The sleepy fishing village of Omoa is built around a small bay 13 kilometers west of Puerto Cortés, where the Sierra de Omoa mountains meet the Caribbean. The town itself was never a major population center, but for strategic purposes the Spanish built the largest colonial-era fort in Central America here.

Given the formerly rough road conditions, Omoa was long a popular stop-off point for travelers moving between Guatemala and Honduras—as recently as the mid-1990s, the connection between Corinto and Puerto Barrios in Guatemala was a footpath—but thanks to the recent paving, Omoa is slipping back into slumber.

Omoa’s houses and shops are scattered along the two-kilometer road between the Puerto Cortés highway and the sea. The main beach, lined with fishing boats and several small restaurants, is nothing spectacular, but it’s a relaxing place to spend a couple of hours after admiring the impressively massive fort, located on the main road running between the highway and the beach.

About a 45-minute walk south of the highway junction is a small waterfall in the woods—ask someone to point out the trail. A few robberies have been reported on this trail, so ask at your hotel for the latest situation before venturing this way.

Omoa celebrates its annual carnival on May 30 in honor of San Fernando. The town has a website, www.omoa.net.