The Bay Islands of Honduras

The Bay Islands of Honduras

Cindy Kilgore & Alan Moore

HUNTER PUBLISHING, INC,

www.hunterpublishing.com

Ulysses Travel Publications

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Canada H2W 2M5

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This guide focuses on recreational activities. As all such activities contain elements of risk, the publisher, author, affiliated individuals and companies disclaim responsibility for any injury, harm, or illness that may occur to anyone through, or by use of, the information in this book. Every effort was made to insure the accuracy of information in this book, but the publisher and author do not assume, and hereby disclaim, liability for any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or potential travel problems caused by this guide, even if such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.

Introduction

Using This Guide

History

The Maya

Pre-Classic Period

Classic Period 300-900 AD

Discovery

La Conquista

Lord of the Mountain

Mining Era

Independence

General Francisco Morazán

A Nation at Last

Liberal Reforms

Dictatorship

Coup D'Etat

Soccer War

Contragate

Dirty War

The Democratic Process

Hurricane Mitch

Land/Geography

Rivers & Lakes

Lake Yojoa

Climate

The Rainforest

Crown Shyness & Other Forms of Pest Control

Rainforest Layers

Why Are Rainforests Important?

Rainforest Biodiversity & Climate Control

Stresses to the Rainforest

The Consequences of Rainforest Loss

Wildlife

Land Mammals

Marine Life

Reptiles

Birds

Butterflies, Insects & Other Small Creatures

Government

Economy

People/Culture

Indigenous Peoples

Holidays

Festivals

Golden Rules of Eco-Tourism

Travel Information

Money Matters

Telephone Services

Mail

Drinking Water

Food

Shopping

Hospitals, Clinics & Pharmacies

Handicap Accessibility

When to Visit

Clothing

Safety

Getting Here

Getting Around

The Bay Islands

Coral Reefs

About Coral Reefs

Precautions

Watchable Wildlife

Corals

Fish & Other Sea Creatures

History

Getting There

By Plane

By Sea

Roatán

Top Reason to Visit Roatán

Getting There & Getting Around

Practicalities

Annual Events

Adventures on Water

Diving

Fishing

Swim with the Dolphins

Adventures on Land

Where to Stay

Area West of Coxen Hole

West End Village

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Nightlife

West Bay Beach

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Sandy Bay

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Flowers Bay

Where to Stay

Coxen Hole

Area East of Coxen Hole

Adventures on Water

Adventures on Land

French Harbor

Where to Stay

Barefoot Cay

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Area East of French Harbor

First Bight

Second Bight

Jonesville

East End of Roatán

Oak Ridge

Port Royal

Barbaretta, St. Helene, Morat & Pigeon Cays

Utila

Getting There

Getting Around

Practicalities

Shopping

Adventures on Shore

Island of the Three Iguanas

Adventures on Water

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Night Life

The Utila Cays

Guanaja

Getting There & Getting Around

Practicalities

Adventures on Shore

Adventures on Water

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Cayos Cochinos

Getting There

Day-Trips to Cayos Cochinos

Adventures

Where to Stay

Appendix

Embassies or Consulates

Speaking Spanish

Pronunciation

Greetings

Travel

Driving

Landmarks & Addresses

Days of the Week

Months of the Year

Numbers

Common Phrases

Food

Health

Animals

Currencies

Suggested Reading

Periodicals & Other Information Sources

Internet Resources

Introduction

Once a Banana Republic, now a natural wonder - Honduras.

Unknown to many, the Republic of Honduras in Central America remains largely undiscovered by the mainstream tourist. Pristine coral reefs, warm tropical waters, rainforests, and rivers meandering through remote jungle areas wait to be explored. Accommodations ranging from budget hostels to luxury resorts and nature lodges are available; and, while the service is not always the best and the roads can be long, Honduran people will invariably greet you with a smile and lend a helpful hand when needed. A diamond in the rough, this small country offers a variety of travel experiences and plenty of adventure.

The north or Caribbean coast, boasting mile upon mile of white sand beaches, lush tropical vegetation and cultural diversity, is a favorite with travelers. Just 30 miles off the north coast are the Bay Islands, famous for first-class diving off the second-largest barrier reef in the world that starts in the waters off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and extends southward. The Bay Islands are known as one of the world's favorite world-class diver's certification destinations because of the numerous diving certification courses offered in several different languages by native speakers including English, Italian, German, and French, among others. Just 45 minutes by boat from the port city of La Ceiba are the scarcely populated Cayos Cochinos or Hog Islands - a national marine park - providing unparallel diving opportunities close to the mainland.

