Copan Ruinas, Honduras Travel Guide: Mayans and Macaws

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Copan Ruinas is a charming rural town in western Honduras, quite close to the Guatemalan border. It’s best known for the Mayan archeological site of Copan, but it would be a mistake to think the ruins are the only thing this town has to offer! 

A complete change of pace from the busy and touristy Bay Islands, we thoroughly enjoyed a few days relaxing in Copan Ruinas. Time seems to slow down here, and we happily settled into the easy rhythm of rural life. 

Lazing in hammocks and eating brownies at El Lugar del Te y Chocolate, seeing the colourful birds at Macaw Mountain and having a long overdue cheese and charcuterie board at Cafe San Rafael, we loved Copan Ruinas.  

This travel guide will share everything you need to know about visiting Copan Ruinas, the town and the ruins, including how to get there, where to stay, where to eat and the top things to do. 

Copan Ruinas in less than 30 seconds

About Copan Ruinas

Copan Ruinas is the name of a town in Western Honduras, located in the department of Copan, very near the Guatemalan border. 

This isn’t to be confused with the ancient Mayan city of Copan, one of the most spectacular Mayan ruins in Central America. 

The ancient city is located in the town of Copan Ruinas, and this UNESCO World Heritage Site put this small town on the tourist map. 

The Mayan archaeological site is referred to by a couple of different names, and it can be confusing as to whether someone is talking about the town or the ancient city. 

You might hear the ruins referred to as any number of the following: 

• The Mayan City of Copan
• Copan Ruins (Ruinas de Copan)
• Copan Archeological Site
• Copan (which could mean either the ruins or the town!)

To try and keep things clear, this travel guide is about the town of Copan Ruinas. I may sometimes shorten this to Copan. 

Obviously one of the best things to do in Copan Ruinas is to visit the ancient Mayan city of Copan, and I’ll share some more information about this below.

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How to get to Copan Ruinas

From Lago de Yojoa

We arrived in Copan Ruinas from Lago de Yojoa. 

The journey involves two legs, first getting from the lake (Los Naranjos) to San Pedro Sula, and from there to Copan. There aren’t any tourist shuttles that run this route, so you’re relying on chicken buses and/or long-distance coaches. 

From Los Naranjos, the El Mochito chicken bus goes directly to the Terminal Metropolitana de Buses in SPS. This leg takes around 1.5 – 2 hours, it can be quite slow depending on how many times it stops. You should expect to pay around 70 Lempira (~ $3 USD).

From San Pedro Sula, you’ve got two options for the second leg of the trip. 

The comfortable option is the Hedman Alas bus, which is a long-distance coach. Their operations tend to be inconsistent, so they may or may not be running at the time of your visit. 

They only run the route from SPS to Copan Ruinas a few times per week, so check their latest schedules here to confirm if it works for you. The trip should be around 3.5 hours, and tickets cost 469 Lempira (~ $18 USD).

This is definitely the preferred option, and although it might cost a little more, it is far, far more comfortable and quicker. 

If that is not running or doesn’t depart on the day you want to travel, you can take the Casasola Express colectivo van. We managed to find a timetable on a website here that was correct for us, but I don’t know if this is still accurate. 

You need to find their window inside the bus terminal to buy your ticket. It’s a huge place but people are helpful and the signage is clear. Once you’ve got your ticket they’ll tell you which bay you need to wait in to make sure you get on the right van! 

Our trip was hot, sweaty, cramped and slow. We paid 160 Lempiras (~ $6 USD) and the trip that should have been 3.5 hours took more than 5. But we got there in one piece, and the van terminated in a dusty lot just outside the centre of town here, so we had an easy walk to our accommodation. 

It’s now possible to pre-book the San Pedro Sula to Copan Ruinas colectivo online with Casasola Express. It’s via GuateGo, and allows you to see the schedules in advance. However this can be tricky to align the times if you’re coming off another chicken bus and we didn’t have any issues buying tickets on the spot.

From La Ceiba (for Utila, Roatan and Pico Bonito/Rio Cangrejal)

La Ceiba is the transit hub for the islands of Roatan and Utila, and the Pico Bonito/Rio Cangrejal area. Again, there are no tourist shuttles for this route. You’ll need to get to San Pedro Sula and then follow the second leg as above. 

From La Ceiba, you need to take the Transportes Cristina bus to San Pedro Sula. It departs multiple times per day from their terminal located here.

As far as I can tell, you can’t buy tickets online in advance, but generally, the route doesn’t sell out. It should be around 180 Lempiras (~ $7 USD) and the journey should take 3.5 – 4 hours. 

