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Honduras
with it's Bay Islands is a stunningly beautiful country,
with marvelous beaches, lush green mountains, the idyllic
Bay Islands, and the ancient Mayan city of Copan - just to
scratch the surface.
Honduras is located in Central America bordered by Guatemala,
El Salvador and Nicaragua. Most visitors arrive by air.
Whether you are exploring the Mayan ruins, diving in the Bay
Islands or relaxing on the North Coast at Tela or La Ceiba,
there are great places to visit and things to do. The people
of Honduras are very friendly and visitors and travellers
are most welcome. If you have a spirit of adventure, make
Honduras your next vacation spot.
Off the northern coast of Honduras, from 12 to 35 miles offshore,
you will find the Bay Islands. They are located along the
largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere.
 The
Bay Islands remain today as some of the Caribbean’s most beautiful,
pristine and tranquil islands. This exotic archipelago is
a divers paradise, boasting clear waters and unspoiled reefs
that are among the healthiest in the Caribbean. These virgin
reefs teem with a myriad of unique reef creatures and 95%
of all species of the Caribbean’s coral can be found in these
alluring waters.
Roatan is the largest island, with the most infrastructure
and the most developed for tourism. It is a long, thin island,
measuring almost 40 miles in length and with a total land
mass of 49 square miles. The island has a mountainous backbone
and is totally surrounded by coral reefs, offering superb
diving.
The tallest of the islands, Guanaja has become the most elite-oriented,
with many of the better hotels on the Islands located here.
Guanaja is a unique island, as it does not have any roads,
and the largest community, known as Bonaca is not even on
the island itself, but on a small cay a short distance from
Guanaja. Guanaja has a paved runway as an airport, and is
forested with the unique Caribbean pine that distinguishes
it very much from its sister islands.
Climate Average High 85F 29C
Can cool to about 68F 20C at night.
Water Temp 78 - 83F 25 - 28C
U/W Visibility 80 - 150 ft 24 - 45 m
Bay Islands Dive Sites
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Dive
Services
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Divers at Play
diversplaying@aol.com
Roatan Bay Islands, Honduras
Tel: 011-504-9814-1779
In the U.S., please contact:
Roatan Live Aboard
Attn: Jeff Mendelson
info@roatanliveaboard.com
Tel: +1.954.636.2844
http://www.roatanliveaboard.com
The Tabutne I is a 70 foot, fully equipped yacht and is Roatan's
luxury LiveAboard scuba diving boat in the beautiful Bay Islands
of Honduras. For your pleasure, we offer a 7-Day package.
Roatan offers the best Roatan Honduras SCUBA diving in the
southern Caribbean. We also offer scuba instruction for all
ages and interests, whether you would like to learn to dive
or become an instructor.
Mango Inn
Cola De Mico
Utila, 34201 Bay Islands
Honduras
Tel.: 011 504 4253305
Fax.: 011 504 4253305
E-Mail: info@mango-inn.com
Web: http://mango-inn.com
Mango Inn located on Utila in the Bay Islands of Honduras
Central America, is a charming dive operation & hotel
offering pristine waters, great reef formations, isolated
cays and beaches, and a friendly, colorful community.
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Getting
There
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Travel to Honduras and the Bay Islands |
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The
main airport serving the area is the San Pedro Sula International
Airport. Serviced regularly by LACSA,
TACA,
COPA, American,
Continental and Iberia,
San Pedro Sula is easily reached from the following North
American gateways: Miami, Houston, New Orleans, New York,
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orlando, Mexico City and Cancun.
In addition, there are excellent connections via the Central
American Airlines through San Jose, Costa Rica; San Salvador,
El Salvador; Panama City, Panama and Guatemala City, Guatemala.
There is also daily air service by Isleña Airlines
to San Pedro from La Ceiba, Roatan and Tegucigalpa.
La Ceiba is perhaps the best communicated city in Honduras.
