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tourism in Honduras

Staff at La Villa de Soledad are vaccinated against COVID 19

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Great news! This past Monday, July 12, the staff at La Villa de Soledad got their first Pfizer shot. This means that the totality of staff at La Villa de Soledad are vaccinated against COVID 19! Half of us have both shots, while others have one. We are confident that before the end of August we will all have both shots. Independently of this fact, we are still taking COVID 19 very seriously. All our bio security standards are in place, and we take great effort to make sure that we keep this virus at bay.

Another good piece of news is the fact that all the guides that we use all have at least one jab. This means that you can hire a guide to take you hiking in the park and he will have at least one shot. The same is true about the rafting, canyoneering and zip line guides. This has been possible thanks to the support from the Honduras Institute of Tourism. They have made COVID shots available to all the tourism staff in Honduras. You can visit Copan Ruinas, the Bay Islands, and the Caribbean coast of Atlántida! Relax and feel comfortable that you are safe during your vacations!

Staff at La Villa de Soledad are vaccinated against COVID 19
Getting my first Covid jab!

Our Facilities are Perfect for Social Distancing!

I must add that the fact that our facilities are very much in the open. In addition, we only have 5 rooms. This means that you will not encounter a large group of persons. Our rooms are spacious and have great cross ventilation. This translates to the fact that you need not worry about an air conditioning unit recirculating the air with the possible virus in your room. We have no air conditioning! Public areas are incredibly open. In fact, the indoors and outdoors blend in seamlessly to create a unique setting. You are away from the hot sun rays and from rain but can enjoy the cool breeze blowing up the river canyon.

There is no doubt that the Cangrejal River area is perfect to enjoy nature. Outdoor facilities in our national parks are readily available. Social distancing is effortless, as our parks are huge, and traffic is low. We are confident that now that you know that the staff at La Villa de Soledad are vaccinated against COVID 19, you will feel motivated and safe visiting us in our little piece of paradise. We will be waiting for you!

Reasons to visit the Cangrejal River

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There are many, many good reasons why you should visit the Cangrejal River in La Ceiba. Following are the most outstanding ones:

Here are 7 Great Reasons to Visit the Cangrejal River in La Ceiba!

It is Easy to Get to!

Reasons to Visit the Cangrejal River in La Ceiba
A short ferry ride will allow you to visit the Cangrejal River from the Islands of Utila and La Ceiba

If you are visiting the Bay Islands of Honduras, you will probably pass by the city of La Ceiba. The Cangrejal River flows through the city. You would never imagine that just 6 miles up the river you would feel like you are in a remote, pristine location. Although not remote, it is pristine. The Cangrejal River is the border between two National Parks: Nombre de Dios and Pico Bonito National Parks! If you flew direct to Roatan from the USA, you are still just a short ferry ride from the Cangrejal River. You can be enjoying the area within two hours of having departed Roatan and within 1 ½ hours of having departed Utila. As you can see, it is very easy to get to the Cangrejal River in La Ceiba!

The Perfect Combination!

Reasons to Visit the Cangrejal River in La Ceiba
The beach at the Garifuna community in Chachahuate, Cayos Cochinos

It is the perfect combination between the Caribbean setting of the Bay Islands and the Tropical Jungles of Central America. Yes, you can enjoy both experiences in one single trip! If you are visiting the islands, plan on spending at least one night at the Cangrejal River Valley. Two would be better to allow you to enjoy all there is to do and see in the area. If you do not have time to visit the Bay Islands, make sure you visit Cayos Cochinos. This is a great chance to enjoy a pristine Caribbean setting and have a close encounter with the Garifuna Culture!

Its a Hotspot for Nature and Adventure!

Reasons to Visit the Cangrejal River in La Ceiba
The Adventure hot spot in Honduras!

The Cangrejal River area is the adventure and tourism hotspot in Honduras.You will be hard pressed to find another destination in Central America with so many options. Its proximity to 2 national parks, easy access and many different activities. Try White Water Rafting, Zip Line Canopy Tours and Canyoneering! They are all available here!

You can Afford it!

Reasons to visit the Cangrejal River Valley
Boutique bed and breakfast in the Cangrejal River Valley area

There is a hotel to fit your budget in the Cangrejal River Valley. Yes, you heard right, and this is certainly a good reason why you should visit the Cangrejal River in La Ceiba! Because you can afford it! From backpacker hostels to boutique bed and breakfasts, there is something for everyone! Best of all, you can easily visit and walk the area between the different hotels.

