Backpacking in Honduras: Ultimate Honduras Travel Guide

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The least visited country in Central America turned out to be the greatest surprise for us. 

Backpacking in Honduras ticked all our boxes: oozing with tropical vibes, amazing beaches, incredible diving, good food, few crowds, lush jungle, wildlife spotting and cute towns. We adored it. 

Yet too often Honduras is left off Central American itineraries with fears around safety. Whilst these concerns are valid, with some careful preparation (like this ultra helpful guide!) it’s possible to have a safe trip in Honduras, and skipping it would be missing out on a true gem. 

I know this article is titled Backpacking in Honduras, but this Honduras travel guide is not just for backpackers. It just so happens that it’s primarily backpackers who decide to give this beautiful country a chance. 

But if you’re an intrepid traveller looking to get off the beaten path, even if you’re budget is a little higher, this guide will share everything you need to know to visit Honduras. 

I’ll share the best places to visit and top things to do, how to get to and around Honduras, as well as handy travel info like entry requirements, money matters and phones and SIM cards. 

Let’s go backpacking in Honduras! 

Why go backpacking in Honduras?

Honduras is overlooked, underrated and sadly skipped over by so many travellers in Central America. Concerns around safety are valid, but this country has so much to offer any adventurous and intrepid traveller, not just backpackers! 

• 🤿 Cheap and high-quality scuba diving: Honduras sits on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and is one of the most affordable places in the world to go scuba diving. Whilst the quality of the reef isn’t necessarily any better than its neighbours, the costs are far more affordable! The Bay Islands are Honduras’ diving hub. Roatan has the best reef (IMO), but Utila is the best place to learn with a plethora of dive schools offering affordable packages with accommodation. 

• 😌 Less busy and touristy than its neighbours: Central America as a whole isn’t that popular with international visitors (with the exception of Costa Rica), but Honduras takes it to another level. Compared to neighbouring Guatemala and Nicaragua, Honduras is quiet! You can enjoy archaeological sites, beaches and jungle trails all to yourself. 

• 🌮 Delicious and cheap baleadas: yes, a food item is a reason alone to go backpacking in Honduras! If you know anything about Central American cuisine, you’ll know that it pretty much consists of rice and beans. Well, Honduras shakes this up with their local speciality, baleadas! They’re delicious, cheap and suitable for every meal.

• 🏝️ Amazing beaches and perfect tropical vibes: Honduras has a huge stretch of Caribbean coastline, and is home to some of the best beaches in all of Central America. The sand, the water, the palm trees, it literally looks like something out of a postcard! There are also a handful of remote cayes dotted around Roatan and Utila which will make you feel like you’re Robinson Crusoe. If you love tropical vibes, Honduras will deliver. 

• 🦜 Lush mainland with jungle and wildlife: Honduras isn’t what first comes to mind when I think jungle and animals in Central America, but the mainland has some gorgeous swathes of forest with thundering waterfalls, hikes, birds (scarlet macaws! Toucans! Quetzals!) and white water rafting. All without the crowds!

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Is Honduras safe to travel?

This question is what deters many travellers from visiting Honduras, and their concerns are fair. 

Honduras faces many challenges with security issues, poverty, gang violence, drug trafficking and corruption. Parts of the country are NOT safe, and it has previously had some of the highest murder rates in the world. 

However, there are parts of Honduras that are safe for experienced and prepared travellers to visit. With careful planning and plenty of safety precautions, I believe you can have a safe and enjoyable trip backpacking in Honduras. We did! 

We unpacked the issue of safety in Honduras in much greater detail in a dedicated safety article. We shared our personal experiences of travelling through Honduras, as well as tons of helpful tips on places to avoid, how to get around safely and what you can do to minimise risk. 

🎒 Read our in-depth guide is Honduras safe to travel?

Language in Honduras

As with most countries in Central America, Spanish is the official language in Honduras.

However many people spoke English on the Bay Islands, which is not uncommon throughout the Caribbean. Many locals grow up speaking Creole English on the islands, so it’s not just for tourism, although that is part of the reason.

However, on the mainland, it reverts back to primarily Spanish-speaking. The more remote you go, the more Spanish you will speak. We didn’t have any trouble communicating, but we were speaking Spanish for most things – chicken buses, restaurants, accommodation check-ins, tourist attractions etc.

