Flying Dutchman Pat

Honduras is not particularly known as the safest country in the world. Two of the biggest cities in Honduras, the capital Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, are often listed in the top 5 of most dangerous cities in the world. This reputation scares people and many decide to not visit  Honduras. And that’s really a shame, because Honduras has so much to over, for example: Honduras has the second largest barrier reef with one of the best  diving spots in the entire world! Australia leads with its Great Barrier Reef. And like  with many other ‘dangerous’ cities in the world; if you use common sense it’s pretty safe to travel through this country.

Facts

• Capital: Tegucigalpa
• Language: Spanish
• Currency: Lempira (1 €  ≅ 25 HNL)
• Population: 8.2 million
• Size: 112.492 km² (3 times Holland)
• Daylight saving time: No
• Visas: Not required for most nationalities
• Best time to visit: Nov – April (dry season), although May – Oct (wet season) shows the nature in brighter colors
• Visited: 2016 (part of Central America trip)

Bay Islands – Roatan

After exploring Belize I took a propeller plane from Belize City to Roatan, the biggest island of the Bay Islands. Roatan is world famous among divers. The island of Utila, located west of Roatan, is another favorite for diving and snorkeling. I stayed at Buena Onda hostel which is located in West End, where most of the hostels and restaurants are located. I arrived late at night so the first thing I wanted was food and a beer. It was my lucky night, because the owner of the hostel organized a bbq with drinks! Always a great way to make new friends and share stories with other backpackers.

The boats are ready to take me to West Bay.

West Bay is a true gem on Roatan!

The next morning it was time to hit the beach, get some tan and splash around in the warm turquoise waters of the Caribbean sea! West Bay is famous for a reason; palm trees, white sand and a clear blue sea, what more can you wish for? It’s paradise! You can take a small water taxi, which leaves when it’s full, from West End to West Bay.

Chill mode on!

Palm trees: Check! White sand: Check! Warm turquoise waters: Check!

All that splashing around makes you hungry, and having lunch with below view really makes your food more tastier! There are tons of boats waiting for you to take you out for a snorkeling trip and you definitely will not get disappointed on those trips! The coral is beautiful and there are plenty of fishes!

This is what I call; lunch with a view!

Gorgeous West Bay.

After a few days it was time to say my goodbyes to Roatan and head to the mainland. My next stop will be Copan, a small town named after the nearby Copan Ruinas. These Maya ruins are located just a few kilometers away from the border of Guatemala. Getting there from Roatan means a full day of travelling. I took the ferry at 6am to the mainland. After the ferry a shared taxi (collectivo) to the bus station. When you are travelling in Central America the word ‘collectivo’ is very usefull, it will save you a lot of money. The taxi driver dropped me at a bus station that doesn’t serve the west of Honduras, so I had to take another taxi to the correct bus station. There were no direct buses to Copan on that day, so I had to change buses in San Pedro Sula. The bus station in Sula is massive with tons of bus agencies. I found my bus and off we go to Copan! Although San Pedro Sula is known as one of the most dangerous places in the world, I felt completely safe at the bus station and all the people I met there were more than helpful.

Copan Ruinas

I arrived late at night in Copan, took a quick bite, met 2 fellow backpackers, had a beer and decided to explore the nearby Maya ruins together early in the morning. The small town of Copan is quite pleasant for a stroll. I stayed at hostel Berakah which I can really recommend, their breakfast is great! After breakfast we walked to the ruins.

The church of Copan.

No crowds at Copan Ruinas.

Even after seeing all the major Maya sites in Central America (Tikal, Chichen Itza, etc) I was still amazed by this site! The amount of detail you can find here is remarkable! Another big plus compared to for example Chichen Itza is that there are almost no tourists! It’s a peaceful place where you can spot many Macaws as well (national bird of Honduras).

The Stairway to Heaven; I could make here a Led Zeppelin reference, but that would be too easy 😉

Remarkable details at Copan Ruinas.

After a half day of exploring the ruins it was time to head back to town. We had lunch and me and my 2 new friends splitted ways as we were all traveling in a different direction. I really liked the food in Honduras; many dishes (like all over Central America) consist of beans, fried banana, goat cheese, tomato & union salsa, egg and tortilla.

Just before I got stung by a giant wasp!

My next destination in Central America after Copan was Antigua, Guatemala!

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