Safety!

The area is extremely safe for locals and tourists alike. The communities along the Cangrejal River love tourists! And they take care of them well! You can hike into the jungle and enjoy the multiple trail options, and you can also walk from your hotel to the different activities available in the area. The community will look after you and make sure that you are safe while in the area.

Birdwatching.

Nigel Marven in Honduras
Birding at La Villa de Soledad

Are you a hardcore birdwatcher or a casual birdwatching aficionado? Regardless of how serious you are, you will thrive on the outstanding variety of bird species in the area. Best of all, we have local guides that can help you spot and name the different birds. The Cangrejal River is one of the best hotspots to enjoy birdwatching. Best of all, you do not even have to venture far from your hotel room to enjoy the colorful tropical birds in the area.

Spectacular Scenery!

reasons to visit the Cangrejal River Valley
The Cangrejal River in La Ceiba

Imagine house size boulders strewn along the riverbed. Add some crystal-clear mount water and then some tropical rain forest on both banks of the river. The result is breathtaking scenery. The kind that you see as a screen saver in somebody´s desk top computer. Best of all, the temperature of the water is perfect to cool off. You will not believe your eyes at the scenery unfolding before your eyes!

I trust the that you are convinced that there are indeed many good reasons to visit the Cangrejal River in La Ceiba. I can guarantee that your visit will prove to be one of the highlights of your trip to Honduras and Central America!

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Update to Jeannette Kawas National Park After the Fire

This past weekend, a group of persons set fire to the heart of Jeannette Kawas National Park. The raging fire burned over 400 hectares, equivalent to about 1000 acres, of pristine tropical forests. It took the effort of the Honduran Air Force, the Honduras Army, the Tela Firemen and most of the population of Tela to extinguish the fire. The success was made possible thanks to the support and direct actions by the United States Bravo Task Force based at the Soto Cano Air Force base near Comayagua, who pitched in with a total of 4 helicopters, and a large contingent of persons who worked day and night for over 5 days.

Although the result is tragic, and we hope the culprits are found, put before a trial and sentenced, the good news is that no human lives were lost. It will take years to quantify the damages caused to the eco system.

On the bright side, we can categorically state that the most visited natural attraction in Tela is completely unaffected and open to the public. I refer to the Punta Sal Peninsula, which is part of the Jeannette Kawas National Park. The damage to the park is deep inside, and there are no visible signs of it from the coast line, which you follow on the boat trip from the beaches in Tela to Punta Sal. In addition, for those looking to visit the Garifuna Village of Miami, access is normal and there is no damage to be seen neither from the access road nor from the Los Micos Lagoon, which is also one of the main tourist attractions for the Jeannette Kawas National Park.

From a visitor’s point of view, Tela, and the Punta Sal National Park continue to be a very attractive part of Destination Atlantida and can be enjoyed to the fullest.

I hope you find this update to Jeannette Kawas National Park useful and that can proceed to continue your plans of visiting Tela and Jeannette Kawas National Park. As a matter of fact, if you are interested in helping restore the damaged area of the park; one good way to do so is by visiting Tela and buying a tour to the park. When you do so with one of the official tour operators, you are paying an entrance fee that goes to the park administration, and the funds will be extremely handy in the wake of efforts to restore the damage and keep invaders out of the park.

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Honduras Travel, the New Honduras Travel  Blog!

La Villa de Soledad B&B is happy to be associated to the new Honduras Travel Blog. This new site, which is the result of over 23 years of traveling around Honduras and being part of the tourism private sector in the country is yet one more effort to change the image of Honduras abroad and educate the potential traveler so that they can feel more secure and at ease when planning a trip and visiting Honduras!

Honduras travel

This blog is meant to have a full, regularly updated section about the different destinations in the country, highlighting the different things to do, the unique National Parks to visit, as well as tips about where to stay, where to eat and how to be a better traveler within Honduras and Central America.

Honduras travel will also have regular travel posts, which will make up the blog, and share the experiences of someone who has traveled extensively throughout Central America. If you love Honduras, and feel that potential travelers are not getting a fair image of the country, pitch in, Honduras and the different tourism service entrepreneurs need all the help they can get!