For the traveler seeking a nature experience, an extensive park system - covering nearly 24% of the country's total area - provide the opportunity to trek cloud- and rainforests for the day. Or you can take a prolonged canoe journey within dense rain forest areas into which no roads lead, and where such elusive wildlife as jaguars and giant anteaters reside. The United Nations declared one such area, the Rio Plátano Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site in 1982. Coastal wetlands are home to monkeys, manatees, alligators, and dozens of species of waterfowl, and offer the opportunity to kayak or embark on a boat voyage through mysterious mangroves. For the more adventurous, the Rio Cangrejal near La Ceiba offers world-class white-water rafting.

A veritable bird-watcher's paradise, both the inland Lake Yojoa region as well as the area surrounding the coastal city of Tela have registered nearly 400 of the 700 species of birds, both native and migratory that can be observed in Honduras.

The ancient Mayan ruins of Copán, a famed archaeological World Heritage Site, guard the secrets of the ancestors of the modern Mesoamerican men whose faces closely resemble those carved in stelae. Scientific enigmas to be explored include the shining skulls of the over 2,500-year-old Talgua Caves. The pre-Columbian city found in Los Naranjos Archaeological Park was just recently opened to the public. It is estimated that in its heyday, the population of Los Naranjos reached 20,000.

Throughout the country, the Spanish Colonial heritage can be noted in local architecture, as well as in preserved monuments such as government buildings, churches, and forts. Weekly open-air markets are usually held on or near church or municipal plazas. The ripe mangos, oranges, bananas, avocados and tomatoes add charm and color to the country villages where most people reside in whitewashed adobe houses with red tile roofs.

Fruit market on the Northern Road

The descent to the Pacific South coast offers a breathtaking view of the Golf of Fonseca bordered by three countries. The Southern coastal wetlands were declared a RAMSAR Convention of Wetlands of International Importance in 1999.

A DOZEN REASONS TO VISIT HONDURAS

Great diving on the second largest barrier reef in the world.

The Mayan ruins of Copán, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The hieroglyphic stairway in Copán is the largest in the Mayan world.

112 protected areas.

Diving, river rafting, kayaking, hiking, biking, horseback riding in the midst of exuberant tropical nature.

The most protected cloud forests in the world. There are 35 reserves representing 10% of the world's protected cloud forests.

The Rio Plátano Reserve of Man Biosphere, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

La Moskitia, encompasses the largest rainforest region in Central America.

The shining skulls of Talgua.

More than 700 species of birds.

The best year-round whale shark sighting.

The least expensive place in the hemisphere to obtain basic open-water dive certification.7,500 plant species.

Using This Guide

This book is organized based on major geographical regions. For every region there is detailed information on getting there, accommodations, Internet, and unique adventures with emphasis on park areas.

The North or Caribbean coast, possessing a burgeoning nature travel industry;

Bay Islands, a diver's paradise

Copán and the Western Highlands

Central Honduras

Tegucigalpa and Eastern Honduras

La Moskitia and Olancho, a remote region for the ultimate rainforest adventureSouthern Honduras

Travel information concerning car rentals and bus routes is listed at the end of this chapter, as are tour operators, most of whom work throughout the country.

Addresses are listed by Avenue (Ave) and Street or Calle (C) and directions are listed with the acronyms in Spanish (so you can ask someone if you get lost) as follows: northeast (noreste-NE), southeast (sureste-SE), northwest (noroeste-NO) and southwest (suroeste-SO) sections.

Therefore an address as follows, 8-9 Ave NO, 8 C, translates as between 8th and 9th Avenues Northwest, Eighth Street. Another example is 6 Ave SO, 10-11 C, which translates to 6th Avenue Southwest, between 10th and 11th Streets.

History

Honduras is a country with a rich history dating back thousands of years when indigenous tribes from both the North and South American continents arrived. Explore Maya ruins and sail the seas of the Caribbean coast where pirates plied their deadly trade.

Because of its position between the larger American continents and the passage of travelers between the two, Honduras has been home to a variety of cultures over the centuries. There is evidence of human settlements found dating prior to 1600 BC.

Honduras bordered two great cultural areas:

Mesoamerica, the area in which several ancient cultures shared religious beliefs, art, architecture, and technology from about 1500 BC to AD 1519, extended from what is today southern Texas to the Mayan ruins of Copán in Honduras;

The Intermediate Area, between the areas occupied by pre-European high cultures of Mesoamerica and South America, ran through lower Central America and farther south to include the western coastal parts of Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela, where evidence of human activity dates back to 9000 BC.

The pre-Columbian heritage can be observed most notably in the ruins of Copán, El Puente Archaeological Park, Los Naranjos Archaeological Park, the Sula Valley, the Walpa Ulban Sirpe and Walpa Ulban Tara petroglyphs in the Rio Plátano Biosphere, and the Talgua Caves in Olancho.

The Maya

The Maya civilization covered the area from what is today southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Western Honduras. The ruins of large cities can be found throughout the region and the ruins of the Copán in Honduras are a prime example of this lost civilization.

