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Canadians Flocking to Honduras

Canadians are visiting Roatan, Honduras

Credit: Daniel Foster

It’s not surprising the Canadians fly south for a winter vacation, beating a path faster than the migrating geese. Canadian winters can reach some pretty teeth-chattering extremes, with dense snows in the mountainous regions and below-freezing winds rolling over the plains.

When Canadians fly south however, they want an adventure as rich in texture as they can receive in their own wildly beautiful and largely unpopulated country. They’ve found much of that delicious thrill by vacationing in Honduras. Charter flights since November of this year have increased 51% over the previous prime time season of November to April, last year.

The Attractiveness of Honduras

Honduras has some of the features Canadians enjoy: a few large population centers among vast stretches of wilderness areas, an indigenous culture, and a natural playground for outdoor enthusiasts. It also has some features the Canadian population doesn’t get to enjoy as part of their environment; ancient Mayan temples, incredible coral reefs, fresh tropical foods, and warm, shallow beaches. This gives them something to talk about when they go home.

It is a land that appeals to all social classes and lifestyles. It is possible to fly directly into many of the desirable locales, take a cruise ship, and spend your time in first class hotels. It is also very backpacker-friendly. In many areas of Honduras, all you have to do is back-pack in to a favorable, isolated spot, set up camp, and simply enjoy the beauty that surrounds you.

Honduras has something for everyone: the nature enthusiast, the anthropologist, beach lovers, scuba divers, kayakers, and those who simply like a good party.

Visa requirements are easy. You do not need a passport if you are a citizen of Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, or Australia. The visa is good for up to ninety days, with the option of applying for an extension.

Currency Exchange

The most recommended way to travel in Honduras is to buy traveler’s checks and cash them at the banks. The exchange rate averages around five cents to a lempira. Always carry some of the Honduras currency in one hundred to two hundred lempira notes, for one or two days living expenses at a time. The lines at banks are often long, but it is the safest and most equitable exchange. ATM machines are often broken down or out of cash. Many stores and restaurants will accept dollars, but ask in advance.

Trujillo: The Humble Promise

Trujillo has a long history. In the Cuyamel caves, on the inland slopes of Mt. Capira and Mt. Calentura, evidence has been found of communities dating back to 1,200 to 6,000 B.C. It was the fourth and final stop Christopher Columbus made in his exploration of the Americas.

honduras trujillo

The modest beach town of 30,000 features an old Spanish fort on a bluff, with a row of cannons overlooking the spectacular bay.

You can live the high life in top-notch hotels that charge from $30 – $78 a night, or go local and secure a room for as cheaply as four dollars. Of course that will mean skipping the hot water. The various options include simply buying a straw mat and lounging out on the beach.

This banana coast town features a variety of things to do beyond basking in sun soaked sands and swimming in tranquil Caribbean water, or studying ancient history. The environment includes waterfalls, mountains, tropical forests and the Guaimoreto Lagoon Nature Reserve with a mangrove ecosystem and rare, tropical birds.

While the town of Trujillo is very poor, the government hopes to change this. It plans to turn Trujillo into a new, charter city, with a marina, shopping malls, and rail/ship and air transportation. It’s working energetically with foreign investors to give this quiet town by the sea a face lift, with the potential to employ hundreds of local, currently poverty-stricken workers.

Canadians Like Roatan

It’s difficult to hide a gem once it’s been discovered, and Roatan is no exception. The thirty-five mile long island nestles next to the largest barrier reef in the Caribbean and is the second largest reef system in the world. Canadians love taking their vacations in Roatan for several reasons.

Roatan, Honduras

There are resorts where you can stay at the west end of the island, but as you begin traveling east, development becomes more sparse, allowing you the option of privacy and mingling with the locals.

Scuba diving is the number one sport, but there is also snorkeling, kayaking, and deep sea fishing. Sandy Bay features mini-golf and there is a horseback riding ranch at the West End.

There is a road system, but many of the roads are unpaved. Traveling from one end of the island to the other can take more than an hour, but you can always take a boat or paddle your own canoe.

You can reach the island by boat or charter plane. Once there, you can even take a helicopter cruise to enjoy the highlights of the fantastic coral reefs and beautiful, largely untouched scenery Roatan has to offer.

A word of warning to beach campers. You can set your travel bag down anywhere on the beach and enjoy an exclusive, private setting. However, when the cruise ships come in, for a short while, you may find your isolated spot invaded with tourists jostling for a place in the sun, and the prices of food and drink suddenly doubling and tripling. Wait a couple of days and this will change, sending you back to that dream vacation of throwing away the clock and just listening to the sighs and murmurs of nature.

When You Can’t Get Enough of That Coral

The most avid seekers of that unique place to go, seek out the small island of Utila. In the middle of coral paradise, it’s also the thrill of a lifetime for the avid scuba diver. With over sixty scuba diving locations to choose from, you’re not only entering a landscape of fragile coral painting the underwater world with pastel cities, and brilliantly colored fish darting about their rainbow hued habitat, but dark, mysterious caves and the ghostly wrecks of sunken vessels.

Honduras Utila Dive Trip

Some divers have reported seeing the Whale Shark. Although a behemoth in size as the world’s largest fish, its gentle life is invested in zooplankton, snapper eggs and small, shrimp eating fish.

The population is small; only about 2,500 year round inhabitants; and tourism fairly light. As the closest island to the mainland port of La Caiba, it is easy to reach by boat, ferry or small plane. There are no national chain hotels or restaurants in Utila, but the hometown flavor of the locally owned businesses only add to the cultural charm.

The Fabulous Bay

Trujillo, Roatan and Utila are all within a short distance of each other, with Trujillo on the mainland, and Roatan and Utila within the Bay Islands. The white sand beaches and gentle blue waters make the area the perfect escape from crowded resorts and roaring traffic. You can even rent an entire small island to yourself for approximately $130 a night.

For the outdoor enthusiast, there is little it doesn’t have to offer except snow-boarding and ice sculptures, but give the innovative thinkers of Honduras a little time, and they’re sure to think of a solution for that, as well.

Canadians like to go where the adventure is as great as in their homeland. The Bay Islands never fail to satisfy that adventurous, pioneering spirit, while offering all the quiet, crystal beauty of the Caribbean Sea, as well.

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