Best time to visit Honduras

The majority of Honduras follows the standard Central American wet/dry season. 

With the dry season being from November – April, and the wet season from May – October. Rain doesn’t usually start in earnest on the mainland until late June or July though. 

However the Caribbean coast and Bay Islands experience a slightly later wet season, usually from around September – January/February. The best months for diving and dry, sunny beach weather on the islands are between March – August. 

☀️ To get the best of the islands and the mainland, plan your visit between February – June

Places to visit in Honduras

There are countless beautiful places to visit in Honduras, both in the Caribbean Sea and on the mainland.

However safety is a factor to consider, so although this list could be a lot longer, the following destinations are great places to visit when backpacking in Honduras and are generally safe. 

• 🏝️ Roatan: the most popular destination in Honduras and the largest island in the Bay Islands archipelago, Roatan receives all kinds of tourists, from cruise ship passengers to luxury resort lovers. But don’t be put off, although it’s a little pricey this is a great place for backpackers and independent travellers, with insane beaches, great diving and laidback Caribbean vibes. 

• 🤿 Utila: another island in the Bay Islands group, Utila is more common with backpackers and budget travellers and has a party reputation. But even if you don’t love to party, Utila is the best place to get your PADI certificate, and there are tons of other things to do on the island. 

• 🌿 Rio Cangrejal: inland from La Ceiba, the Rio Cangrejal and Pico Bonito National Park area has gorgeous lush jungle, waterfalls, bird and wildlife watching and some great jungle lodges. It’s the best place for white water rafting. 

• 🛶 Lago de Yojoa: the largest lake in Honduras, it’s best accessed from the small town of Los Naranjos at its northern edge. D&D Brewery and Lodge put this area on the map. It’s a friendly, rural town with tons of great outdoor activities around. 

• 🦜 Copan Ruinas: this charming little town is famous for the Mayan city of Copan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the ruins, see scarlet macaws, hike in the surrounding valley and enjoy the slow-paced rural life. 

I expand on this more in my safety guide, but I personally wouldn’t visit the following places. They’re not considered the safest, and they’re not as naturally beautiful as other places you can visit, so the risk isn’t worth it in my opinion (I’m not a city gal though!).

• San Pedro Sula (you will most likely transit here, the bus station is safe)
• Tegucigalpa
• La Ceiba (you will transit through here, but don’t hang around)
• La Mosquitia (the section in the Gracias de Dios Department, okay on a guided tour from the La Ceiba area to the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve)

Top 10 things to do in Honduras

There are countless things to do in Honduras, and you’ll find extensive lists for each destination in their specific article. 

But if we’re talking big picture, bucket list experiences and sights to plan your trip around, here goes…

1. 🤿 Go scuba diving: the primary reason most people visit Honduras! It’s not hard to see why. The diving is cheap with high-quality dive shops and thriving reefs. Roatan and Utila in the Bay Islands are the best places for underwater adventures. I personally think Roatan has a better reef and marine life, but if you are planning to get your PADI Open Water certificate, diving in Utila is the way to go with lots of fantastic dive schools with inclusive packages (free dorm accommodation) and a great dive community. 

2. 🛕 Visit the ancient city of Copan: one of the greatest Mayan ruins in the region, Copan is quieter than its grander neighbours (Tikal, Palenque, Chichen Itza etc.) with impressive and intricate carvings that are well-preserved. The ruins also house a population of wild scarlet macaws that were re-introduced as part of a conservation program. 

3. 🏝️ Spend the day on a remote cay: one of my favourite days in our entire 6-month Central America trip was spent on Water Cay, a tiny uninhabited island just off the coast of Utila. Water so blue it doesn’t look real, white powdery sand, groves of palm trees swaying above you and the reef just offshore, it’s honestly paradise. The Cayos Cochinos are another great option, a small archipelago near Roatan and Utila. 

4. 🚣🏽 Kayak in Honduras’ largest lake: Lago de Yojoa, or Lake Yojoa, is the biggest lake in Honduras. Surrounded by jungle-clad mountains and hundreds of species of birds, renting a kayak on Lake Yojoa is a beautiful experience. 

