Honduras

Honduras - is a democratic republic in Central America. It was formerly known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras. The country is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras, a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea.

Environment -Honduras is the knee of Central America, bordered to the south by Nicaragua and El Salvador and to the west by Guatemala. It has a 644-km-long Caribbean coast and a 124-km pipsqueak of a Pacific coast. The Caribbean Bay Islands and, further north-east, the distant Swan islands are both part of Honduran territory.


Three-quarters of the country is composed of rugged hills and mountains, ranging from 300 to nearly 2850 metres in height. Lowlands are found only along the coasts and in major river valleys. Deforestation is occurring at a rate of 3000 sq km a year, which, if continued, will turn the country into a treeless desert within the next 20 years. However, there are still largely untouched areas, especially in the Mosquitia region. Fauna includes jaguars, armadillos, wild pigs, monkeys and alligators, and abundant bird life such as toucans, herons and kingfishers. 

The climate in Honduras varies between the mountainous interior and the coastal lowlands and between the Pacific and Caribbean coasts.

Culture - Spanish is the principal language and is spoken throughout the country, although English (spoken with a broad Caribbean accent) is the language of choice in the Bay Islands. The remaining Indian tribes have their own distinct languages.

Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion, but there are also many other Christian sects, including Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Baptists, Pentecostals, Assemblies of god, Evangelicals, and so on. The indigenous tribes have their own religions, often existing alongside Christianity and incorporating elements of African and Indian animism and ancestor worship.

Honduran crafts include woodcarving (notably wooden instruments), basketry, embroidery and textile arts, leathercraft and ceramics. The country's cuisine is based around beans, rice, tortillas, fried bananas, meat, potatoes, cream and cheese. 

Events - There are festivities in just about every town to celebrate saint's days. The fair for the Virgen de Suyapa, patron saint of Honduras, is celebrated in Suyapa, 7 km south-east of Tegucigalpa, during the first two weeks of February. Services and festivities attract pilgrims from all over Central America. Carnaval at La Ceiba is celebrated during the third week of May with parades, costumes and street music. There are other popular fairs in Copán Ruinas (15 to 20 March), Tela (13 June), Trujillo (24 June), San Pedro Sula (last week in June) and Danlí (last weekend in August). The Feria Centroamericana de Tourismo y Artesanía, a Central American international artisans' and tourism fair, is held annually from 6 to 16 December in Tegucigalpa. Another cultural fair is held in Copán Ruinas from 15 to 21 December. 

Attractions:

Copan Ruinas - This beautiful village with cobbled streets passing among white adobe buildings with red-tiled roofs is one km from the famous Maya ruins of the same name. The village has a lovely colonial church and an aura of timeless peace. The archaeological site at the ruins is open daily and includes the Stelae of the Great Plaza, portraying the rulers of Copán, dating from 613; the ball court and hieroglyphic stairway; and the Acropolis, which has superb carved reliefs of the 16 kings of Copán. There are hot springs a one-hour's drive from the village, and the nearby picturesque mountain village of Santa Rita de Copán has a beautiful plaza and a peaceful colonial church.

Tela - is many travellers' favourite Honduran Caribbean beach town. It's a small, quiet place, with superb seafood, several good places to stay and some of the most beautiful beaches on the northern coast. It's basically a place for relaxing and enjoying the simple life. The US$25 million Tela Bay Development Project plans to boost tourism in the area, so see the place while it's still unspoilt and quiet. The best beach is east of the town, in front of the Hotel Villas Telamar. It has pale, powdery sand and a shady grove of coconut trees.

Trujillo - The small town of Trujillo has played an important role in Honduran history. It sits on the wide arc of the Bahía de Trujillo and is famed for its lovely beaches, coconut palms and gentle seas. Though it has a reputation as one of the country's best Caribbean beach towns, it is not usually full of tourists, except during the annual festival in late June. Apart from the attractions of the beach, there is a 17th-century fortress, the grave of William Walker and a Museo Arqueológico. To the west of the town is the Barrio Cristales, where the Garífuna people live; this is the place to go for music, dancing and revelry.

Bay Islands - The three Bay Islands - Roatán, Guanaja and Utila - 50 km off the north coast of Honduras are a continuation of the Belizean reefs and offer great snorkelling and diving. The islands' economy is based mostly on fishing, but tourism is becoming increasingly important. Utila retains low-key tourist facilities, while Roatán is gradually joining Guanaja as a more up-market retreat. Most travellers head to West End on Roatán, but Utila is the cheapest of the three islands to visit. Whichever island you visit, make sure you bring plenty of insect repellent because the sandflies are voracious, especially during the rainy season.

Activities - There is great snorkelling, diving and swimming in the Bay and Hog islands, and nice beaches around Tela and Trujillo. For the best walks, try Parque Nacional Celaque, 45 km south-east of Santa Rosa de Copán. It contains the country's highest peak, a lush cloud forest, the headwaters of 10 rivers and a majestic waterfall. There are also vertical cliffs for expert mountain climbers. Parque Nacional Pico Bonito, a few km south of La Ceiba, has trails around the fringes of the 500-sq-km unexplored reserve and a challenging peak for mountaineers.

Getting There & Away - There are international flights to and from Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, with frequent and direct connections to other Central American capitals and many destinations in North America. The national airline is Tan/Sahsa.

Honduran border crossings are open daily between around 7 am and 5 to 6 pm. There's a token and somewhat unofficial charge for entry and exit, but it's usually so small that it's best to pay unless the amount demanded is excessive. The main crossings to Guatemala are at El Florido and Agua Caliente; to El Salvador at El Poy and El Amatillo; and to Nicaragua at El Espino, Las Manos and Guasaule. Frequent buses serve all the crossing points, but most buses do not cross the borders, so you have to walk on foot to the other side and connect with another bus.

The Jungle Trail is a route between Puerto Cortés in Honduras and Puerto Barrios in Guatemala. The trip takes two days and should not be undertaken without adequate preparation. Hiring a guide will prevent you getting lost and may provide some measure of protection against bandits who have been known to operate in this area.

Although there are no regular passenger ships to or from Honduras, it's often possible to arrange passage with a fishing or cargo vessel if you pay your way. Negotiate directly with the captain. On the Caribbean coast, you may find boats around Puerto Cortés, La Ceiba, Puerto Castilla, Tela or the Bay Islands. The most common destinations for boats will be Puerto Barrios (Guatemala), Belize, Puerto Cabezas (Nicaragua), the Caribbean islands and New Orleans or Miami in the USA. On the Pacific coast, try San Lorenzo to find boats to Nicaragua or El Salvador.

Getting Around - Tan/Sahsa offers domestic flights between Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba and Roatán. Isleña and Sosa airlines have flights between La Ceiba, the Bay Islands and towns in the Mosquitia region. There are frequent buses to most towns; the first bus usually leaves at the crack of dawn, the last late in the afternoon. The only passenger train services are in the north between San Pedro, Puerto Cortés and Tela. Trains are slow, rudimentary and very cheap. Services have been disrupted in the past, so check whether the trains are actually running before planning to use one. Boats are common modes of transport between the Bay Islands and along the Caribbean coast, especially in Mosquitia, where there is just one road.

There are plenty of taxis in most towns but they are not metered, so negotiate a fare before you get in. Car rental is available in main towns and the main roads offer excellent driving. However, this is not a cheap way to travel, and away from the highways the roads are unpaved and can be dusty in the dry season and slippery in the wet. Hitching is generally fairly easy in rural areas, where pick-up trucks often stop to pick up passengers.