can live a life reduced to it's important elements.


The historic beauty of the place is fantastic beyond the Mayans. Old forts and strongholds from troubles that have been throughout this region for ever.


Now, there is an island, off of the city of La Ceiba which is English speaking. A terrific and cheap place to dive. It ain't built up and it ain't Bermuda SHort touristy. But it is populated with people from all over the world. It isn't Honduras, really. It's something completely different. Like what would have happened to the BEACH if Richard hadn't have fucked everything up....Unlike some Diver's islands, there is so much to do and so much nature on this island, that you could be happy with days living there without even diving. Hotel rooms are about five dollars a day.




Tegucigalpa is an interesting, if tightly packed city. The town was never supposed to be the Capital. Then it was. and people went there in droves. which is too bad for the city, which is built with some pretty tight streets. Try driving in the core. It's slow going.


I suggest heading also to Comayagua, and if you are heading out south, visit in and around Choloteca as well. About the only place I will caution you away from is San Pedro Sula, which is, in my experience, a violent city. I have no idea why.




The Last two photos were from the site of Ms. Donna

I've lived in Honduras for about a year and a half. I'm in a town named La Paz, about an hour north of Tegucigalpa and half an hour south of Comayagua. A few observations:

First, English is not very common here. On the north coast you'll find a few people who speak English. Off the coast, you'll be hard pressed to find anybody who speaks a word of it. Learn some basic Spanish before arriving.

Honduras is best in the north and worst in the south. South of Tegucigalpa there's just a string of dirty, poor towns where everybody is looking for a flight north. Forget what people say about Choluteca or Danlí, there's nothing to see south of Teguc.

Central Honduras is a little more wealthy and a lot more interesting than the south. The area is very rural; most towns have more cows than people. Esperanza is popular stop for its rural setting. Siguatapeque is a really beautiful mountain town on the highway halfway between Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. Comayagua is the biggest city in the region, but aside from cheap booze and cheap women, there's not much to do.

Northern Honduras is where it really shines. You probably already know about Copán, near the Guatemalan border. You could see all of the ruins and the nearby towns in two days, but the area is worth a four- or five-day visit. After Copán, you can take a day trip to Omoa, a well-preserved old Spanish fort, then head east to Tela, probably the biggest and best developed of the Garífuna villages that dot the north coast.

The north coast is by far the best part of Honduras. Tela is a laid-back little beach town surrounded by even more laid-back little beach towns. It's not exciting, but it certainly is relaxing. La Ceiba is the party capital of Honduras-cheap drinks, big dance floors, beautiful women. Near La Ceiba you'll find some great natural areas, including Parque Pico Bonito. If you go further east, you'll get to Trujillo, last stop before La Moskitia, the nearly uninhabited Mosquito Coast.

If you go to Honduras, I recommend you read the Moon Handbook to Honduras. It's nealry 100% accurate.