“Cradle of Heritage” on the Caribbean Coast

One of the top choices is Honduras - a Central American country famous for its dense tropical forests and the world's largest coral reefs. This country is also known as the "Athens of Maya" when preserving the ruins of the Mayan civilization over dozens of centuries...

Tourists experience kayaking on Roatan Island.

A place that preserves traces of the Mayan civilization

The Republic of Honduras has an area of 110,000 km2, with a coastline running along the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Fonseca in the South Pacific , so it owns crystal clear blue water beaches, smooth white sand beaches and a diverse underwater ecosystem that is hard to match anywhere else. With a terrain of more than 80% mountains, Honduras also owns many tropical primeval forests with intact biodiversity. This land was discovered by the navigator and explorer Christopher Columbus in 1502 on his last voyage. After that, Honduras was occupied by Spain and turned into a colony for 300 years (1525-1821). In 1838, the Republic of Honduras officially appeared on the world map.

Due to years of colonial rule, Honduras’ economy is largely based on agriculture, making it one of the poorest countries in Central America. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Honduras was known as the “banana country” because most of its land was used to grow bananas for export. Throughout the 20th century, workers from many places migrated to Honduras, leading to the formation of many ethnic groups and cultural diversity in this country.

When in Honduras, the best way to get around the cities is to use the public transportation system. If you want to be proactive, you can choose cooperative taxis or private taxis, which are very cheap if you know how to bargain. In the countryside, taxis are three-wheeled vehicles called “mototaxis” or “tuk-tuks”. For more economical travel, use the parando, a local bus; the directo, a fast, expensive but comfortable service; and the lujo, an air-conditioned bus with reclining seats.

The capital Tegucigalpa is densely populated. The city center is located in a small valley and extends to the surrounding mountains. There are still ancient buildings with the charm of Spanish colonial architecture. Most of the attractions are concentrated in the central area and around Morazán Square. Here, you will see the main cathedral built in the 18th century, the National Ethnographic Museum or the Picacho Christ statue - a smaller version of the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janiero (Brazil).

One of the most popular tourist destinations is the Copan Archaeological Site (or Copa Ruins), located about 400km west of the capital Tegucigalpa. This is one of the "cradles" of human heritage, where traces of the world's oldest Maya civilization are preserved, known for its brilliant achievements in the fields of construction, architecture, mathematics, astronomy, etc. Copan Ruins was recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site in 1980. This heritage dates back to 427 AD, and was "buried" underground for dozens of centuries and discovered in 1570. It was not until the 19th century that people began to conduct archaeological excavations, but to this day it has not been fully explored. The main architecture in the relic is the Maya citadel with pyramids formed from many stone steps stacked on top of each other. The archaeological site offers panoramic views of the Copan Valley, including the Copan Ruinas Archaeological Park – a “museum” of ruins filled with artifacts dating from 250 to 900 AD. Scattered throughout the park are statues and shrines, as well as the tombs of 16 kings of the Copan dynasty.

“Shelter” in nature

Honduras not only has the beauty and mystery of ancient cultural sites but also possesses the most attractive beaches on the planet; is a country with the second largest coral reef in the world and primeval forests with rare flora and fauna. With a warm average temperature and beautiful nature, Honduras is an ideal destination for tourists to spend the day sunbathing on the beach, participating in outdoor tourism activities such as scuba diving to see coral, kayaking, hiking through tropical rainforests or canoeing around swamps, rivers and lakes.

One of the most popular islands for tourists is Roatan - where the ecosystem and nature are unspoiled, especially the central and eastern areas, considered a safe haven for wildlife. The eastern part of the island is home to peaceful, secluded beaches overlooking the Caribbean Sea. This area has no high-end resorts and is very unspoiled, so visitors can snorkel for hours to see marine life. If you dive between March and May, you may be able to swim with whale sharks - one of the "great wonders" of the ocean. If you do not know how to dive, you can take a crash course at a very low cost.

For a more adventurous experience, head to Jonesville, a town on the southern tip of Roatan, to take a dugout canoe trip through the mangrove forests along the coast. Locals here often tell visitors that “no two boat trips are the same in Honduras,” because each trip is a different experience. It’s still a jungle boat trip, but visitors can choose to let the boat drift on the river through the pristine La Moskitia forest to fully experience the peace and all the emotions of the perfect “escape”…

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