Satisfy Your Travel Craving in Roatan

(1)

Roatán is the largest and most developed of the Bay Islands. Long and thin (50km long but only 2km to 4km wide), the island is a real diving and snorkeling mecca – virtually its entire coastline is fringed by an astonishingly diverse coral reef teeming with tropical fish. But there’s much more to Roatán than its reef.

Exquisite white sand beaches like West Bay, a mountainous interior of pine-forested hills and the remote wild east of the island (once a key pirate hangout) beg to be explored. Unsurprisingly this natural beauty hasn’t been ignored by property developers and tour operators, and a slew of fancy resort hotels, a new shopping mall and cruise ship terminal have opened in recent years. The vast majority of backpackers base themselves in West End.

Location

Located near the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest barrier reef in the Caribbean Sea (second largest worldwide after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef), Roatán has become an important cruise ship, scuba diving and eco-tourism destination in Honduras.

Tourism is its most important economic sector, though fishing is also an important source of income for islanders. Roatan is located within 40 miles of La Ceiba. The island is served by the Juan Manuel Galvez Roatán International Airport and the Galaxy Wave Ferry service twice a day.

Climate

Roatan has a hot season and some rainy seasons. Although it is humid year around, rain fall can be scarce during the hot season, resulting in many beautiful, sunny days. During the rainy seasons, there may be several downpours in a day, beginning and ending abruptly. Unlike other areas of the world that stay overcast and rainy for days on end, Roatan can change quickly from rainy to bright sunshine, even during rainy season.

Don’t let rainy season prevent you from coming. There is no guarantee that it will rain on any given day, it is simply that the likelihood of encountering rainy weather is much greater during rainy season.

The first rainy season is during June and July. The winter rainy season is from October to February. Strong winds can accompany the rain and cooler weather, making a jacket necessary at times during the rainy season.

The weather varies from a little cool to hot and muggy on Roatan.

Transportation

Roatan Island has an international airport in Coxen Hole with jet service which has thousands of passengers arrive and depart each week. Direct flights to Roatan are available from Miami (MIA), Houston (IAH), New Orleans (MSY), and other cities in the Americas.

You may fly to San Pedro Sula (SAP) or La Ceiba (LCE) on the mainland of Honduras prior to taking a connecting flight to Roatan (RTB), but you will probably take a much smaller plane getting to the island. Flights are available between Roatan and the mainland of Honduras daily.

Airports in Honduras will shut down if there is too much rain. They lack some of the equipment required for full instrument flying and depend on visibility. Honduran airports have also shut down due to haze from hundreds of forest fires.

Although Spirit Airlines does not fly directly to Roatan, the discount airline has flights from Fort Lauderdale to San Pedro Sula. You may book a regional flight from San Pedro to Roatan.

Direct charters are available to Roatan from airline carriers such as CANJET, which flies between Montreal and Roatan.

Bus fares are very cheap, but buses can be slow, hot, and crowded. Buses generally run about every 30 minutes along the major road that runs most of the length of the island.

Taxi prices vary substantially. If you get a taxi at the airport, you can expect to pay high prices. If you go outside the gate, you can usually get lower prices. Taxi fares are often subject to negotiation. The island is overcrowded with taxis, so you won’t have to wait long to see several coming.

International visitors arriving on private yachts must first dock at Coxen Hole to check in with Honduras immigration officials.

What to See

Roatán Marine Park

(2)

Set up in 2005 with the aim of protecting the reef system around the West End and Sandy Bay, the Roatán Marine Park now covers the whole island. Roatán’s reefs are under enormous pressure, both from construction and the sheer amount of visitors, and this non-profit organization campaigns strongly to conserve the marine environment.

Four boats patrol the shoreline, and people fishing illegally (the use of nets, harpoons or traps is banned) have been jailed. Officers visit local schools to talk about the reef and conservation and children are taken snorkeling.

Carambola Botanical Gardens

Across the road from Anthony’s Key Resort, the Carambola Botanical Gardens has well-maintained trails through 40 acres of protected forest, extending up a hillside known as Carambola Mountain. It’s about 1km to the ‘summit,’ where you can see all the way to Utila on a clear day and, at the right time, down into the dolphin show at Anthony’s Key Resort.

Along the trail you’ll encounter dozens of species of native plants, including orchids, spice plants, medicinal plants and fruit trees. You’ll also pass Iguana Wall, a cliff favored by iguanas and parrots, as well as remnants of pre-Colombian settlements. Reservations are required for guided tours.

Roatán Museum

(3)

Roatán Museum, housed in Anthony’s Key Resort, is a smallish historical center with displays spanning island history from prehistoric times to Maya occupation to Columbus’ arrival and the beginning of the colonial period.

There’s surprisingly little on Garífuna history though, in which Roatán played an important role. Overall, however, the artifacts and displays (in Spanish and English) are quite good. A visit takes about 30 to 45 minutes.

Roatán Butterfly Garden

Lady Slipper, Queen and Sunset Langwings, Helicopter, Common Owl and Orange Dog are just a few of the 30-plus species of moths and butterflies at the Roatán Butterfly Garden , a 900-sq-meter enclosure a few hundred meters from the West End turn-off.

The best time to visit is noon or early afternoon, when the sun is hottest and the butterflies are most active. The garden also has a large collection of orchids and other tropical plants, as well as bird enclosures with keel billed toucans, collared aracari and several species of parrots.

http://laurenceourac.com/satisfy-your-travel-craving-in-roatan/

Images:

(1) http://caribbeancruisesandtravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Roatan-Honduras1.jpg
(2) http://westbaydivers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Reef2.jpg
(3) www.shoretips.com