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The Shoulder Season: The Caribbean
Traipse the Land Fantastic
Two Weeks in Honduras

By Alissa Mears


	Guanaja Island, one of Honduras's Bay Islands (PhotoDisc)

Day 1:
Fly into San Pedro Sula (most direct flights originate in Miami or Houston) and take a cheap, three-hour bus ride to La Ceiba, a spirited city on the Caribbean coast infused with Cuban salsa and Garifuna drumbeat, and a central hub for multisport trips.

The Full Story

Visit our destination guide on Honduras for the full download on this slice of Caribbean paradise.

Days 2-6:
Leave La Ceiba and head to the country’s second-largest national park, Pico Bonito. Eco-lodges make for a good base while you explore the surrounding wilderness in the national park. The Lodge at Pico Bonito is $421 per person for four days/three nights (more extensive packages also offered: www.picobonito.com). Price includes airport pickup, private cabin, all meals, a tour of butterfly farms, and a half-day paddling trip through the Rio Cangrejal’s Class III and IV rapids (expert paddlers should head to the explosive Class V whitewater on the Corinto and Coloradito rivers)—and be sure to spend at least one day at nearby Cuero y Salado Wildlife Reserve, a 32,741-acre coastal refuge 20 miles west of La Ceiba.

Day 7:
Strap on your hiking boots for an intense, full-day climb up to Pico Bonito’s summit with views of the Caribbean’s Bay Islands, 1,000 feet above El Bejuco.

Days 8-10:
Leave the mainland and head to the Bay Islands, including the Cayos Cochinos Marine Reserve (five miles from La Ceiba) to snorkel along the reef and sea kayak to Cayo Chachauate, a traditional Garifuna fishing outpost.

Days 11-14:
Take a bus or drive the seven-hour route east of La Ceiba to Copan and tour the impressive Mayan ruins in western Honduras near the Guatemalan border, and camp in the Mosquitia wilderness.

Getting Around:
Domestic flights have increased within the last few years, with routes connecting most major cities, but the cheapest and most effective way to traverse Honduras is by bus. Almost every town lies on a bus route; the first bus usually leaves at the crack of dawn, the last one in late afternoon or early evening.

For more details and ideas, visit: www.hondurastips.honduras.com

Next Page: One Week in Jamaica

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