Initially, Honduras Travel is offering information on the three most important and popular destinations in Honduras: Atlantida, with its hubs in the Cangrejal River, La Ceiba and Tela; The Bay Islands, including Guanaja, Roatan and Utila, and Copan, which includes Copan Ruinas and Santa Rosa de Copan. They will be expanding this initial limited information progressively, and are confident that they will soon become “The Travel Blog for Honduras”, with updated travel info on all of Honduras .

We are happy to share this breaking news with you, and invite you to visit the Honduras Travel web page and send Honduras Travel your comments and suggestions, as well as sharing the tips with your friends. They now have a facebook page as well as a twitter (@hondurastravel) account which you can follow.  Surely Honduras Travel will become an important tool to market Honduras!

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Tips to plan your Semana Santa 2016 Honduras Holiday!

Easter week, or “Semana Santa” as we name it in Spanish is the busiest week of the year. In Central America in general, and Honduras in particular, citizens flock to the beaches, because this coincides with the hottest, sunniest days of the year. There are so many people traveling throughout Honduras that I thought it would be useful to put together a few tips for those of you who will be enjoying the upcoming Semana Santa 2016 Honduras holidays. This year, Easter Week, or Semana Santa will be between Saturday 19th of March and Sunday March 27th 2016.

Tip# 1. Make sure you make reservations in advance! Being the busiest week in the year, the hotels, hostels and even your friends and family beach homes will fill up, so call ahead and make a reservation. Better, yet, prepay your room in advance if at all possible. This is the best way to insure that the room will be waiting for you when you arrive!

Tip # 2. The absolutely busiest days of the year on the highways and roads in Honduras will be between Thursday 24th and Sunday 27th   of March. If you need to be on the road during these days, make sure you are prepared for a lot of traffic. If at all possible, try to travel before and after these days!

Tip # 3. Despite being the busiest week of the year, most of the transportation companies, including buses, airlines and ferry operators do not operate on Good Friday, which will be Friday 25th of March. Do not count on transportation services on this particular day. It may be possible that one or two companies do provide services, but most will not!

Tip # 4. If you are going to the beach, to the river, or wherever, get there early! This will insure you find a good spot before the crowds roll in!

Tips # 5. If you are still in the planning stage of your holidays, consider vacationing in Atlantida, and visit the magical Cangrejal River Valley, where you will find many different and unique activities to enjoy!

Hotels in Pico Bonito National Park

I hope these tips are helpful and can make your Semana Santa 2016 Honduras holidays more enjoyable!  Happy Easter!

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A asked our guests: Why Honduras?

I picked our guests from Victoria, British Colombia yesterday to bring them to La Villa de Soledad. After our brief, auto introduction to each other, I blurted out: Why Honduras? (Poor Honduras has such a bad, unfair reputation, that most travelers go out of their way not to visit us, so it is always interesting and learning to listen to the reasons they decided upon visiting Honduras.)

As it turns out, Lauren has been to pretty much the rest of Central America, however for her husband Tristan this is the first time to Central America. It turns out that Tristan wanted to visit the Caribbean, and Lauren wanted to visit Central America. This basically left two options: Belize and Honduras.

For the adventure traveler, there is just so much more to see and do in Honduras than in Belize that they quickly decided on visiting Honduras. With only a week to enjoy vacations in Honduras, they decided that La Ceiba and Roatan seemed like the ideal destinations. This is of course  absolutely true. You can enjoy the best of tropical Central America around La Ceiba, especially along the Cangrejal River Valley, where hiking, zip line canopy tours, white water rafting and swimming in one of the most beautiful rivers in Central America are all possible and within walking distance of several different lodges and accommodations, including La Villa de Soledad B&B.

Cangrejal River: how do I get there?

With only a 30 minute drive from the Cangrejal River to the port facility in La Ceiba, you can catch one of two daily departures from La Ceiba to both, Roatan and Utila, and be in an authentic, Caribbean setting within one hour if headed to Utila and 1½ hours if headed to Roatan! Diving in the Bay Islands is absolutely spectacular: you see the Bay Islands of Honduras are actually on the southernmost end of the Meso American Barrier Reef, the most biodiverse barrier coral reef in the World! It also offers the best preserved conditions in all of the Caribbean, allowing you to dive in near pristine conditions. Add the fact that Utila is world famous for its affordable prices to get scuba certified and to spot the majestic whale shark year round, and Roatan is famous for its spectacular West Bay beach and you find the perfect match! The above seems sum up the answer to my why Honduras question!

