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If you’re visiting Utila, one of the best ways to spend a day is to rent an ATV and explore the further reaches of the island.
The main village is only a tiny part of this sprawling island, and it’s definitely worth dedicating the time to see some of the more remote corners.
We had an amazing day cruising around Utila and crafted a great route around the island to make the most of our one-day ATV hire and tick off lots of sights and highlights.
We covered a lot of ground, so I thought I would put together this short post with our itinerary and map, so you can create your own self-guided island adventure!
Don’t have time to read this whole post? Here’s the lowdown 👇🏼
- Renting an ATV in Utila for one day to explore the remote parts of the island is a must-do
- Rooney Rental is the best place to rent from
- It’s $45 USD for a 1/2 day rental, which is from 8 am – 6 pm
- Start with the eastside, exploring the pretty beach houses, Scott’s Driftwood Beach, Iron Shore Beach and Utila Fresh Water Caves
- Loop back into town for lunch, and visit the Utila Chocolate Co. and the Iguana Research Station
- Head to the north side of the island to explore Pumpkin Hill Beach and Pumpkin Hill Cove, have a drink at Rockies and hike Pumpkin Hill just before the sun sets
Renting an ATV in Utila
I want to start this by saying you don’t need an ATV for your whole time in Utila. Unless you’re staying very far away from town, it’s unnecessary to hire one for the duration of your stay.
The main street of Utila is very narrow with no sidewalk, and it is noisy, annoying and at times dangerous to have so many ATVs whipping up and down.
However, I do think renting an ATV in Utila for one day to get out of town and explore other parts of the island is a great idea, if you’ve got a day off from scuba diving.
Whilst it is possible to rent scooters and golf carts, we opted for an ATV and I think it was the best choice.
There are only a handful of paved roads on the island, with the rest being sand or dirt (read: mud).
An ATV was the most comfortable option for the two of us, and we safely drove around sand, bumpy roads, through potholes and very thick mud with no problems.
Where to rent an ATV in Utila
Roneey Rentals is the best place to rent in town.
When we visited, they had a couple of different pickup locations, but I think this may have changed recently. Their main office is in the centre of the village, just back from the waterfront.
Check in advance if they have any other options for pick up, or if they can drop the ATV off at your accommodation.
They offer hourly rentals, ½ day rentals or 1 day rentals.
Their ½ day rental is actually a full day. They classify a ½ day as 8 am – 6 pm, which is plenty of time to complete this self-guided island tour. This is what we opted for, and we paid $45 USD.
A 1-day rental is considered 24 hours. This is $60 USD (at the time of writing).
These prices are very affordable in comparison to other ATV rates we saw around Central America.
Self-guided Utila island tour by ATV
We planned our day to both aimlessly see and explore the island and also hit some of the main attractions that we couldn’t walk to from our accommodation.
This map covers all the spots we’ve visited, and I’ll run through our route:
🗺️ Get our custom map here and save it to your phone for easy access on the day
Part 1 – Eastside
From the main village in Utila, head east (left if you’re looking at the water) and follow Main Street until you hit Bando Beach, where it turns into an unnamed road that runs along the east coast.
House hunt all the beautiful beach houses: there are so many gorgeous clapboard beach houses along this remote stretch of coast, we daydreamed about which one we would move into! A lot of these are for rent as holiday houses, I would love to come back and spend a month chilling here.
Scott’s Driftwood Beach aka Paradise Cove: a lovely little grassy beach, full of unique sculptures and art pieces made with driftwood, by owner Scott. The land is private property, but he welcomes visitors to check out the beach and his art. There is a small box to make a donation to support his work.
Iron Shore Beach: the eastern coastline of Utila, parts of Roatan and many other Caribbean islands are made up of what’s known as ‘iron shore’. Black, jagged karst-like rock formations line the coast, which are old coral reefs. This beach showcases the unique topography and gives you a look at how rough and rugged the eastern side of Utila can be.
Utila Fresh Water Caves: just before the road connects with the airport road, there is a turn-off towards an electricity plant. Park your ATV here and follow a short path through the forest to find this set of caves. Essentially it’s like a cenote in Mexico. Whilst it was blue and pretty, the water was a bit yucky at the time of our visit, so we didn’t swim. But other people have been and loved it, so it’s worth checking out.
Part 2 – Back to town and up the centre of the island
From the caves, we took a left on Lozana Road and headed back into the centre of Utila to grab some lunch (check out our 10 favourite Utila restaurants).
From there, we checked out some attractions near the centre of the island, before heading to the northside.
Utila Chocolate Co: if this wasn’t so far away from our accommodation, I’d be here every day. But it’s most convenient to visit today with a vehicle (especially if you’re staying at the eastern end of town). A boutique chocolate shop making delicious chocolate and sweet treats with only organic Honduran ingredients. I can vouch for the brownie! It was just as good as the Chocolate Factory in Roatan.
Iguana Research & Breeding Station: I would love to recommend this as I think they’re doing good work. But the centre was essentially abandoned when we visited. No one was around to help, and everything looked in disrepair. Check recent reviews before you visit, hopefully, it has improved.
Part 3 – Northside
After a meal, your final part of the day will be checking out the north side of the island, namely Pumpkin Hill.
From the village, Google Maps might lead you on a bumpy, narrow road. It was super muddy for us, and although we had no trouble getting through on the ATV, it wasn’t actually necessary as there is another well-graded route.
The map doesn’t accurately reflect the roads, so use your brain and assess it on the day. Whatever route you take, you’ll end up on Pumpkin Hill Road, which leads towards the coast.
Pumpkin Hill Beach: a small rocky beach. There is a lot of rubbish that washes up here sadly, as it’s on the open ocean-facing side of the island. Turtles nest here from June – October.
Pumpkin Hill Cove: a little further along the coast, this small cove has a small sliver of sand at low tide. It’s more sheltered from the rubbish washing in, and we found a calm lagoon to float in.
Rockies: a Utila institution, this little bar serves up cold beers, refreshing cocktails and limited food options just behind the beach. Have a pit stop and a cold bev!
Pumpkin Hill: a small hill with a short trail leading to an abandoned observation tower. Squeeze up the narrow ladder for some epic views over Utila. This is best saved until the end of the day, so you get a nice golden-hour view before the sun sets.
We had a bit of trouble finding the trailhead to walk up to the observation tower. We were told we could walk from Rockies, but we couldn’t find the path.
We ended up driving back to Pumpkin Hill Road and taking a left turn up the hill on an unmarked road at the ‘The Hill Mini-Market’. Once we reached the top of the hill, we parked on the side of the road next to ‘Casita Hilltop’ and found the trail opposite.
Utila by ATV: Final thoughts
I hope this short post and itinerary help you plan a great day exploring Utila by ATV.
The island is so beautiful, and I’m so glad we made the time to see more than just our dive shop and the main street.
Although that is pretty amazing as well, too many people get stuck in the dive-eat-(party)-sleep-repeat schedule and there’s so much to discover on Utila.
Happy cruising!
MORE UTILA POSTS
- Complete Travel Guide to Utila Honduras: The Scuba Island
- 16 Best Things to Do in Utila, Honduras (Diving & More)
- Complete Guide to Scuba Diving in Utila
- How to Visit Water Cay Utila: Untouched Tropical Heaven
- Our Top 10 Restaurants in Utila, Honduras
- Roatan vs Utila: Which Honduran Island is Right for You?
