On our recent cruise trip to the Western Caribbean, our second port of call was the island of Roatan, Honduras. Roatan is located just a few miles east of mainland Honduras. In recent years, Roatan has become a hotbed of tourism, especially for cruise ships. Located nearby is the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, which is the second largest barrier reef in the world, next to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Roatan’s history reaches as far back as 1502, when it was discovered by Christopher Columbus, however there have been natives, known as the Payas, who lived there long before then. Roatan was also a haven for pirates primarily in the 17th and 18th centuries.

We arrived during the rainy season, unfortunately. It didn’t rain the entire time we were there, but when it did rain, it was very heavy downpours. We didn’t let that dampen our spirits, however. Our guide met us at the entrance to the port of Mahogany Bay, where our ship was docked. He was a native of Roatan, born and raised, and he seemed to know quite a bit about the island. He told us that the island was approximately 36 miles long and 5 miles wide at its widest point.

Our guide took us to one of the highest points on the island, where we could see the cruise ships in their ports, overlooking the town of Coxen Hole, the largest town on the island. From there he took us to Arch’s Iguana Farm, where we witnessed countless numbers of iguanas basking in what sun there was and more than happy to munch on a native plant leaf, straight from our hands.

Iguana Stew, Anyone?

Arch’s Iguana Farm is an interesting story in itself. You see, iguanas are supposed to be a protected species on the island, however iguana stew is still a popular local dish, which of course requires iguana meat. Therefore, poachers still abound and they still hunt the iguana for its meat. Arch’s Iguana Farm takes in any wild iguanas that can make it to their land, where they can live out their days protected from hunters.

Our guide also took us to many local shops where we could, and did, buy souvenirs to take back on the cruise ship. We bought some authentic Honduran coffee (which is quite delicious, by the way), authentic Honduran money, some beautifully decorated ceramic lizards and some handmade coasters for our home.

Who Knew Monkeys And Sloths Were So Cool?

We also went to a monkey farm, where Dawn and I got up close and personal with some white-faced Capuchin monkeys. They jump right on your shoulders and try to steal anything they can that is loose {glasses, cameras, etc.}. We knew about the thieving monkeys from our research before the trip so we were prepared. 😉

Perhaps the highlight of the entire trip was a three-toed sloth named Sid, that Dawn and I both got to hold. Unfortunately, just as we got to hold Sid, the skies opened up and a huge downpour of rain prevented us from getting any pictures of him. He was as docile a creature as I have ever seen, and Dawn absolutely fell in love with him. I think if she felt she could have gotten away with it, she would have slipped him inside her backpack and took him home!

The most interesting part of the tour, for me, was learning about the Honduran culture first-hand. We could tell that there were not a lot of people with money on the island and the infrastructure definitely could use improvement. Also, most of the houses we saw were basically shacks, though quite colorful. However, the locals all seemed quite happy, smiling, honking and waving at each other on the roads. Our guide said that most everyone knew everyone else on the island. They seemed oblivious to the problems of the rest of the world, and content to be right where they were.

We found this island quite enjoyable. 🙂

After picking up a couple more souvenirs back at the port, we got back on our ship and got ready for our next port of call, Cozumel, Mexico, which we will be writing about soon.