"Honduras - The essence of Central America" Top 5 Page for this destination Honduras by calcaf38

Honduras Travel Guide: 1,747 reviews and 4,146 photos

Honduras - The essence of Central America - Honduras

Honduras is a small country the size of Pennsylvania, nestled between Guatemala and El Salvador to the West, and Nicaragua to the East. It is a mostly mountainous country, with a long Atlantic coast and a short Pacific coast. Honduras is a poor but not destitute country, once almost synonymous with the culture of bananas, and more recently a major coffee exporter and center of clothes manufacturing.

Ideally, Honduras should be savored in a leisurely fashion. Inexpensive, safe, and friendly, it would make an ideal backpacker destination over weeks, maybe months. Unfortunately, I had only one week to spend there, but I made the most of it. If you look at a map of Honduras, you will see that I only visited the North and West part of the country. I will need to return some day for the magnificent cathedral in Coyamagua, the historical mining towns near the capital, and the notorious Moskitia (Mosquito Coast).

Until very recently, Honduras didn't have much of an image: Guatemala would have been your first choice for Mayan ruins, Costa Rica for nature, and Colombia for coffee... But after visiting there, I can tell you that what Honduras lacks in its international P.R. budget, it makes up in beauty, heart, and wits. It is by far the least touristickated country I have ever visited, yet I found countless treasures there, some in unexpected places.

On a mundane VT level, I couldn't decide whether to build a jumbo Honduras page, or individual pages for each stop I made. In the end I elected to build this introductory page as an overview, and also some individual pages where I will go deeper in detail.

These are the stops I made, with dedicated pages:

Gracias Lempira and Celaque National Park
Tela, Punta Izopo, and Triunfo de la Cruz
Santa Rosa de Copán
Copán Ruinas
La Campa
If you wish to explore authentic Mesoamerican culture, I recommend Honduras as an ideal destination. I'm so happy I went there: I left a bit of my heart somewhere in the mangrove, or in the cloud forest, or possibly on one of those dilapidated buses...

Pros and Cons

Pros:Beautiful smiling people, stunning nature, immense historical interest
Cons:Unvaried food, political volatility due to loaded past
In a nutshell:Go NOW, before everyone finds out!

Last visit to Honduras: Jun 2009
Intro Updated Aug 22, 2009
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Reviews (19)

La Ruta Lenca Things to Do (8)

La Ruta Lenca is a whole region in Western Honduras, where you can find tiny colonial villages scattered among... more travel advice

Santa Rosa de Copán Things to Do (8)

Santa Rosa de Copán is a pleasant town, well-known as a cigar manufacturing center. It is larger and more "polished"... more travel advice

The Celaque National Park Things to Do (8)

The Celaque National Park is a large natural reserve which contains Honduras' highest peak, Celaque Mountain at 2827m.... more travel advice

Gracias Lempira Things to Do (8)

Gracias, in the Lempira province, is acquiring a reputation as an offbeat tourist destination. It is a wonderful base... more travel advice

Local Customs (3)
See All Churches everywhere
Warnings Or Dangers (4)
See All No sun doesn't mean no burns

Transportation (4)
See All Pick-Up
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Comments (8)

toonsarah Jul 2, 2011 at 1:22 PM Report Abuse

Great overview of Honduras. We thought about it last year but settled on Guatemala & Belize instead. Reckon we'll be back that way one day though! WIll be back to check you other pages on the country for sure.
Elisabcn Nov 28, 2010 at 1:44 PM Report Abuse

Nice introduction about Honduras! I would really like to buy a ticket to this wonderful country right now! Thanks for sharing, Elisa
SanguiniA Jan 25, 2010 at 6:20 AM Report Abuse

Heya! Long time no see!! Nice little page here, giving me an insight about a place I know very little about.
starship Sep 29, 2009 at 8:30 AM Report Abuse

Really interesting account of places visited in Honduras. The transportation system seems to be an experience in itself. I have only visited Roatan to date.
angiebabe Sep 7, 2009 at 6:29 AM Report Abuse

Nice being back in your pages - and I now would really like to go visit Honduras - and a few other places in Central America and the Caribbean.....
xaver Aug 16, 2009 at 11:46 AM Report Abuse

it's a really nice introduction to honduras, I hope I can go before it gets too late.
Nemorino Jul 7, 2009 at 4:46 AM Report Abuse

Glad you had a good week in Honduras. I've never been to Central America, but your lead photo sums up what I've heard & read about it. I enjoyed reading your tips on this overview page and am looking forward to your upcoming individual pages.
Bwana_Brown Jul 5, 2009 at 12:35 PM Report Abuse

A brilliant overview of Honduras & I already like the looks of OTBP Tela! I ran into Garifuna culture too, not far away in Dangriga, Belize. Celaque NP looks worth visiting & the cobblestone streets are very quaint. Great 'Transportation' tips!