The quality of the buses varies, but it’s a proper coach, not a chicken bus. It’s going from point to point and won’t stop constantly. 

The bus will terminate at the main bus terminal in San Pedro Sula, and you can follow the directions above to get to Copan Ruinas (Hedman Alas coach or Casasola colectivo van).

From Guatemala

Copan Ruinas is a very common entry point to Honduras for travellers in Guatemala, and multiple tourist shuttle companies run a route from the gorgeous colonial city of Antigua. 

Be prepared for an early wake-up, as most shuttles depart at 3:00 or 4:00 am, and the trip takes 6 – 7 hours. Check out the different shuttle options from Antigua – Copan Ruinas here. 

I believe Hedman Alas (if they are still operating) also runs a coach service from Guatemala City to Copan Ruinas. If you book this via a travel agent or your accommodation in Antigua, they can organise a taxi/shuttle for you to get to the bus station in the city. This would probably end up taking a bit longer, but the big coaches are far more comfortable than a cramped shuttle van. 

From El Salvador

After Copan Ruinas, we headed into El Salvador. If you’re travelling Central America in the opposite direction, this is an easy route. 

There are a handful of shuttles that run between Santa Ana and Copan Ruinas. Gecko Trails runs this route, and we can personally recommend Go Travel El Salvador too. 

On our reverse journey, they actually took us further than Santa Ana, as our first stop in El Salvador was the Ruta de Las Flores, so we were able to pay about $10 USD extra and get dropped in Juayua, which was super easy. You might like to coordinate the same thing in reverse.

How to get around

Copan Ruinas is a small town, and most sites are easily accessible on foot. 

Do be aware that the town is quite hilly, so if you opt to walk to certain sites (e.g. Tea and Chocolate Place, Macaw Mountain) you’ll have to tackle some steep inclines! 

There are tuk-tuks around town too if you’re feeling a bit lazy or you’ve got luggage. They’re easy to flag down. 

There are a handful of attractions spread out across the valley, but most offer transport as part of their package. I’ll touch more on this below for each activity.  

Where to stay in Copan Ruinas

• 💰 Iguana Azul: one of the best-rated hostels in Copan, owned by the same people as La Casa de Cafe. Offering dorms and private rooms, shared kitchen, lovely gardens and hammocks outside. 

• 💰 ViaVia Copan: a global chain of traveller cafes/hubs, the ViaVia in Copan is centrally located with a wealth of information for travellers. In addition to offering transport, tours and a cafe, they have a small number of private rooms. Each has its own bathroom and I believe they include breakfast. It’s as cheap as $10 USD per night. 

• 💰💰 Villa Doña Nina: this gorgeous little Airbnb was one of the best places we stayed in Honduras. It was a private and self-contained suite at the top of a family home in town, that was so well-equipped, with a gorgeous balcony with hammocks and mountain views and a very lovely owner. 

• 💰💰 Garden Hotel: a gorgeous, leafy option in a pretty historic building. There is a lovely terrace filled with plants and flowers, hammocks to relax in, daily breakfast and clean and airy rooms. An oasis in the heart of Copan. 

• 💰💰💰 La Casa de Cafe B&B: we ate at the cafe here and can vouch for the views and vibe. It was a gorgeous leafy garden with stunning views over the mountain and valley. The staff were friendly and it was super relaxing and charming. 

• 💰💰💰 Terramaya Boutique Hotel: one of the more luxurious options in Copan Ruinas, but still very affordable. This simple but elegant option features gorgeous views over the Copan Valley, with a balcony and hammocks in most rooms, helpful staff and daily breakfast. 

Things to do in Copan Ruinas

1. Explore the ancient Mayan city of Copan

The best thing to do in Copan Ruinas is to visit the ancient Mayan city of Copan. 

The city thrived between the years 250 – 900 A.D. Although not the largest city of the Mayan kingdom, Copan is known for its intricate carvings.

The rock used to build Copan was softer than that of its counterparts, allowing these master artists to create detailed and complex carvings, depicting their culture, religion, society and history. 

A lot of people ask “should I visit Copan if I’ve already visited [insert other Mayan ruin]?”. Each ruin is unique, and it’s impossible to compare them. 

What I can say is that Copan is not as grand as Tikal, as popular as Chichen Itza (overrated!) or as jungly as Palenque. But in our experience, it was comparatively very quiet, the carvings were unlike any other ruins we’d seen, and it had a secret weapon that made this one of our favourite Mayan ruins – macaws! 

The scarlet macaw is the national bird of Honduras and has been living in the Copan Valley since Mayan times. The birds had a strong symbolic value in Mayan religion and society, and you can see carvings of the birds all over the ancient city. 

