Nicaragua and Honduras

Mentioning that your are underwhelmed by a country, and listing no interest other than the fact you dont like beaches, is all subjective as to the opinions you will get.

Nature? Wildlife? Mayan Culture? Adventure?

Some people love Belize or Honduras for the diving, some love it for the culture and ruins, some love it for the nature?

Guatemala is the gem of the region, whats there to be underwhelmed about? The busses?

TRAVELING BOTH COUNTRIES.....WHY NOT...IT´S EAST....THEN YOU CAN DO YOUR OWN THINKING...

EASY....NOT EAST!

I spent two weeks in Honduras last year and two weeks in Nica this year. I found the Hondurenos much more friendly than Nicaraguenses, especially when I went to places that are visited less frequently by travellers. The Hondurans were much more willing to engage us in conversation than the Nicaraguans just about every where we went.

Honduras has some cities will some fairly well preserved colonial architecture such as Comoyagua. Copan Ruinas is a great little town that draws a lot of travellers because of the nearby Copan ruins. There are a lot of services for travellers and a lot outdoor activities as well...you could kill a couple of days here.

You can also head out to the Ruta Lenca through the highlands. it's the poorest part of the county but the people are incredibly nice. Santa Rosa is another mid size city that I really enjoyed.

On the caribbean coast, there's Tela, a dirty little beach town that grows on you that also has a lot of outdoor stuff to do--hiking, botanical gardens, jungles, etc. There's awesome whitewater rafting outside La Ceiba at the Omega Jungle Lodge. i'm not big into beaches either so I didn't hit the bay islands but that's a big draw for a lot of people. Even in the larger cities the tourist infrastructure isn't as good as in Nica.

A trip to Honduras is all about meeting the locals, experiencing the culture, and taking advantage of a country unspoiled by extensive tourism (on the mainland anyway).

I second Mr. Red. I found the Hondurans friendlier than the Nicaraguans especially out of the tourist areas. We spent all of our time while in Honduras in the western highlands/Ruta Lenca (Copan, Santa Rosa, Gracias, San Juan, La Esperanza). Nice scenery, some beautiful out of the way colonial towns in the mountains and the nicest people. That was was my favorite CA experience.

Thanks #4 & #5, you gave me the info I was looking for.

I spent three weeks in Honduras last summer. I went to Roatan, beautiful but got boring by myself, then went to Omega lodge for 4 days, had a great time and highly recommend. Then 2 weeks in Copan area studying Spanish. I really enjoyed my trip.
Going to Nica this summer.