Finding totally accurate road maps of Honduras is, unfortunately, an impossible task. Several decent maps correctly show the main highways but invariably mess up the placement of many rural dirt roads, while some incompetent cartographers go so far as to show main highways through tracts of virgin jungle and forest.

The Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN, tel. 504/225-0752) publishes a tourist map for US$3 that shows the departments, main roads, and some geographic features. It can be purchased at IGN’s main office in Comayagüela at the Secretaría de Transporte (SECOPT) on 15 Calle one block east of 1 Avenida.

IGN also publishes a complete set of 1:50,000 topographical maps, several sheets of 1:250,000 topographical maps, geological, hydrographic, mineral, and official-boundary maps. The best map of the country available is IGN’s large official map, which shows the latest border settlement with El Salvador. It costs US$11, but it may be out of stock.

If you need maps of Honduras before going to the country, it is possible to send the IGN money and they can send the maps to you, preferably by DHL or UPS. The office staff is friendly, competent, and knowledgeable, but you need to speak Spanish and know which maps you’re looking for before calling.

It’s usually easier to get IGN topographical maps through Omni Resources (tel. 336/227-8300 or 800/742-2677, www.omnimap.com/catalog/int/honduras.htm) in the United States for US$10–12 per sheet. Their stock of 1:50,000 topos is about as good as the IGN’s—about half of the series is available.