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ViewsHondurasFrom eTripTips Wiki
Honduras [1] is the second biggest country in Central America. It has colonial villages (Gracias, Comayagua), ancient Maya ruins (Copan), natural parks (Moskitia), and Pacific and Caribbean Sea coastline, and the Bay Islands, with great beaches and coral reefs where snorkeling and diving is a must. The country is neighbored by Guatemala to the northwest, El Salvador to the west and Nicaragua to the southeast.
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[edit] UnderstandHonduras is a poor country where tourism is still underdeveloped. Good amenities can be found in cities like Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, and La Ceiba but elsewhere conditions can be primitive, especially in the rural areas. You can find good hotels even in small towns if you are willing to pay a bit more (Honduras is not really an expensive country). Nevertheless a visit is worthwhile, especially to the ancient Maya ruins in Copán, the colonial towns of Gracias and Comayagua and the fantastic Caribbean Coast. [edit] ClimateSubtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains. Natural hazards: extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast. However, the last damaging hurricane was in 1998. The small Pacific coast region is susceptible to j [edit] TerrainMostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains. Has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast. Experiences frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes. Highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 meters. [edit] HistoryPart of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation on 15 September 1821. After two and one-half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras was a haven for the Reagan-sponsored anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Sandinista government of Nicaragua and an ally to Salvadoran government forces fighting against leftist guerrillas. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused almost $1 billion in damage, affecting seriously the development of the country and its main infrastructures. [edit] Get in[edit] By planeMajor international airports with daily flights to Miami and New York are in San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa (Toncontin) and Roatan. The main international airlines serving the region are TACA, Copa Air, Delta Airlines, Continental Airlines, and American Airlines. Iberia, Spain operates daily flights from Madrid to San Pedro Sula via Guatemala City (connecting with Taca). For interior flights check Isleña, Atlantic and Aerolinas Sosa. Note that the interior domestic airlines frequently have flight cancellations, do not guarantee service, and are under no obligation to issue refunds if a flight does not occur. However, American carriers and their international code share partners listed above guarantee travel per U.S. industry standards. Hence, it is advisable not to rely on a domestic carrier to connect to an outbound international flight without having an alternative means to get to the departure point of the foreign bound aircraft in a timely fashion. For instance, if a flight cancellation occurs in La Cieba headed to San Pedro Sula due to insufficient ticket sales (a common occurrence), a taxi can be hired for a $50-$100 spot price to run the distance in under two and a half hours. [edit] By carPossible from Guatemala, El Salvador, or Nicaragua. Cars are a good selection, but you must always be careful since the roads are not as well developed but good enough to have a pleasant ride. Traffic enforcement outside of stops to curtail the drug trade is minimal to non-existant, and drivers should be cautious of speeding vehicles as well as agressive driving tactics (e.g. passing on uphill, curved terrain).Maya Island Air also has a direct lfight from Belize to San Pedro Sula (phone number 011-501-223-1140 or info@mayaisland.com) [edit] By busFrom Guatemala - Tica Bus and Hedmann Alas From Nicaragua - Tica Bus and King Quality From El Salvador - Tica Bus and King Quality [edit] By boatBoats from Belize come in to the Caribbean ports like Puerto Cortes, but schedules are not regular and cannot be checked through the internet. Cruise ships commonly stop at the Bay Islands, however. There is regular boat service from La Ceiba to the bay islands of Roatan and Utila. Service to Roatan is on the Galaxy Wave II. The ferry trip costs less than flying, and leaves (mostly) on time. A round-trip prima class ticket costs $53; round-trip general class, $43. Both prima and general seating areas are comfortable and offer air conditioning and flat-screen TVs for your entertainment. The crossing takes about 80 minutes each way. Service to Utila is on the Utila Princess. Tickets cost about $30 round trip and the crossing takes about 60 minutes. Both ferries leave from the same dock. You should arrive at the dock in La Ceiba about an hour early to buy tickets and check luggage. **If traveling to the bay islands during Semana Santa (Easter week) it is highly recommended to fly, as the wait for a ferry can be up to 8 hours. FERRY SCHEDULES THE GALAXY II DEPARTUE TIMES: Roatan - La Ceiba 7:00 A.M.; La Ceiba - Roatan 10 A.M.; Roatan - La Ceiba 1:00 P.M.; La Ceiba - Roatan 4:00 P.M.
