Ruins of Copan |
Kayaking Along the
Honduran Coast |
Reefs of the
Bay Islands |
Waterfalls in the
Honduran Rainforests |
Atolls of the
Cayos Cochinos |
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A Country Waiting to be Discovered
Why visit Honduras? Because it is the most underrated tourist destinaton in Central America.
For environmentally oriented travelers, especially for those who like to get off the beaten path, Honduras is a dream come true. The North Coast of Honduras, where The Lodge at Pico Bonito is located, stretches 750 kilometers along the Caribbean Sea from the Guatemala border in the West, near Copan, to Nicaragua in the East, along the Mosquito Coast. It consists of alternating white sand beaches, mangrove forests and rocky cliffs overlooking the clear blue water of the Caribbean Sea. Just inland, high mountains cloaked in clouds harbor hundreds of exotic species of wildlife, the very inaccessibility of the land protecting the habitat. Honduras is a land of beautiful diversity: mountains and untamed rivers, beaches and coral reefs, mangroves and wilderness. Two-thirds of the nation is mountainous and 40% is forested, the highest percentage in Central America.
For those travelers in search of history, western Honduras, a triangular wedge of mountains and forests bordering Guatemala to the northwest and El Salvador to the southwest, is best known for sites of spectacular Mayan Indian ruins centering around the city of Copan. Travelers, seeking the ruins of a grand civilization, are often surprised to find the descendants of the Maya still living around this area. Although the Mayan city of Copan collapsed around the year 900 A.D., the culture and traditions live on, accompanied by the plants and animals that played and continue to play a role in religious ceremonies.
In 1980, Honduras celebrated the creation of its first national park, La Tigra, outside Tegucigalpa. Also in the same year, the Rio Plantano Biosphere Reserve was created on the Mosquito Coast and was soon named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. At the present time, the Honduran Congress has declared 107 areas as "protected". Although the declaration of protection and actual protection are two different things, the Honduran government has laid the groundwork for what may prove to be the most innovative and ambitious park management program in the Americas.
Honduras is run by a democratically elected government with regular rotation of power between political parties. While its neighbors grappled with unrest in the 1980s, Hondurans resolved their problems peacefully. The majority of Hondurans are Spanish speaking, but there are Miskito, Lenca, Mayan and other Indian minorities as well as a coastal-dwelling minority known as Garifuna, the descendants of African slaves whose culture resembles that of West Africa. Immigrants from the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa mix freely, giving Honduras a surprising diversity of culture. On the Bay Islands, the majority speak English, with singsong Caribbean intonations.
A century of banana trade has brought the region in touch with American culture, from fast food to golf courses. But head to the beach discos at night and you will be more likely to hear the African drums of the Garifuna or Cuban-influenced salsa than American pop music. Come now to Honduras and visit a new country, someplace where few people have been. You will come back because you will find it irresistible. And later on, you will be able to say you saw it in the good old days.
Helpful Internet Links
For the weather in La Ceiba:
www.slh.com/honduras/la_ceiba/weather_laclod.shtml
For currency exchange rates:
www.oanda.com/converter/classic
For local news and tourist information:
www.marrder.com/htw/travel.htm
For information about Honduras:
www.hondurastips.honduras.com
For airline reservations to Honduras:
www.grupotaca.com, www.aa.com and www.continental.com
For booking reservations through Small Luxury Hotels of the World:
www.slh.com/honduras/la_ceiba/hotel_laclod.html
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