Utila Island
Honduras has several islands off it’s coast, Roatan being the largest. Based on what we’ve heard, Roatan is more of a tourist hot spot while the smaller island, Utila, is more for backpackers. Whether that’s true or not…I don’t know since we didn’t go to Roatan, but Utila definitely had a laid back vibe. If you have any interest in getting Scuba certified…Honduras is the place to do it. It’s not only one of the cheaper options ($350ish for a 4 day course plus two fun dives) but the underwater world is simply incredible. Sebastian was already certified so he did two fun dives for $80 and I did an Open Water Diver certification with Alton’s Dive Center who were great! I felt extremely comfortable and confident underwater thanks to all the instructors. Another cool thing to do in Utila is to check out the Jade Seahorse. It was the mosaic, eclectic, whimsical place of my dreams. It took over 15 years to create and is only 25 Lempira (about $1) to visit. Definitely something fun and unique!
Pico Bonito National Park
After Utila, we headed back to the mainland to Pico Bonito National Park and beautiful it was. Since we were in our van, we saw in iOverlander that there were several free camp spots leading up to the entrance of the park, so we pulled off and set up camp right at the Cangrejal River. This spot was incredible…one of our favorites! We felt incredibly safe, played in the water and enjoyed the views as the sun set over the lush jungle. We didn’t actually go into the National Park but if the park is anything like the landscape leading up to it…it should not be missed!
Pulhapanzak Waterfall
Pulha Waterfall is a nice stop for the day. There are cabins if you’d like to stay the night as well as a restaurant. It’s easy to spend the day enjoying the waterfalls, playing in the natural pools upstream and if you’re feeling a little adventurous, there’s even a zipline canopy.
Cerro Azul Meambar National Park
Not far from the Pulha Waterfalls is the Cerro Azul Meambar National Park. In our van, it was a little challenging to get to since the last 8km were dirt road through pineapple fields, at times pretty steep and rough but…we made it! There’s also a restaurant as well as bungalows and rooms you can stay in. Everything is so lush and green and there are several hikes you can do throughout the park. We did a short hike down to a secluded waterfall which was fun and from the top of the grounds, you had a great view over the valley and lake. As an added bonus, we saw many different birds.