[edit] By thumbHitchhiking is possible in Honduras, although it might be tricky to leave larger cities because its hard to find the right local bus without good area knowledge. In rural areas the driver sometimes might expect you to pay him. This should rarely be more than 2 USD (40 L). Hitchhiking is common in rural areas, even for single women, when there is no proper bus connection. [edit] TalkSpanish is the primary language spoken. English is hardly spoken outside of the biggest towns or Bay Islands. In some areas such as Utila, Spanish and English have hybridized in the context of low educational attainment to produce a pidgin tongue that can at times be indecipherable even to native speakers of both languages. Native languages (Lenca, Miskitu, Garifuna, among others) are spoken in various parts of the country. [edit] BuyHandicrafts - Honduras is famous for its Lenca ceramics and cotton sock manufacturing. If visiting San Pedro Sula, be sure to visit El Mercado Guamilito. You will find many wonderful and cheap handicrafts like hand carved wooden boxes, Lencan pottery, hammocks, paintings, leather products from Nicaragua, and beautiful hand-woven fabrics from Guatemala. [edit] EatThe Honduran "Plato tipico" is the most famous lunch. It consists of rice, beef, fried beans (frijolitos), and fried bananas (tajaditas). If you are lucky, it will also come with chimol, a fresh, non-spicy salsa made of tomatoes, green peppers, onions, cilantro and lime juice. Baleadas are a Honduran original. A baleada sencilla (simple) consists of a thick flour tortilla filled with refried beans, cheese (queso), and a type of cream similar to sour cream but not sour (crema or mantequilla). A baleada especial usually also comes with eggs in it and you can sometimes get avacado or even meat. Other choices are tacos and enchiladas, though don't expect them to be like those in Mexico. The tacos are meat rolled in a corn tortilla and deep fried. The enchiladas are a flat fried corn tortilla topped with ground beef, cheese and a red sauce. In the big cities, there are also plenty of chains from the U.S. like Pizza Hut, Applebees, TGI Fridays, and all the burger and fried chicken joints you can think of. [edit] DrinkNational beers: Salvavida, Port Royal, Imperial and the newest Barena Coffee is great, and the brands from Copan are usually the best. Welches is considered to be the best by many locals. Taste Central American rum Flor de Caña (from Nicaragua) Great "licuados" -fruit juices and milk shakes- (mango, piña, watermelon, banana, etc.) [edit] Sleep[edit] Stay safeTake special care at night. It is common from time to time for a foreigner to be robbed on the streets of Tegucigalpa at night. Thieves will stake out areas in front of tourist hotels, especially the Hotel Maya in Tegucigalpa. Crime is getting higher, especially in tourist areas. The best tip is not to risk yourself by walking through the poor parts of any towns or taking public transportion. You should cooperate with burglars if one is being robbed. This problem is mainly in big cities. In small towns, robbery is not a great issue. On main cities be sure to never be walking alone (especially at night), but it is definitely better to avoid walking in large cities. The best solution is to travel by car. It is also very important to know that there are parts of the city especially dangerous, and parts which are relatively safe (always ask people).Note, that the situation is completely different in smaller towns. This is type of issues are mainly common on Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula and a bit less in La Ceiba. Ask local people about which places are safe and which are not, and follow their advice. The murder rate in Honduras is 53.0 per 100,000 population. In comparison, the murder rate in the U.S.A. is 5.6 per 100,000. [edit] Stay healthyPurified water is used in big-city hotels and restaurants, but bottled water is definitely recommended for outlying areas. Malaria occurs in rural areas, Roatán and other Bay Islands. Dengue fever is endemic in both urban and rural areas. It is not recommended to buy much food in the streets (people who are selling food just by the sidewalk). Remember Honduran food can be spicy too, so be careful if you are not used to it. Many travel agencies and different places will tell you that Honduras is a dangerous country concerning illnesses, this is not true. People are just as ill all over Latin America (nothing out of what is normal), just take the necessary precautions. HIV is a problem in Honduras so be careful as you would in your own country. Carry a first aid kit and have contact phone numbers with you. If hiking or spending significant time in the great outdoors, be prepared for a wide range of natural threats and nuisances including snakes, spiders, scorpions, and mosquitoes. On the upswing, however, you can actually pick fruit off the trees. [edit] RespectDespite the poverty and poor education, the Hondurans are very friendly. Demonstrate grace and respect. [edit] CopeElectricity is 110V/60Hz, as in the United States and Canada, however three-prong grounded plugs are not as common, so two-prong adapters come in handy. [edit] Contact
WikiPedia:Honduras Dmoz:Central_America/Honduras/ World66:centralamericathecaribbean/honduras |
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