By Plane
Honduras has four international airports, in San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa, Roatán, and La Ceiba. While Tegucigalpa tends to be far from most major tourist attractions, more and more flights are shifting to San Pedro Sula, which isn't much of a tourist destination in itself. From San Pedro, you will generally find the cheapest and most frequent flights, plus it is a hub of bus travel and is within a few hours drive of almost anywhere in the country. La Ceiba is the point of transfer between the Bay Islands and the mainland, and is near many major attractions on the North Coast; however, few international flights outside of charters land here. If your trip centers on the Bay Islands, flying into Roatán tends to be easiest; however, you will generally find considerably less-expensive deals by flying to the mainland and transferring by bus and ferry to the islands.
There is an international departure tax of approximately US$34, payable in cash only in U.S. dollars or Honduran lempiras, from any of these airports. The departure tax on all domestic flights is approximately US$1.50 and is also payable only in U.S. dollars or Honduran lempiras.
From North America -- There are nonstop flights and connections from the United States and Canada to every international airport, although the most frequent flights land in San Pedro Sula's Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport (SAP) and Tegucigalpa's Tocontín International Airport (TGU). The major carriers are American (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com), Continental (tel. 800/231-0856; www.continental.com), Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com), TACA (tel. 800/400-8222; www.taca.com), and Spirit (tel. 800/772-7117; www.spiritair.com). There are daily nonstop flights from Miami, Atlanta, Houston, Ft. Lauderdale, and Newark (seasonally) to San Pedro Sula and/or Tegucigalpa. There are also nonstop flights to Roatán (Bay Islands) on Thursdays, Saturdays, and/or Sundays with Continental (Houston), Delta (Atlanta), and TACA (Miami and Houston).
From Europe -- Apart from a seasonal weekly charter between Milan and Roatán, there are no other direct flights from the U.K. and Europe to Honduras. Delta, Continental, and American Airlines fly between Europe and Honduras through transfer points in the United States.
From Australia & New Zealand -- From Australia and New Zealand, your best bet for getting to Honduras is by connecting in a North American gateway such as Los Angeles or Houston, and then taking any of the airlines listed under "From North America," above.
By Bus
Bus travel to and from other Central American countries is quite common with long-term travelers, but it might be too slow-going if you're visiting a region for a short period of time.
The most common long-distance bus operator in the region is Tica Bus (16a Calle and Av. 5; tel. 504/220-0579; www.ticabus.com), which has daily departures from Tegucigalpa to San Salvador (6 1/2 hr.), Managua (7-8 hr.), and Guatemala City (14 hr.) that continue as far as Mexico and Panama.
Hedman Alas (13a Calle and Av. 11; tel. 504/237-7143), which offers daily service from Copán to Antigua and Guatemala City, is a better way to get around in Honduras and has more frequent departures. King Quality (tel. 504/2553-4547; www.king-qualityca.com) has daily service between San Salvador, El Salvador, and Tegucigalpa or San Pedro Sula.
There are many less-direct routes to the El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua borders via slow, crowded chicken buses that make as many stops as physically possible, can fit an infinite number of passengers, and rarely cost more than a dollar or two. Most will stop at the border where buses are waiting on the other side. If you are on a budget or just traveling a short distance, they aren't a bad choice, but if you have money or less time, stick to a reputable company -- prices anywhere in the region rarely top L100 per hour of travel, and they will help you move through immigration smoothly and help you bypass much of the crime that takes place in border areas.
By Car
The major entry point by road into Honduras is along the Pan-American Highway, which cuts across a tiny southern corner of the country between the borders of El Salvador and Nicaragua, covering just 105km (65 miles). This is the most common point of road access into the country and connects to Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula via CA-4. While mountains and jungle isolate much of the rest of the border territory, there are smaller border crossings into El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua.
By Boat
Cruise-ship visits to Honduras have exploded in recent years as both Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Lines have opened new terminals on Roatán, attracting more than a dozen different cruise lines. So far, the only other cruise port is at Puerto Cortés, though stops here are rare. There is talk of adding terminals on Utila, Trujillo, and near Tela Bay, though so far, no concrete plans have been launched.
There is also one regular international ferry route in Honduras. From Puerto Cortés, 64km (40 miles) north of San Pedro Sula, D-Express (tel. 504/991-0778; www.belizeferry.com) runs a ferry service to Big Creek/Mango Creek and Placencia, Belize, on Mondays at 11:30am, returning Fridays at 9:30am. The trip takes 4 hours and costs L1,000. Along the coast of La Mosquitia and from Puerto Castilla near Trujillo, cargo boats headed along the coast to Nicaragua and beyond will occasionally take on passengers.
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.
