RE: Honduras Trip Report -- Trujillo

Well done! Thanks.

BASIC INFORMATION

Places I'll Cover in Future Entries: Olancho Department

Places I'll Cover in this Entry: Trujillo, Guaymoreto Wildlife Refuge, Capiro-Calentura National Park

Time Spent in this Area: 2 Days

Trujillo

In order to get to Trujillo, I waited for a bus in La Ceiba. Here's the thing: the busses technically run between San Pedro Sula and Trujillo, not La Ceiba to Trujillo. All you have to do is wait for it to come (in my case, one hour), and board the bus while it stops. The charge is $3.75 for the three-hour ride to Trujillo. It's not always a "proper" bus, as in my experience it was almost like riding a chicken bus, but nonetheless worth it.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Trujillo: few people visit it, let alone explore it, and even less report their experiences. Out of the few comments I had read, some said it was a nice little village certainly worth a visit, while others said it was boring and even sometimes dirty. Luckily, I had a great experience at Trujillo.

I arrived during mid-evening, and then found my way to Casa Kiwi. However, it wasn't easy at first. Casa Kiwi isn't right in Trujillo, so I had to wait for the last running bus ride from Trujillo to settlements farther east. I had to tell the bus driver that I was going to Casa Kiwi, and he dropped me off at the right place. The grounds of Casa Kiwi are beautiful: secluded, secure, and comfortable. I was greeted by one of the staff and taken to the dorm room I decided on (there are better rooms). The dorm rooms were very nice for only $6 a night: two showers (hot running water), nice beds, spacious enough, and bright. From here on out, I knew Casa Kiwi was a great place. As you'll find out by reading this report, I might as well have created a separate section for it.

For my first morning, I woke up with a small snack (since I was up at 6:30am) that I had been keeping for a while. Some of the staff members were already awake, and they eagerly let me explore the grounds. I first went to an "iguana patch" and it indeed was an iguana patch, nicely surrounded by the flora. I counted seven iguanas basking in the sun, and they didn't seem very frightened: probably because they were used to their friendly human neighbors. Toads were numerous on some of the paths, and bird life was surprisingly active for a place that isn't your typical rainforest. I saw a few woodpeckers and even parrots. I also noted a few anole lizards. I then went for a walk to the beach near Casa Kiwi. It was gorgeous: no trash, soft sand, great lookout to the ocean. I noticed a few starfish near the shore as well as a few sand dollars in the shallow waters. Then I headed out to the Casa Kiwi Restaurant, which is a very nice place to hang out. At the time, there were two other backpackers there: what a surprise! The restaurant (and bar) is fully screened, but has a nice view of the area, and the food is delicious: great pancakes, drinks, and also some dishes of New Zealand (hence the name “Kiwi”). The staff of the restaurant is very friendly, and the place is very clean and organized. I could’ve easily spent my whole day there. While there, I had asked about the Guaymoreto Lagoon and how to get there, and one of the staff members told me to meet in the evening at Trujillo for a tour, where a local would guide us through.

Alas, it was time for me to start my exploration of Trujillo. When I made it to town, I started with the beaches. For the beaches near but not in front of town, there wasn’t a single slice of trash: there were even some water birds browsing on the shores. The beaches right in front of town were very clean, to my surprise: ten times cleaner than those at La Ceiba, and probably twice as clean as those in front of Tela. I only found one piece of brown paper, and the rest was white sand. This was by far the best mainland town beach that I had seen in all of the country.

Trujillo itself has a nice little vibe: calm and spunky atmospheres seemed to be very well combined. Going up the streets and other parts of town, it was common for a villager to say “Hola” or “Mabuiga” (one of the ways to say hello in Garifuna), and there were a few children playing games as well. In other spots, the town seemed quiet, but not in a disturbing way. Then I decided to visit Fortaleza Santa Barbara, a fort that’s near town. It seemed smaller than the one at Omoa, but it was still nice to explore. It’s technically open at 9am, but when I got there the person in charge was willing to let me in early for $3. Throughout the fort, there are displays of artifacts, weapons, and other things related to the fort’s history. The rooms have nice green grass running between the walls of the fort, and it’s also home to several cannons.

Next came El Cementerio Viejo, the local cemetery. The weeds weren’t as bad as some guidebooks state – in fact it seemed like the cemetery was being recently managed. Then I found what I was looking for: the tombstone of William Walker. For those that don’t know, he was executed here at Trujillo, and the grave remains. The other tombstones were also interesting: it’s one of the things that helps better showcase Trujillo’s history. After that, I visited the local handicraft shop called “Made in Honduras” which is a very impressive place lined with Honduran handicrafts, especially considering that it’s all the way here at Trujillo. There were some traditional crafts (even a few from La Moskitia), as well as other creative items such as carvings, bags, wall hangings, accessories, etc. The artisans were very friendly.

Then it started raining very strongly – it lasted for about 30 minutes, so I decided to stay in the handicraft shop until it stopped. I looked at the beaches and noticed quite a transformation: trash from the town had managed to make it to the white sand due to the rain, making the beaches unattractive. Now I understood why some visitors may’ve not liked Trujillo’s beaches, especially if they were unlucky to come after the rain. However, the sad scene quickly turned into an optimistic one: I saw a man and even a child go and start cleaning the beach not long after the rain had stopped. I decided to go ahead and help a little bit as well – I didn’t want to feel like a bump in the road just watching things pass by. After no more than twenty minutes of picking and throwing (there wasn’t anything exceptionally gross, as it was mostly paper products), the beach looked practically as beautiful as it was earlier.