The best part is the wild macaws that live around the ruins. After periods of decline in their population due to habitat loss and other threats, NGOs around Copan have worked tirelessly to repopulate macaws to the area. After multiple successful breeding and release programs, scarlet macaws once again fly around the city of Copan. 

These birds are completely wild and free, having been released at the ruins. To ensure their ongoing survival and well-being, there is a daily feeding at the site, and if the birds are hungry and want to hang around, they can. There are also artificial nests all over the city to encourage mating and breeding. 

As an animal lover, seeing the macaws around Copan really elevated this ruins experience. 

It was incredible to look at a carving of a macaw in one direction, understanding how symbolic they were to the Mayans, and to look skywards and see the vibrant red plumage in the trees and hear the soundtrack of these incredibly noisy birds bringing the city to life! 

Apparently, food is put out for the macaws at 8:00 am and 1:00 pm each day. We sadly arrived at 9:00 am and missed it, but one of the staff told us these were the feeding times. I’m not sure if it’s still accurate, but it’s worth arriving first thing to see it! (We still saw tons of birds around the city, they’re very noisy it’s hard to miss!). 

Key info for visiting the ruins of Copan: 

• 🥾 How to get there: it’s an easy walk from the centre of town to the ruins. There is a well-made footpath on both sides of the road, it’s about 1.5 km (1 mi), depending on where you’re staying. Otherwise, you can jump in a tuk-tuk. 

• ⏰ Opening hours: the ancient city is open every day from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. We’re usually early birds, but obviously, we slept in that day as we didn’t arrive until 9:00 am and we missed the macaw feeding! At the time of our visit, this happened at 8:00 am and 1:00 pm. 

• 💰 Entry cost: the entry cost for foreigners is $20 USD. This gets you access to the ancient city. If you’d like to visit the Museo de Escultura (Sculpture Museum) it’s an extra $10 USD. 

• 🧍🏻 Getting a guide: a guide is not mandatory to visit Copan, but of course, they can bring the city to life and explain so much more about what you’re looking at, and what life was like when the city was at its peak. There are guides at the entrance you can hire. Expect to pay at least $30 USD. 

• ⏳ How long: I would allocate at least 2.5 – 3 hours at the site if not more. It’s not huge, but there are so many intricate details to see, and you’ll likely spend a lot of time looking at the macaws too. 

2. Visit Macaw Mountain

The Macaw Mountain Bird Park is a bird rescue, rehabilitation and release centre located on a lush jungle property just a few minutes outside central Copan. 

They host an array of native birds, like macaws, parrots, toucans and more, who have either been donated or forcibly removed from human captivity or rescued from injury or illness in the wild. 

You take yourself on a short self-guided tour around the park, looking at the different species. There is a lot of information in Spanish and English, and we learnt a lot about the birds. It’s always sad seeing animals behind a cage, but at least they are well-fed and cared for. 

The park is open daily from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. Entry is 250 Lempira (~ $10 USD).

It’s about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) from town. We decided to walk and enjoyed it, but do know it is quite steep on the way there. You can take a tuk-tuk from town if you’re not up for the walk. Walking back is a lot easier if you don’t want to organise a tuk-tuk to wait for you or come back to pick you up.

🦜 Read our complete guide to visiting Macaw Mountain

3. Treat yourself at El Lugar del Te y Chocolate

The Tea and Chocolate Place has become a local icon, and it was definitely one of my favourite things to do in Copan Ruinas. 

This gorgeous cafe specialises in (you guessed it!) tea and chocolate, focusing on local organic produce. Sitting in a slice of lush forest, there is a patio to soak up the views from a hammock, and it’s a tranquil place to spend an afternoon. 

If you’ve read my other Honduras posts, you’ll know our brownie obsession was real here! After the chocolate factories in Roatan and Utila and the endless cafe choices in Lago de Yojoa, we had high hopes for Copan and it did not disappoint! 

We had a hot chocolate drink and a cold chocolate drink, both delicious. We got one of them as a chilli flavour which was excellent, and of course, we shared a brownie. There is a mouthwatering range of chocolate bars of all kinds of flavours to buy too. 

The cafe is open from Monday – Saturday from 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm (closed Sundays). It’s less than a kilometre (0.5 mi) from the centre of town, and we happily walked there, but as with most places in Copan Ruinas, it’s steep on the way up! Any tuk-tuk can take you there. 

4. Explore the town of Copan Ruinas

Don’t forget to spend some time exploring the town. It’s small but very quaint, with charming cobblestone streets, historic buildings and a friendly atmosphere. 

