Catacamas is what could be considered the cultural home of Olancho. Here, the roughhewn ways of the buckaroo and vast natural beauty of the region seem to intertwine. Here, the gun still rules, and during late-night revelry, bullets are sometimes fired into the air. Even the best bar in town, smack in front of the park, is called Vaqueros, aka Cowboys. This is literally where the paved road ends and where the wild frontier that stretches across the wide expanse of practically lawless jungle begins. While not firmly on the tourist trail, Catacamas is catching on.
There is little, scratch that, nothing to do in town, but Catacamas makes a good base for sights nearby. The mix of paved and dirt roads that run through the town hold several decent hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and banks that, if heading into the jungle, you won't see again for hundreds of kilometers. If you're feeling adventurous, Catacamas is also a jumping-off point for rafting trips through La Mosquitia.
