Honduras
Overnight we entered the third Central American country included on our itinerary: the wonderfully diverse Honduras. The second-largest country on the isthmus, it stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts, and encompasses a wide range of habitats, from Caribbean flatlands to rain and cloud forests of the mountainous interior. The Sea Voyager took us to Honduras’ north coast, which we were to explore for the next couple of days.
This is a long expanse of coastline, stretching over 300 km and lined with beautiful white beaches and lively Garifuna settlements. There are several important protected areas in the region, including the Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, our morning’s destination. Named for the confluence of two rivers, this refuge is one of the last substantial remnants of wetlands and mangrove swamps along this coast. The area has been protected since 1987 and is home to an unbelievable amount of wildlife, of which we saw an incredible amount.
Our fleet of faithful Zodiacs and kayaks took us all the way up into the mangrove roots and other example of wetland vegetation. We saw birds galore: Montezuma oropendulas, red-lored parrots, rainbow toucans, kingfishers and on several occasions just sat in silence to soak in the sounds of the forest. Reptiles abounded too, amongst which freshwater turtles, American crocodiles and green iguana. Kayakers even got to observe a large troop of black howler monkeys as they went along their daily routines – truly an amazing outing and well-worth postponing breakfast for!
All this was just before breakfast, the best time for temperature and wildlife watching. We spent the rest of the morning spotting marine wildlife from the decks and learning how to identify reef fish from our Dive Master, Vicky. We eventually reached our next destination, the internationally renowned Bay Islands, just 65 km off the north coast of Honduras. We moored at the small dock off the town of Utila, home to approximately 2000 inhabitants and with an economy heavily based on SCUBA diving. The reefs surrounding the island offer superb opportunities both for diving and snorkeling, and the ultra-calm conditions we encountered today allowed snorkelers to swim along the reef crest and admire the spectacular drop-off below. Another fun-filled and unforgettable day in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.
Overnight we entered the third Central American country included on our itinerary: the wonderfully diverse Honduras. The second-largest country on the isthmus, it stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts, and encompasses a wide range of habitats, from Caribbean flatlands to rain and cloud forests of the mountainous interior. The Sea Voyager took us to Honduras’ north coast, which we were to explore for the next couple of days.
This is a long expanse of coastline, stretching over 300 km and lined with beautiful white beaches and lively Garifuna settlements. There are several important protected areas in the region, including the Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, our morning’s destination. Named for the confluence of two rivers, this refuge is one of the last substantial remnants of wetlands and mangrove swamps along this coast. The area has been protected since 1987 and is home to an unbelievable amount of wildlife, of which we saw an incredible amount.
Our fleet of faithful Zodiacs and kayaks took us all the way up into the mangrove roots and other example of wetland vegetation. We saw birds galore: Montezuma oropendulas, red-lored parrots, rainbow toucans, kingfishers and on several occasions just sat in silence to soak in the sounds of the forest. Reptiles abounded too, amongst which freshwater turtles, American crocodiles and green iguana. Kayakers even got to observe a large troop of black howler monkeys as they went along their daily routines – truly an amazing outing and well-worth postponing breakfast for!
All this was just before breakfast, the best time for temperature and wildlife watching. We spent the rest of the morning spotting marine wildlife from the decks and learning how to identify reef fish from our Dive Master, Vicky. We eventually reached our next destination, the internationally renowned Bay Islands, just 65 km off the north coast of Honduras. We moored at the small dock off the town of Utila, home to approximately 2000 inhabitants and with an economy heavily based on SCUBA diving. The reefs surrounding the island offer superb opportunities both for diving and snorkeling, and the ultra-calm conditions we encountered today allowed snorkelers to swim along the reef crest and admire the spectacular drop-off below. Another fun-filled and unforgettable day in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.
