Honduras [1] is a place best taken at a leisurely pace, to really enjoy those soporific tropical vibes. But even with only 10 days, it’s easily possible to have a vacation combining several different activities and parts of the country, at a relatively relaxed pace. Buy a round-trip airplane ticket to San Pedro Sula [2], rather than Tegucigalpa [3], for easier access to Honduras’s most popular tourist destinations.
After flying in to San Pedro Sula airport, take a taxi to the first-class bus station for a three-hour drive to Copán Ruinas [4], near the Guatemalan border. Once there, get a room at the Hacienda San Lucas [5], an old farm now converted into a fine guesthouse with excellent homemade food.
Spend the next day in the Mayan city of Copán [6], taking time to visit the Museo de Escultura Maya [7] (Mayan Sculpture Museum) and to stroll along the nature trail and through the lesser-visited side site of Las Sepulturas [8].
Set aside day 3 for visiting admiring the lush valley and relaxed little town, letting yourself slip into the tranquil rhythms of Honduran life. Take a guided horseback ride [9] to a hidden Mayan ceremonial site in the hills, go visit the Macaw Mountain Bird Park [10], full of parrots, toucans, and other tropical birds, or take a soak in the nearby thermal springs.
Take an early bus to San Pedro Sula [2], and from there on to Lago de Yojoa [11], the largest lake in Honduras. Stop at the 43-meter-high Pulhapanzak Falls [12], where you can take a dip in the Río Lindo as well, before heading on to the lakeshore for your room (options range from a backpacker hostel to higher-end hotels).
Get up early to spend two or three hours boating on the lake, strolling around the pre-Hispanic ruins of Los Naranjos [13] or bird-watching in the Parque Nacional Santa Bárbara [14]. Then hop a bus back to San Pedro and on to the coast city of La Ceiba [15] (four hours travel time, roughly), staying at one of several ecolodges [16] built at the edge of Parque Nacional Pico Bonito [17] and along the Río Cangrejal [18].
Adventure day. Either go white-water rafting down the jungle-lined Río Cangrejal [19], or go hiking up to see one of the waterfalls tumbling off the flanks of Pico Bonito [17]. Another option is to tour the mangrove wetlands at Refugio de Vida Silvestre Cuero y Salado [20]. If you’ve still got some energy after nightfall, hit the disco scene in La Ceiba [21] for some drinks and dancing.
Fly or take a ferry from La Ceiba [15] out to Roatán [22], the largest of the Bay Islands [23]. Proceed directly to West Bay [24], a picture-perfect white-sand beach with coral reef literally right offshore. Beach addicts will want to stay right here, while night owls might opt for a room in one of the low-key hotels of West End [25].
Spend the next three days getting a strong dose of the Caribbean: as much sun, seafood, snorkeling or scuba diving, and general chilling out as you can manage until it comes time to head home, via plane or ferry to La Ceiba [15] and on to the San Pedro airport.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/central-honduras/san-pedro-sula
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/southern-honduras/tegucigalpa
[4] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/western-honduras/copan-ruinas
[5] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/western-honduras/copan-ruinas/accommodations/outside-town
[6] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/western-honduras/copan/the-ruins-copan
[7] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/western-honduras/copan/museo-de-escultura-maya
[8] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/western-honduras/copan/the-ruins-copan/las-sepulturas
[9] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/western-honduras/copan-ruinas/tours
[10] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/western-honduras/copan-ruinas/sights/macaw-mountain-bird-park
[11] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/central-honduras/lago-de-yojoa
[12] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/central-honduras/lago-de-yojoa/around-the-lake/pulhapanzak-falls
[13] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/central-honduras/lago-de-yojoa/around-the-lake/parque-eco-arqueologico-los-naranjos
[14] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/central-honduras/santa-barbara-and-vicinity/parque-nacional-santa-barbara
[15] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/the-north-coast/la-ceiba
[16] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/the-north-coast/la-ceiba/south-and-west-la-ceiba/ecolodges
[17] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/the-north-coast/la-ceiba/south-and-west-la-ceiba/parque-nacional-pico-bonito
[18] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/the-north-coast/la-ceiba/south-and-west-la-ceiba/rio-cangrejal
[19] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/the-north-coast/la-ceiba/south-and-west-la-ceiba/rio-cangrejal/rafting-the-cangrejal
[20] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/the-north-coast/la-ceiba/south-and-west-la-ceiba/refugio-de-vida-silvestre-cuero-y-salado
[21] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/the-north-coast/la-ceiba/entertainment-and-events/discos
[22] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/the-bay-islands/roatan
[23] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/the-bay-islands
[24] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/the-bay-islands/roatan/west-bay
[25] http://www.moon.com/destinations/honduras/the-bay-islands/roatan/west-end