Lenca Trail logistics

With only two nights I'd chose one place and stay. Both Santa Rosa and Gracias are wonderful. Gracias takes a bit more time to get to, maybe an extra hour if I recall. Lots of nice places to stay in both. Gracias a really special feel and has better access to hikes and Lenca towns like La Campa, for you I'd say it's worth the effort of getting there and spending as much time as possible based there.

Here is a very detailed and reliable Trip Report from Rultikart that should give you some ideas. He's explored the area further than I have, and I think you're better set than maybe you expect.

If you leave Copán Ruinas by 8am, you should be in Santa Rosa de Copán by noon. Have a look around and decide if you want to stay the night or continue on to Gracias. With only two days, I honestly don't know how much further you could or should expect to go.

Gracias is one of those places that might initially have yourself wondering exactly why you bothered; others have commented about this, too. Give it a chance to grow on you and I think you'll be in for a very pleasant surprise and could easily spend both days there just to enjoy the friendly locals and atmosphere. Plus, you'll be there for the Sunday Market Day which still rates as a very memorable experience for me.

Enjoy ~

Thanks! Great ideas! I love markets, and was hoping to get to the Sunday market in Belen Gualcho, but if there is a good market in Gracias maybe we will just stay there for that one.

Might it be a good idea to hire someone to drive us around to some of the villages, to save time waiting for buses, especially where only one or two buses a day make the trip? I have seen recommendations for Max Elvir in SRC and Marco Aurelio Rodriguez and Lizeth Perdomo in Gracias. I have no idea what they charge, but it might be worth it to make the best use of our very limited time.

Weekend market in Gracias is quite lovely, can't recall if it was Saturday or Sunday.

Belen Gualcho is very much worth visiting, if I recall it's easiest to get to from Santa Rosa (through a bit of a circuitous route, maybe 2 max 3 hours I think? right after Corquin), it's very small and isolated but has something magical going on.

I'd recommend that as a day trip from Santa Rosa if you decided to skip Gracias... best way to catch the Sunday morning market in Belen is to stay the night on Saturday.There are some simple, clean accommodations there.

Gracias is a much more interesting place than Santa Rosa. If it is the market you want to see, Belen Gualcho's market is much more interesting than the market in Gracias and well worth seeing but the Sunday morning market is the only real highlight of the town. If you don't spend the night there you would have to leave Santa Rosa very very early in the morning to see it. With such a short time I would pick Gracias.

Hi,
It would be great if there is a way to go from Belen Gualcho to San Sebastian or San Manuel Colohete. Should I definetly go back to Santa Rosa and come from Gracias to go to these villages?

jarmusch, There is a road between Belen Gualcho and San Sebastian but no public transportation. From Gracias there is only 1 bus a day to San Sebastian that leaves from the new bus station around noon or 12:30ish. The only return bus leaves at 5 AM conveniently from next to the only lodging in San Sebatian. There used to be another option but last time I was there I checked and they weren't open. The remaining place isn't marked but the bus parks for the night right there. It's as basic as basic gets but is only $2,50 a night. The road between San Manuel and San Sebastian is one of the most scenic in all of Honduras. Consider staying a night in La Campa. They opened a new zip line earlier this year that they claim is the highest and longest in Central America and it is an incredible ride. They charged me $25 but I was their only customer, maybe cheaper with a group. If you start a new thread you may get more responses.