Sights in Northern Honduras
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Fortaleza de San Fernando de Omoa
Omoa’s claim to historical fame is the Fortaleza de San Fernando de Omoa. Located on the main street to the beach, this fort was built under King Fernando VII of Spain between 1759 and 1775 by enslaved Indians and, later, by enslaved Africans. It was constructed to protect the coast and the region’s treasures – gold, silver and indigo – that were shipped out from there. The plan only worked for four years; in 1779 the fortress was captured by the British after a two-day battle. It’s still in good shape today, and features 31 rooms, a small museum, about three dozen cannons and hundreds of cannonballs. It’s way overpriced for your average indie traveler.
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Triunfo de la Cruz
Triunfo de la Cruz is larger and more developed than other spots, and as a result has lost some of the peaceful, somnolent air of the smaller villages. At the same time, food, lodging and services are better and more abundant here, and the pretty, grey beach is good for swimming, with waves neither too strong nor too wimpy.
The turnoff to Triunfo de la Cruz is 5km E of Tela on the coastal highway. Take this road 500m to a fork in the road (look for the dilapidated 'Bienvenidos' sign). Triunfo de la Cruz is 700m down the righthand road.
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Fortaleza Santa Bárbara de Trujillo
Often called El Castillo (the Castle), Fortaleza Santa Bárbara de Trujillo is a 17th-century Spanish fortress with a small museum containing pre-Columbian artifacts, religious relics, slave chains, Garífuna masks, and antique weaponry – each item a glimpse into the area’s history. The grounds have excellent views of the coast, several old cannons and a stone marker of the execution site of adventurer and would-be conqueror William Walker.
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La Cascada de Río Negro
The short hike to La Cascada de Río Negro is a pleasant excursion. On the road into Trujillo, turn at the 'Mahogany & Cacao Reforestation & Research Facility' sign, circle behind the stadium and then turn right down a dead-end street. Veer right down a dirt road and through a gate; where the road bends rights, look for a small path with a water tube partially buried in the middle. Follow the path (and the tube) about 1km to the falls.
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Refugio de Vida Silvestre Cuero y Salado
This wildlife refuge takes its name from two of three rivers: Cuero and Salado, which meet at the coast in a large estuary, creating waterways, mangrove forests and lagoons along the way, and San Juan. A reserve since 1987, it protects varied and abundant wildlife; manatees are the most famous and most elusive, but there are also (among others) howler and white-faced monkeys, sloths, otters, iguanas, caimans and 196 species of birds.
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Beaches
Tela's main attraction is its beaches, which stretch around the bay for several kilometers. The beach in town is OK, though sometimes littered; the one at Hotel Villas Telamar is worlds better and open to the public; it has clean, tawny, powdery sand and a huge grove of coconut trees. Beach chairs and umbrellas can be rented by nonguests from the hotel's palapa (thatched, palm-leaf-roofed shelter) snack bar.
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Parque Swinford
Created by the Standard Fruit Company, the beautifully manicured Parque Swinford is arguably the prettiest city park in all of Honduras. Palm trees tower over hundreds of plants and flower beds, small bridges lead to gleaming bronze sculptures, and antique train cars remind visitors of the city’s role in the banana industry.
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Beaches
Trujillo is best known for its attractive Beaches, with pale sand fronting a glassy, waveless ocean. Some of the best are near the airstrip, 1.5 km east along the beach from town. Several beachside open-air thatched-roof restaurant-bars provide shade, food and a cool drink for beachgoers, and keep the beaches clean.
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Museum of Butterflies & Insects
The one-room Museum of Butterflies & Insects houses an amazing collection of butterflies, moths and other insects – 13,000 creepy-crawlers in all, stuck with pins and preserved in glass cases on the walls.
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C
Garífuna Museum
An interesting stop if you find it open, the Garífuna Museum has good exhibits on Honduras' Garífunas. A decent gift shop sells paintings and handicrafts from these communities, too. Opening hours are irregular.
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Tornabé
The largest and most developed of the Garífuna villages in the area is Tornabé. The name comes from 'Turn Bay,' a name given to this inlet by English pirates in the 16th century.
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Museo Riveras del Pedregal
The Museo Riveras del Pedregal has a huge collection of antiques and artifacts, ranging from the wacky to the sublime.
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