5. 🦜 See scarlet macaws: the national bird of Honduras, the noisy and vibrant scarlet macaw is undeniably impressive, even if you don’t love birds. You can see them in the wild all over the Copan Valley and at the ruins, but for a more guaranteed encounter, visit Macaw Mountain, an ethical sanctuary with a great conservation program. 

6. 💦 Visit Honduras’ largest waterfall: dropping a whopping 43 metres (141 feet) Cataratas Pulhapanzak is the biggest waterfall in Honduras. Just looking at these thundering falls is impressive, but if you want some more adrenaline, you can do a tour to walk behind the waterfall, or zipline over the top of it. 

7. 🛶 Go white water rafting: the Rio Cangrejal, near La Ceiba, offers some of the best white water rafting in Central America! With rapids ranging from class II to V, you’ll dodge enormous boulders while navigating through narrow canyons. 

8. 🍫 Try local chocolate and coffee: Honduras is the largest coffee producer in Central America, and you can take farm tours all over the country to see the process. Honduras also makes delicious chocolate, and there are chocolate shops all over the country to sample it in the form of bars, brownies, hot chocolates and all kinds of sweet treats. Shout out to Utila Chocolate Co. and Roatan Chocolate Factory!

9. 💎 Laze on West Bay Beach: Honduras is home to some pretty impressive beaches, but none more so than West Bay Beach in Roatan. This glistening stretch of sand has electric blue waters that are so calm and clear it feels like a bath. The sand is soft and powdery, with palm trees lining the shore. 

10. 🌮 Eat baleadas: for breakfast, lunch and dinner! The baleada is an integral part of any Honduras backpacking trip. A thick flour tortilla folded in half, with refried beans, cheese and fillings of your choice. Eggs, meat, vegetables – you choose!  

Visas and immigration to enter Honduras

Citizens of many nationalities can enter Honduras without a visa for tourism purposes. You need at least 3 months of validity on your passport and blank pages for your entry and exit stamp. 

Honduras is part of the CA-4 agreement with Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, allowing travellers to spend 90 days total across all 4 countries. 

If you are entering Honduras from another CA-4 country, they will find your original entry date to the region and calculate your remaining days based on that. 

📣 UPDATE: as of 2024, British citizens are now required to have a visa to enter Honduras. Even though it is part of the broader CA-4 agreement and none of the other countries have visa requirements. It’s odd and highly inconvenient. How it is being enforced in practice is still unclear as it was a bumpy start with a lot of inconsistencies. Read more on the UK Government Foreign Travel Advice.

If you are a citizen of or have recently travelled to South America, Panama or any country with a risk of yellow fever, you will need to present a yellow fever vaccination certificate. 

If you’re crossing by land, you will need to pay a fee of approximately $3 USD (it may be up to $5 USD). You should get a slip of paper as a receipt that you’ve paid this fee. I’d suggest holding onto this, as sometimes they may ask to see it when you exit. 

There are always guys exchanging currency at the border, but you can usually pay the fee in USD, Lempiras or the currency of whatever country you’re coming from (Quetzales in Guatemala, Cordoba in Nicaragua). Just make sure you have cash of some kind. 

If you arrive in Honduras by air, these fees should be included in your airline ticket. 

You may be asked to show proof of onward travel when you arrive in Honduras. This is more likely to occur if you’re arriving by air, but travellers have recently reported being asked at land borders too.

This throws a spanner in the works for most backpackers in Central America who generally don’t know their plans further than a few weeks in advance, and are probably exiting Honduras via bus or tourist shuttle. 

If you don’t have a flight out of Honduras, I would recommend asking around in Facebook groups (like Backpacking Honduras or Backpacking Central America) closer to your time of visit, and see if you can find a recent report of someone crossing the border to confirm if they were asked about proof of onward travel. 

Honduras doesn’t seem to enforce this as strictly as Costa Rica and Panama, so you could get away with explaining your plans for overland travel. 

Still, be prepared to buy an onward ticket if needed. You can use a service like Onward Ticket, which instantly books you a real flight ticket for just a few bucks, and automatically cancels the booking after 48 hours. You don’t have to pay the full amount for the flight, just their service fee (currently $16). 

Getting to Honduras

✈️ BY AIR

If you’re flying into Honduras from outside the country, you will most likely arrive at San Pedro Sula (SAP Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport) or Roatan (RTB Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport). 