Believe it or not, I had spent about four hours at Casa Kiwi and another five at Trujillo, so it was soon time to meet at the central park for the tour to Guaymoreto.

Guaymoreto Wildlife Refuge

For the tour to the Guaymoreto Wildlife Refuge, I had met with a Casa Kiwi staff member and a town guide. The town guide was actually a local Garifuna fishermen who lived at one of the nearby Garifuna villages. The tour would cost $20 for a three-hour tour.
The fisherman’s boat was a nicely sized canoe, and the sun was beginning to set as we headed our way to the main lagoon. Perhaps I’d see some nocturnal mangrove wildlife? The fisherman was very curious about whom I was, and we were thus able to continue good, long conversations with the staff member as well, making the ride more interesting.

Then came the main lagoon. It was a wide open area teeming with bird life. Since it was almost time for the birds to roost, the sounds of dozens of species created a raucous and exhilarating atmosphere. Some of the birds flew in flocks, others were approachable: there were several types of herons and egrets, cuckoos, ducks, grebes, and many other colorful ones that I couldn’t quite identify. Thirty minutes of the tour was basically sitting in the boat within the main lagoon and enjoying the bird life. Guaymoreto does not get much attention at all, even less than some of Honduras’s other stunning natural areas – but this place has great potential for birdwatching. At the banks of the lagoon, where the forest started, there were a few white-faced capuchins rustling around, also about to retire for the day.

The sunset was spectacular, and some of the diurnal animal sounds continued for a few minutes well into nightfall. Afterwards, we went into one of the canals. The guide handed us a flashlight (for being so far out on the map, this guide sure was prepared), and told us to look for caimans that also lurked in the lagoons. I had done night crocodile spotting back in La Moskitia, often times being able to hold baby crocodilians, so it wasn’t particularly new for me, but still interesting. The sky was dotted with stars, and not long after we penetrated the canal, three pairs of red glowing eyes were staring at us: two adult caimans as well as a younger one. The guide maneuvered the canoe well only a few feet away from them, and one of the caiman even submerged itself completely.

Further along, mangrove tunnels formed, and it was there where we found a sloth hanging from one of the trees – similar to my recent Cuero y Salado experience, except this time at night. This sloth stared at us for a longer span of time than the others I had seen, eventually going back to its own business. Bats were often seen flitting around or hanging from the branches, and once in a while, one would fly past near my head. My favorite nocturnal mammal sighting was an opossum, similar to the woolly possum I had seen at Pico Bonito. This time it was searching among the tree branches and mangrove roots: sometimes it really looked like it was going to slip and fall into the water, but it always maneuvered itself correctly.

The next part of the tour was in a more open area – like a smaller version of the main lagoon. Here it was where we spotted the eyes of an American crocodile. This one wasn’t as large as the ones from Cuero y Salado or other mangrove areas in Central America, but it was still a good size and interesting creature to encounter at night. Back at the main lagoon, a few caiman had appeared as well, and a very funny-looking bird was perched on a log: it seemed like a potoo but somewhat different.

For the rest of the visit to Guaymoreto, we mainly stayed at the main lagoon, enjoying the stars and the glowing caiman eyes.

Capiro-Calentura National Park
The next morning, I was interested in visiting Capiro-Calentura National Park. The morning started out with an early breakfast at Casa Kiwi, and then transportation to the park was arranged. The road to the entrance of the park was a little rough, but nothing crazy.
I was very glad I had taken a guide: the trails are not as well marked as other natural areas, and some parts are actually steep. The forest was alive with birds: plenty of woodpeckers, some orioles, tanagers, a pair of toucans and parrots as well. The flora was very vibrant and the forest did indeed feel lush. Howler monkeys were heard, and thanks to it being the morning, I was able to spot a few with the guide.

The guide had decided to take me to a spot of the park that would offer a great view, and a few snakes were spotted along the way: a tree snake, a vine snake, and another that I couldn’t identify. Since the trails were practically forest as well, many lizards scampered among the logs and branches.
The view from one of the spots was great: it overlooked Trujillo, the bay area, and even most of Guaymoreto. Surprisingly, though, this was a short hike since it was my last day at Trujillo. It lasted only 1.5 hours (compared to the 2.5-5 that I had experienced at the other places in the country). For a short hike, though, I was pleased with the national park.

Until noon, I stayed at Casa Kiwi, enjoying the rest that I could of Trujillo Bay, and simply hanging out with the amazing staff and other few travelers.

CONCLUSION

Will I Return?: Yes. I’m afraid that I feel like I didn’t give enough time to some parts of Trujillo.
Do I Recommend it to Others?: Yes. Although not as full of activities as the earlier areas I had visited, it’s worth spending some time at Trujillo to enjoy a place that is “far out” but still enjoyable.

another well written travel report, thanks!

Once again - THANKS!

Aside from the cemetery and tombstone, did you recognize or were you able to trace any other historical significance to William Walker? Considering his role in early U.S. interference of Central America and eventual death by firing squad once coming ashore, this has been one of the main reasons I've wanted to visit this area. And now thanks to another great report, I'm prepared to realize there's even more! Thanks ~

@ JoseKevo:

I didn't notice any William Walker information other than the cemetary and the Santa Barbara Fort museum. However, the Garifuna man that guided us to Guaymoreto did tell legends of the region, and also gave some information on William Walker's tales.

Thanks for all the comments! :)

im glad I found this post!! This was awesome!! thanx

@ carlmcauley: I'm glad it's helped! :)