Honduras has a really bad reputation among overlanders as having horrible border crossings and corrupt cops. Also, being the murder capital of the world does not help sell it to travelers. You can understand why most people chose to cross through Honduras in one day. After spending five blissful months in “dangerous, violent” Mexico, I thought I needed to form my own opinion on Honduras and give the country a try. I am so glad we did.
We crossed the border from Guatemala to Honduras at El Florido on a Sunday and were the ONLY ones there. It was so easy and so mellow that we kept waiting for something bad to happen. The entire crossing took 45 minutes and was totally stress free. After the tourist police drama in Antigua that morning and a five hour drive, this seemed way too easy.
Honduras is so different than Guatemala. Within miles you transition from people wearing traditional Mayan clothes and busy, frenetic roads, to mellow, sleepy Honduras, where everyone wears modern dress (well if you count cowboy hats, machetes and rubber boots as modern) and there are very few cars and people. The Hondurans also look totally different than Guatemalans, it is like the Mayan gene pool suddenly stopped. I personally thought the people of Honduras as a whole were very beautiful, and was curious about their ancestry.
From the border we drove along the steep, green mountain roads hazed in smoke and humidity (It was over 100 degrees) until we reached the town of Copan Ruinas and set up camp in a dirty lot behind a Texaco station (it was cheap and right next to the ruins….).
Copan
If you have been traveling through Mexico and Guatemala visiting all the Mayan ruins, Copan can be a bit of a let down if you compare it to places such as Tikal or Palenque. Copan is all about two things, the stunning and important Mayan sculpture and the scarlet macaws. The sculpture here has the most detail that we saw at any of the Mayan sites, and the staircase with over 1,600 glyphs is the longest known Mayan inscription found, giving historians great insight into the history of the Mayan rulers.
Also, all over the ruins, especially at the entrance, there are scarlet macaws that just took our breath away. These birds once revered by the Maya, were huge, colorful and unlike anything I have ever seen. There is a program to reintroduce the macaws (the national bird of Honduras) back into the wild after deforestation and poaching, and the group of about 20 at the ruins is a result of this program.
The scarlet Macaws at one of the feeding stations set up for them.
The birds were so social, we almost always saw them in groups.
These birds made me even happier than toucans!
I am not sure what this was, but it sure had impact.
Copan has the largest ball court in Central America.
The detail on the sculpture here was amazing. I cant even imagine what this place looked like in its glory.
The scarlet macaws were a scared bird to the Mayans. I loved seeing them in the ruins.
Looking out onto the Great Plaza.
Detailed sculptures were everywhere. I can’t imagine how many artists worked to build this place.
Trying to avoid heat stroke, my shirt was totally soaked with sweat. It was SO hot. Over 100 degrees all day with almost 95% humidity. We were drinking 3 liters of water each and still getting dehydrated.
The staircase with over 1600 glyphs that told the history of the Mayan rulers. Pretty amazing minus the dirty tarp hanging sloppily over it. Each brick has an engraving on it.
Our not so sexy camp site behind the gas station. This picture was taken from inside the ruins, it was really close.
My only complaint about Copan was how expensive it was. It cost $15 to see the ruins, another $15 to see the tunnels and another $7 to see the museum with all the original sculpture. So to see it all it costs $37 per person! We skipped the tunnels but enjoyed the museum. You can park for free in the parking lot though…..
Copan Ruinas
The small and charming town of Copan Ruinas is an easy walk from the ruins and has a lot to offer. We stayed for two days and spent most of our time blowing our budget at Sol de Copan, a German brewery with the best beer you will probally drink in Central America. You can also get some pretty great German food, Tomas even makes his own German sausage. The brewery is closed Mondays, so plan accordingly. We also found some artisanal cheese, great coffee shops and delicious ice cream.
Drinking one of the best Hefeweizen we have ever had at Sol de Copan.
We also found Cafe San Rafael, that makes its own local cheese and coffee that was really good (if not a little pricey). Good cheese and good beer are not something we get everyday traveling, so it is worth the splurge.
One of the pretty buildings in Copan Ruinas.
And while we were in Copan we met Kurt and Michelle, a Swiss couple who just spent three years in South America. They told us about a better camp site across the street. Look how little we look!
Overall, our first few days in Honduras were nothing like I expected. Craft beer, local cheese, super nice people and a sleepy and safe vibe. You just never know until you experience a place for yourself.