Honduras:
Honduras is not really known as a tourism hot spot. But among hardcore travellers it's been a popular destination for a while now. It's got beautiful beaches, rainforests, ruins, and a reef.
The Bay Islands, especially, are what draw the backpacker crowd for the beaches, laid-back lifestyle, and scuba and snorkelling.
There are three main islands: Utila, Roatan, and Guanaja. Roatan is the largest island, and a bit more expensive than the other islands. Utila is the smallest island. It's heaven to a lot of low-budget travellers. For one thing, you can take inexpensive diving courses there. For another thing, rooms and food are cheap. And of course Utila has natural beauty and friendly local people. The island of Guanaja has a few expensive resorts, but you can also find cheap rooms. Diving and snorkelling are excellent, and there are hiking trails up into the hills.
The Mosquito Coast, made famous by Paul Theroux's book and film, is targetted for ecotourism trips by river raft and stays in new jungle lodges. This lowland area is extremely hot. The central highlands are much cooler.For people who like to throw themselves into a rainforest and get into the isolation thing, there's the Biosfera del Rio Platano. You can explore on foot and by dugout canoe.
Honduras has always been a poor country, a true banana republic. Four per cent of Hondurans own 60 per cent of the land, and most of the rich are white, while the darkest-skinned people are the poorest. Two thirds of the people of Honduras live below the poverty line, and that's why army life may be attractive, as it offers the chance for social mobility.
La Prensa: Honduran daily newspaper (in Spanish)
This page last updated January 25, 2003.