The heart of the town is Parque Central, and it was one of the nicest plazas we visited in Central America. As per usual, you’ll find the cathedral on one side of the plaza and some government buildings on the other. 

There is gorgeous street art all over Copan Ruinas. Most depict the rich Mayan heritage and wildlife of the region, particularly macaws. Our favourite spot was on Calle Acropolis near the bridge with the ‘bienvenidos a Copan Ruinas’ sign. 

If you want to do some shopping, there are lots of great souvenir shops in the streets around the plaza. Not all are as authentic as others, but there are lots of things available. We also loved La Casa de Todo, a restaurant/gourmet food store, with lots of local goodies like hot sauces, honey, fresh bread etc. 

Copan Ruinas also has a very big and friendly population of street dogs. While it’s never nice for doggies to be living on the street, all of the dogs we encountered seemed healthy and well-fed, and they were all incredibly affectionate. We always think if a town has friendly street dogs, it’s a nice place as it means the locals must be kind to them. 

5. Take a coffee tour

The Copan Valley is a fertile area for coffee plantations and one of the best things to do in Copan Ruinas is to take a tour of a coffee farm.

We had just done a similar style tour in Antigua, so we didn’t do it here, but basically, you’ll get to visit a working finca and learn all about the process of growing and producing coffee. With samples included of course! 

We’ve done these types of tours a few times and really enjoy connecting with local farmers, seeing a different side of the destination we’re visiting and getting a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a drink we have every single day. 

Cafe Welchez, a cafe in town, is the best option. They offer a tour of their farm, Finca San Isabel. 

It includes transport from their cafe in town, a multi-stage tour of their growing, processing and roasting areas, and lunch in a cafe. The tour is $45 USD, it runs for 3 hours and there are morning and afternoon departures to choose from. 

You can book on their website.

6. Soak in the Luna Jaguar Hot Springs

Located in the hills about 1 hour from town, the Luna Jaguar Hot Springs is a natural spa, with varying pools full of thermal waters created by nearby volcanic activities. 

There are more than 15 different pools with different temperatures, as well as a spa where you can get treatments like massages, mud baths etc. 

The spa offers shared shuttle transport to and from the springs. They depart each day at 2:00 pm and return to Copan at around 7:00 pm. More info here.

7. Go on a hike

I’m not normally an advocate of guided hikes unless it’s absolutely necessary, but one of the best things to do in Copan Ruinas is to take a hike with Basecamp Adventures (the tour company operating out of Cafe ViaVia). 

They offer a couple of different options, but the best is their Copan Cultural Hike. 

The hike will take you to the outskirts of town, visiting small indigenous villages and learning more about the modern-day society and culture of Honduras. It’s a fascinating and meaningful way to educate yourself about the darker and more desperate side of the country, which faces a host of challenges, from poverty to security issues. 

The hike is $20 USD per person and you can book at Cafe ViaVia (I think they’re still offering all their tours, but their tour company is no longer active online so you’ll need to pop by in person to confirm!). 

8. Copan Canopy Tour

If you’re travelling through Central America and have Costa Rica on your hit list, I’d probably save this activity for the mecca of ziplining in Monteverde. 

But if Honduras is your only destination, the Copan Canopy tour can be a fun and thrilling way to spend a few hours. 

The tour includes 14 ziplines of varying lengths, through the leafy canopy in the hills around town. 

The site is located near Macaw Mountain, so you’ve got a great chance of seeing or hearing macaws while you’re flying up at canopy level! We walked past the course and it is a really lovely lush area, so I imagine the views would be epic from up there! 

You can book a tour via Cafe ViaVia, which includes transport both ways, the canopy tour and the entrance to Macaw Mountain for $45 USD. 

I also think it’s possible to get in touch directly with Copan Canopy, or just turn up on the day. Their direct fee is $35 USD, and it’s possible to walk or tuk-tuk here from town. Definitely combine this activity with Macaw Mountain, as they are right next door. 

9. See sunflowers at Paseo de los Girasoles

This cute little local sunflower farm is a nice way to kill a few hours. 

They’ve got rows upon rows of sunflowers, as well as a nice restaurant area and outdoor space to enjoy a meal or drink. 

It’s nothing overly special, but fits nicely with the laidback, rural vibe of Copan Ruinas. Just be sure to check their Facebook page to make sure the flowers are blooming when you visit!

The farm is open every day from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Entry is 50 Lempiras (~ $2 USD).

It’s about 4 km (2.5 mi) from the centre of town, and it would be a nice walk if you’re up for it, otherwise, grab a tuk-tuk. Best to ask them to come back for you later on. 

