Travel to Honduras with travel insurance from Essential Travel

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Information on Honduras with travel insurance from Essential Travel

Travel to Honduras

Those who wish to escape commercial tourism and who have a sense of adventure are drawn to Honduras, which is one of the least developed countries in Central America.

The capital of Honduras is Tegucigalpa (commonly known as Tegus), which rests at 1,000m above sea level. The pace here is fast, despite the city’s location in a serene, bowl-shaped valley, surrounded by hills. The city was a mining centre in 1578 and there are a number of interesting Spanish colonial buildings dating from the 16th century. La Tigra National Park, northeast of the city, is one of the most beautiful places in Honduras, situated at 2,270m. You can also drive just seven kilometres southeast of Tegucigalpa to the massive Gothic Basílica de Suyapa, where it is said that the Virgen de Suyapa, patron saint of Honduras, performed hundreds of miracles.

Another interesting city is Comayagua, which was the capital of Honduras from 1537 to 1880, before it changed over to Tegucigalpa. The main attraction here is the cathedral in the centre of the town, dating from between 1685 and 1715. Inside, there is a collection of fine art and one of the oldest clocks in the world, donated to the town by King Philip II of Spain.

Copán Ruinas, a charming village, is the gateway to nearby Mayan ruins, the highlights of which are the Stelae of the Great Plaza (dating from 613 AD) and the Acropolis, which has finely carved reliefs of the 16 kings of Copán. Close by is the rural mountain town of Santa Rita de Copán, which features cobbled streets and white adobe buildings.

As far as Caribbean beach towns go, Tela is a favourite in Honduras. This tiny place has excellent seafood, several good places to stay and some of the most beautiful beaches on the northern coast. Trujillo is perhaps the most famous of the country’s resorts and is where Columbus first set foot on the continent in August 1502. The 17th century fortress and Museo Arqueológico are almost as popular as the beaches.

The Bay Islands consist of Roatán, Guanaja and Utila and lie approximately 50kms off the northern coast of mainland Honduras. They offer excellent snorkelling and diving. Guanaja is the most upmarket and touristy of the three, with Roatán following closely behind. Utila is more low-key and is the cheapest of the islands.

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