The city of La Ceiba is sandwiched between the imposing green mountains of Pico Bonito National Park and the Caribbean Sea. Much of the town straddles the highway, CA 13, although urban sprawl is heading in every direction. A handful of estuaries split the town into several sections, with the center surrounding the wide, shady Parque Central. Two main avenues, San Isidro and 14 de Julio, run parallel to the beach. The mostly Garífuna neighborhood, Barrio La Isla, to the northeast of the park along the beach, is where you will find the Zona Viva, quite a few hotels, restaurants, and tour operators.

Spanish-Language Programs

La Ceiba is home to a handful of language schools, most offering 20 hours of classroom work a week, homestays with local families (optional), workbooks, some organized activities, and three daily meals. Two recommended schools are AmeriSpan (tel. 215/2751-1100; www.amerispan.com; $270 per week) and the Central American School (tel. 504/2440-1707; www.ca-spanish.com; $150 per week).

Getting There

By Air

La Ceiba's Golosón International Airport (LCE) (tel. 504/2443-3925) is 12km (7 1/2 miles) west of the city on the road to Tela. The only international airlines that land at the airport are TACA (tel. 504/2441-3191) and Skyservice (tel. 800/701-9448), which makes seasonal flights to Toronto.

If you are flying to/from the Bay Islands or anywhere else in Honduras, you can try domestic airlines, such as Isleña (tel. 504/2441-3354; www.flyislena.com), Aerolineas Sosa (tel. 504/443-1399), or Lanhsa Airlines (tel. 504/2442-1283), as all offer daily flights. Honduras-based Rollins Air (tel. 504/2440-2696; www.rollinsair.com), a charter jet, also began flying from La Ceiba to Grand Cayman in March 2009 and also has service to Costa Rica, Panama, Jamaica, and Cuba upon government approval.

A 10- to 15-minute taxi ride from Golosón International to anywhere in the center should cost about L115.

By Boat

From La Ceiba, two high-speed ferries run twice a day to Roatán and Utila from the Muelle de Cabotaje, 5km (3 miles) east of La Ceiba. For Roatán, the Galaxy Wave (tel. 504/2443-463) departs La Ceiba at 9:30am and 4:30pm, returning at 7am and 2pm from the terminal at Dixon's Cove. The one-way price is L524, and the ferry has room for 360 people; it offers A/C, a sun deck, and a small snack shop. The open sea can get choppy at times, particularly in the afternoon, and vomit bags are passed out and frequently used.

The Utila Princess II (tel. 504/2425-3390) makes the hour-long trip back and forth between the Municipal Pier Utila. The Princess, which is about one-third the size of the Galaxy Wave, departs La Ceiba at 9:30am and 4pm, returning at 6:20am and 2pm. The price is L425 each way.

Yachts from around the Caribbean commonly stop in La Ceiba and occasionally will take on passengers for a fee or in exchange for work. If you are looking for a ride or need a place to anchor, the Lagoon Marina (tel. 504/2440-0614; www.lagoonmarinalaceiba.com) is your best bet. There are 25 slips for boats up to 37m (120 ft.) in length, as well as a nice pool area, bar, and apartments for rent by 2-week period (US$750).

By Bus

Two luxury bus companies, Hedman Alas and Viana Express, have their own terminals in town. Hedman Alas's terminal (tel. 504/2441-2199; www.hedmanalas.com) is on the main highway east of town towards Trujillo, beside the Supermercado Ceibeño #4. Their four daily buses (5:15am-5:30pm) make the trip to Tela (L260; 1 1/2-2 hr.) before heading to San Pedro Sula (L300; a total of 3-3 1/2 hr.), where connections can be made to Copán and Tegucigalpa. Viana (tel. 504/2441-2330), whose terminal is just west of the main bus terminal, near the Esso gas station, has similar service.

All other bus companies operate out of the main terminal (Mercado San Jose, Blvd. 15 de Septiembre) about 2km (1 1/4 miles) west of the center. Diana (tel. 504/2441-6460; L90) has nine daily departures for San Pedro Sula between 6am and 5:30pm. For the 7-hour ride to Tegucigalpa, Cristina (tel. 504/2441-2028; L275) departs five times daily between 5:30am and 3:30pm. For the 3-hour trip to Trujillo, try Cotuc (tel. 504/2441-2199; L100), which runs throughout the day from 8am to 6pm.

By Car

La Ceiba straddles CA 13 on the North Coast about halfway between San Pedro Sula and Trujillo. There aren't as many big car-rental companies in the city as there are in San Pedro or Tegucigalpa, but there are a few. Apart from Avis (CA 13 at La Ceiba; tel. 504/2441-2802; www.avis.com), most rental companies have counters at the airport, including Advance (tel. 504/2441-1105; www.advancerentacar.com) and Ace (tel. 504/2441-2929).

Calendar of Events

Celebrating San Isidro

More than 200,000 visitors from around Honduras and Central America descend upon La Ceiba during La Feria San Isidro, or Carnaval week, which takes place every May and culminates on the third Saturday of the month. While the celebration of the city's patron saint, San Isidro, is the motive, the festival has far less of a religious theme than that in Comayagua. Here, it's more of a big party, where live music, dancing, parades, an endless lineup of food and T-shirt vendors, and endless intoxication takes place each night in a different part of town. The last night of the festival is the most intense, with horses, floats, and costumed dancers parading down Avenida San Isidro. It's not as organized as carnival in Rio or Mardi Gras, but a spectacle to behold nevertheless. Reserve hotel rooms months in advance during this time of year.

Fast Facts

Banks -- Banco Atlántida (Av. San Isidro and 6a Calle) and BAC (Av. San Isidro and 5a Calle) in the center of town have 24-hour ATMs and will exchange traveler's checks. Both have second locations at the Megaplaza Mall.

Hospitals -- Eurohonduras (1a Calle and the beach; tel. 504/2443-0244) is open 24 hours.

Internet -- There are four or five cybercafes within 2 blocks of the park with high-speed service for less than L30 per hour. They also provide cheap international calls. The best operation in town, however, is Planet Cyber at the Megaplaza Mall.

Laundry -- Lavamatic Ceibeño in Barrio La Isla, at Av. Pedro Nufio and Calle 6, has coin-operated machines and drop-off service for L55 per 4.5kg (10 lb.). It's open daily from 7:30am to 9pm.

Post Office -- The post office is at Av. Morazán and 14a Calle, and is open Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm, Saturday 8am to noon.

Telephone -- Hondutel (Av. Rosa and 6a Calle) offers local and international calls.

Tourist Information -- There's a visitor center on the first floor of the Banco de Occidente building on Parque Central (tel. 504/2440-1562; Mon-Fri 8am-4pm). There's another office (tel. 504/2440-3044) at Av. San Isidro and 8a Calle with more brochures and maps.

Tourist Police -- To reach the police, call tel. 504/2441-0860, daily 24 hours.

Getting Around

Almost everything of interest within the city sits within a 10-block radius of the Parque Central, so getting around on two legs is easy. But buses are a cheap and useful way to get around to outlying areas. You can easily flag down any of the frequent buses on the main highway going in the direction you are headed, either towards Tela or Trujillo (less than L20 for short distances).

A taxi anywhere in the center should run no more than L40, while trips to the airport or the ferry terminal are about three or four times more.

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