Getting from Tegucigalpa to La Ceiba
Getting from Tegucigalpa to La Ceiba is fairly easy, despite the fact that there are approximately 400 kilometers (240 miles) between both cities. Since Tegucigalpa is the Capital city of Honduras, many travelers arrive into Honduras via Tegucigalpa. This means that they must figure out a way to get from Tegucigalpa to La Ceiba.
The easiest way of travelling from Tegucigalpa to La Ceiba is to fly. La Ceiba has a good airport with great connections to Tegucigalpa, and there are a total of three daily flights between both cities every day of the week except on Sunday, when they are only two. The airlines providing air service from Tegucigalpa to La Ceiba are Aerolineas Sosa, that has a morning and afternoon flight and Avianca, that has an afternoon flight. The flight is right over the Nombre de Dios mountains, and if you are lucky, on a clear day they might fly over the Cangrejal River Valley, a truly spectacular area that is home to some of the best hiking, river rafting and birdwatching in Honduras. The flying time is around 30 minutes, and can be booked directly online via www.aerolineassosahn.com or www.avianca.com. You can of course visit a travel agent of purchase your ticket at the airport.
If you decide to travel by land, the most comfortable service is to do so using Hedman Alas bus company (www.hedmanalas.com) or Transportes Viana (www.vianatransportes.com). Both have modern, state of the art motor coaches and offer a first class service option with extra spacious, comfortable reclining seats. The one drawback is that both offer service from Tegucigalpa to La Ceiba via San Pedro Sula, this means the coach first travels to this city and from there proceed on to La Ceiba. This means that travel time will be a total of between 8 and 9 hours whereas it would be a good one and a half hour less if you avoided going into San Pedro Sula. If you prefer a shorter trip even though that might mean a stop here and there on the road for lunch and bathroom breaks, then you have two different options: the first is San Miguel Plus. This company offers comfortable modern coaches with air conditioning and direct service between Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba, a travel time of around 6 ½ to 7 hours. Another option with good buses, but not always air conditioning is Transportes Cristina (wwwtransportescristina.com) Both have several scheduled departures daily between Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba and viceversa.
Last but not least, is of course the option for a private vehicle. If you are driving your vehicle or have rented a car and plan on traveling, you should know that the CA5 highway road between Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba is generally speaking in very good shape, especially the first 200 km (120 miles) between Tegucigalpa and La Barca, where you will find a junction that will connect you the City of El Progreso, allowing you to completely bypass San Pedro Sula. This detour takes at least one hour off the travel time, plus the hassle of dealing with San Pedro Sula, getting lost in the city or caught up in the traffic. From El Progreso you will be taking the CA13 highway, in the direction of Trujillo, which is where the CA13 ends. La Ceiba is approximately 160 km, (100 miles) east of El Progreso, and the highways is pretty good shape. Actually, the only stretch of highway that is not good, but neither is bad, are the 35 km (22 miles) between La Barca and El Progreso. Total travel time between Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba will be about 6 hours, plus any extra time for stopping along the road for fuel, food or restrooms. The trip is quite scenic, and will bring you by the old colonial capital, Comayagua, the lovely Lake Yojoa and the seaside city of Tela. Each one of which offers different options for a stop to enjoy a good meal and a change of scenery.
Now that you know how to get from Tegucigalpa to La Ceiba, you can plan on your visit to this city and discover the magnificent Cangrejal River Valley.
