Honduras

Located in the heart of Central America, Honduras shares borders with Guatemala to the west, El Salvador to the southwest, and Nicaragua to the east and southeast. The capital, Tegucigalpa, sits in a mountain valley at around 1,000 metres elevation. Spanish is the official language and the lempira the national currency. The country holds one of the most biodiverse coral ecosystems in the Western Hemisphere — the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef — along its Bay Islands, and a rich pre-Columbian heritage linked to the Maya civilisation.

Honduras is a member of the CA-4 agreement, meaning travellers from many countries can enter Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua on a single entry permit for a combined period. Citizens of a broad range of countries, particularly in North America and Europe, arrive visa-free. Travellers should consult the Honduran immigration authority for current requirements specific to their nationality before travel.

Copán Ruinas is among the most elaborately carved Maya archaeological sites in Mesoamerica, known particularly for its intricate stelae and Hieroglyphic Stairway. The Bay Islands — Roatán, Utila, and Guanaja — sit on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and offer widely accessible scuba diving. Pico Bonito National Park near La Ceiba protects dense cloud forest and waterfalls in the Cordillera Nombre de Dios. The colonial white-walled city of Comayagua contains a cathedral built in the early 17th century and a clock tower believed to have originally been installed in the Alhambra.

Honduras has a tropical climate with notable regional variation. Caribbean lowlands and the north coast receive higher rainfall year-round, with temperatures typically between 24 °C and 32 °C. The Pacific coast and interior valleys are drier, with a distinct dry season from November through April. Highland areas around Tegucigalpa are cooler, ranging from roughly 15 °C to 25 °C. The best time to visit most of the country is during the dry season, November to April; lightweight clothing plus a rain layer suits most travellers.

• Home to the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second largest globally.
• Copán once held the densest Maya population in the region.
• The lempira currency honours a 16th-century indigenous resistance leader.
• Honduras hosted the first Peace Corps volunteers in 1962.
• Cloud forests here shelter the resplendent quetzal bird.

• ihnfa.hn — Instituto Hondureño de Turismo, national tourism authority
• ip.hn — Honduran immigration and passport office for visa information
• serna.gob.hn — Secretariat of Natural Resources for protected areas and parks
• smn.gob.hn — Honduran national meteorological service for weather data