Adventure Guide to Honduras & The Bay Islands

The Northeast Corridor
A trip along the north coast of Honduras offers spectacular scenery through a coastal lowland system of rainforests, mangroves, and lagoons, which merge with rolling hills and mountains as high as 8,000 feet (2,436 m).
The CA-13 highway runs between the ocean and a mountain range from the city of Tela to La Ceiba and continues through fertile valleys on to Trujillo. Along the way, there are many opportunities to visit wildlife refuges, lounge on white sand beaches, and trek through mountain and lowland rainforests. You can also visit Colonial forts, museums, and even a famed pirate's grave.
You should spend at least a week in this area to cover all three towns. Two weeks would be more appropriate if you're an avid nature lover, and want to explore the different park areas with their diverse ecosystems.
 TELA
A world-famous botanical garden and four national parks grace the Tela Bay area. These are inhabited by such wildlife as dolphins, manatees, howler and white-faced capuchin monkeys, crocodiles, sea turtles, iguanas and nearly 400 species of birds. You can take a boat tour through mangrove forests and coastal lagoons, snorkel on coral reefs or just relax on the beach. A visit to one of the outlying Garfuna villages for the day, where you can enjoy a delicious seafood platter prepared in the same way for generations, is a must.
Getting around Tela is easy, and a car is not necessary. You can travel around the town and several nearby villages on foot, or by taxi or bus. Boat rides are readily available on the beach and through tour operators. You can stay in town or lodge in one of the small hotels in the Garfuna communities.
The Tela River divides this small city into Tela Viejo (Old Tela) and Tela Nuevo (New Tela), so dubbed when the banana company installed their headquarters west of the river. Older, rambling structures of wood and adobe are a common sight in Tela Viejo, which has a charming beach boardwalk lined with hotels and restaurants. Expatriates, who add a touch of international culture and cuisine to the tropical environs, own many of these businesses.
Swimming in the ocean in or near town is not a good idea; the water is noticeably dirty. Although some businesses keep the beach clean in front of their establishments, I recommend traveling a couple of miles either way for swimming.
 History
Tela, originally called Triunfo de la Cruz, was the first Spanish settlement in Honduras. Conquistador Christobal de Olid founded the town in 1524 near the present-day port city. The Conquistador of Mexico, Hernan Cortes, sent Olid to initiate the conquest of Honduras. However, Olid had other plans. He arrived in Honduras and tried to set up an independent state. Consequently, Cortes sent a new expedition headed by Francisco de las Casas to reestablish his authority. Olid was able to overcome and detain his rivals, but was then betrayed by his own men and assassinated. Cortes traveled to Honduras to resolve the struggle and set up his own government in the city of Trujillo before leaving in 1526. During the 16th century, pirates preying on Spanish ships plagued the area. By the early 1800s, the Garifuna, who were transported from the Bay Islands to Trujillo as laborers and who then dispersed along the coast of Honduras, were also well established in the Tela area.
Green Gold
By the middle of the 1800s, bananas were already the main economic activity in this town. In 1912, the Honduran government granted the Tela Railroad Company a huge land concession. This enabled the company to monopolize the banana industry in the area. Both the Tela Railroad Company and the Standard Fruit Company harvested bananas throughout the north coast - thus dominating the country's economy and politics for decades. As a leading banana exporter, Honduras became known as the original "Banana Republic." Although the Tela Railroad Company moved its headquarters to La Lima in 1976, the old company buildings remain. Some are maintained and in use, but others, such as the old railroad building, have fallen into disrepair. These structures, Colonial architecture and modern edifices, blend in front of the warm sea, creating a tropical languor that makes Tela a fun place for a vacation.
 Getting There
The main point of entrance to this area is La Ceiba's Goloson airport. However, most international flights require a stopover at the Ramon Villeda Morales Airport in San Pedro Sula, so I will explain how to begin your journey from both San Pedro and La Ceiba. Tela is halfway between San Pedro and La Ceiba and is about 60 miles (97 km) from each. The best way to travel is to take the bus or drive. Hitchhiking is not recommended as foreigners on foot, who are touting their backpacks or luggage, are easy targets for thieves. Although both Tela and La Ceiba have a tourist police force geared toward protecting and attending to travelers, wandering around on the highway on foot is just not a good idea. Bus rides to Tela take approximately an hour and a half. The trip takes about an hour in a car.
By Bus
From San Pedro Sula
There is no central bus station in San Pedro Sula, so ask your taxi driver to take you to the bus station. Taxis cost $2-3 in San Pedro Sula. Unfortunately, San Pedro has a high crime rate. Take a cab if you have your luggage with you. Barter with the driver if you know you're not going too far and try not to pay more than $2 for anywhere within the city. The agreed price includes tips.
Tela Express, 2 Ave, 1-2 Calle, in front of the Edificio Plaza or Plaza Building. Direct service between Tela and San Pedro Sula for $5. Operates Monday to Friday, at 8, 10 am, 1:30, 3:45, and 5:45 pm. Saturdays at 8 am, 9:30 am, 11, 1, 2:30, 4:30, and 6 pm. Sundays at 8 am, 9 am, 10 pm, 12 pm, 4:30 pm, and 8 pm.
Hedman Alas Bus Service, Barrio Guamilito 7 y 8 Ave, 3 Calle, San Pedro Sula,  553-1361, www.hedmanalas.com/spseng.htm, hedmanalas@hotmail.com.
Two buses a day to and from Tela, stopping at the airport on the way. The morning bus leaves San Pedro at 10 am for the airport and it leaves there at 10:50 am. The afternoon bus leaves San Pedro at 6:10 pm for the airport and leaves there at 6:50 pm. The cost from San Pedro is $7 and $8 from the airport.
The Hedman Alas terminal in Tela is at the Villas Telamar Resort, 448-0570. The buses leave Tela at 8 am and 12:45 pm, via the San Pedro Sula Airport.
Hedman Alas suggests you buy your ticket a day in advance and five days in advance during the Christmas and Easter Holidays.
Shuttle Service
Many of the hotels provide their guests with shuttle service at an extra cost.
Garifuna Tours, Central Plaza, Tela. 448-1069, www.garifunatours.com, tours@honduras.com, info@
garifuna tours.com. Shuttle service from Tela to the San Pedro Airport and San Pedro for $9 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:30 am. They also offer private shuttles for a minimum of three people at $15 + 12% tax per person, with a 10% discount for more than four people.
From La Ceiba
Take a taxi to the central bus station (estacin de buses) and take one of the buses (Catisa, Tupsa, or City) to San Pedro Sula. Try to take a direct or express bus (el bus directo a San Pedro Sula). The regular buses stop every two to five miles (three-eight km) to pick up and drop off passengers, who are often packed as tight as sardines.
When you get on your directo bus, ask the driver to let you off at the highway entrance to Tela. Take a taxi or walk about a mile north into town. On the regular bus (not direct), avoid early morning and late afternoon schedules that are the fullest, and probably even a little dangerous. It is easy to pick a pocket when everyone is swaying against one another.
Shuttle Service
Garifuna Tours, Ave San Isidro 1ra Calle, La Ceiba. 440-3252, www.garifunatours.com, info@garifunatours.com. This operator provides a shuttle service between La Ceiba and Tela for $15 + 12% tax per person. They also offer a 10% discount for more than four people.