Unlock the Secrets of Honduras: Your Essential Travel Companion! Dive into our Honduras Travel Guide for insider tips, hidden gems, and expert advice, ensuring an unforgettable journey through this vibrant land of rich culture, lush jungles, and ancient ruins. Get ready to experience Honduras like never before!
By land area, Honduras is the second-largest country in Central America, behind only Nicaragua. And while there’s plenty to explore on land, there’s just as much joy to be found in the Caribbean Sea off the north coast.
This is because part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef extends as far as Honduras, providing outstanding diving and snorkeling opportunities. But more on that later!
As a leading expert in Honduras tours and day trips, the team at Martsam travel loves to help turn dream vacations into reality. We go above and beyond to ensure you have an unforgettable experience. Our local trip planners also specialize in tailoring bespoke itineraries around you and your group’s interests with custom tours in Honduras.
For more information about our pre-planned or tailor-made trips, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
If your Central American geography isn’t too fresh, let’s start by getting our bearings. Honduras sits toward the center of the subcontinent, its entire northern coastline washed by the Caribbean Ocean.
In the south, Honduras has a much smaller coastal area facing out onto the Gulf of Fonseca and the Pacific Ocean. It also shares a southern border with neighboring El Salvador.
In the northwest, Honduras borders Guatemala, with Belize and Mexico beyond. To the south/southeast, you can find Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.
Are you planning a trip through multiple Central American countries?
Our Mexico Travel Guide and Costa Rica Travel Guide are both useful resources for anyone looking to extend their travels beyond Honduras.
Generally speaking, Honduras has a tropical climate with a dry season in winter and a rainy season in the summer.
Of course, there are variations throughout the country. For example, the climate is typically more temperate inland, particularly in the mountains running through the country’s center. The Bay Islands, on the other hand, are subtropical.
Honduras’ north coast is hot and wet year-round. There is still a rainy season in this region, and it usually lasts from May to October. It’s important to note that this period can be seriously wet and many travelers choose not to visit Honduras during this time. The dry season, from November to April, is much more favorable.
If you’re looking to visit the Bay Islands, this area’s rainy season takes place from July to January, with progressively wet weather from October onward.
The Pacific coast in the south is mostly dry and hot, but heat is present across the entire country.
The average high temperature for December and January is around 82°F (28°C), and this rises to approximately 87°F (30.5°C) in August. You can expect these temperatures to be slightly lower in the mountains and on the Bay Islands.
Every traveler has a personal sense of safety, so we always avoid giving broad generalizations regarding Honduras travel advice and safety. Everything from gender to previous experiences can influence when and why anyone feels safe.
But like any other nation or city that attracts visitors worldwide, Honduras’ most popular places are safe and welcoming.
It’s advisable to take precautions when traveling outside your country, and you should do the same when visiting Honduras.
To help create a safer experience, we recommend planning your trip comfortably in advance. With ample preparation, you can gather information about the locations and attractions you want to visit.
You can also research and assess the most highly rated and trusted tour companies, like Martsam Travel.
Remember, this list is only a guide! If you’re joining one of our tours in Honduras, we’re more than happy to recommend further essential items.
Needless to say, you should always travel with the appropriate documents (and copies) and personal medication.
The Honduran currency is the lempira. It is the only officially accepted currency in the country, so we advise bringing some with you and exchanging your own currency for more in a bank upon arrival.
International credit cards are widely accepted.
With so much to do and see in Honduras, it’s impossible to list everything that visitors will need to pack for a trip here.
But no matter what kind of vacation you’re planning, it’s worth packing the following items:
The most widely spoken language in Honduras is Spanish. In addition, a significant amount of Honduran professionals, both inside and outside the tourism industry, speak English.
English is also widely spoken in the Bay Islands. And given that our team at Martsam Travel also speaks English, you don’t need to worry about communication during your trip to Honduras.
Your own personal must-visit places in Honduras will depend on your interests and preferences.
However, some of the most popular attractions and activities in this incredible country include:
If you’re drawn to the diving and snorkeling opportunities in the Bay Islands, Utila is one of the standout options.
The island is surrounded by coral reefs and stunning dive sites. It’s also a great place to get a PADI certificate.
Honduras is home to 20 national parks (at the time of writing), making it hugely popular with everyone from birders to hikers to adrenaline junkies.
You almost certainly won’t have the time to visit all 20 national parks during your trip, so our tips for 5 of the best are:
And these choices are only a brief introduction to the abundant protected areas you can explore in Honduras!
The safest, most comfortable, and most efficient way to get around this fascinating country is with Martsam Travel.
On both our pre-planned and custom tours in Honduras, we provide transportation to and from all the attractions on your itinerary.
If you’re adventuring through the country without a guide, renting a car is a great way to get out on the open road. Of course, this will require a decent-sized budget.
When traveling around larger towns and cities, taxis are the perfect mix of safety and time efficiency. But please note, taxis don’t have meters, so you must agree to a fee before entering the vehicle.
To enter Honduras, US, EU, and UK passport holders require a passport with at least six months of validity from the date of entry.
You can stay in Honduras without a visa for a maximum of 90 days.
Honduras cuisine is a blend of those found in Mesoamerican, Spanish, African, and Caribbean cultures.
A typical breakfast will consist of scrambled eggs, refried or boiled black beans, and plenty of tortillas. Local coffee is a popular drink to wash it down with.
Many meals after breakfast will include beans, rice, tortillas, and grilled meat, be it chicken, beef, or pork. Your food will also typically come with a salad.
On the Bay Islands, expect Caribbean variations. Seafood and coconut products dominate the culinary scene here. Other fixtures include fresh fish, lobster, shrimp, and conch.
As for the meals themselves, popular options include burritas, tamales, and pastelitos de carne (little meat cakes).
Aside from the ever-popular coffee grown in Honduras and neighboring countries, some of the favored drinks among locals include domestic beers from brands like Salva Vida, Barena, Port Royal, and Imperial.
Guaro, a sugar cane liquor, and Giffity, a fiery rum-based liquor, are also go-to options for anyone looking to sample typical Honduran beverages.
Hondurans are naturally friendly, welcoming, and, for the most part, happy to see visitors in their country.
But as with any other place in the world, cultural faux pas can happen. Nobody expects perfection, but some handy tips to avoid awkward situations include:
When greeting people who aren’t friends, men typically shake hands with other men. They will also shake hands with women, but they may wait for a woman to initiate.
If a woman doesn’t extend her hand, a simple nod of acknowledgment will likely follow. For even more peace of mind, read our tips for people vacationing abroad.
We hope this travel guide has provided all the inspiration and information you need to start planning your trip to Honduras.
At Martsam Travel, we pride ourselves on bringing dream vacations to life. To start shaping yours, browse through our range of tours in Honduras.
Visiting the Maya ruins in Peten Guatemala is a fabulous travel experience. Lily and the team at Martsam Travel in Guatemala are experts at making your travel plans come true. ln addition to the immense cultural value of the sites, you have chances to see unusual tropical animals. Totally great experience!
Craig