10. Check out the museums

There are a handful of museums in and around town, most providing deeper background on the Mayan culture:

• ම Museo Digital de Copan: I’m not sure if this museum is still open, and unfortunately we didn’t visit so I can’t confirm. I don’t think there’s much in the way of exhibitions, however, it was a popular spot as they showed a 15-minute video about the ancient city, which was a great introduction to the ruins before you visited.

• ම Museo de Arqueología Maya: also located in the plaza, this isn’t a huge museum, but it has additional artefacts to complement the ruins. It’s $8 USD entry fee, and they are open daily from 2:00 pm – 9:00 pm. 

• ම Museo de Esculturas: if you’re only going to visit one museum in Copan Ruinas, make it this one. Located on-site at the ruins, the sculpture museum highlights even further the impressive craftsmanship of the Mayans living in Copan. Entry is $10 USD and the museum is open daily from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. 

Where to eat in Copan Ruinas

• 🌮 Buena Baleada: our go-to spot for baleadas. Cheap, filling and delicious we particularly loved their breakfast options with eggs and avocado. 

• 🧀 Cafe San Rafael: I was not expecting a cafe of this calibre in rural Honduras! It’s a gorgeous, modern cafe with excellent coffee, yummy sweet treats and the best thing – cheese, charcuterie and wine! It had been quite some time since we’d had anything like that, so we jumped at the chance to splurge a little. I think we visited at least once per day, some days twice. 

• 🍛 Comedor Pupuseria Mary: we jumped the gun a little bit while we were in Copan, and got our first taste of Salvadoran pupusas at this local spot, Mary’s. They also serve up traditional Honduran dishes. It’s pretty cheap. 

• 🍝 Cafe ViaVia: a traveller’s hub, there are some great international options on the menu like Thai curries, Mexican nachos and burritos and Italian pastas. They have some very sweet dogs here!  

• 🍫 Don Churro Copan: I’m a sweet tooth, and I beelined straight for the churro shop! They make hot, thick churros filled with a sweet topping of your choice (caramel, chocolate, condensed milk etc.). Highly recommend. 📣 Unfortunately Don Churro is now closed. Apparently there is a stall around Parque Central with churros but they’re not as good. Let me know if you find any other spot for a tasty sweet treat!

• ☕️ La Casa de Cafe: the popular B&B has a very lovely cafe on-site that makes use of its gardens and gorgeous views. We enjoyed a chickpea curry which was a very nice change of cuisine! It’s a bit confusing to find the cafe, you have to go inside the hotel to the reception and they’ll direct you to the terrace. 

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Travel tips

• 🏧 ATMs: there are multiple ATMs around the centre of Copan Ruinas, near Parque Central. Most are bank-affiliated and safe to use. Lots of establishments do accept credit cards though. 

• 🧺 Laundry: one problem we ran into in Copan Ruinas was needing to do A LOT (like everything in our backpack) of laundry, and we couldn’t find any normal lavanderias. We ended up taking our clothes to La Casa de Todo, but it was really expensive. Since our visit, it looks like a new laundry has opened up, which will solve this problem! Check out SuperLaundry if you need one. 

• 🚨 Safety: rightfully so, a lot of travellers are wary of visiting Honduras outside of the touristy Bay Islands. There are a lot of places in this country that are NOT safe, but Copan isn’t one of them (read more in our Honduras safety guide here). It hosts a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it does get a consistent, albeit small, flow of tourists each year. 

• 🗣️ Spanish: if you were enjoying speaking English on the Bay Islands, where most locals speak it and there are a lot of international visitors and dive masters, be prepared that it’s back to Spanish when you get on the mainland! 

• 🌤️ When to visit: Copan Ruinas follows the usual wet/dry season for the region. November – April is the dry season. We visited in March and had perfect sunny days. It can get quite hot in Copan, and it’s much hotter than neighbouring Antigua in Guatemala, given the lower altitude, so be prepared. 

Final thoughts on Copan Ruinas Honduras

Copan Ruinas was just lovely. I wouldn’t say it’s topping any highlight lists in Central America, but it was just so friendly, laidback and easygoing that it’s impossible not to fall in love with this little town. 

Don’t undersell your time here. Although it might seem like you can knock off the main attractions in a day or two, it’s a really sweet place to slow down for a few days, rest and enjoy the ruins, the birds and of course, the amazing food! It’s easy on the Honduras trip budget too.

If this is just the beginning of your Honduras travels, my recommended next stop would be Lago de Yojoa. If you’re coming in the reverse direction as we were, push on to El Salvador or Guatemala (and don’t forget to read my other Honduras guides). 

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