
I was rethinking like 100 times which blog post to write first – but of course I have to write the most obvious one. My latest trip through Latin/Central America: An amazing month in Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador!!! So here comes first the perfect 10 day travel itinerary Honduras!
I have spent about 4 weeks in the above mentioned countries, in July and August 2022. I went with my two best friends from university, backpacking and enjoying the culture, food, loooots of volcanoes, beautiful beaches and amazing landscapes.
You do not necessarily have to do all of the countries together, however, looking for a less traveled and touristy route among Latin America, it would be a great combination!
So what do I do in Honduras?
If you have even heard from Honduras, you probably don’t have the best connotations with the country. Drugs, Gang actions, high murder rates and the most dangerous cities might come to your mind. However, there is also a different side to the country. You find beautiful nature, the best beaches and the friendliest people. (Latino culture is honestly my favorite, all people I have met give and have the purest souls, believing in what you give to the universe will also come back, thinking with their heart, one Taxi driver in Nicaragua told us) (after a local woman helped us out with a Euro because we did not have enough cash anymore) – cuidalo en tu Corazon (keep it in your heart and remember it).
This time, my first time in this often overlooked central american country, we decided to not travel the mainland but only look at the Caribbean islands of Roatan and Utila. These are definitely super safe, however, also more touristy and probably more expensive. From what I’ve heard, it is definitely possible to travel safely on the mainland. Always inform yourself right, respect safety rules and avoid going out alone at night. Speaking Spanish definitely does not hurt either.
But I can recommend this country with all my heart, as it is perfect to do a PADI Scuba Diving license, enjoy sunny beaches and delicious baleadas.

Itinerary for the perfect 10 day itinerary Honduras:
3 days Roatan & 6 days Utila
As aforementioned I only went to two places: Roatan and Utila. I flew into San Pedro Sula and from there took an amazing little plane for about $80 to fly directly into Roatan. I was waiting for my friends to arrive from Belize so I started off with two days in Roatan, which I am very glad about:
1st day – West End:
The first day I stayed in West End, taking a colectivo taxi from the airport and arriving in the afternoon. West End is a great location if you want to stay close to restaurants but avoid the more expensive West Bay. I was very tired when arriving, so I literally just walked down the street, got me a nice baleada (see below for the local food) and went to bed.
2nd day – West Bay:
West Bay: I spent the day at the beach and went with the boat to West Bay (taxi boat leaves every time it fills up from West End, right in front of West End Diving Resort Office on the main street). Currently, the taxi boat costs $5, however, before it was $3. As gas prices were going up, so did the boat price, negotiations did not help AT ALL. 🙂
And in the end I found out that it is actually was better to just walk to the beach from West End: It takes approximately 30 min and you can just walk along the ocean. How was West Bay? A very beautiful beach, however, super touristy and filled with Americans, however, also locals, enjoying their vacation. Everything is about x3 more expensive, so I just searched for a bit of shade below a palm tree in order to not pay for a sun bed (they should still not be too expensive, I believe most just expect you to order a drink instead of paying for the bed).
I also changed hostels and went to a more remote place called Roatans’s Backpacker Hostel. I definitely met more people there and had a social and nice evening.



3rd day: West End and proximity to the ferry to go to Utila:
On the third day, my friends were finally to arrive! So I just took the $1 dollar collective bus from the hostel to West End and enjoyed the beach there for a couple of hours! Way less busy and more shade you can enjoy! Just ask another person on the beach to watch your stuff while you go swimming!
After that I picked up my friends at the airport (all by collective so super cheap!) and we went to Los Fuertes, a definitely non-touristy area with nothing to do really, however, closer to the ferry and with great local food on the main road just by the Corporation Ramirez.
4th day: Off to Utila by ferry!
There is just one ferry leaving to Utila per day, so be aware on the times. The ferry is called Dream Ferry (latest schedules to be found here: https://utilaferry.com/). The ride takes about an hour and is not too exciting, but you can at least spot some jumping fish and if your lucky even some dolphins!!
The first night on Utila we did not do much, just explored some food spots, signed up for a divers open water course and spontaneously rented a room at Caribbean Dream Apartments.
5th day: Coral Beach!
The day before our divers license started, we went to Coral Beach. It is a beautiful beach, run by a local hotel/restaurant, however, you can be there free of charge. To get there, first walk to where the Coral Reef Dive Center is: There you will find a pier where the free of charge boat leaves to the Coral Beach (every 30-60 min, Latin times so just go, bring time and wait really haha). The boat goes back and fourth until about 4.30pm. We have been there on a weekend, where its CROWDED. Because of that it took us about 2-3 boats to wait, but during the week it is better (or go earlier than 10-11 in the morning). But it is VERY worth it, especially if you do a dive course the days after!



6-10th day: Diving License!
So we did do the diving license (PADI Open Water Certificate, up to 18 metres), it consisted of 4 mandatory and 1 bonus free fun dive day. It set us back about $335 including accommodation for 4 nights. We did it with underwatervision.com and had the instructor Marta, who was amazing and I would always do it again right there!

