Overview
Honduras plays a minor role in the
international tourism industry, but this is bound to change as more people discover its
pleasures and treasures. For now, and for several years to come, it is still possible to
get in ahead of the crowds. Why not seize the opportunity?
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa, the
Honduran capital, is a quirky sort of place, with narrow streets twisting up the
hillsides, an abundance of old pastel-hued buildings, and a friendly bustle that rises
above the city's widespread economic squalor. It is a place that alternately enchants and
depresses, all the while hiding plenty of little surprises.
Attractions
Western
Honduras
The fabulous Mayan ruins of Copán evoke
Central America's mysterious past and constitute the most stunning sight in western
Honduras, if not the whole country. The picturesque colonial towns of Santa Rosa de Copán
and Gracias lie farther south. The big city of San Pedro Sula will give many visitors
their first glimpse of Honduras.
The
Caribbean Coast
The Caribbean coast stretches from Omoa
to the busy banana port of Puerto Cortés to the beaches and nature reserves of Tela. It
continues eastward to La Ceiba, where nature trekking is all the rage, and onward to the
beach-rimmed colonial city of Trujillo.
Islas de la Bahía
Imagine, for
a moment, a group of small Caribbean islands with fabulous diving, sandy beaches, swaying
palms, lush mountain vegetation, a broad range of hotels and restaurants! This is a pretty
good description of the Islas de la Bahía (Bay Islands).
Central and Eastern Honduras
The central and eastern portions of Honduras are something of a grab-bag.
This large region covers the area between Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. It contains most
notably the city of Comayagua, a former capital with many colonial-era buildings, and Lago
de Yojoa, which offers the usual lakeside pleasures.
Southern Honduras
Southern
Honduras hides some treasures, notably the well-preserved colonial town of Pespire, the
attractive but often overlooked colonial district of Choluteca, and the casual,
little-visited beach resort of Amapala on Isla del Tigre.
Where on earth
Honduras lies smack in the middle of the Central American
isthmus, bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador and to the
southeast by Nicaragua. The northern limit of Honduras is formed by its 644km coastline
along the Caribbean; the country reaches south to the Pacific Ocean, with 124km of coast
along the Gulf of Fonseca, a shallow bay shared with El Salvador and Nicaragua.
Resorts