Introduction to Bay Islands

Las Islas de la Bahía, or the Bay Islands, are best known for their clear Caribbean waters and their pristine coral reef -- the second largest in the world. The three main islands of Roatán, Utila, and Guanaja, along with Barbareta and 60 or so other tiny cayes, have long been one of the major dive destinations in the world. Although they are no longer the cheapest places in the world to get dive certification, prices remain considerably cheaper than anywhere else in the Caribbean and package deals for divers are vast. All-inclusive tours that include lodging, food, dives, airfare, and anything else you can throw in can be had for any visitor seeking a deal.

The cultural makeup of the islands has been a tumultuous one. The first pre-Columbian settlers were likely related to the Pech Indians on the mainland and a few small archaeological sites are still scattered among the surrounding hills. Christopher Columbus is believed to be the first European to find the islands, when he anchored in Guanaja in July 1502. In the following decades, Spanish ships came to take native slaves and set up encomiendas, where, in exchange for Christianization, the indigenous people were forced to pay tribute and labor to the Spanish Crown. As the Spanish began to loot the New World of its gold and transport the riches across the Caribbean back to Spain, the islands became a hide-out for French and English raiding boats. Pirates such as Henry Morgan and John Coxen began to frequent the islands for the next 2 centuries, although they left little trace. War broke out between England and Spain in 1739, and the British took control of the islands and set up forts at Port Royal in Roatán. They were returned to Spain in the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748, taken back by the British during another war in 1779, and then left uninhabited after Spanish attacks in 1782. In 1797, a few thousand Garífuna, descendants of Carib Indians and African slaves from the Cayman Islands, were dumped at Punta Gorda in Roatán by the British and many settled there while others headed for the mainland. In the 1830s, a new wave of white and black settlers came from the Caymans and set up the main towns that remain population centers today. The British government claimed control over the islands during this time, and although Honduran sovereignty of the islands was recognized in 1859, many of the islanders continued to see themselves as a part of the British Empire.

Today, the Bay Islands are at a major turning point in their history. Fishing, which has been the lifeblood of the islanders for several centuries, is quickly being replaced by tourism as the most important trade. Luxury home developments targeting North Americans are creeping onto every island and slews of Latino workers from the mainland are attracted by the high standards of living and available work, while the native Afro-Caribbean population is getting pushed to the fringes of the islands. Entire chunks of land, such as the West End of Roatán, are being snapped up by developers, and hotels and resorts are replacing the islands' once traditional stilted wood houses. The influx of cruise ships on Roatán has already added adventure parks and tour buses, and there's talk of more ports and bigger ships, but for the time being, the Bay Islands are still serene Caribbean hide-outs, where English just happens to be the mother tongue and the American dollar is the main currency.

High season is almost year-round here and it can be especially difficult to find rooms during holiday weeks. Things get a bit slower from January to February and during the hurricane season in September and November, and prices will drop significantly.

Ouch! Watch Out for Sand Flies -- One thing the Bay Islands do not lack is sand flies, sometimes called no-see-ums. These pesky little gnatlike creatures, one-third the size of mosquitoes, bite and leave annoying little red bumps that you cannot help but itch. While some of the major resorts send their staff out to rake the sand, which kills sand fly eggs, much of the islands just have to deal with them, especially on Utila, where they are particularly fierce. There is no best repellent for these nasty buggers. Some recommend Cactus Juice Sun Cream or Coconut Oil, while others feel just regular bug spray works best.