Honduras - what to see?
 

I'm currently in Mexico and heading to Guatamala and then Honduras. I've a good idea of what I want to see in Guatamala but know little of Honduras. Most people seem to fly through in under a day going from El Salvador to Nicaragua. Are they missing soemthing? Is there anything else worth seeing in the country (I'm aware of Copan). Is it safe to go to the north? What about Tegucigalpa?

I spent about a few days in Honduras on my Central America trip this spring. I felt no less safe there than I did anywhere else in Central America. I can't really say much about Tegucigalpa since I just drove through on a Sunday. But a really nice young couple on a little 125cc had me follow them on a wild ride, weaving through traffic, to show me the way out of the city towards Comayagua. The city, or the part I happened to be in, struck me as more run down than the other Central American cities. I did not visit the north (Olancho and vicinity)

On the way down I crossed from El Salvador and took the short route to Nicaragua via CA1. But I did spend the night in Nacaome since I crossed late in the day. At the hotel I had a nice long political discussion with a Selaya supporting government worker. This section of road is probably the least scenic of Honduras and that may be why there are many unfavourable views of this country.

On the way back up I crossed from Nicaragua at las Manos, just north of Ocotal. A very pleasant and easy crossing for me. Shortly after I stopped at a modern, new looking, strip mall and had a coffee at a little cafe that might as well have been somewhere in Canada. I had been expecting run down towns and rampant poverty and this seemed out of place. From there I went towards Tegucigalpa and turned right at Los Limones / Ojo de Agua. A nice paved road leads to the junction of another road to the left near Talanga / Agua Blanca. This narrow but nicely paved road now climbs into the pine forests and twists and turns upwards as the temperatures drop. There's a little tourist village (Valle Angeles), mostly local tourists, about an hour before you're back in Tegucigalpa. From there it's all the way down into rather unappealing and potholed Tegucigalpa.

In one rather long day I continued on, after my wild ride with the two young bikers, to Comayagua for the night. This stretch was really all that interesting but there were some nice forests. At the time there was a lot of road construction with 4 laning and 3 laning going on. Truck traffic was heavy.

The first hotel along the highway was asking $65/night so I went on to the next one and splurged on a $35 hotel. There was a Burger King next door and across from me a Pizza Hut and sparkling brand new looking convenience store and gas station. It all felt very much American and not the least bit threatening.

From Comayagua we, I had met another biker at the hotel, went to Lago Yojoa and the D&D Brewpub. That was well worth it. The lake was beautiful, the roads were good, in fact Honduras had some of the better roads in Central America, and the beer was very nice and brewed by an expat from near Portland, OR.

From there we rode to Copan Ruinas at the Guatemala border. Copan Ruinas was one of my favourite ruins. The intricately carved stelae were amazing and we basically had the place to ourselves since it was heading into off season.

All in all I loved Honduras, just like I loved all the other countries I visited.


...Michelle
www.scrabblebiker.com

Hi Dom,
We also went straight thru' Honduras without stopping; however our friends decided to do the north route and you can get a taste of what is to offer from their blog. Naomi also posts up here so you could pm her for more details.
Taking the Road South
Daryll

Michelle,

Thanks for the info. detailed and helpful as always :thumbup1:

And Daryll,

Thanks for the link. Very useful.

I'm still in Mexico but am planning ahead. Very keen to visit northern Honduras now. But I guess that means we miss out el Salvador - can't do it all:nono:

I had my biggest adventure in Hon. when I made the north return from Panama.

From Tegucigalpa I headed N/E to the Caribbean. Through Talanga, Campamento, Juticalpa, Gualaco, San Estaban, Truillo at the Caribbean then up the cost through Le Ceiba to Choloma and then crossed into Guat at Copan.

1/3 of the ride was on dirt with some very remote areas. I'm a free dive nut
(as well as a nut in general) and found the Caribbean not so great. Quite an adventure and enjoyed the scenery and people I met. Quite a few astonished stares to see a Gringo in them parts.

I wanted to ride to Punta Sal, "Amazon of C.A.," but couldn't be sure my bike would be safe when I went on a expedition into the jungle, was advised that road was terrible too.

We entered Honduras through the northern border crossing from Guatemala. Roatan was the highlight of our time in Central America because we enjoyed the snorkeling. Not really related to bike riding, but it was a nice little holiday.

Just be careful when going to Tegucigalpa because there was a surprising lack of hotels! So give yourself time to search, or don't plan on staying there haha.

We had fun in Honduras because we were visiting friends and never had any issues with security. For that matter we never had any issues with the infamous Honduras police either.

As I started this thread I'd better answer my own question.

Copan - not as great as Palenque or Tikal but still worth it.

D and D Brewery - never had Apricot beer????

No problems with any of the police/military road blocks. All friendly and no bribery at all.

Didn't go to Roatan as it was rainly season but have heard nothing but good things... must return

i crossed into Honduras on that little hwy near Belize border. i remember border cross was a hassel in '04 coz they didnt have stamps. the next town 15 mins away was a dive. in Ceiba, outside town a bit south was a nice old hotel, cheap, rite on the water. then i took ferry out to utila for fun scuba and parties, left my bike at hotel no worries. utila is the cheapest diving in the world and really nice. snorklin also fun. then the big city, san pedro? i guess, inland, felt quite dangerous so be careful. dani town in south was quaint and pleasant.