Planning a trip to La Mosquitia
Getting There
By Air -- All commercial flights to La Mosquitia originate in La Ceiba. Aerolineas Sosa (tel. 504/2433-6432; www.aerolineasosahn.com) flies to Brus Laguna three times per week, leaving at 10am and returning at 11am, as well as to Puerto Lempira. Lanhsa Airlines (tel. 504/2442-1283; www.lanhsa.com) also flies to Puerto Lempira on a semi-regular basis from La Ceiba. Flights are often canceled due to weather and lack of passengers. Sami Airlines (tel. 504/2442-2565 in La Ceiba or 504/2433-8031 in Brus Laguna) occasionally flies from La Ceiba to Brus Laguna or Belén. The runway at Palacios, which was once the main access point in the region, is currently closed due to lack of repair and most likely won't open anytime soon.
By Boat -- Along the North Coast of Honduras, irregular boat service links the coast of La Mosquitia to the rest of the country. The docks at Puerto Castilla just beyond Trujillo are the best place to get word of the next boat, which generally leave at least once per week. Don't expect a luxury cruise, though; these are cargo ships with absolutely no facilities for travelers. You are pretty much stuck with sleeping on the deck in the open air and having to provide your own food.
By Bus -- It is possible to make it to La Mosquitia by bus, although if your plan is to go during the rainy season (Oct-Jan), don't expect this to always work. From Tocoa, just south of Trujillo, you can catch a pickup truck, or paila, to Batalla leaving from the municipal market daily between 7 and 11am. The ride is 4 to 5 hours and costs L400. In Batalla, there will be boats waiting to take you the additional 1- to 2-hour journey to Palacios, Raista, and Belén for roughly L200.
Getting Around
By Boat -- Traveling independently in La Mosquitia isn't cheap or easy -- it's much easier to get around here with a tour operator. Though options are still extremely limited and you should always expect to wait around a few days here and there, your best method of independent transport is by water. Along the coast, you can almost always find a boat to take you from one community to the next. Often, the locals expect tourists to hire a local boatman for a private boat and will stay mum on information on when the next boat leaves.
Since regular schedules aren't posted, you just have to cross your fingers and hope you speak to the right person. There is sporadic yet direct boat service, priced per boat, between most major destinations, such as Palacios to Raista and Raista to Brus Laguna. If your Spanish is good, you can also ask around at the docks for colectivo boats, which are considerably cheaper but leave sometimes on a weekly basis.
By Air -- Sami Airlines (tel. 504/2442-2565 in La Ceiba or 504/2433-8031 in Brus Laguna) can get you from one town to the next via four-person planes. They have offices in Ahuas, Palacios, Belén, Brus Laguna, and Puerto Lempira. Keep in mind there are no scheduled flights here. When they fill up, a plane comes and leaves. Sometimes, a group will come together, and a flight can be set up in a matter of hours. Other times, you will have to wait for several days or even a week of maybes.
