Honduras Post Election Protests
Are you Concerned the Honduras Post Elections Protests Will Spoil your Honduras Vacation?
As you know, Honduras held general elections last Sunday November 26th. The election process took place with civility and the process was orderly. There were a total of 9 different presidential candidates, only three had a chance of winning. In the end, the results are tight between two of the candidates. Incumbent President Hernandez was expected to have a comfortable win. However outsider Salvador Nasralla was favored with many votes. The vote count has been erratic. In the end, these two candidates have been within one percentage point of each other.
To make things even more complicated, the Supreme Electoral Authority of Honduras has been slow to declare a winner. The result is that supporters of both candidates feel that a fraud is taking place. Followers of presidential candidate Nasralla have taken to the streets to protest. As a general rule, protests have been peaceful, yet they impact in the mobility of citizens. Most roadblocks take place on the intercity highway system. The preferred locations are bridges over different rivers. This insures a total block of traffic. The result is that it has become difficult to travel overland in Honduras these days.
International Observers are Here to Help Mediate
We all hope that the situation will resolve peacefully soon. The European Community and the Organization of American States are both mediating between the two sides. These organizations came to Honduras as international observers for the elections. They have stated that they will not leave until the current situation comes to an end. In the meantime, everybody is experiencing some difficulty traveling through the country.
The good news is that if you are coming to either Roatan or Copan Ruinas, you have options to visit without dealing with the hassle of political protests. If you are going to Roatan or Utila, you can fly into Roatan. The ferry service between Utila and Roatan is operating without delays. There are several airlines that fly nonstop between the USA and Roatan. Airlines include American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Airlines. This makes getting to Roatan easy!
If you are looking to visit Pico Bonito National Park in the mainland, you can do so visiting the Cangrejal River Valley. There are no roadblocks between the port facilities in La Ceiba to the Cangrejal River Valley. You can hike some trails in Pico Bonito, as well as enjoy white water rafting. There are several hotels in the Cangrejal River Valley.
As far as Copan Ruinas, the best way to get there is through Guatemala. Copan Ruinas is only 12 km from the border with Guatemala. The town is tourist friendly and they will take good care of you. The Copan Archaeological Park is World Class and is well worth visiting. We expect that a final verdict on the electoral results will be issued within a week. In the meantime, we will try to keep you up to date about the roadblocks that are taking place in the country. Have a great day and don’t let the Honduras Post Election Protests spoil your visit to Honduras!
February 2, 2018 @ 3:37 am
I am scheduled to visit Honduras in about 10 days. (mid February) We have been waiting to see if it seems wise to still go. A trip to Copan was planned, from San Pedro Sula. How about the highways to Teguc and La Ceiba? Will there be problems with road blocks?
February 2, 2018 @ 1:41 pm
Good morning Annie!
Thank you for reaching out to us. Fortunately, things have settled down very much since the elections and the first days of protests! As it turns out, most Hondurans are tired of protests and not getting paid for a days work because they did not show up to work. I traveled by road from La Ceiba to Tegucigalpa last Wednesday January 31st. The roads were fine and no roadblocks anywhere. I meet with several friends from Copan in Tegucigalpa and they confirmed the same situation with the highway between Copan and San Pedro Sula. Today I am in Juticalpa, Olancho and there were no roadblocks between Tegucigalpa and Juticalpa. My guess is that everything is over and you will have no problems. I suggest that you continue with your plans and visit Honduras. You will find it to be a friendly peaceful country. You will be happy you did!