Your 2 Week Honduras Itinerary: Jungle, Beaches & Lakes

Welcome to the most underrated and under-visited country in Central America, Honduras. If you’re thinking of planning to travel Honduras then you have come to the right place. Ignore what you’ve heard on the news and instead enjoy the relaxing island vibes of Roatan and experience the adventures of a lifetime in the beautiful jungle and lakes. Honduras backpacking is becoming more and more popular as the years go by with travellers realising just how much the little Central American country has to offer. We spent 2 weeks here and loved every moment of it.

Read on for our ultimate Honduras itinerary, discover all of the must-see spots in Honduras, where to stay and how to get around the country and where to find the best beach in Honduras.

When most people travel through Central America they usually skip the second largest Central American country; Honduras. Owing to its bad press and ‘murder capital’ status.

However, Honduras backpacking has been nothing but pure pleasure for us. So far, (let’s not jinx it though, I’m currently writing this from a bus to our final night in Honduras, San Pedro Sula).

How did Honduras get its reputation?

Honduras has a long history of military rule, corruption, poverty and crime which has left it as one of the least developed and most unstable countries in Central America. Until the mid-1980s, Honduras was dominated by the military, which supported US efforts in revolutionary movements in the region. Over the years an unstable government, wars and natural disasters have left the country in not the best state with crime rates the highest of the continent at one point.

However, in recent years under the new leadership of president Xiomara Castro, a left-wing candidate who won the November 2021 election has since began to transform the country and concentrated on social justice and transparency.

She promised to tackle powerful drug trafficking gangs, and liberalise strict abortion laws.

The people that we met during our time in Honduras have been nothing but friendly, the country has included beautiful scenery, incredible beaches and some of the most unique accommodations we have stayed in so far. Not forgetting the number of activities this little country has to offer including scuba diving the world’s second-largest barrier reef, white water rafting and zip-lining. Not exactly what you’d think of when thinking of ‘the murder capital of the world’, right?

Is Honduras safe to visit?

As long as you practice usual precaution then yes, it safe to visit Honduras. It is normal to see armed guards on the streets and security carrying weapons at general stores and banks. The crime is usually amongst gangs and doesn’t effect tourists. As long as you don’t put yourself in any obviously dangerous situations, and you have your wits about you, you should be safe whilst embarking on a Honduras backpacking adventure.

How long should I spend it Honduras?

We spent 16 nights in total here plus an additional 10 in isolation (more on this later). You could easily spend 3-4 weeks here however, we think that 2 weeks in Honduras is great amount of time.

Is Honduras cheap to visit?

In general Honduras is a cheap country to visit. However, it is isn’t the cheapest country to visit in Central America (we’ll leave this title to Nicaragua). Accomodation costs can vary greatly depending on the are you are in. Although compared to other countries like Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama accommodation is on the cheaper side here. Food is cheap but not as cheap as other Central American countries, we paid around £4-6 for a meal in local restaurants.

Overall, we spent £1423 for 16 days in Honduras. £44 per person/ per day. It’s worth noting that we spent Christmas in Roatan so naturally didn’t budget and spent more than we usually would.

Honduras travel facts

Language: Spanish but English is widely spoken on Roatan
The official unit of currency: The Honduran lempira but USD is widely used in Roatan
Size of Honduras: 112,492 km²
Capital of Honduras: Tegucigalpa

Transportation: For getting around Honduras, the main places seem fairly easy to navigate. We have used a combination of public buses and private drivers, Ubers and taxis. The public buses have been cheap, clean and pretty empty. They don’t have chargers or WIFI on board but are nice enough. Plus, we’re talking about £5 for a 3 hr journey.

Entry requirements for Honduras

Honduras is part of the C4 agreement. The other countries in the c4 agreement include Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras & Nicaragua. This agreement means that you have 3 months to travel around these countries.

You do not need a Covid PCR or Antigen but be sure to have proof of your vaccine ready to show. You also have to pay $3 to enter Honduras, there’s speculation whether this is official or not but the receipt we were given looked it, plus, it was only $3 so we just paid it.

Read on for our full Honduras itinerary and to find out about the best beach in Honduras.

2 Week Honduras Itinerary

Lake Yojoa – 3 nights
Rio Cangrejal – 4 nights
Roatan – 6 nights
San Pedro Sula – 1 night

Travelling to Central America? Also, Read A Backpacker’s Guide To Our Essential Stops In Guatemala. A Central America Travel Guide.

