Travel Advisory Honduras

Everything is here.

Practical Information

Honduras

Top Rated Activities

World-class destinations

Packing List

For your Honduras trip

Useful Tips

Before and during your trip

practical travel information

Capital City
Its capital city is Tegucigalpa, founded in the 16th century as a Gold and Silver Mining Field. It is located in the Central District of the Francisco Morazán Department. It is surrounded by a ring of mountains with lush pine forests at an elevation of 3,200 feet (975 meters) above sea level, and it has a population in the urban area of 1,437,277 (2019). This capital city has a bit of charm with old colonial buildings, cobbled streets and hidden parks.

Language
The official language is Spanish.

Time zone
GMT – 6

Flag
Honduras’s flag is horizontally striped, patterned blue-white-blue with five central blue stars. 

Travel Documents
All foreign visitors to Honduras must hold a return or onward ticket, and the travel documents which are required for your next destination. Your passport should be valid for at least six months after departure from Honduras. Please note that passport requirements can change in a short notice. Therefore we advise you to check the passport requirements with the embassy or consulate of your country.

Visa
A visa is not required if your stay is shorter than 90 days in Honduras. Please note that visa requirements can change in a short notice. Therefore we advise you to check the visa requirements with the embassy or consulate of your country.

Currency
Lempira (HNL)

Bank Facilities
Throughout the country there are ATMs. Visa Card and MasterCard are accepted in Honduras, especially at large supermarkets, hotels and car rentals.

Local Cuisine
The Honduran cuisine is a blend of African, indigenous and Spanish cuisine. The most notable characteristic is that the Honduran use more coconuts than the rest of Central America. Corn is served in almost all dishes and the dishes are supplemented with Meat, vegetable, and inevitably with hot sauce, picante salsa and chile.

Vaccinations
There are no vaccinations required to enter Honduras. However, you are being advised to take precautions against hepatitis A and B, typhus, diphtheria, tetanus and polio, tuberculosis and rabies. Also precautions against malaria are also advised. Furthermore, you are being advised to discuss your travel plans with a health-care provider to determine which vaccinations you might need.

Health
While traveling in Honduras, you are being advised to avoid tap water, fountain drinks and ice cubes. It is advisable to only drink bottled or boiled water. Also try to avoid street food and always wash your hands before eating.

Voltage
The electricity current is 110 volts, 60Hz. Honduras generally accepts the following plug:
➢ Flat blade plug

Weather
The temperatures are high year round. Honduras has a dry and rain season. The rain season starts approximately in May until October. The official hurricane season for Honduras is from June until December. You can travel to Honduras year round to enjoy its wonderful climate, but the dry season between December and April is the most popular. There is the threat of hurricanes here during the later part of the wet season.

Safety
Honduras is a beautiful place to travel to, but it does come with travel warnings. There are some unsafe areas that should be avoided for tourists at this time, but there are a lot other great places to see safely. Mayan Gateway stays abreast of the news and advisories, so they can provide the best travel plan for you. Their contingency plan also covers everything needed in possible situations that occur. Do not miss out on traveling to Honduras, when Mayan Gateways can help you do it safely.

Airport Tax
An airport tax of 38 American dollars or Lempiras by cash is required for visitors departing Honduras.

International Airports in Honduras

Airport – Location
-Goloson International Airport, (LCE) – La Ceiba
-Ramon Villeda Morales International Airport, (SAP) – San Pedro Sula
-Roatan Juan Manuel Galvez Airport, (RTB) – Roatan island
-Toncontín International Airport, (TGU) – Tegucigalpa