The largest domestic carrier, Isleña Airlines
has its operations hub here, and from here you can fly
to Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, Choluteca, Roatan, Utila,
Guanaja, Trujillo, as well as the Miskito Coast. Aerolineas
Sosa and Rollins Air also have their main bases in La
Ceiba. In addition, TACA
and LACSA
both have international flights to San Salvador, El Salvador,
San Jose, Costa Rica, as well as Houston, Miami, New York
and New Orleans, in the USA.
La Ceiba is also a departure point to the Bay Islands.
Schedules are subject to change, so check with your destination
or travel agent for any changes.
For divers coming from Europe, you may book through KLM,
Lufthansa, Alitalia,
Air
France, British Airways, and
Iberia.
Getting to the islands from the mainland is an easy task
these days, either by ferry service or by air.
Roatan
By Ferry
La Ceiba is the closest city to Roatan on the mainland,
which is only thirty miles away. The Galaxy ferry travels
between Roatan and La Ceiba on the mainland of Honduras.
La Ceiba - Roatan 11:00 a.m. daily
La Ceiba - Roatan 4:15 p.m. daily
Roatan - Ceiba 6:00 a.m. daily
Roatan - Ceiba 1:45 p.m. daily
15$ adult and 7.50$ child approximately - All prices are
subject to change without notice.
By Air
Taca Airlines provides direct flights from Miami (Sundays),
New Orleans and Houston (Saturdays) www.taca.com. Solair
also provides direct flights from Miami (Fridays, return
Saturdays) www.solair.net. Continental
(from Houston) and American
(from Miami) also fly into San Pedro Sula (where you can
then travel to Roatan on smaller local airlines, listed
below). Continental Airlines also provides a new nonstop
Saturday service between Houston and Roatan.
Utila
By Ferry
Ferry service between La Ceiba and Utila aboard the 118'
Utila Princess - UtilaPrincess@yahoo.com
Departs La Ceiba 9:30 AM and 4:00 PM Tickets may be purchased
at La Ceiba's main cargo port.
Departs Utila 6:20 AM and 2:00 PM - Tickets may be purchased
at the Utila Municipal Dock.
By Air
Aerolineas
SOSA and Atlantic Airlines
service Utila with flights from La Ceiba.
Guanaja
Getting to Guanaja is only by air only. Isleña
Airlines and AEROLINEAS
SOSA has flights from La Ceiba to Guanaja. Flights
are generally $35.US to $45.US each way.
Entry Requirements
Passport valid 6 months beyond intended stay in Honduras.
Ticket for return or onward travel.
Departure tax US$25.00.
Visa is not required for stay up to 30 days for nationals
of the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada,
Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, European Union, Guatemala,
Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand,
Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Puerto Rico, San Marino, Switzerland,
Uruguay, United States and Vatican.
Visas are required for nationals of other countries and
can be purchased from Honduran consulates.
Helpful Information
Getting Around on the Mainland
There are car rental agencies at the airpors and in the
larger towns. An international or foreign driving license
is all you need. Roads in the city and on the highways
are in fairly good condition but not so in the rural areas.
Driving is to the right. If you prefer to let someone
else do the driving, you can hire a taxi. But taxis are
unmetered so remember to fix the fare before you step
into one.
The cheapest option is the local buses. The signs on the
buses indicate the direction they are headed in.
Getting Around on the Islands
There is little need for transportation on the smaller
islands. Roatan with it's 60 miles of roads, offers cars,
trucks, bikes and scooters for rent.
Language
Spanish is the official language of Honduras. English
is spoken in the Bay Islands and in most tourist areas.
Traditional languages are still used in some remoter areas
of the country such as Olancho and the Mosquitia.
Taxes/Tipping
A 12% value added tax is added to the price of all services
and merchandise. Also many restaurants or hotels will
add an additional 10% service charge as a tip. This is
not compulsory to pay. Check your bill before tipping
as it may have already been included. |
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Request
More Diving & Accommodations Information
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