Lake Yojoa

We crossed the border from El Salvador into San Pedro Sula. We arrived here around 4 pm after a very easy border crossing from El Salvador, excited to get to our first stop and wary that it was beginning to get dark and we had been warned about being in the bus station in San Pedro Sula after dark. However, not at one point did we feel unsafe. The bus station was filled with families, young women and local travellers. So, after connecting to the local WIFI we ordered an Uber to take us to our first stop D&D Brewery in Lake Yojoa.

Where to stay in Yojoa Lake Honduras- Honduras backpacking

D&D Brewery, the first of our unique stays in Honduras, was exactly that. A brewery in the middle of ‘the jungle’. Well, not exactly the jungle but it certainly feels like that when you’re inside. The place has an option of dorms and private rooms that are budget friendly. We paid £15 per night for a private room with en suite. The menu includes a range of food including vegetarian food at a fairly reasonable price as well as of course a menu of on-site brewed beers.

We opted to stay here for 3 nights to have a little bit of downtime and also be able to explore the local area.

There are lots of activities that you can take part in around Yojoa Lake Honduras including:

• Kayaking on the lake
• Visiting and even ziplining on Pulhapanzak Waterfall
• Hiking at Los Naranjos Archaeological Park
• On-site massage at D&D Brewery

There’s isn’t too much to see in the local town. It’s worth a little trip walking through and grabbing a coffee or a drink at one of the bars or restaurants. There’s also the option to kayak right off the local lake running through, which is a great alternative to visiting Yojoa Lake Honduras if you’re tight on time or don’t want to travel far. There are semi-regular local buses to take you to all of the main stops. You can flag one down off the main road and ask them where they’re going. We’ve found all of the drivers to be friendly and if they’re not going where you want, they’ll usually let you know which bus you need.

Rio Cangrejal

Travelling from Lake Yoja to Rio Cangrejal

To travel from Yojoa Lake Honduras to Rio Cangrejal we got up early to catch the local chicken bus back to San Pedro Sula. Then from here we caught the bus north to the port town of La Ceiba, which took four hours and cost L115pp.

The bus dropped us at the bus terminal in La Ceiba, which just looks like a normal bus stop. From here a lot of the hostels/ hotels offer a pick up service, if not then you can get a taxi to your next stop Rio Cangrejal.

Where to stay in Rio Cangrejal, Honduras

After grabbing some food from one of the local restaurants in La Ceiba (it’s worth noting that if you’re vegetarian then it can be a struggle to find food in some of the restaurants in Honduras, we found one that offered to cook us a ‘veggie dish’ It turned out to be stir-fried veg and rice) we contacted Omega Lodge and Tours, and ordered a car to come and collect us. A lot of places in Honduras seem to offer this service where there is limited local transportation. The drives usually cost the same, or slightly less, than a taxi and are always trusted by the accommodation.

We opted to stay in Rio Cangrejal for 4 nights. Split between staying at Omega Tours and Rio Lodge. For full transparency, this was because Omega was fully booked for our second 2 nights or we would have stayed here the full time. 

There’s limited accommodation in Rio Cangrejal with no dorm-style accommodation making it hard if you’re a backpacker on a limited budget. If this is the case then we would still recommend staying here for at least 1 night and opting for Rio Lodge. The location is still perfect, if not better than Omega. And the view from the dining area has a beautiful view of Cascada El Bejuco. The rooms were clean and the staff very friendly and helpful.

Omega Lodge in contrast, is beautiful and totally unique, if not a tad out of the way. The rooms are each unique and each fitting is crafted exactly like it was made for this space. Prices start from around £80 per night and this includes breakfast. If you’re looking for a treat whilst in backpacking Honduras then Omega Lodge should be it.

On our trip, we also discovered Villas Pico Bonito, which had the most amazing swimming pool with a view over the lake. We brought some food and drinks here (we would recommend the pasta and the garlic fries!) and were able to use the pool. A lovely to relax after a hike or going white water rafting.

What to do in Rio Cangrejal

The main thing to do along Rio Cangrejal is white water rafting. So that is exactly what we did! Rafting varies in price, but we paid £20 each for rafting on Rio Cangrejal which lasted 2 hours. We had a great time and really recommend rafting Rio Cangrejal.

