Honduras is a beautiful country full of Mayan ruins, sandy beaches and jungles. The main destination in Honduras is the Bay Islands which are a scuba divers paradise. However, many backpackers skip over Honduras out of fear for their safety. Though I support people being cautious, I do not agree that Honduras felt any more dangerous than other places I’ve been to in Central America. The places where crime runs rampant are not going to affect you if you behave rationally. Don’t walk down dark streets alone at night and don’t get involved with drugs or weapons. I did not have one sketchy or threatening interaction while in Honduras and the things I gained from that country were worth the “risk”.
Getting There
Shuttles to and from Honduras are double the price they are to any other country in the C4 zone. To get from Antigua to La Ceiba costs $80 and involves an overnight stop in Copan. There is one bus company in Antigua, Trandsland, that does a direct route to La Ceiba but it only leaves on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I did the stop-over in Copan and enjoyed the chance to see another city in Honduras. My bus left Antigua at 4 am. We were in Copan by 11 am and had the rest of the day to explore. At 5 am the next day we took another bus to La Ceiba. The $80 ticket included the two buses and a night of lodging at a hostel in Copan.
Copan
There wasn’t much to do in Copan and I felt like 18 hours was more than enough time to explore it. I decided to check out the Copan ruins but at $15 and having already seen Tikal, I was quite disappointed. I’d recommend skipping these ruins if you’ve already seen a fair amount of Mayan cities. The coolest part of my Copan ruins experience was all of the Scarlet Macaw birds in the trees.
Other than the Copan ruins, you can explore the Central Park and eat the local food, baleadas. We were there on a Saturday night and were recommended Hotel Ciudad Blanca and Sky Disco Bar as the best places to go out and dance.
La Ceiba
We had not planned to spend time in La Ceiba but due to bad weather and a delayed ferry, we had a day there. We indulged in city luxuries and went to the mall, hoping to find a movie with English subtitles. Later that evening we had Pizza Hut. We stayed at Guacamayos Hostel which had a nice staff and cheap dorms and private rooms. Though we didn’t do much of interest in La Ceiba I can attest that I felt safe there and mainland Honduras does not need to be feared.
For in depth descriptions and recommendations for Utila and Roatan, click below!
Utila
Roatan
Chronicles of a Wandering Soul 