Bonacca town, a short ride from the main island, is the most populous part of Guanaja and one of the most unique communities in the Bay Islands and the entire Caribbean. It's also known as Bonacca Cay, and by locals as simply the Cay. Though the vibe here remains refreshingly laidback, there's a desire to clean up and begin attracting more tourists to what many jokingly call the "Venice of Honduras." (In late 2007, Bonacca was completing one of its first municipal projects in years -- adding plumbing.)
The population in Bonacca primarily comprises immigrants from the Cayman Islands who settled here in the 1830s, with a growing number of Latinos from the mainland and a scattering of expats. Apart from the many stilted pastel houses that branch out all across the water and line the canals, there are three small guesthouses, a couple of churches, and a handful of shops and tiny restaurants. The town is divided into small clusters with silly nicknames, like Firetown, Honkytown, Funkytown, and Vietnam. But perhaps because of its overall small size, Bonacca is an extremely tightly knit -- and gossipy -- place. If you're walking from one end to the other, someone on the other end will likely have already heard about you by the time you arrive.
Most hotels will give tours of Bonacca, but you can just as easily visit on your own. Locals, including New York-raised Hundo Sanders, give informal tours of the town for a small fee. You'll have to ask around town for info, as Hundo doesn't work out of a formal tour center.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
