Vacationers flock to Central America for its seashores, and Honduras, spanning the isthmus from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean, has among the finest, unfold alongside over 800km (500miles) of shoreline.
The seashores on Roatán are one of many nation’s largest attracts, and the island is a world-renowned scuba diving vacation spot and main port-of-call for cruise ships. However if you happen to’ve acquired time to beach-hop throughout all the nation, from the Bay Islands to the mainland, you will have the entire shore to your self, free from shiploads of cruise ship passengers.
From the Caribbean Coast to the islands, here is our decide of the perfect seashores in Honduras.
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Half Moon Bay Seashore, Western Roatán
Finest seaside for nightlife
Whereas they could have related names, don’t confuse well-known West Bay with West Finish, the beachy space on the north coast of Roatán. These two seaside hubs are related by taxis, water taxis or a 40-minute stroll alongside the coast. Heading north from the resorts of West Bay, West Finish is the primary hub of tourism you may attain, with an interesting little seaside of its personal, Half Moon Bay Seashore, which runs for simply 400m (1312ft).
You’ll discover a blue flag waving within the wind amongst the palm bushes with the phrases “Bandera Azul Ecológica” on it. This implies this seaside is Blue Flag licensed and has met the requirements decided by this world non-profit group in areas of security, accessibility, training and above all, environmental safety. The seaside’s water high quality is examined recurrently to take care of its Blue Flag standing, and regardless of its proximity to the island’s busiest nightlife, the water right here stays pristine.
Shut by, West Finish’s Foremost Road is a energetic hub of eating places and bars catering to locals, backpackers and expats, together with notable staples equivalent to Sundowners, identified for dwell music, Blissful Harry’s Hideaway on the tip of a pier, and Booty Bar, whose identify is typically spelled “Barrrr” to go together with its pirate theme. It is the gang who frequent these locations, joined by native households, that set the scene alongside Half Moon Bay.
West Bay Seashore, Western Roatán
Finest seaside when time is proscribed
In case your time is proscribed and you might be on a mission to search out a straightforward, clear seaside to loosen up on with a e book and a cocktail, then this 950m (3116ft) stretch of sand on the north coast of Roatán could not be extra handy.
West Bay Seashore is lined with beachfront resorts, making it tremendous simple to step exterior a lodge, kick off your flip-flops, and be barefoot in its white sands straight away. If you wish to get extra energetic, slot in an off-shore snorkel session or scuba dive with a neighborhood operator equivalent to West Bay Divers.
Because the Bay Islands have been beneath British rule earlier than returning to Honduras in 1859, the vast majority of islanders communicate good English. Nonetheless, together with this comfort, there are a number of caveats. As that is the preferred seaside for vacationers coming to Roatán by way of cruise ship or direct worldwide flights, solitude isn’t an choice.
There are additionally many beachside eating places, with many of the menus catering to, not surprisingly, the Western palate – which can be welcome information if you happen to’re a choosy eater. You’re certain to search out one thing to take pleasure in with a lot of native seafood choices equivalent to fish tacos or coconut shrimp at The Thirsty Turtle.
For one thing extra elevated, Luna Muna, the restaurant of the flowery Ibagari Boutique Resort, caters to a extra refined palate, serving up octopus ceviche and conch carpaccio.
As West Bay is a hub for most of the American and Canadian expats residing on Roatán, it’s additionally not laborious to search out pizza, hamburgers and even correct Canadian poutine on the Hangover Hut, run by an expat couple from Toronto.
Camp Bay Seashore, Japanese Roatán
Finest seaside for undeveloped magnificence
If you happen to ask native Roatánians what their favourite seaside is, you’ll at all times get the identical reply – Camp Bay. L
ocated within the municipality of Santos Guardiola, which includes the japanese half of Roatán island, this Blue Flag seaside is a well-liked barbecue spot for locals, and its undeveloped, pristine white sands, flanked by pure coconut bushes, are a step again in time. Islanders say it’s what West Bay was like 25 years in the past, earlier than the fast rise of the resorts.
You will get to Camp Bay by taking the street that spans the size of the island; the seaside is close to the tip on the north shore. No buses run right here, so the most cost effective choice is to go by taxi. Nonetheless, taxis solely go from city to city, so that you’ll should take a collection of inter-town taxis, progressively westbound, to achieve Camp Bay; price range about L690 for a round-trip from West Bay. Nonetheless, it is a lot simpler to get there instantly by hiring a non-public automotive for about L3700 or renting a automobile, if you happen to’ve acquired a number of additional {dollars}.
With the shortage of improvement at this seaside, it is best to carry your individual provisions. However, if you happen to’re trying to rating some meals or drink close by, stroll all the best way right down to La Sirena de Camp Bay, a bit bar and restaurant on a pier within the close by Camp Bay village – a spot the place youngsters play on the street away from the world of mass tourism.
