Things to do in Northern Honduras
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Canopy Tours
Canopy Tours provides a canopy tour with a 20-cable system about 500m past Sambo Creek, east of La Ceiba. The 20-cable tour (two to three hours) starts with a 35-minute horseback ride up a steep road to the first station and includes a stop at a natural hot springs where you can smear yourself with the possibly therapeutic, definitely sulfur-smelling mud there. Any east-bound bus from La Ceiba can drop you at the entrance; a cab there will cost around US$30.
reviewed
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Expatriates Bar & Grill
Aptly named, this is a longtime favorite of foreigners living in La Ceiba. The specialty is barbecue chicken wings, but just about everything is grilled and good – ribs, shrimp, chicken breasts, veggies. There’s also a full bar, occasional live music, book exchange, community board, large-screen TV with major sporting events, and high-speed internet.
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Honduras Caribbean Tours
Has tours similar to Garífuna Tours, but also sportfishing (per boat L$5491), trips to Lancetilla (L$550), Pico Bonito (L$1045) & Cayos Cochinos (L$1121) and rafting on the Río Cangrejal (L$1121). Enquire at Casa Azul Caribbean Café.
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Pizza Hut
Don’t forget to eulogize Dom DeLuise, who played ‘Pizza The Hutt’ in Mel Brooke’s Spaceballs.
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La Moskitia Ecoaventuras
Run by Jorge Salverri, an expert birder and one of the most knowledgeable guides to La Moskitia. Call ahead.
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Omega Tours
Located along the Río Cangrejal on the way to the town of Yaruca.
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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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Snorkeling
The bay has several good places to go snorkeling. Cayo Blanco and the Banco de Estrellas Marinas (Sea Star Bank) are the best spots, with a healthy coral reef teeming with fish, starfish (of course) and the occasional turtle. The folks at C&R Campamento offer snorkeling trips for up to eight people, equipment included.
Or you can organize it at Casa Kiwi, where guests can rent snorkel gear - walk 2km east along the beach to a sunken boat; its rusted hull sticks partway out of the water just a short distance from shore.
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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.
reviewed
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Monesterio
This is the preferred club for La Ceiba's moneyed, mostly 20-something crowd. The turreted exterior says King Arthur more than John the Baptist, but the inside is pure LA, with a raised dance floor, mezzanine VIP area and sleek tables and high stools in a cavernous bar area. Friday is usually ladies' night (free entrance, free rum and free domestic beer). Regguetón rules, of course, but the DJ usually plays some hip-hop, reggae and even merengue now and then. Dress sharp.
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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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Mango Tango
This breezy restaurant-café-bar is a good place to start any Zona Viva outing: for many, it’s the main destination. Its claim to fame is the well-stocked salad bar, one of the few in Honduras. The rest of the menu is typical north coast and Ceibeño fare – lots of seafood – served fresh at palapa -shaded tables. The bar stays open late, with sport showing on the large TVs.
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Luces del Norte
This longtime favorite has a casual atmosphere, inexpensive meals and a postcard-stand to boot. The menu has all the standard breakfasts and platos fuertes (main dishes) plus great sandwiches – fish, chicken, BLT, even peanut butter and banana – and a long list of soups, such as vegetable clam and one called Queen’s Seafood Soup.
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Central America Spanish School
Central AmericaSpanishSchool offers intensive Spanish classes for students of all levels. Classes (L$3000 per week) include 20 hours per week of one-on-one instruction, weekly excursions and cultural events like Latin dance or Honduran cooking classes. Homestays (L$1330 per week, including meals) and other housing options can be arranged.
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Outdoor Market
A noisy outdoor market winds its way along 6a Calle, Av 14 de Julio, and the area in front of the Hondutel office. There you'll find anything and everything: fruits and vegetables, grains and sun-dried food, fresh meats and fish, clothing, shoes, sunglasses, bootleg CDs and DVDs, toiletries, toys, kitchen utensils…you name it, it's probably there.
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Chabelita
This Garífuna-style restaurant, at the far end of the Zona Viva, is well worth the walk. Seafood is the specialty – try the hefty fish fillet or Chabelita’s famous sopa marinera (seafood soup). The dining area is unremarkable, but a little patio out the back is perfect for a late-afternoon or evening meal and a cold beer.
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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.
reviewed
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PiQ' Art
A gem of a place, this tiny yellow house is brimming with beautiful works of Honduran art: the walls are laden with dozens of oil paintings, the floors are lined with intricately carved sculptures and furniture, and long tables display finely crafted pottery and a few pieces of seed jewelry too. It may be pricey but it's the best value in town.
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Arrecife
Local food buffs and hotel concierges have started calling Arrecife the best restaurant in town. An upscale but understated place 15km east of town, it offers terrific seafood dishes and a good wine list. The only drawback is the location – if you don’t have a car, you may end up paying more in taxi fare than you do for dinner.
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Mixers
Cafeteria-style eating is what you’ll get at this locale. Every day a new variety of típico is served – there’s always beans, rice and a vegetable dish though – so you won’t get bored if you eat here more than once. It’s on the 2nd floor of a peach-colored shopping center.
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Comidas Royale
Right on Parque Central, this is one of the best buffets in town. Not only is it open all day, every day, but the trays always seem to be brimming with fresh food. Dishes vary by the hour – típico of all sorts is served up alongside Honduran-style chow mein, fried rice, sweet-and-sour chicken, and ribs.
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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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