About Pico Bonito National Park

Best of all, Honduras is not overrun by tourists, you will enjoy hiking in trails in peace and quiet, snorkeling and diving with small groups, and most importantly, you will discover that Hondurans  are friendly, charming people that will go out of their way to keep you safe and make memorable vacations out of your time in Honduras! Now you know why Honduras. No more reasons needed, hurry and book your Honduras trip before everyone discovers the truth about why Honduras is the best travel destination in Central America and the Caribbean!

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As of early March, there will be changes in the La Ceiba-Utila ferry schedules 2016.

You see the new Utila Dream Ferry, which has been operating at identical departure times as the Utila Princess will be expanding its itinerary to include runs from Utila to Roatan as well as from Utila to Puerto Cortes. Due to these new routes, there will be changes in the La Ceiba – Utila ferry schedule as follow:

Daily Departures:

Utila – La Ceiba:  Departure from Utila at 6:30 a.m. Arrival in La Ceiba at 7:15 a.m.

La Ceiba – Utila: Departure from La Ceiba at 8:30 a.m. Arrival in Utila at 9:15 a.m.

Utila – La Ceiba: Departure from Utila at 3:30 p.m. Arrival in La Ceiba at 4:15 p.m.

La Ceiba – Utila: Departure from La Ceiba at 5:00 p.m. Arrival in Utila at 5:45 p.m.

In addition, the Utila Dream will be operating a Roatan run on Thursdays and Saturdays as follows:

Utila – Roatan: Departure from Utila at 9:30 a.m. Arrival at West End, Roatan at 10:10 a.m.

Roatan – Utila: Departure from West End at 2:00 p.m. Arrival in Utila at 2:40 p.m.

Also, on Friday and Sunday, the Utila Dream will be operating between Utila and Puerto Cortes as follows:

Utila – Puerto Cortes: Departure from Utila at : 9:30 a.m. Arrival .in Puerto Cortes at 12:00 noon

Puerto Cortes – Utila: Departure from Puerto Cortes at 12:30 p.m. Arrival in Utila at 3:00 p.m.

This new schedule means that people can enjoy some extra time in Utila on their departure day. It also means that it gives passengers traveling overland from faraway places a bit extra time to make it to the port facility in La Ceiba in order to catch the outbound ferry to Utila.

The new La Ceiba – Utila ferry schedules 2016 promise to make getting to Utila easier than ever, by allowing travel directly between Roatan and Puerto Cortes to Utila! Congratulations Utila Dream for innovating and providing new routes and new schedules!

As for the Utila Princess ferry, the La Ceiba – Utila ferry schedules 2016 remain as they have been up to now, with no changes for the time being.

Hope that this update to the La Ceiba – Utila ferry schedules 2016 is helpful to arrange your vacation in Utila!

 

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Traveling between Utila and Roatan just got easy!

Despite being sister islands, traveling between Utila and Roatan has always been complicated. With no scheduled service between both islands, it has always been a travelers nightmare traveling between them. Until now, the easiest, and practically only way of travelling between Utila and Roatan has been to take the ferry from Utila to La Ceiba, and then board the ferry from La Ceiba to Roatan. While the schedules worked in both directions, not only where you paying more, you were actually traveling twice the distance and spending more than twice the time you really needed.

The good news is that the Utila Dream, the new ferry that has come to service Utila will now be operating twice a week a Utila to Roatan route, which will be running on Thursday and Saturday making traveling between Utila and Roatan a piece of cake. Departures from Utila will be at 9:30 a.m. from the Municipal dock in Utila, and return from Roatan will depart at 2:00 p.m.  from the Coconut Tree Dock at West End. By using this arrival and departure location, passengers will actually be arriving or departing directly from the heart of the most popular location in Roatan: West End.  The trip will be a short 40 minute ride between both islands!

Island Air, a small airline based in Utila is also offering round trip service between Utila and Roatan on Saturdays, which of course is even more convenient if you are traveling to Roatan to catch an international flight, since you arrive at the Roatan International Airport (RTB).

