Honduras is a Central American country with the Caribbean Sea coastlines to the north. We decided to first stop at Copan the town, is located close to the Guatemalan border, and is a gateway for tourists traveling.
The town of Copán is charming with paved cobblestones streets lined with white adobe buildings with red-tiled roofs. It has a lovely town square with a friendly local population, some good hotels and restaurants. Many people come here just to see the famous nearby Maya ruins, but with plenty of other attractions in the town and nearby, there’s reason enough to linger
There were 3 things we wanted to see in the Copan Area, the first one was the Macaw Mountain Bird Park “They are a bird rescue, rehabilitation and release center. Located on ten acres of forested terrain in a stream-fed valley, their multifaceted eco-tourism project is only 10 minutes away by vehicle from the central square of Copán Town. We got a tuk-tuk (Three-wheeled mini-taxis) To the Macaw Mountain Bird Park and got true immersion into the richness of Honduran bird diversity while wandering through the wonderful botanical garden filled with native plants and towering hardwood trees. One of my favourite birds are Owls so I was delighted that they had a few different types here. The have a great number of beautiful birds. The cost of entry is very reasonable and definitely worth a visit.
Below are a list of just a few.
- Barn-owl. Tyto Alba.
- Black Mandible Toucan. Ramphastos ambiguus.
- Black-crowned Night-heron. Nycticorax nycticorax.
- Blue-and-yellow Macaw. Ara ararauna.
- Collared Aracari. Pteroglossus torquatus.
- Crested Caracara. Caracara cheriway.
- Double-striped Thick-knee. Burhinus bistriatus.
- Emerald Toucanet. Aulacorhynchus prasinus.
The second place we wanted to visit was Copan Ruins, they are not far from town so we caught a Tuk-Tuk . It was not expensive to visit just a few dollars. Copan Ruins are the very impressive archaeological remains of the ancient Mayan civilization in western Honduras Central America. The Copán ruins house a UN World Heritage site and are renowned for the hieroglyphic staircase, stellae, temples, altars, and museum, they are considered by many as one of the most spectacular cities of the ancient Maya civilization. It is a large area and you could easily spend a morning or afternoon here. The hieroglyphic staircase was one of the best we have seen.
The last place we wanted to visit was the Luna Jaguar hot springs. They are Mayan-themed eco spa surrounded by trees & offering thermal baths, cold baths, massages & more. They are located about an hour from the town square of Copan and you need a 4wheel drive to get there. We got a tour guide to drive us there and back it is a tough drive with lots of pot holes. It only opens at 2pm but does stay open until 7pm.
This ‘Maya theme’ venue, with natural streams of hot and cold water, has 13 strategic spots along the trails aiming to replicate the Maya rulers and elite health–rituals performed in ancient times, within a perfectly blended natural environment. They say the thirteen numbers on the symbolic wave represent the energy of the universe. It is an amazing place the grounds are very nicely kept, with a variety of treatments and pools. The higher you went on the property the hotter the water got. The steam from the water was great for opening your pores, the Temperature of the water was between 30 and 45 Degrees, with the hottest being 90 degrees which of course no one is allowed near. You could also walk through the circular shaped pedicure pond, where you step on polished stones in alternating hot and cold water. All very good for circulation and relaxing. ideal for late afternoon after a busy and active day. My only complaint was that I could have stayed longer.
After 4 days at Copan we headed to San Pedro Sula it was a 5 hour trip in a shuttle bus. San Pedro Sula is a city in the Sula Valley of northern Honduras. It’s known as one of the country’s main transport hubs. It was raining when we got here and continued to rain the whole time we were here, and very heavy rain at that. To be honest this was the only place we did not feel very safe, it was okay during the day but we were told by the hotel staff not to go out at night. So we only stayed a few days. We did visit the San Pedro Sula Anthropology and History Museum it has exhibits on the region’s past, from pre-Columbian times to the present. It is very well put together.
From San Pedro Sula we flew to Belize City.
Belize City, it was an interesting journey from Honduras to Belize ,besides a light aircraft fun flight I did when I was nineteen, I had never been on an aircraft that was this small, there was seats for 10 passengers, the Captain and his wingman. The windows on the small aircraft are bigger than a normal plane so it was great to be able to take photo’s. Belize is a port city in the Central American. It’s divided into north and south sides by Haulover Creek, which opens into the Caribbean Sea. The manually operated 1920s Swing Bridge, a busy crossing point, links the two.
Belize City is the commercial center of the country. The largest hotels are found here, with conference facilities and professional services, as well as restaurants, bars, nightlife. Belize’s has a cruise passenger terminal. We had a few nights here one thing we wanted to do was Cave tubing but because we had a lot of rain the water was to high to do this. Our Airbnb was nice so it was good to sit back and relax for a few days.