If you can get a flight to Roatan, I would opt for that. Roatan is most likely on your itinerary (or it should be!) whereas San Pedro Sula is not really somewhere you want to hang around. You’ll need to add on another connecting flight (most likely to Roatan) or jump on a bus anyway, depending on your itinerary, so if you can fly straight to Roatan, you can start enjoying your trip a lot quicker! 

🚌 BY LAND

If you’re already travelling in Central America, you can easily cross into Honduras from several neighbouring countries. 

Although it is possible to take a series of chicken buses for any of these routes, we’re big advocates of paying more tourist shuttles, especially for border crossing days. It costs more, but it’s quicker, easier, safer and way less hassle. 

• 🇬🇹 From Guatemala: use Rooney Shuttle to cross from Antigua, Rio Dulce or Livingston to La Ceiba (for the Bay Islands or Rio Cangrejal area). Alternatively, cross from Antigua or Guatemala City on a shuttle to Copan Ruinas. 

• 🇸🇻 From El Salvador: Santa Ana to Copan Ruinas is the most logical and common route. Gecko Trails runs this. You can also come from Juayua on the Ruta de las Flores.

• 🇳🇮 From Nicaragua: the easiest and most feasible way to get from Nica to Honduras in one day is the Leon to Lago de Yojoa route that Rooney Shuttle runs. Technically this shuttle will continue to La Ceiba but it would be an insanely long trip, and you may as well stop at the lake on the way given you’re passing through. 

Getting around Honduras

Honduras is a pretty easy country to get around. It totally depends on where you’re going and your planned route, but here are some methods of transport you can expect to use. 

• ✈️ Flights: you can fly to a handful of airports around Honduras, but the most common route you might use is to fly to the island of Roatan from San Pedro Sula. I would suggest starting or ending your trip here (flying in/out of the country), rather than taking a domestic flight as it will make your route easier if Roatan is your start or end point and you can take advantage of the international airport. 

• ⛴️ Ferries: ferries are the main method of transport to get to and between the Bay Islands. Services run from the city of La Ceiba on the mainland to Roatan and Utila, and there is also a direct route between the two islands. You can book them via Bookaway.

• 🚐 Tourist shuttles: Roneey Shuttle runs the most tourist van routes around Honduras. They are a very safe option, usually only carrying travellers going from point A to B, without stopping to collect other people. You can use them to enter/exit Honduras as mentioned above, but also to travel between La Ceiba and Lago de Yojoa. We booked them via Bookaway. 

• 🚍 Coach buses: Transportes Cristina is the most reputable coach company in Honduras. They run long-distance routes (not stopping frequently like a chicken bus) and are generally safe and secure. They are great for getting to and from La Ceiba (from San Pedro Sula or Tegucigalpa). Hedman Alas is another coach company that runs a route from San Pedro Sula to Copan Ruinas and vice versa. However, their operations are inconsistent and they seem to shut down for months at a time. 

• 🚌 Chicken buses and colectivos: if you can’t reach your destination via one of the above methods, you’ll be on the chicken bus or a colectivo van. If you’re taking our safety advice and avoiding the big cities (San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa), chicken buses are generally safe on well-travelled routes. Avoid travelling at night, and spread your valuables across your bags and body. Information is hard to find online, so check in with your accommodation for the latest and most accurate info on routes and timetables. 

• 🚗 Uber: if you find yourself in one of the big cities, you can use Uber. This is the safest and preferred method of transport for short trips. 

• 🚕 Taxi: if you need to take a taxi, it’s best to use a ‘radio taxi’ that a hotel or business calls for you. Don’t take taxis off the street in the big cities, although this is generally fine on the islands and in touristy regional towns. If in doubt, get your accommodation to organise one for you, and always agree on a price in advance. 

• 🛺 Tuk tuks: also called mototaxis, these are really common in Utila and regional towns like Lake Yojoa and Copan Ruinas. They’re great for short trips, just agree on a price before you go. 

Honduras travel routes

I think 2 – 3 weeks is the perfect amount of time to see the highlights of Honduras without rushing. A lot of travellers stick to the Bay Islands, which are paradise, I know, but the mainland is really special too and is worth allocating at least a week. 

