Honduras - Facts
- Honduras is a country in Central America. To the north is the Caribbean Sea, with extensive beaches and the second largest barrier reef in the world. To the south is the Pacific Ocean. Its neighboring countries are Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Its mostly mountainous territory contributes to the diversity of climates and the rich and extensive flora and fauna that characterize this tropical country. Tegucigalpa is the capital city.
- Honduras’ Pacific coastline on the Gulf of Fonseca is only about 70 miles long compared to a 400-mile shoreline in the Caribbean.
- Honduras has an estimated population of over 9 million people.
- Spanish is spoken throughout the mainland, although it is a second language for some indigenous communities in the Moskitia and Garifuna towns on the north coast. In the Bay Islands, Spanish is becoming more widely spoken especially on Roatán, though nearly all islanders speak English, even if the dialect can be a little difficult for some visitors to understand.
- The official currency of Honduras is the Lempira (L).
- Honduras observes Central Standard Time all year (UTC -6). There are no Daylight Saving Time.
- Honduras maintains an average annual temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. However, it only has two defined seasons: the dry, which begins in November and ends between April and May, and the rainy, which is centralized in the months of May, June, July, September and October. More in Weather.
- The Bay Islands are the country’s prime sailing attraction, a perfect cruising ground whose popularity with yachts has increased steadily in recent years as an alternative to the Eastern Caribbean, and the Virgin Islands – less crowded, and scenically on a par with the Virgins. Provisioning and repair facilities are best on Roatan.
- Roatan, Utila, Guanaja, on the Bay Islands, and La Ceiba on the mainland, are the Ports of Entry where officials are most used to dealing with yachts.
- Facilities generally have improved as more cruising boats visit Honduras; there are two new marinas at La Ceiba. Lagoon Marina has 24-hour security and is a good place to leave the boat while visiting some of the attractions of Honduras’ interior such as the Copan Maya ruins.
- The rest of Honduras is less tempting to explore by sea and although the mountainous north coast is scenically attractive, the lack of harbors make cruising along it very difficult, while the western Pacific coast is featureless and uninteresting.
Read and Post Related Comments
If you have information for this section, or feedback on businesses used, please let us know at editor@noonsite.com. We also welcome new information about businesses you have used (see Related Businesses).
Next Section: Profile: Security
Related to following destinations: Honduras
Country Navigation
Courtesy Flag Discounts
YachtFlags.com provides high quality courtesy flags that are manufactured in durable Knitted Polyester fabric. Knitted so that the fabric itself does not deteriorate in the constant movement that marine flags are usually exposed to, and polyester so that the flag does not weaken in the strong UV-light usually found in the main sailing areas of the world.
YachtFlags.com offers a discount to Noonsite members.
Use the coupon code NOONSITE_5A2B when checking out to get 10% off today.
Buy Now On YachtFlags.comMain Ports - Honduras
Courtesy Flag Discounts
YachtFlags.com provides high quality courtesy flags that are manufactured in durable Knitted Polyester fabric. Knitted so that the fabric itself does not deteriorate in the constant movement that marine flags are usually exposed to, and polyester so that the flag does not weaken in the strong UV-light usually found in the main sailing areas of the world.
YachtFlags.com offers a discount to Noonsite members.
Use the coupon code NOONSITE_5A2B when checking out to get 10% off today.
Buy Now On YachtFlags.comFormalities
Courtesy Flag Discounts
YachtFlags.com provides high quality courtesy flags that are manufactured in durable Knitted Polyester fabric. Knitted so that the fabric itself does not deteriorate in the constant movement that marine flags are usually exposed to, and polyester so that the flag does not weaken in the strong UV-light usually found in the main sailing areas of the world.
YachtFlags.com offers a discount to Noonsite members.
Use the coupon code NOONSITE_5A2B when checking out to get 10% off today.
Buy Now On YachtFlags.com
Checking in at Coxen Hole was very different from what is described above. Immigration wanted to see original and keep one copy of my zarpre no other photocopies requested. Port Captain did not ask for the online form nor any copies of it or copies of my passport or my registration. It was very easy to check in and I went back to the boat with a stack of unused expensive photocopies as per the description above said I would need
Thanks so much for the feedback. It seems copy requirements vary from port of entry to port of entry. I will be sure to note this for Coxen Hole. Please let us know what fees you paid at Coxen Hole for entry. Thankyou.
