Honduras - attractions

Honduras is a tropical paradise in the heart of America, with lush vegetation, white sand and gentle sea. Most of the tourists come here just for the beach holiday. But the country offers its guests not only beaches - if you type "Honduras Photo Sights" in the search bar, you will see both stunning natural landscapes, and ruins of ancient Spanish forts, and very ancient buildings made by Indians who inhabited these territories many centuries ago. So, what to see in Honduras, for what is it worth interrupting a magical vacation on a beautiful beach?

Historical and cultural attractions

Perhaps the most famous landmark of Honduras are the ruins of the ancient city of Copan - Mayan settlements, which arose here around the 1st century BC and existed until the 9th century. In Honduras, there are also many attractions that have survived since the Spanish rule. First of all, these are churches and cathedrals, as well as colonial houses, which still give the country original color.

You can see many sights in the capital of the state, Tegucigalpa :

1. The church of Santa Maria de los Dolores , which is one of the oldest in the country.
2. Iglesia de San Francisco .
3. A completely new basilica of the Sayap (it was built in 1952), in which the statue of the patron saint of the city and all of Central America, the Blessed Virgin de Saiapa (its height is only 6 cm), is kept.
4. National Gallery of Art , located in a historic building in 1654 built and storing a rich collection of paintings and sculptures.

Comayagua , the former capital of the country, is also rich in sights. The most famous of them can be called the Cathedral of Santa Maria , the main value of which are preserved to this day 4 thrones (there were altogether 16 in the temple), made of wood and decorated with carvings and gilding, and watches, which, despite almost a thousand years, still walk and show time fairly accurately. Other religious buildings deserve attention:

• the church of La Merced , erected in 1551;
• La Caridad , which began to be built in 1590;
• San Sebastian and others.

There are in the city and museums:

• Colonial ;
• The Museum of Anthropology and History , which stores the richest collection of items representing the culture of the Lenka Indians;
• the house-museum of Francisco Morazan , the famous military and political figure of Central America;
• the house museum of Jose Trinidad Cabañas , who headed the country between 1852 and 1855.

It is also worth visiting the Park Central and see the building of the National Congress .

There are historical buildings in other cities:

1. In Cholutec you can see the cathedral, famous for its carved ceiling, the very beautiful building of the municipal library and the carefully restored colonial houses around the Park Central.
2. In Santa Lucia - the cathedral, which houses a carved crucifix made of wood, presented by the Spanish King Philip II.
3. Near the town of Omoa , the ancient fort of San Fernando de Omoa
4. In Trujillo you can see the fortress of Fortaleza de Santa Barbara, the 17th century cathedral, the archaeological museum and the old cemetery where the famous English pirate William Walker is buried.
5. In Santa Rosa de Copan you can admire the cathedral and the residence of the bishop.

National parks and other nature conservation areas

Despite the fact that Honduras is not a very rich country, it takes a very serious attitude to the preservation of an amazing local ecosystem that in some parts of the country has remained unchanged for many and many millennia. In Honduras, there are several national parks, bio-reserves and other nature conservation areas. First of all it is worth noting the El Kusuko National Park, which is a symbol of Honduras. On its territory grow coniferous trees, mountain oaks, many kinds of orchids, wild grapes.

Other protected areas of Honduras are:

1. La Tigra is the oldest national park in the country; its basis is the so-called "foggy forests".
2. The Rio Platano National Park is a place where not only unique plants and animals are protected, but also the culture of tribes living on the territory of the reserve.
3. Lago de Yojoa (also using the Yojoa pronunciation) is a national reserve centered on the lake of the same name. Here you can watch birds at any time of the year - there are more than three hundred species on the territory of the reserve.
4. Selak National Park is famous for its highest peak in Honduras, Serra-Las Minos, as well as the richest variety of flora and avifauna.
5. Marine National Park Marino-Punto Sal on the Caribbean coast.
6. Sea natural reserve of Cuero-i-Salado , in which, in addition to a large number of bird species, you can see not only traditional monkeys, jaguars and white-tailed deer traditional for Honduran reserves, but also such a rare marine animal as manatee.
7. Pico Bonito , where the rain forest of the slopes of the valley of the river Rio Aguan is protected.
8. In addition, in 2011, a tripartite agreement was signed between Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador on the creation of a new biosphere reserve, which will be located on the territory of all three states. The new reserve was named Trifinio Fraternidad .

Roatan Island

Roatan is the most popular place for diving and snorkeling in Honduras, but there are also places of interest here. And if you came to admire the amazingly varied underwater life of reefs, you should for a couple of days get away from this fascinating occupation and explore the island entirely:

1. Families with children will be interested to visit the show of dolphins at the Institute of Marine Sciences of Roatan and visit the museum that works at the institute.
2. It is interesting to visit the botanical garden of Carambola . You can climb to the top of Mount Carambola, from where beautiful views are opened, but it is better to do ascent without children.
3. But with the kids you can still ride a cable car , which is laid from the cruise center of the bay of Mahogany to the beach with the same name, visit the horse farm El Rancho Barrio Dorcas , and the museum of Roatan , which has the richest in Central America collection of pre-Columbian artifacts.
4. If you know how to swim with an aqualung, you will be interested in the waters of the Bay of Sandy Bay to see a museum on the seabed.
5. And, of course, the cities themselves - Oak Ridge , which is called Honduran Venice (the lodges are located on the water and the canals instead are here) deserve attention - French Harbor and Koksen Hole .