Honduras

546 miles, 7 days.

Utila

Utila is one of 2 Bay Islands on the north coast of Honduras, a 1 hour boat ride from La Ceiba. La Ceiba was a stopover point before the early morning ferry. By no means is it an enticing city, but it beat staying in San Pedro Sula: "the most dangerous city in the world." Unfortunately this city, with it's 3 murders a day, gives Honduras a poor reputation. However, we were quick to observe this as entirely inaccurate for the country as a whole.

 We arrived in Utila mid morning to quickly find a spot called Paradise Divers, situated directly on the waterfront. Here offered a great package; advanced diving course, plus 2 fun dives and 5 nights accommodation included. Perfect! We therefore enjoyed 6 days of sunshine and kayaking whilst diving in the beautiful reefs around the island. We especially enjoyed the night dive where our torches were the only source of light to illuminate the vibrant coral and fish. In general the coral had a huge variety of colour and marine life to offer. The wreck dive was also very interesting to explore within. One dive was particularly entertaining, where buoyancy was to be perfected... Zara had to contain her laughter whilst watching Duncan desperately try to swim through hoola hoops 20m down.

Sunset from our deck chairs.

One of many dive sites around the island.

Another highlight was Zorro, an entertaining local fisherman. He explained the culture to us, regarding the history of the island. Many citizens are 6th generation descendants of English pirates that claimed the island and settled there. For these British looking people, English is their first language but with a strange accent that was very difficult to follow.  There is no other way to describe it other than listening to a drunken Jamaican pirate. We enjoyed his stories, with what we could understand, and bought cheap, fresh fish off of him each morning.

Our supply for dinners.

Comayagua

To experience Honduras on the mainland, we stopped in the small town of Comayagua. Here we strolled the cobbled streets past the colourful houses and pleasant plazas. A lively market sorted us for dinner. We specifically appreciated the authenticity of the place, not seeing a single tourist during our stay.

One of a few old cathedrals and sunny plazas.

From Comayagua we embarked on the looooong journey to Nicaragua...

Practical Information

Accurate from our experiences in November 2013.
£1 = 30 lempira.

For details on crossing from Guatemala, see the Guatemala South tab. $3 entry tax.

The $25 e/w ferry for Utila leaves La Ceiba at 9:30AM and 4:30PM. La Ceiba is not the nicest place to stay but beats San Pedro Sula - 'the most dangerous city in the world'.

A PADI dive course of 5 or 6 dives including accommodation,  2 extra fun dives, kayaks, snorkels, no added fees costs $235+.

Comayagua to Leon Nicaragua. 2 hours, 50L bus to Tegucigalpa. Around 80L taxi to Colinas del Oro bus station. 3 hours, 83L to El Paraiso. 30 minutes, 17L to Las Manos. Border formalities including a $12 entry tax for Nicaragua, no ATM. 1 hour, 14C to Ocotal. 2 hours, 80C to San Isidro. 3 hours, 50C to Leon. Buses are generally hourly.

Complete (excluding diving) budget example £15 per person, per day.