Honduras Travels

Wedged between Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, Honduras is Central America’s crooked elbow, jutting into the Caribbean with 400 miles of banana- and palm-lined seashore. Many Americans associate this steamy land, once known as the Banana Republic, with political instability, voodoo and malarial swamps.

But adventurous travelers willing to look beyond the stereotypes and Honduras’ checkered past will find many tropical wonders ripe for exploration. Some of the finest treasures lurk in the warm aquamarine waters just offshore. The tranquil island of Roatan is a scuba-diver’s dream, an endearing hodgepodge of Caribbean culture and a getaway that’s increasingly easy to access.

If you like riddles, you will love Honduras. Is it in Latin America or the Caribbean? Is it just another banana republic or something more sophisticated?

Obviously foreign elements, such as the exotic tropical flowers, blend with elements so familiar that you could be in Woking. The driver who meets me at San Pedro Sula airport speaks Spanish, but there is a poster of David Beckham on the road into the city. A horse-drawn cart pulls out of a Pizza Hut. An olive-skinned bride emerges from the back of a black London taxi. The McDonald’s in the main square is so close to the cathedral that you must be able to smell the barbecue sauce mingling with the incense and vice versa. Complete strangers throw enormous smiles at me just because I am wearing a Barmy Army T-shirt. I am going to enjoy myself.

By Charis Atlas Heelan

Honduras remains a bit of a Central American secret when it comes to tourism. The result is a destination less than three hours flight from Miami, that boast fewer tourists than its neighbors, pristine beaches and world class diving. It’s also culturally diverse with numerous indigenous and mixed origin language groups, a rich heritage of art and music and a friendly welcoming population. English is widely spoken in cities and in resort areas. Eco-tourism is on the rise here with local companies trying to maintain the country’s lush jungles and pure environment. This relative secrecy won’t last too much longer as Honduras is experiencing a tourism growth period with a 78% increase in visitors over the past three years.

COPAN RUINAS, Honduras

Men in jeans and straw hats walked along the highway that snaked through the mountains from San Pedro Sula to Copan Ruinas; fruit stands and shantytowns speckled the route.

A small landslide caused by some heavy rains made part of our drive difficult, but my local guide, Eli, told me this was nothing - there had been times when he was unable to bring tourists to Copan because labor strikes blockaded this road.

In my mid-20s, this was my first solo trip. And to a country where I didn’t speak the language, no less.