Honduras country guide

Things to do in Honduras

The cheapest place in the world to learn to dive, Maya carvings at Copán, and Caribbean islands on the barrier reef. Underrated, and it needs some care.

Pick a place What it costs

€9

Dorm bed, from

€250

Open Water certification on Utila

2nd

Largest barrier reef, shared with Belize

€3

A baleada lunch

Diving, ruins and a reputation problem

Honduras has an image problem that its two best destinations have largely escaped. Utila and Roatán, in the Bay Islands off the Caribbean coast, sit on the same barrier reef as Belize and offer the cheapest scuba certification anywhere in the world — Utila in particular is where backpackers learn to dive and then stay for months.

Copán in the west is the other draw: a Maya site smaller than Tikal but with the finest carving and hieroglyphics of any, including a stairway of over 2,000 glyphs, and it sits an hour from the Guatemalan border.

Between them, the mainland has cloud forest at Lago de Yojoa, whitewater at La Ceiba and colonial streets at Gracias, though most travellers move between the islands and Copán by air or a long bus.

Two weeks, or much longer if you learn to dive.

Where to go

Flights and ferries link the Bay Islands. The mainland is covered by bus.

Utila

4 hostels · dorms from €11

The cheapest dive training in the world, with a small backpacker island built around it.

The Utila guide

Roatán

4 hostels

Bigger, more developed and more expensive, with excellent reef and a cruise port.

I cannot say enough about Roatan. Some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to and genuinely some of the nicest people. I am a solo female traveler and I felt very safe and had a blast. Thank you!
A traveller, on Hostelworld

The Roatán guide

Copán Ruinas

3 hostels

A small town beside the Maya site with the finest carving anywhere in the Maya world.

Copain Ruinas is a useful place to stop en route to somewhere and the ruins are lovely, if a tad expensive (€20). Easy to get around and the cafes are really nice.
A traveller, on Hostelworld

The Copán Ruinas guide

Lago de Yojoa

A lake with a microbrewery, waterfalls, birdlife and cloud forest around it.

The Lago de Yojoa guide

Tela

A Caribbean beach town with Garífuna villages, the jungle coves of Punta Sal and a vast botanical garden.

The Tela guide

What kind of trip is this?

Honduras is a diving and ruins trip, and the diving is what keeps people there.

Beach in Honduras

Bay Islands on the second largest barrier reef.

What to do

Learn to dive on Utila
Snorkel West Bay on Roatán
Whale sharks off Utila

Spots to visit

Utila
Roatán
West Bay

Best cities for it

Things to do

Things to do in Honduras

Learning to dive on Utila is the thing Honduras is known for among travellers. A PADI Open Water course costs around €250 to €320 — the cheapest anywhere — and includes accommodation at many schools. Whale sharks pass the island year-round with peaks in March to April and August to September.

Roatán is the more developed island with better visibility in places, a cruise port, and West End as the traveller base.

Copán is the other essential. The site is smaller than Tikal but has the finest sculpture and hieroglyphics in the Maya world, including a stairway carved with over 2,000 glyphs, and the on-site sculpture museum holds a full-size replica of a painted temple.

Lago de Yojoa is the mainland stop worth making: waterfalls, birdwatching, cloud forest and a microbrewery that has become a traveller institution.

Food and drink

Eating in Honduras

Baleadas are the national food and the national habit: a thick flour tortilla folded over refried beans, cream and cheese, with egg or avocado added, for well under a euro. They are breakfast, lunch and a late-night meal.

Plato típico is the full plate — beans, rice, plantain, cheese, cream and meat — at €3 to €6 in a comedor.

On the Caribbean coast and the islands, the Garífuna influence brings coconut into everything: sopa de caracol, a conch and coconut soup, is the famous dish, and tapado is a seafood and coconut stew.

Honduran coffee is one of the country's main exports and is genuinely good. The D&D brewery at Lago de Yojoa was one of Central America's first craft breweries and remains a fixture on the traveller route.

Nightlife

Going out in Honduras

Utila's nightlife is dive school social life: schools run bar nights, everyone on the island is on a course or working on one, and the crowd turns over constantly. It is small, friendly and can absorb weeks of your life.

Roatán's West End has a more mixed scene with bars along the water and a broader age range.

On the mainland, nightlife is limited for travellers and the practical advice is not to be out late in the big cities. Copán Ruinas and Lago de Yojoa are quiet.

Salva Vida and Port Royal are the beers at €1 to €2.50, and rum is cheaper still.

Getting around

Getting around Honduras

The Bay Islands are reached by ferry from La Ceiba — about an hour to Roatán and an hour to Utila — or by flight from San Pedro Sula or Tegucigalpa. The Utila ferry has a reputation for being rough.

On the mainland, Hedman Alas runs comfortable first-class buses between San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa, La Ceiba and Copán, and they are the recommended option for travellers. Local buses are cheaper and slower.

Copán Ruinas is an hour from the Guatemalan border, and shuttles run directly to Antigua and Guatemala City, which is how most travellers arrive or leave.

Domestic flights on CM Airlines and Lanhsa save long road days.

Costs

What Honduras costs

Honduras is one of the cheapest countries in Central America. Dorms start around €9, baleadas cost under a euro, a comedor plate is €3 to €6, and buses are inexpensive.

