- Semana Santa (Comayagua): No festival or celebration in Honduras compares in magnitude and passion to Holy Week in Comayagua. This is a big deal here. Elaborate sawdust carpets called alfombras -- built during the night and trampled apart the next day -- are only a glimpse of what is to come. Expect nothing less than vivacious daily processions and hordes of pilgrims showing their devotion from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.
- Diving in the Bay Islands: Sharing the world's second-largest barrier reef with Belize, the Bay Islands of Honduras provide not only one of the most superb underwater experiences available, but also one of the cheapest when compared to the certification and rates of the rest of the world. With dive shops on every corner, it is hard not to strap on a tank and mask. If you prefer to go sans scuba gear, there are always glass-bottom boats, submarines, snorkeling with whale sharks, and a dolphin-training program.
- Bird-watching: Trogons, motmots, tanagers, scarlet macaws, boat-billed herons, resplendent quetzals, and toucans are only a small fraction the avian life you will encounter in places such as Lancetilla, Lago de Yojoa, Pico Bonito, Cerro Azul, and Celaque. Some areas of the country have recorded as many as 400 species, a good reason why birders in the know have been flocking to Honduras for years.
- Traveling in La Mosquitia: Rich with wildlife and home to ethnic groups like the Miskito, Pech, Garífuna, and Tawahkas, Central America's largest tract of rainforest is nothing less than spectacular. Community-based tourism initiatives, run directly in the indigenous villages themselves, assist in your exploration of the swamps, wetlands, grasslands, lagoons, and beaches. If you have a couple of weeks, sign up for a 10- to 14-day rafting expedition on the Río Plátano or Río Patuca.
- Seeing the still-smoking Flor de Copán Factory (Western Honduras): The Flor de Copán tobacco factory is world renowned for its production of fine cigars like the Don Melo line. A tour here involves a walkthrough of the factory's heady drying and de-veining rooms and witnessing firsthand the country's most skilled rollers at work. Even if you hate smoking, this is a great chance to mingle with real Hondurans, outside the standard tourist industry.
- Become a dolphin trainer (the Bay Islands): Sign up with Anthony's Key Resort on Roatán for full hands-on training to become a bona fide dolphin trainer via their 7-day Dolphin Training 101 course. On Bailey's Key, a private key near the resort, professional trainers will lead you in a course on bottlenose dolphin behavior, anatomy, and physiology. If you just have a day, a swim, snorkel, or dive with these mischievous mammals can be had.
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.