Jungle Bugs Versus Sand Flies

Let’s face, it when you visit a tropical rainforest, you are always concerned about critters. Most of us are afraid of snakes, and spiders and bugs in general. Honduras is in the heart of Central America. The Caribbean coast of Honduras still retains much of its original tropical rain forests. The best preserved tropical jungles in Honduras are in Gracias a Dios, better know as “La Moskitia”. This is a remote location on the Caribbean near the Nicaragua Border.

There are well preserved tropical jungles in Atlantida. This area is close to the Bay Islands. Many travelers visiting the Bay Islands plan their vacations to include some island time and some jungle time too. This makes a lot of sense, since they complement each other well. They are close to each other and easy to get back and forth too.

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The more logical itinerary would be to visit the rainforest first, and the Caribbean afterwards. Yet, many end up planning just the opposite. There are different reasons for this. Perhaps the most frequent one is that many visitors fly nonstop into Roatan. Once there they first enjoy the beach and reefs before visiting the rain forest.

I Prefer the Jungle Bugs Versus Sand Flies Any Day!

Those who do some research before their trip to the islands are aware of the infamous “noseeums”. These are tiny little insects that are so small, they are hard to see. They might not be easy to see, but you can tell when these critters preyed on an unsuspecting traveler. They hide in the sand, thus the name “sand flies”. If you do not take caution, they can eat your legs up! The worse thing is that you will get a vicious itch that is hard to control. You will add more misery to your situation if you scratch yourself! Many locals claim the best repellent against these sand flies is skin so soft by Avon. Although not a repellent, it seems to work well to repel these little critters!

Besides this skin lotion, I recommend that you bring your usual reliable repellent. Believe me; you do not want to be at the mercy of these vicious little insects. Many a traveler develops a bug phobia in the islands due to the sand flies. Their interest in visiting the nearby tropical jungles disappears at the thought of more bugs attacking them. Little do they know that there are far fewer bugs in the rain forests that in the beautiful Caribbean beaches on the Bay Islands.

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By far, the best spot to enjoy the tropical rainforests is in Pico Bonito National Park. Coming from the Bay Islands, the closest Pico Bonito location is the Cangrejal River Valley. This is a scenic, charming valley with a unique river flowing down from the Nombre de Dios Mountains. There are a total of 10 small hotels and jungle lodges in the area that offer the ideal facility for any budget and interest. There are many different nature and adventure activities to enjoy there. You will find the perfect Pico Bonito Hotel there!

One of the highlights to this area is the fact that there are few bugs. At least biting bugs. Butterflies, moths, beetles, mantis, and many different bugs are all over the place. Mosquitoes are rare, and flies are seldom seen. If you happen to be in the area when there are moskitoes, these are usually only seen or felt at dusk. A bit of repellent at that time will take care of the issue. Although it does not make any sense, you are safer from bugs in the tropical rain forests of the Cangrejal River Valley than in the Caribbean beaches of the Bay Islands of Honduras. So do not let your fear of bugs keep you from exploring the jungle. If I had to choose between Jungle bugs versus Sand Flies, I would choose the jungle bugs in a jiffy!