Our real plan for visiting Belize was to venture out to the islands, we had booked a week on Caye Caulker. Caye Caulker is a small island, and a prime stop for travellers looking to “go slow” and enjoy a relaxed vibe. There are no cars on the island which was a nice change, residence travel around in golf carts or bikes. We took a small boat from Belize City to Caye Caulker, it took about 40min. We booked a wonderful little cottage through Airbnb that was linked to a resort. We could use all the resort amenities but still have our own cottage, to cook meals if we preferred. The island is great, It has lots of small restaurants shops and bars. It was great to be able to do a yoga class every morning. I had forgotten how much I missed my yoga and Pilates.
The island is divided by a narrow channel called the Split, where there’s a bar and a sandy beach. To the south is the island’s only settlement, known as Caye Caulker Village. The north of the island is home to dense mangrove forest and diverse birdlife, protected by a forest reserve. The Caye Caulker Marine Reserve has dive sites on the Belize Barrier Reef.
One of M’s bucket lists items was to dive the famous blue hole, Located roughly 100km off the coast of Belize we booked a day of diving with Frenchies Dive Shop, it included 3 dives, transport and all equipment. We set off at 5.30am our first dive was at the blue hole and it took about 2 hours to get out to it, It was a rough trip out so I was glad we had gone with Frenchies as it has a larger boat.
I was pleasantly surprised to be able to see the outline of the blue hole as I was not sure this would be visible. Our first dive the Blue Hole was to 31 meters for about 25min, it was great, the walls of the blue hole are almost perfectly vertical and fairly smooth, except at a few points where there are large ledges and overhangs. we saw lots of fish, reef sharks and some beautiful coral on the way down, the water is just so blue and the further you go down the darker it gets. Our second dive was at Half moon key for me this was a better dive, Below the surface, there is a gentle slope that gradually leads up to a drop off at around 13 M. The drop off is bordered by a crust of reef that forms a beautiful wall scattered with hidden tunnels, yellow and neon blue sponges, black and lilac sea fans and giant barrel sponges. We dived to around 18m for 59 min.
We then stopped for lunch at Half Moon Key. The crew prepared lunch it consisted of rice, chicken in a Caribbean curry, plantains, and of course the most important Marie Sharpe hot sauce M loves this sauce. It was also a good to catch-up with the other divers. It was a beautiful spot for Lunch
Our last dive of the day was Long Caye Aquarium from the min we dived into the water we were surrounded by schools of bermuda chubs, sergeant majors, creole wrasse, and the odd shark. It was a great relaxing dive with beautiful fish life and coral. The dive was 15meters for 50min. The trip back to Caye Caulker was a long one so it was good to have a few drinks on the way back. Overall it was a great day and M could tick another bucket list item off. We do not have an dive camera so no photos of under water. It is like another world down there and in some ways I like to keep it that way by not bring any gadgets with us we can just focus on being in the moment.
We hired bikes and cycled as far as we could up along the coast to the north part of the island, there are a number of new constructions happening here but from what we heard from a few expats nothing happens fast on Caye Caulker. We fit right in and were able to enjoy Caye Caulker beautiful natural setting, fresh lobster, warm sea breezes, fantastic bars and supremely casual vibe. One of the restaurants that stood out on Caye Caulker for us was Reina’s, the best coffee in town was at the Caye Cafe they also do amazing pancakes. We had a wonderful time on Caye Caulker.
From Caye Caulker we took another ferry to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. Ambergris Caye is Belize largest island and a popular destination. It is 25 miles long and about a mile across at its widest point. San Pedro its main town is located in the southern part of the island and has an airport and the largest concentration of shops, hotels and restaurants.
We hired a golf buggy on the island and travel the length and breath of the island, we did find secret beach it is at least a 40 minute ride from the San Pedro town center, and the road has a lot of pot holes.
There is an amazing art and craft gallery Belizean Arts it featuring local Caribbean paintings, art, sculptors, jewellery & more, there are some amazing craft work done with small sea shells that are just beautiful, I would have bought a piece or two but with all the travelling we are doing I know they would have been damaged. It is defiantly worth a visit.
From Belize we took a flight to Jamaica. Not as easy as it sounds the most straight forward trip was to fly to Toronto in Canada, have a night there and then the next morning fly to Kingston airport in Jamaica
Jamaica, a Caribbean Island nation, with lush mountains, rainforests and reef-lined beaches. Many of its all-inclusive resorts are clustered in Montego Bay. Negril is known for its diving and snorkelling sites. Jamaica is famed as the birthplace of reggae music, and its capital Kingston is home to the Bob Marley Museum, dedicated to the famous singer.