Domestic Airports in Honduras

Airport – Location
-Ahuas Airport, (AHS) – Ahuas
-Brus Laguna Airport, (BHG) – Brus Laguna
-Guanaja Airport, (GJA) – Guanaja
-Puerto Lempira Airport, (PEU) – Puerto Lempira
-Utila Airport, (UII) – Utila island
-Trujillo Airport, (TJI) – Trujillo
-Catacamas Airport, (CAA) – Catacamas
-Coaquira Airport, (CDD) – Coaquira
-Copan Airport, (RUY) – Copan
-Coyoles Airport, (CYL) – Coyoles
-Erandique Airport, (EDQ) – Erandique
-Gracias Airport, (GAC) – Gracias
-Iriona Airport, (IRN) – Iriona
-Islas Del Cisne Airport, (ICAO) – Islas Del Cisne
-Juticalpa Airport, (JUT) – Juticalpa
-La Esperanza Airport, (LEZ) – La Esperanza
-La Union Airport, (LUI) – La Union
-Las Limas Airport, (LLH) – Las Limas
-Marcala Airport, (MRJ) – Marcala
-El Arrayán Airport, (OAN) – Olanchito
-Palacios Airport, (PCH) – Gracias
-Santa Rosa De Copan Airport, (SDH) – Santa Rosa De Copan
-Sulaco Airport, (SCD) – Sulaco
-Tela Airport, (TEA) – Tela
-Yoro Airport, (ORO) – Yoro

top rated activities

If you are determining where to travel in Honduras, you should keep in mind the travel advice. The best way to do this is to work with Mayan Gateway, a tour company, that plans safe adventures. Copan is a tourist attraction that many go to see. It was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is a must-see. 

The temples, plazas and architecture are characteristic of Mayan civilization. Macaw Mountain Reserve holds a magical experience for bird-lovers, while Hot Springs Luna Jaguar provides a relaxing experience. You can hike through the tropical rainforest of Pico Bonito National Park also. There is so much to see and do here. Another favorite for many tourists is the Honduras Barrier Reef. There are a lot of beautiful sites to see in Honduras. 

Enjoy Beautiful Beaches

With 470 miles of coastline divided between the mainland and the Caribbean Islands, Honduras beaches will certainly offer you the beach that is perfect for you.  Visit sunny paradises like Omoa, Tela or Mahogany Bay, or Roatan, and take a dip in the turquoise Caribbean waters. 

Walk on the white sand beaches that you will want to rave about. This is one of the best choices for a beach break in Honduras:

› Cayos Cochinos Archipelago: 
It is composed by a group of little islands: Cayo Mayor, Cayo Menor and 13 smaller cays or atolls with amazing sandbanks of coral origin.  The archipelago is inhabited by the Garifuna population, where they have managed to preserve its cultural heritage. As a result, it is now recognized by UNESCO. 

Located only an hour by sea, 30 kilometers northeast of La Ceiba, on the north coast of mainland Honduras, and 45 kilometers from Roatan, this is a place worth visiting.

Scuba Diving Adventures  

Honduras is famous worldwide for its fantastic dive spots and the unique and wonderful adventure activities that they have to offer. Bay Island is one of the best sites for those looking for a unique scuba diving adventure, swimming with dolphins or snorkeling with whale sharks. 

In other words, you can travel to Honduras and have the experience of your life. Look here at the information of a couple of the many adventures that you can find:

› Night Diving to See the Strings of Pearls in Utila Island:   
Dare to live an adventure out of the ordinary on the island of Utila in Honduras. A night dive is only possible during a new moon, because you need to be in total darkness to be able to watch this unique spectacle.  

The real show starts when the lights are switched off. The tiny spots of lights form shapes looking like a descending line or a spiral. It starts with a few blue-purple dots appearing. As the time passes in this night diving adventure, the frequency of the light is increased. You will feel like you’re floating in the Milky Way with so many tiny lights dancing around you. 

› Night Dive in Honduras ‘Diving Mecca: Roatan’:  
This island is rapidly rising as a world class tropical scuba diver destination. Located on the healthiest barrier reef in the world, Roatan offers a variety of thrilling dive adventures. Since much of marine life is nocturnal, a night dive will give you an opportunity to observe the reef and the marine life around it when creatures are the most active.  A night dive will provide opportunities to see giant crabs, lobsters and octopus, as they are all far more active at night.  

One of the top attractions of a night dive in Roatan Island is being able to interact with bioluminescent organisms. There is a small plankton type when stirred gives off bioluminescence. This experience will change the way you think of marine life.

