White Water Rafting in Utila

Utila, that lovely small Caribbean island that is part of the Bay Islands of Honduras that is famous for its affordable diving. People from around the World come here to get certified as divers, and absolutely love the time they spend there. The island is home to about 5000 persons, who live happily in to main communities, Utila Town, also known as East Harbour and “The Cays” two small cays located off the southwest tip of the island that is home to about 500 persons. There are many small hotels, restaurants and bars along Utila Town, and many tourists that visit the island find it hard to leave. Although the main the magnet to the island is the diving, there are non divers that also visit this piece of paradise in the Caribbean. So you will ask, what do they all have to do here? Well, there are many different options, and one that few take advantage of is the white water rafting in Utila.

Now, I know what you are going to say… There is no way that white water rafting is available in Utila! The island is flat, has virtually no hills and definitely no rivers! You are of course right, however will easily notice from the island, you can see the massive Nombre de Dios mountains from the south coast of Utila. These mountains provide a spectacular natural skyline that makes everyone in Utila want to take a trip to the mainland to enjoy the mountains. The short one hour ferry ride makes it easy to visit the mainland, even for a short day trip. The convenient ferry schedule allows you to depart Utila at 6:20 a.m. and spend the day in La Ceiba and then return to the island in the evening ferry that departs La Ceiba at 4:00 p.m.  This gives you more than enough time to visit the Cangrejal River Valley, a magical valley located just 5 miles outside of La Ceiba, where you will find the exhilarating white water of the Cangrejal river. Three different outfitters: www.omegatours.info, www.lamoskitia.hn and www.junglerivertours.com  provide daily half day rafting tours, typically departing at 8:30 and finishing around noon time. Sooo, now you see, I was right! You can do white water rafting in Utila! It is a short day trip you can do while on the island, and even through technically it’s not on the island, it can certainly be in your itinerary while on the island.

Better yet, chances are that you will have to travel through La Ceiba to continue your trip in Honduras or Central America. With that in mind, it is a shame to be in La Ceiba and not escape for at least a couple of days to the Cangrejal River Valley. There are a total of 10 lodges, inns and bed and breakfasts in the Cangrejal River Valley. You can find more information in www.cangrejalriver.com. So if you are traveling to the Bay Islands of Honduras, and would like to do some whitewater rafting in Utila, come to the Cangrejal River Valley and have the experience of your lifetime!