Best of Western Honduras

Coffee Plantations [1]: Whether you want to spend half a day or four, the fincas near Copán provide a relaxing getaway replete with bird-watching and horseback rides, as well as an education on the world’s most popular beverage.

The Ruins of Copán [2]: The Mayan city of Copán is justifiably the top tourist destination in mainland Honduras, known as the Athens of Mesoamerica for its carved artwork and the detailed city history inscribed on its monuments.

Museo de Escultura Maya [3]: Journey through the serpent’s jaws into the Maya Sculpture Museum, which houses a spectacular replica of the Rosalila temple in all its technicolor glory, along with the originals of many of the finest stelae and carvings from the ruins of Copán.

Feria Agostina [4]: A quiet colonial town most of the year, Santa Rosa bursts to life during its August feria, when copanecos celebrate their patron saint with music, food, sporting competitions, and even a Noche de Fumadores, an evening dedicated to fine cigars, and the Tarde con Aroma a Café, an afternoon tasting locally grown coffee.

Gracias [5]: This was once (briefly) the capital of Spanish Central America, but nowadays it’s a sleepy little cowboy town with several beautiful colonial buildings and a newly renovated central park, and it is fast becoming a popular off-beat tourist destination.

Parque Nacional Celaque [6]: Even a short walk near the base of Celaque mountain can reveal the shy quetzal, while the stiff hike up the trail to the top of the country’s highest mountain is well worth it for the fine cloud forest. You can soak your bones in the steaming aguas termales (hot springs) near Gracias when you’re done.

Lenca Villages South of Gracias [7]: These villages are set amid some of the most picturesque mountain countryside in Central America, and they boast imposing 18th-century churches. La Campa and San Manuel Colohete are perfect places to hike for an hour, a day, or a week.