Clearing in was free of charge. Immigration wanted to know why am l asking for 90 days visa, it was explained and granted. Port captain issued a cruising permit for the duration the visa stated. Everyone was kind and friendly and the whole process was easy and quick
Check into Guanaja was easy, anchored to the west of Bonacca in 10′ in grass. Dinghy dock with the pangas south side of warehouse “big sales”. You will likely run into a “guide” that will show you around expecting a tip & speaks good english. Immigration first then the port captain, not fast but no problem. SIM cards, groceries & fresh veggies along with reasonable restaurants easily found. We then moved to the Bight for 20′ of sand and great wind protection just off of Hans’ (good pizza), just south of Manati’s (good food, sat only presently) dinghied to Mi Casa II for excellent lionfish. Dove with “End of the World Divers” on the north side for a very good 2 tank dive. Onto Roatan
Sailed to Swan islands from Grand Cayman. Four days of settled weather allowed us to anchor at the west end of the island in 10′ of sand. This is a Honduran military outpost that you will need to ask permission to stay. 12 enlisted & 1 officer rotate through every 45 days, English was not spoken & our Spanish speaker did great. They wrote down our boat info & passport numbers. We delivered fish for them and they asked for cookies, soda & cigarettes. We looked at the anchorage on the NW side that is mentioned elsewhere and do not recommend it. A Boreal 44′ was on the reef after anchoring there. Not great fishing, south side was best. Onto Guanaja
Recent experience checking into Puerto Amapala on the Pacific side. No COVID tests required for entry. We did fill out the forms at the jotform link listed on the Formalities page here. Check-in and check-out using these forms might’ve been the easiest of any country I’ve ever been to. Port Captain and Immigration right there on the pier where you land. 30 minutes in/out. Cost: free.
The ATM (under the umbrellas on the main drag) wasn’t working when we got there. You can exchange USD for Lempiras at the soda distributor (‘casa verde’ on the corner) across the street.
Anchorage. Scope generously. 2/3 boats there had a drag. Diurnal winds in the afternoon/evening kick up a wicked chop and the current switches, leaving some room for fouling. My chain wrapped on a rock to the West side of the pier in 19feet depth, but ultimately wasn’t too problematic.
Getting covid tests for entry into Nicaragua required a water-taxi to Coyolito and bus to San Lorenzo. Easy enough to find a taxi home. The locals were super helpful in making it all happen. Immigration officials were able to recommend a good clinic. I wouldn’t expect same-day turnaround on the test results but you can pull it off if you show up early.
Mar 07, 2019 04:52 PM
Arrived from Roatan yesterday to see Utila and then clear out for Belize. Port Captain informed that immigration officials will not be back until next Tuesday (5 days later). We will take the ferry back to Roatan to clear out. Just a note to say that you cannot guarantee to clear in or out of Utila in a timely way.
I cleared in at Utila in June of 2017. I’ve been there before and there have been a few changes. The Port Captain and immigration are in the same building at the public dock.
The Port Captain went to the boat with me and took photos. HThese were exterior shots and he didn’t enter the boat.
He filled out forms and photographed them with his phone. Then he sent everything to the main office. I had to come back the next morning for the cruising permit.
Immigration requested a $3.00 entry fee.
The exit procedure was the same, except that the turn around time to get approval from the main office was 2 hours. Immigration requested another $3.00.
There was no charge for the cruising permit or the zarpe.
November 21st: We want to report a dinghy theft 2 weeks ago – ours was stolen during the night in the anchorage of West End Roatan. Gone! Lock your dinghy.
On a much lighter note than the previous comment, I would like to commend Aussie Pete, the dockmaster at Fantasy Island, Roatan, Honduras, for the great job he is doing in providing a fun venue for cruisers in French Harbour.
He has a number of weekly activities offered (produce truck, bus trip to the supermarket, BBQ night, Pizza Night, etc) and has created a friendly, welcoming atmosphere at the palapa bar. It’s a great place for cruisers to hang out and visit. Thanks, Pete!
Extortion from immigration officer Coxen Hole. We arrived from Rio Dulce and attempted to clear in at Coxen Hole. The immigration officer would only give us 12 days unless we paid a $200 bribe. We arrived in Guatemala on November 20 and had never extended immigration there.
According to Raul the agent in Livingston, we should have not had any issues here in Roatan. I recommend using an agent or a contact like Pete, the dockmaster at Fantasy Island. Based on our experience, I would not go it alone. Regretfully, we paid. The first bribe in any of the 27 countries we’ve cleared into in 4 years.
According to local cruisers, this extortion is common but not exercised by all immigration officials. We complained to the Port Captain but he said that he could/would not do anything about this.