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Chepes Seashore, Utila
Finest public seaside
Simply 49km (30miles) from Roatán, Utila is the smallest of the Bay Islands, with a very completely different vibe. The island is a well-known enclave of worldwide backpackers, beachgoers and aspiring scuba divemasters, with its personal assortment of sandy seashores. Get there by way of an hour-long ferry experience on the Utila Dream from Roatán or take a 45-minute experience from La Ceiba on the mainland; each boats cost L750.
It’s becoming that flags of various nations of the world line Chepes Seashore, the general public seaside in the course of Utila’s one small city. Simply 220m (721ft) lengthy, Chepes Seashore is kind of small, however conveniently near dive hostels, seaside bars and favourite native restaurant, Coconuts. And nothing on the town is actually that far-off because the seaside is in such a centrally situated space.
If you happen to’re searching for a post-beach expertise and have a much bigger price range, stroll about eight minutes northeast and dine at Asian fusion eatery Mister Buddha or keep on the new, youthful boutique lodge Manurii.
Bando Seashore, Utila
Finest semi-private seaside for younger folks
If you happen to see locals enjoying tug-of-war on the seaside, you’ve reached Bando Seashore, a well-liked hangout for the local people on Utila. Every year, islanders maintain a pleasant sporting competitors often called the Utila Olympics at Bando, however at different instances, the seaside is clear and well-maintained, and it is presently the one Blue Flag seaside in Utila. Bando is only a 15-minute stroll away (or a brief experience by way of scooter, bike, or ATV) from the middle of Utila’s most important city.
Close to the mangroves on the japanese level of the pure harbor on Utila’s southern shore, Bando is a favourite spot to sit back beneath the shade of its quite a few palm bushes. Because it’s shielded from the open sea, it’s additionally an amazing place for stand-up paddle boarding.
Though technically a non-public seaside for company staying on the locally-owned Sea Eye Resort, Bando Seashore is open to day guests for L40. That’s a small charge to pay for entry to recent water showers, clear loos, seaside volleyball and picnic tables – facilities not discovered on the public seaside throughout city.
It’s additionally simpler to seize a chilly beer or freshly combined piña colada as there’s a bar on the premises. If you happen to’re hungry, ask the bartender for his or her rendition of alambre (grilled beef with bacon, peppers, cheese and salsa) – it’s a crowd-pleaser.
Bayman Bay Seashore, Guanaja
Finest seaside to keep away from the crowds
Head to Bayman Bay on the Bay Island of Guanaja to search out among the best seashores within the nation. Bayman Bay Seashore is a small, secluded strip of white sand, inexperienced foliage and turquoise waters. For anybody trying to really get off the grid, that is the spot. In actual fact, the entire island of Guanaja is off the radar for many vacationers to Honduras.
You’d assume that being the one Bay Island with a waterfall, Guanaja can be extra touristy, nevertheless it’s really the least visited of the Bay Islands, on account of restricted entry to the islands, although that is altering.
Earlier than, solely home flights or costly constitution boats may get you to Guanaja, however since October 2021, the Galaxy Wave ferry has expanded its service from the mainland to Roatan with an additional stage to Guanaja, operating 4 instances per week for L855.
With among the most pristine, undeveloped seashores throughout the Bay Islands, Guanaja really represents life earlier than mass tourism; nonetheless, the island is in restoration mode after Hurricane Mitch brought about devastation in 1998, adopted by a significant fireplace in October 2021 in El Cayo, the primary city.
Although there is a lengthy street forward for reconstruction, flight and ferry providers are nonetheless operating and also you don’t really have to go to the primary city to go to the island’s spectacular white-sand seashores. From the primary dock, it’s simple to get a water taxi to Bayman Bay or different notable seashores equivalent to Soldado Seashore or Graham’s Cay, for about L1470 for a spherical journey.
Cayo Chachahuate, Cayos Cochinos
Finest seaside for snorkeling and scuba diving
It could be remiss when highlighting seashores within the Bay Islands to not embrace one other set of attractive Honduran islands – the Cayos Cochinos. Whereas formally part of the municipality of Roatán, the archipelago is nearer to La Ceiba on the mainland. There are two most important islands, Cayo Grande and Cayo Menor, plus 13 smaller coral keys.
The inhabited key of Cayo Chachahuate has a gorgeous seaside that almost all Cayos Cochinos boat excursions cease at. Not solely are there mushy white sands to bury your naked toes in, there are additionally recent lunch choices to your stomach.
Meals are ready by the island’s Garífuna group – islanders of combined Arawak and African heritage – who reside on this secluded a part of the nation. Many of the males are fishermen, so fish will at all times be the freshest choice since every thing else must be imported from the mainland.
