La Ceiba Getting There: Tips on the Best Way to Get to La Ceiba.
La Ceiba is the Gateway to the Bay Islands of Honduras. Most tourists find their way to this oceanfront city to continue their maritime voyage between Central America and the Caribbean. The city is also the Capital of the department of Atlantida. This is one of the 18 “states” that Honduras is divided into. La Ceiba is located on the Atlantic or Caribbean coast of Honduras. It is roughly at the half way mark between the border with Guatemala and the Border with Nicaragua. Because of the large number of travelers seeking information on how to get there, I have prepared this short post titled La Ceiba Getting There.
From Miami:
Cayman Airways has a nonstop service twice a week to La Ceiba direct from Grand Cayman Island. The flight actually offers a great connecting service from Miami. If you schedule your flight into La Ceiba on Monday or Friday, you should check into the possibility of flying from Miami to La Ceiba with Cayman Airways. It is the fastest, most affordable way to travel between these two cities. So now you know that travel between Miami and La Ceiba is easy!
From San Pedro Sula:
If you arrive by air to San Pedro Sula International Airport (SAP) and looking to travel to La Ceiba getting there will be very easy. Hedman Alas, the premier bus line in Honduras actually has an office at the airport. They operate a shuttle that will take you from the airport to the bus terminal. There you will connect with your bus to La Ceiba. There are several different schedules that you can fit into. Of course, you can also fly from San Pedro Sula International Airport (SAP) to Goloson International Airport in La Ceiba (LCE). Aerolineas Sosa operates daily service departing SAP at around 2:30. The flight is only 30 minutes and is usually operated in a small 20 passenger aircraft. Finally, you can always hire an airport cab to drive you La Ceiba. Many travelers do so, cabs are good and drivers are experienced.
From Roatan:
If you are coming from Roatan, there are two different alternatives. The first is the air service provided regularly by several different local airlines. Alternately, you can use the Roatan ferry service which operates twice a day, departing Roatan at 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Personally, I recommend the Ferry Service as more reliable and comfortable.
From Guatemala:
Many travelers are coming into Honduras overland from Guatemala. Most cross at the El Florido Border, just next to Copan Ruinas. If you have followed this route, make sure that you spend at least a couple of days in Copan Ruinas before continuing on your trip to La Ceiba. The best, most efficient way from Copan Ruinas to get to La Ceiba is to ride the Hedman Alas bus. The service goes from Copan Ruinas to San Pedro Sula. From there you take the connecting bus to La Ceiba. You will have a short break in San Pedro Sula, just enough to stretch your legs, use the restrooms, and get a cup of coffee before continuing your journey.
Others are coming across the El Corinto border with Guatemala, along the CA13 highway that interconnects Puerto Barrios, Guatemala with Puerto Cortes in Honduras. If you are doing this, you will end up having to travel all the way to San Pedro Sula and then get a bus to La Ceiba. Although there are many different bus companies that service the route, I wholeheartedly recommend using Hedman Alas or Viana Transportes.
From Nicaragua:
If you are coming in from Nicaragua, you are kind of out of luck. There are no highways along the Caribbean Coast that connect La Ceiba with Nicaragua. Your only option is to travel overland overland between Managua or Leon to Tegucigalpa and then continue to La Ceiba. There are several shuttle buses departing Leon before dawn that travel almost nonstop to La Ceiba. The trip is a grueling 14 hours, and the vans do not have much leg room.
A better alternative is to take the Transnica bus from Managua to Tegucigalpa. Then overnight at the Hotel Alameda in Tegus, which is where the Transnica bus terminal is. From Tegucigalpa you will need another 7 to 9 hours of travel to get to La Ceiba. Both, Hedman Alas, Viana Transportes offer this route as part of their services. In addition, San Miguel Plus also offers comfortable buses that run the route directly.
