Guatemala to El Salvador to Honduras...

Hey guys n gals,

Thanks for helping me with planning my guate trip this past January. It was incredible and now I know sooo much more spanish!

Anyhow, my fiance and I are going together next January and I'm curious about getting from area to area. I got tons of responses on how to get from antigua guatemala to la libertad el salvador, (thanks again!) but now I need to know the best way to get to Honduras, We want to first see the ruins, which I understand is an overnight busride, but from there we'd like to make our way to Roatan Honduras....

What do you think is the best way (and or cheapest way) to get from the ruins to roatan?

Is a flight the only option?

Thanks in advance!

Dani

To get from Copan to Roatan, you have a few options. The cheapest, by bus, you have no choice but to go Copan --> San Pedro Sula --> La Ceiba then the ferry to to Roatan. We've done this a few ways.

Hedman Alas is the most expensive bus but also the most comfortable, fastest and air conditioned. If you want to wake up in Copan and fall asleep on the island, Hedman is the bus to take. We left Copan at 5:00 am and were at the ferry in La Ceiba at 2 with plenty of time to catch the 4:00 ferry to the island. My times of ferries and buses are approximate, please keep that in mind, but our experience with Hedman is that unless something out of their control occures (like a bus breakdown), it will actually leave and arrive within minutes of when they say it will.

We have also taken regular cheap buses which can be anything from a school bus to an old greyhound type bus. They take longer since they will stop along the way to pick people up, the school buses stop more frequently than the "deluxe" buses. Taking this method can take much longer and should probably be spread out over 2 days, with a night spent either in SPS or La Ceiba. I recommend a night in La Ceiba since it is already on the coast. We found it to be a nicer town for walking around, feeling much smaller, safer and more welcoming than SPS and of course, you can head to the beach to enjoy the beautiful Caribbean. Then from La Ceiba, you can hop on the morning ferry and be in Roatan for lunch.

You can even spend a few days in Tela on the way.

From Guatemala city there are direct buses to Copan Ruinas, because Copan Ruinas happens to be very near the Guatemalan border. I've taken it more than once.

Not sure about exact lines. Names escape me. Usually, if it costs more, its more comfortable, with names like Plus, or Executivo.

Now, Deblet has it about right to Utila or Roatan. If you are prone to sea sickness are are not dollar debilitated, I recommend the flight. The ferry to Utila had half the ferry tossing up on the way up. I am included in this number.On the way back it was a bit calmer. I too was dollar debilitated at the time.

Some tips for the ferry.
1. Take 1 dramamine. If you take 2, you fall asleep for far too long afterwards.
if you don't like the idea of dramamime, there are other concoctions I've heard about.
2. Dont watch television or any fixed point during the voyage. When in doubt, stand on deck, do not lay down. At least that way you won't toss onto the floor, and you won't have a fixed point you want to stare at. Oh, eat little beforehand, but not nothing. Dry heaves are worse, I hear.

3. La Ceiba isn't much of a town. It did feel fairly safe, and yes, it has a kind of beach. Still, I believe I stayed one night there before I took the ferry, and I wasn't killed. Still, better out of the town and onto the ferry.

4. Bring good insect repellent or buy it. The insects on the islands can be terrible. I got lucky, I slept outside but used one of those undoubtedly toxic spirals of insect repellent. They worked fairly well given there was no plague of insects on the island at the time.