Most travellers pass through the CA5 highway that goes next to Siguatepeque on their travels between Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. They miss out on an attractive and undiscovered city to most visitors to Honduras. Siguatepeque is unbeatable for a chance to experience life in a small Central American city. Siguatepeque baskes in the clean air of its wooded mountain valley setting. Its location, climate, security, and local hospitality, make Siguatepeque an ideal town to live in.
Siguatepeque is located in the Central Highlands of Honduras (population 100,000). The city is always green and colourful, and you can consider it as a garden city. The region, with its rural flavour, is primarily dedicated to farm and forest enterprises. The National School of Forestry Science (ESNACIFOR) has its headquarters here. The facility provides training for hundreds of students from all Latin America.
Discover the Multitude of Cultural and Eco Friendly Activities Nearby!
The city has many natural attractions and a great picturesque beauty. Taking advantage of these assets, the region recently has opened itself up to eco-tourism. Siguatepeque functions as a central hub for visitors making trips to destinations in the area. The city is equidistant to Lake Yojoa and Comayagua. This makes it a good alternative as a home base while you explore the central heartland of Honduras. Easy access to La Esperanza and Gracias also gives you the chance to visit the Lenca Trail! You can almost say that all roads in Honduras lead to Siguatepeque!
A special point to note about Siguatepeque is its climate. At 1100 metres above sea level, it would be no exaggeration to sum it up as a kind of permanent springtime. There are three seasons. During the wet and fairly cool season extends between May and November. During this time, enough rain falls in the area to ensure luxurious vegetation. Because of the altitude, it escapes the excessive humidity of the far hotter and wetter lowland areas. A cooler interlude (November to February) provides seasonal contrast. During this season, temperatures may dip to 8ºC (40º F) as cold fronts enter from the north. Finally, the dry season (February to May), offers temperatures achieving a warm peak of 32ºC (95º F). During this season, cool winds flow down from the local Calenterique forest.
The Cordillera Montecillos, a Biological Reserve sits on the southern edge of the valley. This massive nearby forest provides a cool breeze even on the hottest days keeping the temperatures cool. Even in the hot season air conditioning is unnecessary, with a fan almost always being enough. In the winter heating is rarely needed, just a good jacket!
Need a Respite from the Hot Tropical Climate in the Coast?
Are you’re exhausted by the heat, dust and bustle of the rest of Honduras or Central America? Siguatepeque is the ideal place to relax and re-energize for a few days!
Located almost exactly halfway between Honduras’ two largest cities of San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa. Siguatepeque is convenient and easy to reach from all points of the compass. You can be in Siguatepeque within 2 hours travel from Tegucigalpa or San Pedro Sula. It is a major stopping point for rest and refreshment for Honduran and international inter-city traffic. This has spurred a proliferation of highway restaurants and gas stations. But Siguatepeque is much more that a strip of restaurants and gas stations!
The more dedicated visitor will discover that the town is at the centre of a regional vegetable and fruit production area. This ensures a year-round supply of fresh affordable produce. The town has good shopping facilities. The stores are full with local and Central American products, as well as a wide variety of imported items. Due to the small size of the town centre, you will find the stores easy to visit on foot. You will find that the variety, price and quality of articles on display easily rival Tegucigalpa or San Pedro Sula.
Founded by the Spanish in 1689 as a religious centre for retreats and monastic training. The population of the town grew through the intermarriage of colonists, the indigenous Lencas and the Mexican Nahuatl immigrants. The origin of the city name is Nahautl. According to some linguists, it means ‘town of beautiful women’. You will find it hard to disagree with this description. In 1861 the town became a municipality in its own right, and a city in 1926.
Wifi is readily available at most hotels in Siguatepeque. You can also find several internet cafes, in the downtown area of the city. You can find a great set of photos of the town at www.siguatepeque.homestead.com.
There is a variety of hotels in Siguatepeque where you can spend your nights while visiting. There are also many restaurants in Siguatepeque to choose from. You will certainly find that Siguatepeque is a complete destination!