I’ve got an in-depth Honduras itinerary post with a suggested route for 2 or 3 weeks in the country, that hits the islands and the mainland. 

Unless you’re coming from El Salvador or Nicaragua, the travel route I recommend (and what we did) is: 

• 🏝️ Roatan (4 – 7 nights)
• 🤿 Utila (4 – 7 nights)
• 🛶 Rio Cangrejal (2 – 3 nights)
• 🌿 Lago de Yojoa (3 – 4 nights)
• 🛕 Copan Ruinas (3 – 4 nights)

This works if you are flying in (fly to Roatan) or coming from Guatemala (cross to La Ceiba and ferry to Roatan). When leaving, you can easily cross to Guatemala or El Salvador, or fly out of San Pedro Sula. 

🗺️ Copy our exact 3 week Honduras itinerary (2 week options too!)

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Accommodation in Honduras

In our experience, accommodation in Honduras was affordable and had high standards. We didn’t have any terrible rooms, and with the exception of Roatan, we easily found accommodation within our budget. 

Even with our budget blowout in Roatan, we averaged $44 USD per night for accommodation, which was always in a private room with a private bathroom. 

If you’re a solo traveller looking for hostels and dorm beds, you can expect to pay around $8 – $15 USD per night. Roatan is tricky for backpackers as the best hostels aren’t well-located. It takes some careful pre-planning, but if you take a dive course on Utila, you’ll get a free dorm bed included. 

The mainland is cheaper no matter what type of room you’re looking for. 

Some top budget-friendly options around Honduras: 

• West End Dive Resort, Roatan: resort vibes with dorm beds in a good location
• Hotel Chillies, Roatan: budget-friendly private option
• La Hamaca Hostel, Utila: best spot for non-divers
• Jungle River Lodge, Rio Cangrejal: eco-lodge experience on a budget
• D&D Brewery & Lodge, Lake Yojoa: a backpacker heaven in the jungle
• Iguana Azul, Copan Ruinas: a cosy base in a charming town

If you’re on a slightly more generous budget, these are some of the best mid-range to higher-end options around the country:

• The Beach House Roatan: a gorgeous boutique property right on the waterfront at Half Moon Bay
• MANURII Boutique Hotel: far from the dive schools on Utila this is a tropical oasis
• Omega Tours Eco Jungle Lodge: gorgeous, jungly lodge on the shores of Rio Cangrejal
• Terramaya Boutique Hotel: a lovely choice in Copan Ruinas

I’ve got more detailed recommendations on where to stay (for a range of budgets) in each respective destination guide (you can find all our Honduras posts here).

Costs of travelling in Honduras

In relation to other countries in Central America, our travel budget in Honduras was mid-range. Similar to Guatemala, not as cheap as Nicaragua or El Salvador, but not as expensive as Belize or Costa Rica. 

I’ve got a post about the cost of travel in Honduras, with more detailed info about what we spent and what things cost. 

Scuba diving, although very cheap in Honduras, really adds to your travel costs and is something you need to factor in if diving is going to be a big part of your visit. 

We did a variety of dives with different dive shops, as well as night dives (more expensive) and our average cost per dive was $41 USD. As Australians that is insanely cheap, but it still adds a lot to the budget each day. 

Transport also added up A LOT in Honduras, with 3 ferry trips and 3 shuttle rides in, around and out of the country (we could have chosen to take the bus for some of these routes and saved money, so that’s on us), transport killed our budget here. 

We found accommodation and local food very affordable, especially on the mainland, and most activities we did (waterfalls, entry to private nature reserves, archaeological sites etc.) were very reasonable. 

Some typical costs of travel in Honduras: 

• 🏩 Private accommodation: $50 – $70 USD per night 
• 🛏️ Dorm bed: $10 – $15 USD per night 
• 🌮 Baleada (with a few fillings): 50 HNL (~$2 USD) 
• 🍝 International main meal (pasta, noodles): 280 HNL (~$10 USD)
• ☕️ Barista coffee: 75 HNL (~$3 USD)
• 🍺 Local beer from the supermarket: 35 HNL (~$1.50 USD)
• ⛴️ Ferry ride La Ceiba – Roatan: $30 USD
• 🚌 Chicken bus Lake Yojoa – San Pedro Sula: 70 HNL (~$3 USD)
• 🎟️ Entry to Cataratas Pulhapanzak: 120 HNL (~$5 USD)
• 🛶 Daily kayak rental on Lake Yojoa: 210 HNL (~$8 USD)

💰 Find out exactly what we spent in Honduras

Money in Honduras

They use the Honduran Lempira (HNL), also shortened to ‘lemps’. 