A day comes to €20 to €35 on the mainland, and a little more on the islands.

Diving is the reason people come and the numbers are the draw: PADI Open Water for €250 to €320 on Utila, often with free or discounted accommodation during the course, and fun dives at €25 to €40 each afterwards. Roatán runs perhaps thirty per cent higher.

Cards work on the islands and in cities; carry cash elsewhere. Dollars are accepted on the Bay Islands.

Safety

Staying safe in Honduras

Honduras has high violence rates and government advice reflects that, though the picture is very uneven. San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa carry the strongest warnings, and most travellers transit both rather than staying.

The Bay Islands and Copán Ruinas, where almost all visitors go, have far lower rates and travellers consistently report feeling comfortable there.

Check your own government's advice by region before planning, and follow the standard practice: do not travel between cities after dark, use first-class buses rather than local ones, avoid displaying valuables, and use hotel or arranged transport in the big cities.

On the water, dive safety is the other consideration. Utila's schools are numerous and vary — choose on reputation and instructor ratios rather than the lowest price, and ask about equipment servicing.

Entry and documents

Most European, UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens enter visa-free for 90 days.

Honduras is part of the CA-4 agreement with Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, so those 90 days are shared across all four countries and crossing between them does not reset the clock.

Passports need six months' validity. There is a small tourist fee at some land borders, payable in cash, and the Copán crossing to Guatemala is the one most travellers use.

When to go

February to April is driest on the mainland. The Bay Islands have their own pattern and are wettest from October to January.

29°

Jan

Dry on the mainland, wet on the islands

30°

Feb

Excellent. Dry and clear across the country

31°

Mar

The best month. Whale sharks off Utila

32°

Apr

Hot and dry, with whale sharks continuing

32°

May

Rains begin on the mainland. Hot

31°

Jun

Wet afternoons. Island diving still good

31°

Jul

A drier spell in some years

31°

Aug

Whale sharks return to Utila

31°

Sep

Wet, with hurricane risk on the Caribbean side

30°

Oct

Wettest on the islands. Hurricane season peak

29°

Nov

Still wet on the islands, drying on the mainland

29°

Dec

Mainland drying out. Islands still wet

Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets: quiet busy peak

Average highs for La Ceiba. The Bay Islands are wettest from October to January, which is the opposite of the mainland dry season — March and April are the sweet spot for both.

What your trip will cost

Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person, in euro equivalents of lempiras.

A PADI Open Water course at €250–320 on Utila sits outside these figures, though many schools include accommodation during it.

Nights 7

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Beds—
Food and drink—
Getting around—
Doing things—

What's on

What is on while you are there

The whale shark seasons and La Ceiba's carnival are the dates worth planning around.

March–April and August–September

Whale shark season

Utila

Peaks in the year-round presence of whale sharks off the island.

May

Feria de San Isidro

La Ceiba

The biggest carnival in Honduras, with a week of parades and street parties.

March or April

Semana Santa

Comayagua · nationwide

Sawdust carpets in Comayagua and a national holiday week on the coast.

12 April

Garífuna Settlement Day

Caribbean coast

Marking the Garífuna arrival in 1797, with drumming and dance.

February to April

Dry season

Mainland

The clearest months for Copán and the mainland.

15 September

Independence Day

Nationwide

Parades across the country, as elsewhere in Central America.

All events in Honduras

Hostels

Where to stay in Honduras

The highest-rated hostels in the country, live from Hostelworld. Utila, Roatán and Copán Ruinas have the most, and dive schools often include accommodation.

8.7 241

Honduras travel questions

The ones we get asked most.

Is Honduras safe to visit?

The picture is uneven. San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa carry strong government warnings and most travellers transit rather than stay. The Bay Islands and Copán Ruinas, where almost all visitors go, have far lower rates and people consistently report feeling comfortable. Check advice by region, travel by day and use first-class buses.

Why is Utila so cheap for diving?

Competition. The island has a large number of dive schools serving a constant backpacker turnover, and a PADI Open Water course runs €250 to €320 — the cheapest anywhere in the world — often with free or discounted accommodation during the course.

Utila or Roatán?

Utila is smaller, cheaper and built around backpackers learning to dive. Roatán is bigger, more developed, has a cruise port and costs around thirty per cent more. Divers on a budget pick Utila; people wanting comfort and beaches pick Roatán.

Is Copán worth visiting if I have seen Tikal?

Yes, and they are different. Tikal is bigger and more dramatic in scale; Copán has the finest carving and hieroglyphics in the Maya world, including a stairway of over 2,000 glyphs, plus an excellent sculpture museum.

How long do you need in Honduras?

Two weeks for Copán, Lago de Yojoa and an island. Much longer if you learn to dive — Utila is where a lot of people plan four days and stay a month.

Is Honduras cheap?

One of the cheapest in Central America. Dorms from €9, baleadas under a euro, comedor plates €3 to €6, and a day around €20 to €35 on the mainland.

When should I go?

March and April work for both the mainland and the islands, which is unusual — the Bay Islands are wettest from October to January, the opposite of the mainland pattern. Whale sharks peak off Utila in March to April and August to September.

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Things to do in Honduras

Diving, ruins and a reputation problem

Where to go

Utila

Roatán

Copán Ruinas

Lago de Yojoa

Tela

What kind of trip is this?