Recent thoughts on Honduras

thanks for taking to post! yap yap

Interesting... to each their own, I fell in love with Santa Rosa and stayed for a month. Same with Gracias, which is a real favorite... it's not the town itself, but the surrounding area that's so special. No offense, but if you got all the way out there and didn't get a taste of the region, it's like going to the doors of heaven and just prank-knocking :D

That's quite shocking about Copan and don't know what to say about that... hadn't heard of that type of attack recently there. I also wonder if they were actually "violently attacked," or just held up for money, which is also horrible but not the same as what a violent attack implies. Would be interesting to hear more details.

I'm also shocked about Copan Ruinas... Having been more than once (and on all occasions it was just me and 1 other woman) I've never felt unsafe there. I really love Mayan culture and archaeology so my opinion of the ruins might be a bit biased, but I love them, the detail on the sculpture there is truly amazing. Also, the hillsides around the town are great. Horseback riding up the mountains was one of those things we didn't plan on doing, but were so glad we did. The area around there that I find dangerous are the waterfalls, they are too isolated and easy for someone to hide in the forest and wait for a good mark.

Your assessment of San Pedro is totally right on. The only time I've spent there was when I absolutely had to on the way in or out of the country. Our flight got in late and I made sure to have someone pick us up at the airport, drive us to the hotel and did not leave that hotel until morning when we went to catch a bus out of there.

During daylight, it's not as horrible, we had fun watching a Honduras football match on TV in a nearby restaurant the day we flew out. But definitely interesting to watch the social workers demonstrating to the prostitutes in the park how to use condoms.

I'd have to mostly agree with your opinion of San Pedro Sula. Its not my cup of tea, and none of my Honduran friends care for it too much either :/ But as in all places there are highlights, and much respect to the vendor that gave us a free fried chicken (although we were pretty sure it was rat) lunch.

As both the others have said, such attacks are rare in Copan in my experience. I've heard many tales of the evil that lurks in the forests and hills surrounding the Ruinas, but I've done quite a bit of exploring around there and consider it a fairly safe area in general.

It is of course very easy to jump to conclusions about a country when a tourist has experienced something negative- a robbery for example.
But, when sharing our experiences on forums like this it is important not to judge the whole country as being unsafe, when often it is a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time (which of course can be very frightening).
Let us not forget that we are in the middle of a world recession and times are very, very hard for the poor who live in the developing world, add to this the increasing hold of the drugs trade (which is also hugely responsible for the incidents where local people act aggressively towards tourists) and you have a recipe for desperate people taking desperate measures.

I have lived in Honduras for over three years now, and feel lucky to say I have so far found my time here to be free from any negative experiences. I fly in and out of San Pedro Sula airport regularly, stay overnight in the city and find it to be convenient in terms of travelling to Utila, where I live with my husband. My children, who are in their twenties now, follow simple steps such as not using laptops, Iphones and Ipods in public and keeping their wallets concealed at all times. They always take the local buses to and from La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula and (so far) have not experienced anything unsafe.

Of course, one can still be the victim of circumstance no matter how many precautions are taken. But it is important to remember that there is a larger chance that a tourists experience in Honduras is going to be a positive, rather than a negative one.

hello to all
i must say that people were very friendly and i took local buses all over
i didnt myself have any bad experinces and of course COMMON SENSE must rule!
the country just didnt meet my expectations...i went to see copan and colonial sights of which there are not many which is why perhaps my expectations were high for both santa rosa and gracias!
im sure the island are great...im just not an island guy and prefer cities and historical and cultural sights more!
but san pedro is a scarry experience and the massacre at the airport last week is so reminiscent of today's mexico in the north.
lets hope the place can improve because all people in all place deserve a decent life and future for themselves and future generations and honduras is no exception!
esteban

Thanks for taking the time to post. Have you been to Guatemala? It might have more of what you're looking for (loads of photos below).

It's sad to read that my favorite country in CA didn't meet your expectations, but thank you for the sincere report. :) Many people who are disappointed by whatever country they visit usually end up bashing the country and complaining excessively, but you stated your experience, and that was all.

How long did you spend in the country? Because, from my experience, there's plenty to do in Copan. Santa Rosa de Copan isn't much of a tourist destination, it's just a fun, tranquil authentic Honduran city that can be better enjoyed than the three largest cities of the country. As for Gracias, were you able to stay for market day? My initial impressions of Gracias were similar to yours -- somehwat barren, and although the colonial churches are pretty, you might feel it comes short. However, once market day and the other village events come up, it truly is a gem of a place. It's also worth mentioning that Gracias itself isn't necessarily the #1 highlight of that part of Honduras -- that would be the Lenca Trail, which is in the surrounding areas.

Nonetheless, thanks for the report. :)

And I'll also add to Hopefulist's remark: Guatemala has some colonial/historical sites that are easier to reach, as they are not off the beaten path as the majority of Honduras is, so you should consider giving it a shot if you haven't already.

I think the poster is over reacting to a degree, I mean, he says to avoid SPS airport after the shooting, well, there was a lot of students killed at Virginia Tech college in the states, and classes resumed and everything is back to normal....nobody is avoiding the campus. just as there is no need to avoid SPS airport, though I dont know the reason for the tragedy, it was in the car park exit and was focused on 2 car loads of people, sounds like a hit/payback/gang thing to me.

Hopefulist mentions to the poster about visiting Guatemala, but what would the posters reaction be to the beheading of 27 people on a farm south of Flores, the gateway to Tikal ruins?

Granted I only flew into SPS and went to La Cieba and ferry to Bay islands, which is not an expensive place at all, not sure why the comment about US Dollars, its cheaper than Costa Rica for sure. And I only spent 1 night in SPS, but overall, its like any major city in the region, you need to know whats safe and whats not, use a taxi and be careful at night.

As for the 2 American girls being mugged in the morning on a hike at Copan, thats a bummer, but it sounds random and its not uncommon for this to occur in many of the popular national parks and similar venues in any country in the region, there are spates of crime everywhere, they usually catch the culprits preying on tourist, over the years, lots of really nice venues have had issues at one time or another.

But, regardless of the candid opinions, thanks for the trip report, and taking the time to share your trip with us and other potential visitors, sorry it was riddled with crime and issues, its no fun traveling with your guard up non stop.

I would go back to Honduras in a heartbeat, the Miskito coast sounds fantastic. I also look forward to the Copan area someday.