For those tourists coming in from Belize and Rio Dulce in Guatemala, we have even more good news! The Utila Dream will be traveling between Utila and Puerto Cortes twice a week on Friday and Sunday! Departures from Utila will be at 9:30 a.m.  from the municipal dock and the passage will be only 2 ½ hours, arriving at Puerto Cortes at noontime. Departures from Puerto Cortes will be at 12:30, arriving in Utila by 3:00 p.m.  The cost of the service will be only Lps 700 each way, which is approximately $31 US. Not only will you be saving time, you will also be saving money!

This new routes will be in effect starting the first week in March, 2016, and will certainly make traveling between Utila and Roatan, and between Rio Dulce and Utila much, much easier!

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What is the real status of the Zika Virus in Honduras?

It seems that the new world pandemic is the Zika Virus, which has spread at an alarming rate throughout Latin America and is headed north. The virus is spread by a mosquito that can also carry Malaria, Dengue fever and Chicunguya. The government of Honduras has taken extreme actions and even declared a sanitary alert to create access to extra funds to fight the decease.

But what does the sanitary alert against the Zika Virus in Honduras really mean and should you as a traveler be concerned about it?

It means that the Government has taken all the measures to control the spread of the virus. Zika is not a contagious decease; it is brought on by an infected mosquito, in the same way that many other tropical deceases are transmitted.  As such, the main solution is to make sure that you eliminate the conditions that are required for the mosquito to reproduce itself. Fortunately, there are a lot successful experiences regarding the control of mosquitoes, which means that the fight against the Zika Virus in Honduras, and the rest of Latin America does not really require enormous funds nor high tech measures to control. It takes a bit of discipline and effort by the communities to eradicate breeding conditions.

There is absolutely no need to cancel your trip to Honduras or Central America because of the Zika Virus. As a general rule, most of the Zika outbreaks take place in the larger cities, where people live in cramped quarters and without regular running water. This means that they have many different water receptors that are open and can easily become a perfect breeding spot for mosquitoes. If you are visiting the tourist areas in Honduras, such as Copan Ruinas, Atlantida (Tela, La Ceiba and the Cangrejal River Valley) or the Bay Islands, you will have a much lower risk of getting infected. Just in case, and as a precautionary measure, bring some bug repellent to rub on yourself to make sure that the insects do not get near to you.

The Zika Virus in Honduras is not a threat to you as a tourist, and you can have a great time visiting the country. We, at La Villa de Soledad have lived in our beautiful bed and breakfast for the past 7 years, and no one in the family has ever gotten sick with malaria, dengue or chicunguya, because we do not have many bugs out here. We seldom use insect repellent, but then again, we have plenty of frogs, toads and geckos that love to eat insects!

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Questions about Pico Bonito National Park?

This weekend I had a chance to travel to Utila for a couple of days. It was a work trip, but nonetheless, there is always time to kick back and relax. After the cold front that passed through the area the week before, the sky was clear, the ocean was calm, and traveling on board the new Utila Dream Ferry was truly a treat! Although I usually hide from the sun, as my skin does not take it very well, I could not resist traveling on the outside deck on the bow, and enjoying the scenery while feeling the fresh marine breeze blowing on my face…

About Pico Bonito National Park

And this is where my post about Pico Bonito National Park comes to be. You see, when the air is crisp and clean, you get a magnificent view of the Nombre de Dios Mountains and Pico Bonito National Park, especially from Utila, although you can also see it from Roatan.  The skyline of the coast, with the rugged peaks jutting over the clouds makes you wonder about Pico Bonito National Park and everything it has to offer. Truly, a visit to the Caribbean Bay Islands of Honduras is magnificent, however a visit to the mainland to discover all there is about Pico Bonito National Park brings your visit to Honduras to a complete new level!

As seen from Utila, you can only imagine what lies within these spectacular, jungle clad mountains.  From afar, you will notice that if you look towards the east, (left if you are on Utila) of the triangular shaped peak appropriately named Pico Bonito, you will see a dip in the mountains. It is precisely along this valley where the Cangrejal River, which is the natural boundary between Pico Bonito and Nombre de Dios National Parks, flows towards the Caribbean.

About Pico Bonito National Park

The Cangrejal River Valley is probably the most unique tropical rainforest area within Central America. Its scenic setting, together with a variety of different lodges and activities are to be found, making it a prime spot to look for a hotel in La Ceiba where to stay and enjoy yourself.

If you are traveling to Roatan or Utila, make sure that you plan a couple of days to visit the Cangrejal River Valley in the mainland and learn about Pico Bonito National Park, the most bio-diverse national park in Central America!

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