Pre-Classic Period

The period from 1500 BC to 300 AD is defined as the Pre-Classic period of Maya history. As the population grew and inhabited larger towns, the Maya language was developing. During the previous 6,000 years, the people had gone from nomadic hunter-gatherers to farmers residing in small villages and, around 2000 BC, pottery, looms, and ceramics appeared. Communities were headed by groups of elders, shamans, or chiefs, who developed religious rain and fertility cults.

The Maya civilization had no central government, but was rather organized into city states with a common cultural background, which sometimes cooperated and at other times went to war against each other. However, unlike other warrior states that sought to take over, the Mayan culture incorporated and further developed elements they acquired from their neighbors.

The Olmec Civilization of southern Mexico influenced Maya culture greatly. The religion, calendar, and use of glyphs for writing can all be traced back to the Olmec, a culture that disappeared before the Christian era. From 300 BC to 300 AD, the Maya experienced a cultural explosion as the population increased, great advances were made in architecture, writing, and calendrics, and the first great cities were built.

Classic Period 300-900 AD

A hierarchal system of government ruled by kings and nobles, which included teachers, scribes, warriors, architects, administrators, craftsmen, merchants, and laborers, emerged during this time. The long-count calendar, hieroglyphics, ceramics, and large-scale urban planning were widespread in many areas, where great cities were built with a support network of outlying towns and farmlands.

Around 650 AD when the Teotihuacán civilization collapsed, the Maya civilization flourished, reaching its highest level as the population grew and cities expanded. They were larger and more populated than any European city. Art, astronomy and religion reached new heights.

After the collapse of Maya culture, the Lenca, who live in the western-central area of the country, became the dominant cultural group in Honduras. When the Spaniards arrived in America, several tribes inhabited the country. The Pech and Sumu tribes, still present today, lived in the north coast and Olancho regions and are descendants of South American Chibchans. The Tolupan lived in the north-central region and the Pipils and Chorotega, of Mexican ancestry, lived along the south coast and the area of present day Choluteca. These tribes maintained commercial relations with each other and with other indigenous populations from Mexico to Panama.

Discovery

During his fourth and last trip in 1502 to the Americas, Christopher Columbus first landed in Honduras on the island of Guanaja, which he is said to have named. He then continued to the coastal area, landing on the American mainland for the first time at the tip of the Bay Trujillo, which he named Punta Caxinas, and where the first mass held in America was celebrated. From Trujillo, Columbus continued his exploration in the northeastern coastal area. According to historians, upon finding shelter from a storm in a pronounced cape area, he exclaimed, Gracias a Dios que hemos salido de estas honduras! or Thank God we escaped from the depths, which resulted in the name of the area as Gracias a Dios and the country as Honduras. Although Columbus did encounter some natives, he did not continue his explorations in Honduras.

La Conquista

Spanish conquistadores did not become interested in colonization of Honduras until the 1520s when Cristobal de Olid established the first European colony in Triunfo de la Cruz in 1524. A previous expedition was headed by Gil González Dávila to the Pacific Coast of Honduras, who named the Golfo Fonseca after Bishop Rodriguez de Fonseca in 1523.

Colonization of the newly discovered territory did not go smoothly. Strife among the colonizers began when de Olid tried to convert his colony into an independent state. De Olid, himself an emissary of Hernando de Cortes, the Mexican conqueror, was finally murdered on Cortes's orders to regain control of the settlement. In 1825, Cortes traveled to Honduras and moved the colony to Trujillo in 1525. Cortes was able to establish his authority, as well as subdue rebellious indigenous populations. However, the appointment of Diego Lopez de Salcedo as the first royal governor, caused renewed troubles, as local indigenous groups revolted against his policies and Nicaraguan authorities imprisoned him after he tried to extend his jurisdiction into Nicaragua. Although a border was defined and he was released, Lopez de Salcedo did not return to Honduras until 1529.

During the early 1530s, the colony was nearly abandoned due to increased fighting among the Spaniards, revolts, and the decline of the local population from disease, exploitation, and exportation as slaves to nearby Caribbean islands. In 1534, the area was renamed Honduras-Higueras. Higueras was comprised of western Honduras, while the remaining area was known as Honduras. In 1536, a Spanish authority, Don Pedro de Alvarado from Guatemala, accompanied by Guatemalan natives, developed the gold mining industry in the town of Gracias, in western Honduras. He also founded the city of San Pedro de Puerto Caballos, today San Pedro Sula.

In 1537, a capital was established in Comayagua in central Honduras, and this remained the political and religious center of the country for 350 years, until Tegucigalpa became the capital in 1880.

Lord of the Mountain

The discovery of mineral deposits increased settlement in the new colony and the demand for labor. However, the local populations revolted against the enforced labor and, in 1537, a major uprising of 30,000 strong was led by Lempira, a young Lenca cacique (chief), of the central highlands. Lempira signifies Lord or gentleman of the mountain in the Lenca language. Lempira planned to expel the Spaniards from the territory and insurrections arose in San