La Ceiba on the mainland is not only a port of call for visiting the islands, the city also gives opportunities to go to Pico Bonito National Park or visit Los Cayos Cochinos with a (multi-day) day tour.
Pico Bonito National Park
Pico Bonito is a national park through which the Cangrejal River flows with turquoise colored water. This green and wooded park offers hiking trails to a waterfall, opportunities for rafting, horseback riding, kayaking and more. Several hostels, such as Omega tours, offer the different tours. In addition, you are likely to spot various birds such as toucans or macaws and animals that the park is rich in. There are several hotels available within different budgets.
Archipelago Los Cayos Cochinos
Another cool activity is to visit the Cayos Cochinos. An island group, with largely uninhabited islands, lies close to the coastline of Honduras and is inhabited by the Garifuna people. They live mostly from fishing and live on a beautiful piece of land. The sea is azure and clear and the beaches white with palm trees. You can snorkel very well and see many fish. Also, you may encounter dolphins along the way by boat. You get there by going on a day tour. We heard that there are also opportunities to sleep on the islands with a multi-day tour, but we have no experience with that. The day tour is offered in La Ceiba or in Sambo Creek. You can find more information at, for example, cayoscochinostours.com. Often the tour departs from La Ceiba and you travel by bus to Sambo Creek to take a boat (small, open boat) to cross over to the islands. The total tour is from 7:00 – 15:00 approximately and costs about €50 including tourist tax on the island.
Around La Ceiba
From La Ceiba you can also travel on to Tela where you will find the Jeanette Kawas National Park. A diverse park where you can also take a tour both by land and water to discover the area. East of La Ceiba you will find the coastal town of Trujillo. Still undiscovered, but a fine place to chill at the beach.
How do you get there and back?
You get to La Ceiba by bus from San Pedro Sula. Coming from Copán, Lago Yojoa or Puerto Barrios in Guatemala, you always travel via San Pedro Sula. The bus goes via Tela and takes about 4 hours. The roads in the north are not very good, so allow for some extra travel time. From La Ceiba you will also return to San Pedro Sula to continue your journey through Honduras. Travel through the east is possible, but this is not the safest part of the country. So it is recommended to go via the west.