Other Maps:
N. West Honduras
Honduras maps at: LCPC,
Info Please, Lonley Planet,
U. Texas, MapBlast/Vicinity


Map links at about.com, 
Central America
El Salvador, Guatemala, 
Nicaragua

Weather

Honduras Facts and Figures: (Source: CIA World FactBook)

Population:  6.4 million (growth rate: 2.4%)
Fertility: 4.4 (1996 est.) 4.1 (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate:	30.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
                  Rate for US is 6.7
People:      90% Mestizo (persons of Spanish and Native American descent)
             10% Native American, African-Americans and Caucasians
Religion:    Approximately 85% Roman Catholic.  Protestants constitute a
             small but growing percentage.  The indigenous tribes practice
             animism and ancestor worship.
GDP:	purchasing power parity - $17 billion (2000 est.)
     Agriculture 16% (Coffee, bananas, beef, sugar cane, tobacco and forestry),
     services 52%, industry 32% (1999 est.)
     Honduras was the original "banana republic".  Vast expanses of its fertile
     flood plains are owned by two big U.S. banana corporations, Chiquita and
     Dole, which employed 20,000 workers before Hurricane Mitch.
Exchange rates:	lempiras per US dollar - 16.1 (Mar 2002) (Inflation 14%)
Average per capita Income:   $760 per year
Literacy: total population: 72.7% (male: 72.6% female: 72.7% (1995 est.) 
Population below poverty line:	53% (1993 est.) 
    Other Central American Countries % below poverty line: Belize 33%,
    Costa Rico 20%, El Salvador 48%, Guatemala 60%, Nicaraga 50%.
    38% of pop. have no health services, 26% do not have sanitation systems
Disasters:
   1974 Hurricane Fifi: 8,000 dead. $1.3 Billion in damages.
   1998 Hurricane Mitch: 11,000 deaths & more than $5 B in damages in Honduras.
   Most of the banana plants were destroyed and it takes several years for
   new trees to become productive.  Most producers don't have the cash to
   invest and wait 2-3 years for any income.
   Agriculture accounted for 37% of Honduras' GDP before Hurricane Mitch
   and 16% after.
   Comparing Mitch to Hurricane Fifi, Vice-President Billy Handal said,
    "Hurricane Fifi was nothing compared to this. It took 12 to 14 years
     of effort to overcome Fifi. This one will take 30 or 40 years."
Crime: (Source: US State Dept.)
The security situation in Honduras requires a high degree of caution and
U.S. citizens are encouraged to follow local news reports (See link to sources
 at https://www.usmission.hn.)
and contact the Honduran Embassy in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Embassy
in Tegucigalpa (Tel: 011-504-236-9320 or 011-504-238-5114 ) for current
conditions.  There has been an upsurge in armed robberies against tourist
vans, minibuses and cars traveling from San Pedro Sula airport to area
hotels and to Copán.  Copán and the Bay Islands have experienced petty theft,
 but tourists generally have fewer problems than the rest of the country.
Update 2013: San Pedro Sula was labeled the world's deadliest city
          because of drug violence.

Health risks: Chagas' disease, cholera, dengue fever, Hepatitis A, HIV/AIDS,
 malaria, Traveler's diarrhea
Although doctors are generally well trained, support staff and facilities
 are not up to U.S. standards.

Financial Services
Visa: Banco Atlantida in San Pedro Sula has Plus and Visa ATMs (Cajeros Automaticos), which will work with US cards accoding to Visa.
Both Banco Atlantida and Banco de Occidente offer cash advances on your VISA card, but may require a passport.

American Express:
Mundirama Travel Service S.A.
Edif. Martinez Valenzuela, Contiguo A Banffaa
San Pedro Sula
tel: 550-1192, 557-9022, 550-0490,550-1460
Mon-Fri 8a.m. to 5p.m., Sat 8a.m. to 12p.m.

American Express partner in Honduras is Credomatic
They also have Visa and MasterCard
Ficensa building
(Also at 3 Av y 2 Calle NO ?)
San Pedro Sula 558-0911 557-9801
ATMs (Cajeros Automaticos)

Lost or Stolen Cards and Checks

Note: Most non-local telephone numbers are toll free or collect;
 if not, the call is generally reimbursable. Inquire of your agent.

American Express      (905) 474-0870 (Intnt'l. collect)
American Express TC's (801) 964-6665
MasterCard            (314) 542-7111 collect
Visa                   410 581 9091

See Also: Bank lists at iGo.com and HondurasInfo.hn.

Money exchange
According to most travel guides the street money changers give better
rates than the banks.  There are usually some at the departure area
in the airport and a block from the central park in front of the
 fast food row in San Pedro Sula.

Travel
San Pedro Sula to La Entrada: 84 mi. 1 1/2 hrs.
La Entrada to Copán: 2-3 hrs.
The roads between Tegucigalpa and Copán are so poor that most
people go back to San Pedro Sula and then to Copán.

Airlines
Continental (via Houston or Guatemala City), American (via Miami)
Newark, NJ (EWR) to San Pedro Sula (SAP) - $580 - $800
1927 mi.  4hr. 10min. (Direct continental return f/ San Pedro Sula)
with 1 stop 6hr. 45min

Communications
Internet access in Copán at: Ixbalanque Spanish School,
 Maya Connections at the Hotel Los Gemelos and Copan Net.

See LaEntrada page.

Telephone Jacks:
This country uses the RJ-11 pattern which is the same as USA.
 Not all telephones have modular connections 
 (i.e., they are "hard-wired" into the walls). 

International Calls

Look for AT&T Direct phones at the airport in Toncontin or at Hondutel offices. Otherwise, try accessing AT&T or MCI for collect or calling-card calls by dialing the following numbers:

U.S. AT&T 123 
U.S. MCI 122 
Access is not available from every phone. International CallingA

U.S. Embassy and Consulate
https://www.usmission.hn
Avenida La Paz in Tegucigalpa
Telephone: 011-504-236-9320 or 011-504-238-5114

Banco Atlantida Building - 8th Floor 
San Pedro Sula, Honduras 
Telephone: 011-504-558-1580

 

• The Bay Islands of Utila, Roatan, and Guanaga are well known for SCUBA Diving, snorkeling and water sports.
• Copán in the north west is one of the major Maya Ruins sights.
• North Coast cities of Tela, La Ceiba and Trujillo. Beautiful beaches, National Parks, birding, white water rafting and just a laid back life style are just a part of the choices.
• La Ceiba is famous for its Carnival week, which takes place during the Month of May to celebrate the patron saint, San Isidro.
• Birdwatchers just have to visit the Yojoa Lake where they have identified close to 500 species. The The Lodge at Pico Bonito 10 mi. south of La Ceiba boasts over 275 species of birds. An abundance of migratory species can be seen from August to March.
• The region east of Trujillo, and towards the Nicaraguan border is generally referred to as La Moskitia, or the Mosquito Coast (named after the Mosquite Indians). It is very sparsely populated, inaccessible by land and home to the largest tract of virgin tropical rain forest in the North American hemisphere. See La Moskitia Ecoaventuras.
• Celaque National Park, outside of the town of Gracias, has a cloud forest on Cierro Las Minas which if over 9,347 ft. high, with many hiking opportunities.

Honduras Information at:

CIA World FactBook
State Department
The Maya Ruins of Copán Honduras at: Global Travel Club,
Honduras.net, Honduras Tips (Inst. of Tourism)

Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church Hearts for Honduras Project

Medical Eye & Dental International Care Organization (M.E.D.I.C.O)