Honduras Travels

I caught an old Russian prop plane (was good to see the Russian alphabet again) to the village of Palacios. Runway was a narrow grass and gravel stretch between shacks in which the locals lived, which made for a bumpy landing. Was able to arrange transport in a cayuco, which is a small wooden craft about 25′ in length and could seat 2-3 people across, powered by a small motor. This particular one was loaded down with supplies going out to the village of Cocobila, the largest settlement on Laguna Ibans, and didn’t seem especially seaworthy. Trip through the river was smooth, but once we hit the lagoon it was a different story, as the small boat was tossed around like a cork on the water by the waves. It was a three hour trip, and the tune to Gilligans Island ran through my mind more than once, recalling a similar 3 hour tour that didn’t end well. Finally arrived in the small garifuna village of Raista. The area was pretty spectacular, with the Caribbean on one side of the narrow strip of land and the lagoon on the other. In the afternoon I was watching a woman standing in the lagoon washing her clothes and beating them against a log. Turning my head slightly I saw another woman attaching some brush to a long stick for use as broom. A further swivel of the head revealed a man cutting up and getting the meat from a turtle, mangos falling from a tree, and chickens, cows, and horses that could wander where they liked. Really was an amazing place. Place I stayed didn’t have electricity, so it was a night of candlelight.

Next part of the journey was to be in a pipante - a dugout that was about the same length as the cayuco but much narrower, seating only one across. I was the only passenger, while there was one man at the stern manning the outboard and steering and an additional man in the bow spotting shallow sections in the river and poling us through those. Total journey up to the village of Las Marias took 6 1/2 hours, but it was spectacular. Began in canals no wider than 15-20′, with lush rain forest vegetation that formed an arch over the waterway. This opened to the river Rio Platano, which was probably 100′ wide and again bounded by numerous types of greenery. River got extremely shallow in places. In others I felt like the homecoming king in a one-float parade, as children on the banks of the river in front of ramshackle homes would yell and wave. Really was a magical trip. Arrived in Las Marias and got my room in a shack set on stilts. All buildings in this area have sagging porches and roofs, with numerous meals on the hoof wandering freely and simply waiting for their number to come up - pigs, chickens, cows, etc. Following day I jumped back in a pipante, but this one would be powered simply by two guys with long poles - no motors, for the 7 1/2 hour round-trip journey to visit some stone carvings. There were several places where they had me exit the boat and walk overland while they brought the boat upriver. It was another nice day on the river. That night I sat on the balcony - amazed at the number of fireflies, lightning bugs, or whatever you want to call them. There were hundreds of them, and it was pretty entertaining.

Following day I was back in the motorized pipante for the trip downriver to the lagoon and the village of Cocobila. During this trip I was amazed at the pristine, isolated Caribbean beaches that few foreigners ever see. Much better than some top tourist attractions. Following morning I caught the 5 A.M. cayuco ‘taxi’ back to Palacios and hopped a flight back to Trujillo. Trip into the Mosquitia region was really amazing. Only bad part was the cost. I have been traveling with others almost exclusively throughout Honduras and Nicaragua….except for that portion. The pipante up/down river to Las Marias runs around $125 U.S. Normally this is split between many passengers, but I was the only one at the time, so had to eat the entire cost. Still something that was well-worth the price, as not many people actually opt to go into the area.

Follow the link below for a really crazy

sailing adventure in a cayuco that leaves from La Ceiba, Honduras.