Honduras 3-Week Long Trip Plan

[marcoa]

It should be an excellent trip.

After your dive with us, gear gets rinsed and hung up to dry. At the end of the day we'll bring in the gear and place it on the personal racks. In the morning we'll help you round it up. We have customers who leave their gear year round. Oh and yeah, it's safe.

Several of my dive friends work at Native Sons. I'm sure they can provide a place for your gear.

Vern leaves from our dock to Utila daily at 1:00 for $55.

 

[agilulfo]

It should be an excellent trip.

After your dive with us, gear gets rinsed and hung up to dry. At the end of the day we'll bring in the gear and place it on the personal racks. In the morning we'll help you round it up. We have customers who leave their gear year round. Oh and yeah, it's safe.

Several of my dive friends work at Native Sons. I'm sure they can provide a place for your gear.

Vern leaves from our dock to Utila daily at 1:00 for $55.

Thank you for the information. Do you know at what time Vern leaves Utila in the morning? Also, how many people does he usually carries?

 

[jwc3]

There's more to do on the mainland than just Copan. The highlight of my trip was rafting the Rio Cangrejal, which is in La Ceba. Best river I've ever run. You can read about my trip and see photos on my blog. Go to: jetlagjournal.blogspot.com Then click on Honduras on the right-hand side.

Also, please note that San Pedro Sula is often regarded as the most dangerous city in Central America. Lots of gang-related violence there. Be sure to stay vigilant and stay off the streets at night.

I would not recommend driving a rental car in Honduras. If you have an accident, it's your fault no matter what -- you will have the deepest pockets so everyone involved will blame you. Even if you see an accident and stop to help, the accident will be your fault by the time the police arrive on the scene. Even if you speak perfect Spanish you will have a hard time talking yourself out of that mess.

There are several nice bus services. The one I've used is Hedman Alas. I took one of their buses from La Ceba to Pedro Sula. Clean and safe. Here's their web site: hedmanalas.com

I hope I didn't scare you too much. Honduras is a great country and I'm sure you'll have a great trip. These are basic travel tips that apply to most of the developing world.

 

[agilulfo]

There's more to do on the mainland than just Copan.

Thank you for the tips. Before we settled on Copan, we were also considering other possibilities such as touring La Moskitia. We actually had the La Moskitia tour in place of Utila. We finally opted for more diving and decided that of all the things to do on the mainland Copan seemed, from our research, to the the most consistent "I wish we had stayed longer" kind of comment.

Since we are not really into rafting, would you have any other suggestions as far as the one thing to do on the mainland besides Copan?

 

[James Bond boat entry]

What about this place -> http://www.plantationbeachresort.com/

I stayed there are really enjoyed myself, good food, quiet, and pretty good diving.

Captain Rusty of Utila can get you there instead of the mainland connection, which I think is expensive.

Rusty's Sailboat Tours & Charters - Utila, The Bay Islands, Honduras

 

[jwc3]

Since we are not really into rafting, would you have any other suggestions as far as the one thing to do on the mainland besides Copan?

Even if you don't raft you might want to consider a day trip to the Rio Cangrejal valley and the surrounding Pico Bonito National Park. There's good hiking in the mountain rain forest and you can swim in the calm sections of the river. The water is really warm. There's also a lodge on the river that has incredible zip lining. If you want to go I can get you in touch with a great guide and naturalist, Jorge Salaverri.

I also recommend spending a day in Punta Sal National Park. It's on an uninhabited peninsula, to which there are no roads. To get there you first go to the coastal town of Tela, then take a boat across. The ride is about one hour. The park offers hiking trails, monkeys, birds, good snorkeling, nice beaches, beautiful bays, and a low-key hut/restaurant right on the beach that serves fresh-caught fish. Then you can take a siesta in a hammock or go for a swim.

Also in this area of Honduras are several Garifuna villages. These people are descended from African slaves that escaped their captors and have lived free in the Caribbean for several hundred years. They still speak African languages and have their own culture that is very distinct from that typical in Honduras. The village of Miami one of the more authentic ones and is close to Punta Sal.

I have photos of all of this, but they're not on my web page or blog. I'll post some below. PM or email me if you'd like to see more photos. Good luck on your trip!

 

[agilulfo]

What about this place -> http://www.plantationbeachresort.com/

As we are doing an AI at Coco View already, we would also do some a la carte diving. But it definitely looks like worth considering on a future trip. Thanks!

Even if you don't raft you might want to consider a day trip to the Rio Cangrejal valley and the surrounding Pico Bonito National Park. There's good hiking in the mountain rain forest and you can swim in the calm sections of the river. The water is really warm. There's also a lodge on the river that has incredible zip lining. If you want to go I can get you in touch with a great guide and naturalist, Jorge Salaverri.

I also recommend spending a day in Punta Sal National Park. It's on an uninhabited peninsula, to which there are no roads. To get there you first go to the coastal town of Tela, then take a boat across. The ride is about one hour. The park offers hiking trails, monkeys, birds, good snorkeling, nice beaches, beautiful bays, and a low-key hut/restaurant right on the beach that serves fresh-caught fish. Then you can take a siesta in a hammock or go for a swim.

Also in this area of Honduras are several Garifuna villages. These people are descended from African slaves that escaped their captors and have lived free in the Caribbean for several hundred years. They still speak African languages and have their own culture that is very distinct from that typical in Honduras. The village of Miami one of the more authentic ones and is close to Punta Sal.

I have photos of all of this, but they're not on my web page or blog. PM or email me if you'd like to see some photos: joel (at) joelcollins (dot) com Good luck on your trip!

Thanks! That's a lot of information. We'll definitely check those things out. I had read mixed reviews about Tela. I looked as some of the pictures on your site. Nice!

 

[agilulfo]

"great pictures, jwc. thank you. thanks to everyone for all of this info!"

from the wife

 

[jwc3]

Agilulfo, here are some photos I took on the mainland of Honduras.

Image 1: Natural bay at Punta Sal National Park

Image 2: Lunch at Punta Sal National Park

Image 3: Beach at Punta Sal National Park

Image 4: Garifuna Drummer

Image 5: Zip-lining over the Rio Cangrejal

Image 6: Cliff jumping into the Rio Cangrejal

All images copyright Joel Collins Photography.