The days looked as followed:
Day 1: 4&half hours of watching theory and answering some question sheets (yes, the least fun day, but you get it over with quickly)
Day 2: More theory! However, no videos, just a couple of lessons (about 2 hours) and then fitting the equipment and getting into the water! Usually its the pool or beach area, where you go about 3 meters deep and practice diving. This includes training of emergency situations, e.g. taking your goggles of underwater or running out of air.
Day 3: More theory! Including the final exam! And the first dives! 2 Open Water Dives, up to 12-16m on the first day. Starting every dive, you do some more practice/emergency tasks, e-g- solving cramps. The rest is just pure fun!
Day 4: Last two dives, up to 18 m, just the second to last involves some exercises, learning how to navigate in the water. Then you are finally a certified open water diver!!!
Day 5: Additional free fun dives (x2).
We did the two fun dives early in the morning and then quickly took the last ferry (there is two ferries running a day from Utila to La Ceiba) to get to La Ceiba in order to travel to Nicaragua the same night. For that we took an organized Shuttle for $80 – yes, I know, it did hurt a bit and we even left 3 hours late – what can you say, that’s what you sign up for going to Latin America.
And off we go – Goodbye Honduras, HELLO NICARAGUA!
Ps: Do NEVER go to Pizza Hut in Honduras. Always opt for local Baleadas.
How to travel around in Honduras:
How to get to Roatan and Utila: You can get to Roatan/Utila by either flying into the islands or taking a ferry from La Ceiba. I believe Utila is only possible to fly in from Roatan, so I would probably not really recommend that.

Roatan: There are colectivos (mini buses or cars that take you around for way cheaper because they collect all people waiting anywhere on the street to get around) all over the island! Do not let you tell otherwise from local taxi drivers who simply want to charge you $15 per way! Local buses go most ways, however, for the airport e.g. you need to take a collective taxi, which, e.g. to West End (-20 min) will charge you about 4-5$ (also ask that before!)
For most other routes, there are local mini buses, who can look like the typical shuttle bus, older and more rustical but similar. They mostly show the route they are taking in the front window, so you can quickly tell whether they go into the right direction.
Utila: Just walk. Island is very small, in case you feel like not walking at some point, there is TukTuks to help you out!
Border Crossing: Traveling from La Ceiba, Honduras to Leon, Nicaragua. There are always local chicken buses, however, we decided to use the quick option of booking a Shuttle ($80). We booked it via Guacamayos Hostel. I would recommend this option in case you want to travel at night and save some time. The other Shuttle option would be Rooney’s Shuttle, they go during the day and cost approximately the same.
Accommodation information and recommendations:
Roatan: There are not too many hostels on Roatan but if you book in advance I believe you can find very nice Airbnbs.
West End Dive Resort: served its purpose (I stayed in a dorm). When I was there, there was nobody else around, so I ended up having a 6 bed dorm all to myself. What is good about it, it has a secured area at night, a pool and includes breakfast.
Roatan’s Backpacker Hostel: A bit more remote, more social and serves it purpose. From there you can easily take a collectivo to West End for about $1.
Utila: Give up, you will not find any good hostel online! They are all attached to diving schools, so just inform yourself about the diving schools and go there! (You do not need to do a divers license in order to stay at one of the places!!)
Caribbean Dreams Apartments: We got a three people apartment for one night for $45. So just pass by and ask the owner about prices and availability!
underwatervision.com The hostel we stayed in for about 5 nights. It is very basic, but the most social place on the island, where everybody leaves to parties at night. So very recommended. Without diving course it is about $12 per night, with diving school you get most nights free of charge and every additional night will be $8.



Food/Restaurant Recommendations:
There is great food to be found in Honduras. Latin America will probably never offer you as many spices as Asian countries do, but food can be pretty enjoyable! The to go food in Honduras are Baleadas. Baleadas are basically big tortillas with frijoles (black beans), some kind of cheese and whatever you wish for: Avocado, Chicken, …
We also found some good places on Utila to go to so here is what I can recommend:
Breakfast:
–Good coffee: At the underwater vision cafe for 45 lempiras you get a good cappuchino!
–Josie’s (a bit more on the expensive side, about $4 for a bagel with egg and bacon, but can highly recommend!)
–Camilla’s Bakery (good cheap banana bread and good bagels)
Lunch/Dinner:
–Baleadas Mama Rosa (very good pupusas)
–Mama Rosa #2 (you HAVE TO take the Quesadilla, either with beef or cheese)
–La Casita (BEST BALEADAS!!! So good really, also ask for the garlic sauce, they keep it inside)
Solo backpacking as a woman:
Would I travel solo for 10 days in Honduras as a woman? Absolutely. I think it still depends on whether you go to the mainland or not. The trip I did I could have easily done by myself. Everybody was super friendly. The islands, especially Utila, were super social so I would not have felt left alone or insecure being there alone.
Additional things you could do:
As aforementioned, we did only really go to the islands. There are, close to the border of El Salvador the Copay Ruins, which I have heard are very beautiful. If traveling from Honduras to El Salvador or the other way, it can be a useful stop as well.
Additionally, I believe there are great beach towns along the mainland, so it is worth having a look on that.
Have fun with the perfect 10 day itinerary Honduras!!!!
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