Discover Ancient Mayan Sites.  

The Mayan culture has long amazed people, and Honduras houses part of the history of this ancient civilization in places like the El Puente archaeological park and Copan Ruins. 
Travel Honduras and take a look back in time into the Mayan culture.  A guided tour to Copán will certainly give you the best information to enjoy and learn about this civilization.

› Hidden Mayan Rosalila Temple in Copan:  
One of the most impressive and beautiful structures discovered in Copan is the Rosalia Temple. Unlike any other, this temple was built during the 6th century AD. As was the Mayans’ custom, temples were used for a period of time, and then was carefully and ceremoniously buried under the new building. 

The last phase is the structure known today as Temple 16. This pyramid-shaped structure was built between the 8th and 9th centuries AD.   Because of this, the Temple of Rosalia is in a very good state of conservation; therefore archaeologists were able to obtain a lot of valuable information from the site.  Today, you can enjoy a real size replica that is in the Copan Museum.

Adventures for Nature Lovers  

This is the Central American country with the highest environmental commitment with 20 national parks, 2 large biosphere reserves and dozens of smaller reserves, whose mission is to preserve natural life. Thousands of species inhabit this mountainous and forested region that is a paradise for nature lovers. These are just two of the many options that you will find to enjoy wildlife in Honduras:

› Get a Macaw Close Encounter
One of the most gratifying experiences you may live in Honduras is a personal encounter with these wonderful birds, many of which are endangered.  The Macaw Mountain Reserve is about 10 minutes from Copan. You will certainly enjoy the visit to its large aviaries where most of the birds have been rescued from the illegal bird trade and others donated by individuals concerned for their condition or unable to care for them.    

There is an outdoor information center where you can interact and even take pictures with some of the birds posing on your shoulder, like a real pirate.  Travel Honduras and get a true immersion into its natural richness and live a sublime experience with its fascinating birds in a natural environment. 

› An Excursion of Diversity to Punta Sal
Also known as Jeannette Kawas National Park, this natural reserve offers you the very best of both coastal marine and tropical forest ecosystems. The adventure begins with a boat ride, approximately 45 minutes through the Bay of Tela. You must certainly look out for dolphins, as they sometimes play around the botas. 

Here you will have the opportunity to see white-faced and howler monkeys while you walk through mangrove swamp and tropical forest.   You can enjoy time to snorkel in the turquoise waters of a coral reef. Finally, you will enjoy the unspoiled beach and relax in true Caribbean-style, while enjoying a typical Garifuna lunch.

Touring cities  
One of the activities you can enjoy by traveling Honduras is visiting its colonial and port cities with lots of history and beauty.  These are two of the most visited and colorful towns that are worth a visit to in your next Honduras trip:

› Gracias Town
This is a small but charming town with cobblestone streets, centuries-old buildings, and colonial churches. In other words, it is one of the prettiest and most historic settlements in Honduras.  As an interesting fact, the indomitable Indio Lempira, a national leader and defender, was born here.   One of its many attractions you should visit is the Fort of San Cristóbal. Perhaps, you will enjoy climbing the country’s highest peak, El Cerro de las Minas (2849m).  

In addition, you can explore the mountainous, forested countryside around the town itself.  To sum up, Gracias Town will be a pleasant experience in a place where today the pace of life rarely moves beyond walking.

› Comayagua
Located in the valley bearing the same name, Comayagua was the first capital of Honduras, and as a result, it holds a rich past.  You will visit this charming town, its old churches and its impressive cathedral. In addition you can enjoy walking its colonial plazas. 

Certainly a must see is its museums, like Comayagua Regional Museum that portrays the different human occupations in the valley from the times of cave artists to the colonial historical period.  In the Museum of Religious Art, you can see the rich collection of colonial religious art from sculptures to multiple jewels of the saints. 

