San Pedro Sula to Roatan

A few months ago I arrived in the SPS airport around that same time, give or take an hour (that could be crucial...), and I shared a shuttle bus with some folks who were going to Roatan on the last boat leaving that day from ceiba, where I was headed. Anyway, the drive there was a bit harrowing, but we made it in time for them. Seems the last boat left a half hour later than the guide books said. Well just figured I'd throw that in

The flight schedules have obviously changed since I was there in August and I heard a rumor that Atlantic isn't flying that route - maybe out of business? If you can't make Roatán that day you could also fly to La Ceiba; even if you don't make the afternoon ferry you could avoid the bus trip.

You could try contacting a travel agency in Honduras and see if they could arrange a SOSA flight for you; if you have a carry-on only and your flight is on time you shouldn't have any trouble making the 2:30 flight. It's also possible that there will end up being room on the Isleña flight after all; if you zip through customs (again - plan carry-on only) and head straight to the desk you may have a shot at stand by.

Last summer we had quite a challenge getting from SAP to Guanaja, there to Utila, and Utila to SAP - not near as many flights between the smaller islands. We eventually got where we needed to be. Whatever happens, have a blast and be sure to tell us all about it.

Thanks so much for the helpful suggestions. I think I'll try contacting a local travel agency as you suggest and see what they have to say ... (I'll be spending a week in Guatemala after Honduras so probably can't swing carry-on only.)

I can travel easily with just a carry-on for 4-5 week trips to CA like this summer's combination of Belize and Guatemala; I have room for a mask and snorkel but my husband checks a bag with my dive stuff when he flies down to meet me half way through (and sometimes brings my mask and snorkel if I won't need them before I see him). I would take the same amount for a shorter or longer trip; my packing list is #14 on the FAQ thread of this forum. If I can do it, so can you. :-)

If you need more convincing and advice check out onebag.com ("There's no question: overpacking tops the list of biggest travel mistakes.")

As Rick Steves says, ("The importance of packing light cannot be overemphasized, but, for your own good, I'll try. You'll never meet a traveler who, after five trips, brags: 'Every year I pack heavier.' The measure of a good traveler is how light she travels. You can't travel heavy, happy, and cheap. Pick two.").

Good luck!

Edited by: hopefulist

I tried editing 5 times and for some reason the link to Rick Steves' site won't show in the post above; maybe it will on this post (and if you don't see it below, I give up).

Rick Steves

Flights in Honduras rarely run when they're planned to, and sometimes flights that are planned don't go, or flights go that aren't planned. If you can't get a ticket in advance, just stop by the islena and SOSA counters once you clear through customs and see if there's anything. if there's something even just to Ceiba, then you might be able to get on a flight from Ceiba. One year I flew into SPS with my parents, my then 2 mth old and 2 yr old, and didn't have tickets yet to Roatan, and the Islena flight was sold out. There were a bunch of us that wanted to go, so they ended up adding a flight to Ceiba, and from there we managed to get a flight on to Roatan.

Edited by: islandflavour