Talking of fish, these Cayos are among the finest locations to identify them of their pure setting. Surrounded by turquoise waters, all of the islands are a part of a protected marine space managed by the Honduran Coral Reef Basis, with nice snorkeling and scuba diving on a bit of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the world’s second-largest coral reef system. Right here, your possibilities of recognizing an eagle ray or a sea turtle are fairly good.
Reserving a day tour by boat from Roatán is one of the best ways to achieve the Cayos Cochinos (a visit of about an hour every method) however it’s also possible to come from La Ceiba or Sambo Creek on the mainland (about half an hour). Boats tour across the completely different keys – or at the very least those not privately owned – visiting some which can be uninhabited, with seashores which can be just about untouched till a ship lands on the shore.
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Puerto Escondido, Punta Sal Nationwide Park, Tela
Finest seaside closest to San Pedro Sula
Whereas Honduras’ islands get many of the reward in a round-up of the nation’s finest seashores, you shouldn’t miss the seashores on the mainland. If you happen to’re flying into Honduras, likelihood is you’ll land within the metropolis of San Pedro Sula, a bustling city hub of firms and transportation. If you happen to’re basing your self right here and wish to head to the closest seaside, it’s a few two-hour drive to Tela, the realm’s finest seaside city on the Caribbean coast.
Tela lies on an eponymous bay, with many white sand seashores alongside its turquoise shoreline, together with the general public seaside on the town and Playa La Ensenada, about 11km (6.8 miles) away by automotive. Nonetheless, arguably the perfect seaside expertise within the space is the journey to Punta Sal Nationwide Park, aka Jeannette Kawas Nationwide Park, named after a famend environmental activist.
Operators equivalent to Garífuna Excursions can carry you right here by way of boat, exploring the park’s necessary coastal marine and tropical rainforest ecosystems. A spotlight of the seven-hour tour is the simple hike alongside a rainforest path to the remoted cove of Puerto Escondido – a secluded white sand seaside, surrounded by jungle, with tranquil waters which can be prime for snorkeling.
Trujillo Bay Seashore, Trujillo
Finest mainland seaside within the east
The seashores close to Trujillo, a former Spanish colonial metropolis as soon as visited by Christopher Columbus, stand out as among the finest within the nation. The white sands alongside the Bay of Trujillo entice locals and vacationers alike, providing solar, sand and surf on the Caribbean aspect of the nation. If you happen to get movement illness on boats, these seashores are your finest wager, because you don’t have to take one to get right here from the mainland.
A few of the space’s seashores are tied to a resort, equivalent to pretty Santa Fe Seashore on the Banana Seashore Resort, however the public seaside in Trujillo’s metropolis middle – not removed from the colonial-era Fortaleza de Santa Bárbara – is a well-liked spot, particularly with native households. Because it’s a metropolis seaside, there’s no have to carry provisions; there are numerous locally-owned outlets right here, plus eating places and bars.
Rather than movie star cooks, the celebs of this space are the starfish. Close by boats can carry you out to the Banco de Estrellas (Financial institution of Stars), the place dozens of several types of starfish congregate on the seafloor in waist-high waters. Together with Playa Estrella, one in all Panama’s seaside seashores, that is one in all simply two locations in Central America the place advanced starfish colonies thrive, on account of an abundance of seagrass.
Don’t be tempted to choose them up; it disturbs these delicate creatures. As an alternative, simply observe and snap some photos with an underwater digicam, or your digicam telephone if it is waterproof or has a water-resistant case.
Playa del Amor, San Lorenzo
Finest seaside closest to Tegucigalpa
If you end up in Tegucigalpa, the landlocked capital metropolis of Honduras, and wish to get away to the closest seaside, your finest wager is to move to the Pacific coast. Intention for the municipality of San Lorenzo, a few two-hour drive south from the capital – the bottom city for exploring the black sands in and across the Gulf of Fonseca.
There are a number of notable seashores within the space, significantly Playa Grande and Playa Negra on the small coastal island of Amapala (aka Isla del Tigre). You will get right here simply by small boat from the port city of Coyolito. Nonetheless, arguably the perfect – and most romantic – seaside round is Playa del Amor (Seashore of Love) situated on the coastal island of Conchaguita. The island can solely be accessed by boat from the port in San Lorenzo.
A part of the attract of this mysterious seaside is that the magic is fleeting – most of its black sands are solely uncovered when the tide is low, for 4 to 5 hours every day. You should definitely carry your individual provisions to this romantic, secluded, spot within the mangroves.
Locals jokingly say it is the seaside “the place two folks go in, however three come again” and it’s a well-liked vacation spot on Valentine’s Day. When the water rises and the seaside disappears, boats sometimes proceed across the mangroves till the orange-hued solar units on the Pacific horizon.