Adrenaline Adventures 
If what you are looking for is to immerse yourself in a thrilling adventure, Honduras certainly has it for you.  From exciting mountain hikes or extreme line canopy tours to the most amazing river rafting adventure, Honduras has it all. Take a glimpse at one of this great experiences:

› White Waters Rafting at ‘Cangrejal’ River
This is one of the best white water rafting experiences in Central America with class II, III and IV rapids in a very scenic environment. With lots of waterfalls and narrow passages, a Cangrejal River Rafting Tour will certainly give you the experience of your life.  

The whitewater adventure begins with a river hike to warm up. Then, you will be rushing through rapids, maneuvering the twist and turns of the river while bounding over waterfalls and massive rocks. Moreover, the outstanding quality of the water and its ideal temperature for water sports makes this an adventure that all experience levels can enjoy.

Bird watching
Come to explore large tracts of original forest and other natural habitats. With the highest percentage of protected lands in the region, Honduras is a largely undiscovered bird-watching gem stretching from the Pacific to the Caribbean. Find below the information of one of its best bird spots:

› Bird-watching at Yojoa Lake
This is certainly one of Central America’s most active ‘birding hotspots.’ It also serves as temporary refuge to innumerable species of migrant birds, which travel to these lands during the North American winter.  Lake Yojoa region holds about 800 different species of plants. It is easy to understand how around 407 different species of birds live nearby or in this area. Species like motmots, toucans, orioles and much more are readily visible after a short hike. 

Enjoy the incredible number of bird species that inhabited the basin. There are a huge number of migrators in season such as waders and warblers. Have a glimpse of the resplendent Quetzal, scarlet Macaw, and all three toucans. You may also see various trogons and a dazzling number of hummingbirds.

suggested packing list

Traveling to Honduras is an experience that will surely leave you wanting to return.  One of the ways to ensure the success of your vacation in Honduras is to know what items you must pack.  First you need to take into account the weather, which in Honduras is quite predictable with only the dry and the rainy seasons.  Check the Honduras weather in  Accurate Weather Forecast.

Also, take into account the activities you plan or want to do during your stay to organize your luggage accordingly. Find below a packing list that will help you out:

Packing List

Must Have:
-Passport, Visas (if necessary), and your Return Flight
-Your usual medications
-Credit and7or debit cards
-Confirmations of reservations
-Some cash

Important:
-Phone and camera
-Cords, Batteries and Chargers (Phone, Ipad, etc)
-Waterproof cases for electronic devices
-Universal Power Adapter
-Toiletries
-Comfortable clothing suitable for semi tropical-humid weather
-A couple of bandanas 
-Swimsuit
-Sunglasses
-Comfortable closed toed shoes
-Shoes: Water shoes, Flip Flops and Sturdy walking and hiking shoes
-Cap or a hat
-Lightweight Rain Jacket
-A small day backpack
-One sturdy water bottle
-Insect Repellent with at least 50% of DEET 
-Travel-Size Sunscreen
-Travel Insurance
-Spanish phrasebook and or dictionary

A good idea to bring:
-Portable Charger
-Copy of your passport
-Personal sport equipment
-A flashlight
-Extra SD Cards

Extra tip:
Bring along a flea collar to wear around your ankle. Even if it sounds odd, if you are particularly sensitive to sand fly bites, this collar will help you to keep them away.  If you are bitten by a sand fly, take two Benadryl to help with the itch and during the day apply an anti-itch cream. 

What you should not bring to your Honduras trip
-Expensive Jewelry
-Fancy and Bulky Electronics

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.

5 useful tips

This beautiful Central American country will surely surprise you with its beautiful colonial cities and its paradisiacal islands.  Get the basic information about the inhabitants, their customs and traditions, and you will surely enjoy a safe and pleasant trip.

Find below some basic tips to travel Honduras:
1. Learn some basic phrases in Spanish
Although in tourist places you will see some people who can speak a little English, remember this is a Spanish-speaking country.  It is best to learn some phrases since a greeting to basic questions.  Some simple phrases can make your life easier in many situations when there is no one close who speaks English.  Also knowing a few words or phrases in Spanish is a courtesy that the locals will appreciate. A small travel book of ‘Latin American Spanish Phrasebook’ may be a good idea. Check the Language Guides in Lonely Planet. Also, learn online with options like Dueling for free.

