Honduras is travelled mainly through its islands. Roatan and the Bay Islands, off the Caribbean coast, sit on the second-largest barrier reef in the world and offer some of the most affordable diving on the planet. That is the reason to go to Honduras.
The essentials in four lines
Where to go: Roatan for diving and beach, West Bay for the sand, West End for prices and atmosphere, La Ceiba as the mainland gateway.
Best time to go: December to April, during the dry season. The rains run May to November.
Entry: Canadian passport valid at least six months beyond your entry date, no visa for ninety days or less, online customs declaration to complete.
Worth knowing: the CA-4 agreement links Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua under one ninety-day period.
Where to go
Roatan
An island fifty kilometres long lying on the reef. West Bay has the beach: white sand, calm water, and the reef twenty metres from shore, which lets you snorkel without a boat. West End is the dive village: more life, more small hotels, noticeably softer prices.
Dive certification here is among the cheapest in the world, and the teaching is good. Plenty of travellers arrive for a week on the beach and leave certified.
Utila and Guanaja
The other two Bay Islands. Utila is smaller, rougher, and known for the whale sharks that pass offshore. Guanaja is almost roadless. Both suit travellers who want fewer people and accept less comfort.
La Ceiba and the mainland
La Ceiba is the gateway to the islands and to Pico Bonito national park, a rainforest-covered mountain rising above two thousand metres a few kilometres from the sea. It is a port city, not a resort town.
When to go
The dry season runs December to April. That is the best window, with clear water for diving.
The rainy season runs May to November and causes flooding and mudslides on the mainland. Hurricane season runs mid-May to November on the Atlantic side. Honduras has been hit hard in the past.
One useful note for divers: visibility is generally best from March to September, which runs past the dry season.
What you need in hand
A Canadian passport valid at least six months beyond your date of entry to Honduras.
No visa is required for a stay of ninety days or less. The customs declaration form is completed online and produces a code to present on arrival.
Make sure your passport gets an entry stamp. Under the CA-4 agreement, days spent in Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua count toward the same ninety-day total.
For the current official advice, see the country page on travel.gc.ca.
On the ground
Money
The currency is the lempira. US dollars are accepted in tourist businesses on Roatan, often at a poor rate. Pay in lempiras where you can.
Getting to Roatan
The island has its own international airport. Flights from Quebec usually connect through the United States or San Pedro Sula. The ferry from La Ceiba takes a little over an hour and it rolls.
Diving
The reef starts close to shore and drops away as a wall. Sites reached from West End are ten minutes by boat. Plan not to dive within twenty-four hours of your flight home.
Who Honduras suits
Divers and those who want to become one, without hesitation. Travellers looking for a Caribbean island on a small budget who accept simple infrastructure. Nature lovers who want to combine reef and rainforest.
Less so anyone wanting a large all-inclusive and flawless service: that is not what the country does. Honduras sells what is under the water, and the rest follows more modestly.
To plan this trip, see also La Ceiba, Roatan, resorts that suit families and the All-inclusive vacations section.