1 lempira is divided into 100 centavos, and they have notes and coins. There are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 500 lempira notes. They also have 1 and 2 lempira coins, and 5, 10, 20, and 50 centavos coins although they’re more of an annoyance than anything!

The value is currently $1 USD = 26 L. 

Sometimes larger costs will be displayed in USD, but paying with local currency will usually get you the best rate. Although USD is often accepted in tourist businesses for larger purchases or tours, accommodation etc. 

Roatan is an exception to this, where basically everything is priced in USD and you’ll actually get charged a crappy rate to pay in their local currency (senseless!). We didn’t have this issue anywhere else though.

Honduras is primarily cash-based.

Larger establishments (accommodation, some tour companies) will accept credit cards, but often there is a pretty hefty fee whacked on. If you’ve got a big payment to make, check in advance how you can pay it and stock up on cash if you’re going to get stung with a big fee. 

PayPal is also widely used and accepted for tourist services. 

ATMs are found all over the country, but if you’re heading somewhere rural, it’s best to assume there won’t be one. 

Banco Atlántida (the red and white machines) are the best ones to use as they don’t charge any withdrawal fees. The maximum withdrawal amount is 5,000 Lempiras per transaction, but we were able to do multiple transactions on the same card in one visit. 

Tipping in Honduras

Tipping is customary in Honduras but not as big of a deal as in some neighbouring countries. Tipping culture is more common in the Bay Islands where there are a lot of North American visitors, and less common on the mainland.

Large, more upscale restaurants will expect a tip of at least 10%, and in many cases, it will already be added to your bill as ‘servicio’. It’s not expected in smaller restaurants but is always appreciated.

If you’re staying in a nicer hotel with porters and daily room service, a few dollars is a kind gesture. As is a tip for a great tour or good dive, but it’s uncommon you would be asked to tip.

Phones and SIM cards in Honduras

Honduras has two main phone providers: Tigo and Claro. Both work pretty well all over the country but Claro is probably a slightly popular choice for quicker internet speeds. 

Both offer decent pre-paid plans with lots of data included (e.g. 15 days with 20 GB for $9 USD with Tigo or 15 days with 25 GB for $9 USD). 

If there is an actual Claro or Tigo store at your first destination, I would recommend going there to purchase the SIM card and have them set it up for you. They will explain the data plans and make sure it’s all working. Bring your passport. 

If there aren’t any stores, you can buy SIM cards from most convenience stores or tiendas around the country. Just look for a Claro or Tigo logo. Some will say you can only top up an existing plan, but most should sell you a SIM. Just ask them very nicely in the best Spanish you can to set up the card for you and put you on the correct data plan. 

If you’ve entered Honduras from another Central American country and already have a Claro or Tigo SIM card, it SHOULD keep working in Honduras. 

However, a lot of people aren’t able to top up their plan outside the original country they bought it in. Top it up with a new data pack on the day you leave your original country and hopefully, that can see you through your time in Honduras. Our Claro SIMs from Guatemala worked fine in Honduras, and we topped up for 30 days before we crossed the border. 

Food and drink to try in Honduras

Central America is not famed for its cuisine. If you’ve experienced the incredible food of Mexico, it’s basically all downhill from there as you head south. 

However we thought Honduras was a cut above its neighbours, and we had some really good meals here! 

There was a surprising variety of international food available in all the places we visited. The quality of the cafes, even in rural towns, was impressive. 

International food is understandably a bit more expensive, but we felt the quality was very high and we didn’t mind a few splurge meals every now and then. We had excellent pasta, pizza, tacos, Argentinian food and even Asian noodles! 

The local food was delicious too, and there were a couple of dishes that we really enjoyed. Honduran dishes were cheaper, but food overall is much cheaper on the mainland than on the islands, as most ingredients have to be shipped in. 