2. Buy travel insurance
Buying Travel and Cancellation Insurance is essential if you are planning your next vacation.  Don’t let unforeseen situations ruin your trip, anticipation is the best way to resolve, or avoid unwanted events.  When purchasing insurance, check the coverage of unforeseen events such as the loss of your luggage, the cancellation of a flight, medical problems, and more. Please, keep in mind Travel Insurance with cancellation coverage is NOT included in our tour prices. Visit World Nomads or Travel Insurance Services.  

3. Vaccinations
Before you travel to Honduras, you should seek the advice of your Health Professional to ensure you receive the appropriate vaccinations.  Some vaccines must be administered six months before the trip or consist of two injections. Visit your doctor on time to be up to date with your vaccination regimen.  Make sure you have vaccines like Tetanus, Typhoid, and Hepatitis A. Consult the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for more information. 

4. Call your bank
Do not forget this step. It could cause you uncomfortable difficulties during and after your trip.  Call your credit or debit cards company to inform them about your next trip.  Let them know that you will be using your cards internationally, and your travel dates. Inquire about possible additional charges for international use as well as ways to reduce the foreign fee.

5. International health coverage 
Last but not least, check with your Health Insurance company about its international coverage.  If you don’t have this coverage, buy an additional clause. Even if it is for a limited-term, that covers your trip.  Remember that Honduras is a developing country and its public health services are not as appropriate as would be expected.  Although there are private clinics that can attend any emergency, the best for you is to have insurance. Find more information in the International Health Insurance.

Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

tips for personal safety

Surely you must have heard or read news about violence or insecurity in Honduras.  Like in the other Central American countries, the insecurity problems are a reality, especially in urban areas.  Fortunately, tourists are not usually the target of such violence, especially if they follow some basic safety tips and common sense.

One of the great advantages of hiring a travel agency like Mayan Gateway, is that we know the area, the culture and traditions.  Therefore, you can enjoy your vacation without worries because you will have the security of traveling with experts.  Additionally, we list below some safety tips for your next trip to Honduras.

Safety Tips:
1. Don’t flash cash around, neither jewelry, and expensive electronic devices, etc.
2. Ask locals about the safe and less-than-safe areas for walking.  
3. Carry only the necessary money and your passport in a money belt.
4. Use ATMs only in safe places like malls or where there are guards or a police presence.
5. Avoid wandering around after dark. That includes transfers overnight.
6. Always use taxis if you are out late at night.
7. Bring one or two credit cards and leave the cancellation details with a friend at home.
8. Be aware of your surroundings at all times, especially in urban areas.
9. Must avoid discussing your travel plans in public.
10. Staying out of the big cities where it is crowded and insecure. 
11. Keep yourself informed of the local news on Facebook or Twitter.

Additionally:
Have a ‘throw down’ wallet, with little cash and a couple of old cards in, in case you have the misfortune to be mugged.  Most important is don’t physically resist and hand over your wallet as quickly as possible.  The simple pick pocketing is very common in urban areas.

Life is short and the world is wide.

things you should not do

The wonders this beautiful country has to offer are surely a worth living vacation.  However, it is very important to follow some essential safety tips to know what you should NOT do during your stay.  Besides, locals are extremely friendly and protective of visitors.  Simply by asking, they will immediately give you a list of things you should and shouldn’t do for your safety.

Even so, it is important to do a little research every time you visit a new country to avoid taking unpleasant surprises.  To help with that research, we detail below a list of things to avoid during your stay in Honduras.

We do not recommend to do the following while in Honduras:
1. Drinking tap water. It is not drinkable and could make you sick.
2. Assume there will be ATMs everywhere. 
3. Participate or cross roadblocks installed by demonstrations. 
4. Wear sandals to visit the Mayan ruins or the jungle.
5. Walk around late at night alone.
6. Carry much money in your backpack.
7. Drive unless you have to.
8. Eat street food.

Discover Honduras

Home to biodiverse rainforests, Mayan Ruins, and boundless parks filled with wildlife, Honduras has so much to offer.