We opted to do this with Rio Lodge, which was much cheaper than Omega. The rapids weren’t huge but the tour guide made it a fun experience by pointing out local sites, and ensuring we still managed to get absolutely soaked!

Other things you in Rio Cangrejal include:

• Horseback Riding
• Jungle Hike to el Bejuco Waterfall
• Kayak or whitewater swim
• Chill out at Pico Bonitos pool
• Hike the surrounding trails

Roatan

The next day, the paradise island of Roatan beckoned. Hopping on the Galaxy Wave Ferry we made our way to our final destination in Honduras and our home for Christmas. Roatan is one of the Bay Islands. A Caribbean vacation paradise located off the North Coast of Honduras and one, very popular with USA tourists.

Getting to Roatan

When travelling to Honduras and visiting Roatan you can either opt to fly to the Caribbean island or get the ferry. As we’re trying to not fly unless we really have to, we opted to get the ferry; Galaxy Wave.

Galaxy Wave costs $65 USD/ £48 for a regular class return it has two daily departures from La Ceiba 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and two from Roatan at 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The journey takes around 1hr45 and can be quite choppy! On our way over they were handing out sick bags left, right and centre and a fair few people were sick. Reanna spent the journey outside staring at the horizon which really helped. On the way back we sat upstairs which is partially outside and were totally fine. I’m not sure if this is because the journey was less choppy or because of the constant fresh air, but either way, it was much better.

Where to stay in Roatan, Honduras

There is an abundance of resorts, hotels and Airbnb’s in Roatan spread primarily between West End and West Bay. Making it perfect when opting to travel Honduras. However, there are not a ton of hostels. Roatan Backpackers’ Hostel or Lotos House seem to be good options if this is what you’re after.

West Bay is more popular among tourists. However, it gets crowded twice a week when the cruise ships dock, but that clear, turquoise water makes it worth it. 

West End is cheaper, more backpacker-friendly with more restaurants and dive shops. (Pictured below).

Sandy Bay is relaxed and less crowded, but it doesn’t have the same beautiful beaches as West Bay or West End.

As we were here for over a week and that week included Christmas we opted to stay in an Airbnb between West End and West Bay, right near Turtle Beach. This was a great location for us to be able to explore the two areas.

A combination of the 2 we think is perfect, however, if you had to choose one area to stay in and money wasn’t an option then choose West End every time. You just can’t beat that beach.

What to do in Roatan, Honduras

We spent our time here relaxing on the beach, drinking cocktails and sampling local beers whilst watching the incredible sunset each day that was on offer. We also borrowed snorkels and spent an afternoon snorkelling right off the beach. If you’re into diving then, with the 2nd largest barrier reef, here is an epic place to learn.

The island is paradise and a great place to take a break from the usual Central American backpacking route or when travelling Honduras. However, it also seems to be home to a lot of tourist attractions that include animals. We don’t condone this at all so this did mean that a lot of popular activities were out for us, including visiting Little French Kay – something we previously wanted to do. We also saw monkeys being paraded along the beach for tourist photos. If you do see these, please don’t support them.

The underwater world really is the biggest attraction of visiting Roatan, some awesome ways to see this include:

• Diving
• Snorkelling
• Glass-bottom boat tours
• Paddle Boarding
• Boat trip
• Swimming

After 8 nights here, a lot of sunshine, too much alcohol and needed relaxation it was time for us to leave this beautiful island and onto our last night in San Pedro Sula ready to leave for Nicaragua the next day. Before leaving we made our trip to Island Med Clinic Roatan for our PCR test costing £45 each with results by 10 pm that evening.

Ending our trip with a PCR test…

We then spent our last afternoon exploring Coxen Hole (spoiler – there’s not much to see there, so don’t add it to your list unless necessary when opting to travel Honduras) then hopped on our ferry, then bus back to San Pedro Sula. When arriving here we received our PCR tests, only to be informed that Reanna’s was positive! Oh, the joys of travelling during Covid! Instead of spending 1 night in this major city we instead ended up spending 7, so far, nights here, quarantining in our hotel. Not how we wanted our Honduras trip to end! At the time of writing we currently can’t find any information online about isolating requirements so have used our best judgement, not leaving the room, getting food delivered and generally being sensible.

Next stop, we’re heading to Nicaragua (hopefully!) for a few weeks of beautiful lakes, volcano boarding and plenty more! Stay tuned…