Some of the most popular dishes in Honduran cuisine you should try are: 

• 🌮 Baleadas: yes, I’m mentioning them AGAIN! But seriously, when a country has a particular street food that you can get anywhere, eat at any time of the day, is always good and doesn’t break the bank, you’ll be a happy backpacker. Baleadas are Honduras’ version of tacos, and we happily ate them every single day.
  
  A thick, large flour tortilla that gets slathered in refried red beans and crumbly cheese and folded in half with your choice of toppings. They are versatile, and you can have them with eggs and avocado for breakfast, or with meat and/or vegetables for dinner. They generally cost maximum 100 Lempira ($4 USD) and they’re extremely filling. Win, win, win! 

• 🍛 Plato tipico: the national dish of Honduras is a ‘typical plate’. It’s basically a catch-all main meal that consists of a couple of key ingredients, and whatever else the chef has in the kitchen. You can expect to have some kind of protein, usually carne asada (beef) or pork, a serving of beans, fried plantain, avocado, white cheese, sour cream and tortillas. 

• 🍳 Desayuno tipico: a ‘typical breakfast’ is basically the same as a tipico lunch or dinner, just swap the meat for eggs and maybe a sausage. The perfect way to start the day, we had so many delicious desayunos tipicos in Honduras. 

• 🥐 Pastelitos: Honduras’ answer to an empanada, a pastelito is a deep-fried dough pocket stuffed with fillings like minced beef, cheese, chorizo, potato, chicken etc. 

• 🫘 Anafre: this delicious bean and cheese dip is served warm in a clay pot, much like fondue with hot coals. With a side of crispy tortilla chips, it’s a smooth, velvety snack. It’s often got chorizo mixed through it too. 

• 🦐 Seafood: the Bay Islands are full of fresh seafood. Most often served with a side of coconutty rice and beans, plantains and salads like coleslaw or potato, it’s sometimes bathed in a creamy curry sauce or fried on a BBQ. 

• 🍗 Chicken: the cuisine in the Bay Islands is quite different to the mainland, with more Caribbean flavours. None is more iconic than rotisserie chicken! Rubbed in jerk spices and served with ‘fixins’ (sides) like rice and beans, slaw and yuca. 

• 🍫 Chocolate: we ate way too many chocolate brownies in Honduras! It’s not my fault that every place we visited had a dedicated chocolate shop! Organic, locally produced chocolate is abundant all over Honduras and they can whip up some tasty sweet treats with it. 

And typical drinks in Honduras:

• 🍺 Salva Vida: the national beer of Honduras, Salva Vida is a light and refreshing lager. You can buy them everywhere, and it’s usually cheaper to pop into a tienda and grab a beer to bring to the beach or sunset than get one from a bar. 

• ☕️ Coffee: Honduras is the largest producer of coffee in Central America. And damn, they know how to work a machine! We had excellent coffee, both the basic pot or French press and espresso machines with milk, all over the country. 

• 🙈 Monkey Lala: Roatan is famous for its ‘monkey lala’ cocktail, a lethal combo of rum, vodka, Kahlua and Bailey’s blended with rich coconut cream, it’s a Roatan rite of passage. 

• 🥭 Licuados: popular all over the region, licuados are fruit smoothies, usually made with your choice of fruit, milk or yoghurt, an unhealthy but yummy dose of sugar all blended together. 

• 🧃 Refrescos: also called agua fresca in neighbouring countries, refrescos is a catch-all for any fruit-based, non-alcoholic watery drink. Popular flavours in Honduras are jamaica (hibiscus flower) and maracuya (passionfruit). 

Backpacking in Honduras: Final thoughts

Honduras is an amazing place to travel in Central America! It has so much to offer backpackers, and it is possible to safely visit this beautiful country. 

You will be greatly rewarded if you decide to get a little further off the beaten path and visit Honduras. 

I hope this guide has inspired and equipped you for your Honduras backpacking trip, and if I’ve left any questions unanswered, please drop them in the comments!

Don’t forget to check out our other Honduras articles, for more detailed guides to the best destinations around Honduras.

MORE HONDURAS POSTS

• The Perfect 3 Week Honduras Itinerary
• Is Honduras Safe to Travel? Our Experience & Safety Tips
• Our Honduras Trip Cost: What it Costs to Travel Honduras