‘Isn’t it dangerous?’ worried my mam when I told her I was heading to Honduras for the Central American Travel Market. I’ve heard this before, but this was once the case for many, now-popular destinations.
A Caribbean coastline with world-class diving, zip lining and rafting amongst lush jungle, elegant cathedrals, cobbled streets and brightly coloured rural towns, Honduras has much to offer, yet it’s rarely spoken of.
As I planned my trip, I was intrigued how Honduras would compare to its popular neighbours like Guatemala or even Costa Rica.
Safe streets and charming towns
My first impression when I walked to the square of Santa Rosa de Copán, is that this is a safe and welcoming place. Girls in long brightly-coloured skirts trotted around the plaza, families chatted on park benches and I joined the locals wandering the square, photographing fairy-lit trees and colonial architecture.
I enjoyed coffee with a view at the old ‘Kiosko’ in the centre of the action. Santa Rosa even has a cycle canopy, where you can cycle over the treetops in a rewilded area of the city, now an eco-adventure park.
We stayed at the Hotel Elvir, a historic hotel with a pretty courtyard filled with lush greenery and original colourful art throughout. This was an ideal place for a couple of nights on arrival, a few hours from San Pedro Sula and close to our next stop, the Copán Ruins.
Copán Ruinas is a small town, famous for the ruined citadel, made even more charming with vibrant street art alongside white-washed single-story buildings and the smell of fresh coffee and tortillas cooking from an array of trendy coffee shops and restaurants. Travellers are spoiled for choice, even vegetarians like me in a country which excels in meat dishes.
I made tortillas from scratch at Restaurant Lenca Maya with Carla, who described how she won an enterprise award to renovate a dilapidated building into the restaurant and later open a shop celebrating Honduras creativity and supporting local women. Our base was the Hotel Marina Copán, which has an interesting family history, lovely pool and excellent restaurant.
Marina Copan Hotel in Copan Ruinas
The Paris of the Mayan World
I’d wanted to visit a Mayan site since I was 10, watching the cartoon, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, and the Copán Ruins fulfilled that dream and exceeded my expectations. It was a magical place, surrounded by lush forest, rowdy macaws and the Copán River close by. A series of ceremonial plazas, decorative staircases and the acropolis are open to explore.
Sharing the moment were just a few others and at times as I pictured plazas without a soul in sight. The freedom, quiet and spectacle are breathtaking. Whilst the world battles with over-tourism at popular historic sites, Honduras is a breath of fresh air. Copán is the south-eastern-most point of the Mayan Empire which stretched across to southern Mexico. Described as the Paris of Mayan world, for its development of the arts, games, astronomy and the ornate carving of the site, for clients interested in history, Copán is a must-see.
A home of fine coffee
The businesses we visited were owned and managed locally and the spirit of cooperation was obvious, demonstrated by the English speakers being drafted in to provide translations for their neighbours. Coffee expert Jorge from Kaldi’s Coffee was one such helper for our coffee tour at the Seis Valles Coffee farm. We learned from owner Luis, about the coffee processes on this family farm, as we picked the unwanted early cherries. He’d rewilded sections of the farm to encourage birdlife a few years ago and has since found that the birds provide excellent pest control, protecting the coffee, and highlighting the power of nature in balance.
Picking coffee beans at Seis Valley: Honduras offers home-grown world-class coffee © Helen Bateman
We explored the forests and waterfalls around the Finca Santa Isabel estate, another coffee farm who had reduced their production in favour of regenerative practice and higher quality coffee, now so popular they no longer export to foreign markets. The approach we’d seen on this trip was quality over quantity, managed by passionate business owners, proud of their country. This means when you sit down in a cafe, you’re experiencing exclusive home-grown, world-class coffee.
A beacon for responsible tourism
Community-led tourism is thriving and rewilding initiatives are on the rise. Mass-tourism has yet to find Honduras, which means travellers can explore without the crowds and local infrastructure can cope with the number of visitors. Communities are enthusiastic and welcoming hosts. Many hotels have water stations, though still provide single-use plastic for water and toiletries, visitors can mitigate this by bringing their own filtered bottles. When we think about finding balance in tourism, Honduras is a great option.
Honduras far exceeded my expectations; the people are deeply passionate about their heritage and keen to share it. I ate delicious cuisine, slept in charming heritage properties and explored mesmerising historic sites.
The Mayan site of Copan was abandoned in the early 10th century © Helen Bateman
With adventure activities, diving, Mayan temples, coffee farms, charming rural towns and lush green mountains, Honduras is packed with highlights, but I suspect most of my clients haven’t ever considered it.
Next time I have an enquiry about Costa Rica or Guatemala, I’ll be sure to share Honduras as an option. My best advice to agents is to get there as soon as possible, before everyone else realises what they’re missing.
