The North Coast

Seemingly endless golden shore. Lush jungles raucous with wildlife. The steaming hot, verdant mountains, banana tree–blanketed plains, and sandy coastline of the Caribbean coast have a whole different style of life than the rest of the country. Honduras’s north coast is a polyglot melting pot, closer to the Anglo–African Caribbean islands than the more reserved Hispanic culture of the interior. North coasters are more extroverted: They like to dance, to party, to get out and have a good time.

Travelers will likely find themselves spending a lot of time on the north coast, in particular in the unofficial coastal capital of La Ceiba [1], both because of the many attractions in the region and also as a way station on the way to and from the Bay Islands [2]. Settled by the Black Carib Garífuna, North American banana men, Honduran job seekers, and immigrants from across the globe, the north coast is so diverse one never knows whether to address a stranger in Spanish, English, or Garífuna; chances are they know a bit of all three.

For the traveler, the north coast boasts the perfect trio of sun, sand, and sea. Superb beaches, where you can sling a hammock between two palms and enjoy the gentle offshore breezes in peace, line the entire coast. It’s no surprise the north coast is home to a large contingent of expatriates.

Add to that several of the country’s most important natural protected areas, including the mangrove wetlands and lowland jungles of Punta Sal [3], Punta Izopo [4], and Cuero y Salado [5], as well as the mountain jungles, cloud forests, and rivers of Parque Nacional Pico Bonito [6]. Visitors can boat through the many estuaries and lagoons in search of monkeys, parrots, and manatees; hike to waterfalls; or white-water raft on the spectacular Río Cangrejal [7] and Río Zacate.

Plenty of hotels, restaurants, and nightlife can be found on the beaches near Tela [8], Trujillo [9], and La Ceiba [1], while adventurers looking to get away from the crowds may be drawn to the laid-back Garífuna villages set along the coast. There are luxury ecolodges and well-maintained community-run cabins dotting the coast, particularly around Pico Bonito [6].

The coast is hot February–August, with average mean annual temperatures around 25–28°C (77–82°F). The prevailing easterlies of the western Caribbean Sea dump 200–300 centimeters of rain annually, with a short (sometimes nonexistent) dry season March–May. Both the amount of rain and its timing vary dramatically from year to year, and wet weather can arrive at any time.

Tropical storms and, less frequently, hurricanes are an annual ritual, most often coming in October and November and frequently causing flooding, especially in the Valle de Sula.

The Best of the North Coast [10]

• La Feria de San Isidro [11]
• Río Cangrejal [7]
• Parque Nacional Pico Bonito [6]
• Refugio de Vida Silvestre Cuero y Salado [5]
• Tornabé [12]
• Parque Nacional Jeanette Kawas [3] (Punta Sal [3])
• Jardín Botánico Lancetilla [13]