We decided to hire a car for our 13 days in Jamaica as we wanted to see as much of the island of Jamaica as possible. We drove from Kingston to Negril it was a lovely drive except for the pot holes when going through towns. We based ourselves in Negril for 5 days as there was several things we wanted to explore in and around this area. Negril is a town in western Jamaica. It’s known for its sandy beaches on shallow bays with calm, turquoise waters. Seven Mile Beach, overlooking Long Bay, is lined with bars, restaurants and resorts. Long Bay opens onto a lagoon protected by coral reefs and is a snorkelling and scuba-diving destination
Our first stop was the YS falls. The falls are about an hours drive from Negril, the road is full of pot holes but we made it and it was so worth the drive. YS Falls is a seven-tiered waterfall, which cascades into natural pools for swimming, complemented by a natural pool. The extensive lawns are perfect for family picnics or a day out. These are complemented by natural pools which are fed by underground and above ground springs for a refreshing swim. A full day here was great.
Our next stop was The Blue Hole Mineral Spring it is a picturesque mineral springs with a deep swimming cave. It sits 24 feet below the ground in a cavernous opening completely encased by Karst limestone. The natural mineral water in the spring is 35 feet deep; However, the edges of the spring are shallow for guests to stand or sit down. There is a ladder you can take into the swimming cave or if you are brave enough you can jump. M of course had to jump in, I on the other hand was happy to use the ladder provided. The water is so refreshing, clean and crystal clear. There is also a pool and bar to relax afterwards. It was $20 dollars each, but lots of fun, glad we visited.
Don’t leave Negril without visiting Ricks Café . It’s predominantly a bar/restaurant, but in a vast open space, all overlooking a cliff face and open inlet from the ocean. It is a wonderful place to sip delicious cocktails and dig into some jerk chicken and fresh seafood overlooking stunning views. They also have cliff jumping here, there are 3 jumps you can do here. The lowest ledge is about 8 feet above the water while the highest is 40 feet. While we were there, we seen a daring local put on a show as he climbed to the highest possible point and jump, he did 3 jumps in total. M of course did the 25 foot dive. I was taking the photo’s. The DJ keeps the stereo blasting to make sure everyone has an amazing time. Since Rick’s Cafe is close to Jamaica’s westernmost point, watching the sunset here is a truly amazing experience.
We moved on from Negril to Montego Bay, the capital of Saint James Parish on Jamaica’s north coast, is a major cruise ship port with numerous beach resorts and golf courses outside its commercial core. Popular beaches include Doctor’s Cave Beach and Walter Fletcher Beach, home to an amusement park. There’s also snorkelling and diving at coral reefs in the protected waters of Montego Bay Marine Park we just spent a day here, it can be very busy and it is very commercialised.
From Montego we drove to the Ocho Rios it is a port town on the north coast of Jamaica. A former fishing village, it’s now a resort with a cruise ship harbour and a busy bay beach that’s lined with hotels. The surrounding parish of Saint Ann is home to rainforest, rivers and waterfalls. Dunn’s River Falls is a terraced, 180m mountain waterfall with lagoon pools, surrounded by trees, it is just beautiful.
As it was M birthday we stayed in one of the nicest hotels ever. Jamaica Inn is on a white-sandy beach overlooking the Caribbean Sea, this upscale resort dating from the 1950s is 2.3 km from Green Grotto Caves and 7 km from Dunn’s River Falls. The airy suites feature British Colonial details, and come with furnished balconies or verandas with sea views. We stayed in a one bedroom balcony room. It was like we had stepped back in time. The service was top notch. Nothing was too much trouble we had complimentary Cocktails at lunch time and afternoon tea on the veranda very posh altogether. The view from our room was just stunning. There are also 1-3-bedroom cottages that feature separate living rooms; some include private pools. They had a yoga class every second morning and also a gym.
There are 2 restaurants on site, A refined restaurant is set on a terrace with sea views. Other amenities include an outdoor pool, and a posh spa. Children age 10 and over are welcome. Among the notable people who have stayed at the Jamaica Inn, are Marilyn Monroe, Sir Winston Churchill, Iain Fleming (the writer of James Bonds Stories) three of the bond movies where set in Jamaica. We would come back to Jamaica for this hotel alone.
After our wonderful stay in the Jamaica Inn we travelled to our last destination Kingston the capital of Jamaica. We stayed in a nice neighbourhood St Andrews Parish from here we went to the Bob Marley Museum which is housed in the reggae singer’s former home. It was very interesting and lots of fun.
One of Jamaica’s most celebrated historic landmarks, the Devon House Mansion is the architectural dream of Jamaica’s first black millionaire, George Stiebel. He gained his wealth from gold mining in South America., Stiebel constructed this elaborate homes during the late 19th.
There are amazing Trees in Jamaica that we could really do with in Australia as they give so much protection from the Sun. I asked the Gardener the name of the Trees and he said they are a type of Almond Tree. I will have to check if we can get these trees in Australia when we get back. Although the ganga was supposed to be banded in 2017 it is still aplenty. We were offered it at least 5 times a day.
We really enjoyed Jamaica it has so much natural beauty, we just hope it does not become completely full of closed all inclusive huge resorts.
We took a plane from Kingston, Jamaica to Santiago de Cuba.