Brief trip report: Northern Honduras (Pico Bonito)

Old Aug 19th, 2013, 02:32 PM
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RAC
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Brief trip report: Northern Honduras (Pico Bonito)

Last week we had a very lovely 5-night mini-vacation in Honduras. We spent all five nights at the Lodge at Pico Bonito, a fantastic place adjacent to Pico Bonito National Park. Overall, the natural beauty and lodging quality were both as good as anywhere we've been our entire lives. So was the birding, even though we were there during the slow season for birds.

Transportation:

We used reward miles to get our tickets to San Pedro Sula via Miami on American Airlines. Going out wasn't a problen, but on the way back home AA's luggage handling for arriving international flights and transfers to domestic flights was abysmal and one of our bags was lost. We've seen fights between troops of monkeys that were more organized. If flying direct on TACA/Avianca is an option, do that.

The Lodge charges to pick people up at San Pedro Sula's airport, while offering free pick up at La Ceiba. Unfortunately, getting a flight into La Ceiba is not easy, with the choices being booking an additional flight on a domestic carrier or making two more connections on your existing flight (San Pedro Sula to Tegucigalpa to La Ceiba).

Anyhow, the drive gave us a decent look at the northwestern coastal area of Honduras. For all the reports of violence, the only thing remarkable was how unremarkable everything seemed. Lots of African Palm plantations, some corn and sugar cane etc. We never went anywhere near San Pedro Sula the city, which was just fine by us for obvious reasons.


Tours/sights/activities:

We went on three birding hikes (two on the lodge grounds and one at the Rio Santiago Nature Resort about 45 minutes away). The guides kept on apologizing for how 'slow' the birding was, since August is the 'low' season. This made me wonder just how crazy good the birding is in high season (November through March) because we saw a lot of birds, including our two big targets--the Lovely Cotinga and the Keel-Billed Motmot as well as another priority, the Rufous-Tailed Jacamar. The birding here was every bit as good as anywhere we've been in Central America, including Selva Verde and Bosque del Rio Tigre in Costa Rica. Had we been here in high season, almost certainly we'd be declaring it the best birding location we've ever seen (apparently in February you can photograph Lovely Cotingas from your breakfast table). If you like hummingbirds, the Rio Santiago tour is a must--just crazy numbers of them on the lodge grounds.

We also did a tour of the Cuero y Salado wildlife reserve--again, low season so while we did see a good number of birds as well as monkeys and two crocodiles, it wasn't as good as during high season apparently. But, the setting is magnificent, and there's the experience of taking the little train to get to the reserve (no roads go there).

We did one night walk, and saw a few cool insects, the red-eyed tree frog as well as an oppossum and a Mexican hairy porcupine. Other than that, though, there wasn't as much mammal life as we thought we'd see. We didn't see any monkeys aside from Cuero y Salado, and only agouti during the day at the lodge. Not even coatis.

We did a couple of hikes on the lodge's gorgeous grounds and hiking trails--we hiked to Mermaid Falls and Las Pilas swimming hole. Bring your water sandals and swimsuits to either--the water is incredibly inviting.

We did lunch one day at the Garifuna 'village' after a bird hike. To be honest, it was a bit of a letdown. The 'village' is basically a small scale slum that's located on the beach. Great food, and lovely setting on the beach itself, but it was somewhat grim (unpaved streets, no plumbing to speak of), more of a socioeconomic insight than a cultural one gained.

The Lodge:

This is one of the best places we've ever stayed, maybe the best. Certainly on par with other places we've been like Lamanai Outpost Lodge in Belize and Bosque del Cabo in Costa Rica. The cabins are set in the rainforest, surrounded by trees so that all you see out your windows is green--leaves, vines, epiphytes. In the early morning we could hear the spooky sounds of the great potoo. Our cabin had a lovely four poster bed, plenty of storage, and a seating area. It also had air conditioning, but we didn't use it as the ceiling fans were enough, and who wants to listen to an air conditioner while seeking relaxation in the rainforest?

The food and service at the restaurant were excellent. Just to give you an idea of the level of service and attention to detail. Before our 6:00 AM birding hike, they set out fruit plates and rolls for us, and provided coffee. Along with the coffee, they served heated milk so that it wouldn't cool off the coffee. This at 5:45 am in the morning, when were were the only people going on the hike. The dinner menu is somewhat more oriented towards foodies, so if one wants more basic food, you can order off the lunch menu, or make a special request, which they will happily accomodate.

Visually, the lodge's main grounds have the mountains of the national park as their visual focal point. While eating or relaxing at the pool, you could see the clouds rolling over the lush, green mountains at various times.

Weather: the seasonal weather patterns seem disjointed from the rest of central America. May through September is the dry season, with the wet season being most pronounced in October but continuing through March/April (in most of Central America, the wet/dry seasons are flipeed around). (if I had to guess, I would think it's because it's a Northern coast at the base of mountains, whereas most of Central America has East and West coasts until you get to Panama). However, the peak wildlife/bird sighting happens during the same time as the rest of central America--November through April. You just have to deal with a bunch of rain to see it.

Even though this was the 'dry' season it was still really wet. I would say this was the most humid place we've ever been--the temperatures were always manageable due to the somewhat higher elevation, but it rained every day and was humid when it wasn't raining. It wasn't unpleasant, and makes everything there incredibly green and lush (also moreso than anywhere we've been).

Odds and ends: Honduras offers a slightly different feel than other places we've been in Central America. We never felt unsafe, but the Honduran military was omnipresent. There really isn't a civilian law enforcement presence that we saw. Instead it's the military. To prevent iguana poaching in national parks, there aren't game wardens, there are guys in fatigues carrying M-16s. My wife was severely unnerved when two walked back with us from a hike--they were looking after us for our safety I can only presume, and appeared to be regulars at the Lodge, knowing the Lodge's maintenance workers. Didn't bother me at all, but I can see how it bothered my wife. There are elections coming up there--there were ads everywhere outside the lodge--and we can only hope that the military won't be getting involved like it did a few years ago.


At some point, we'll probably come back to this area of Honduras for 2-3 nights in February and spend the rest of our time in the Copan area. It's a lovely area, with incredible natural beauty--Pico Bonito park is probably the most beautiful area we've seen, and the Lodge itself is as good as any hotel/resort we've stayed anywhere.

I'll be posting some pictures online later on, and will provide a link when I've done so.
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Old Aug 19th, 2013, 03:00 PM
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Wonderful, thank you so much for posting. Can't wait to head there in November. Any tours you wished you'd had extra time to take? What tour did you take that was on a river?
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Old Aug 19th, 2013, 03:27 PM
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Cuero y Salado was on the river.

We didn't get a chance to hike the loop trail, visit Lancetilla gardens, or do the Honduran Emerald day tour, which would make a nice break from the humidity.
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Old Aug 19th, 2013, 07:28 PM
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Thanks for posting, RAC - it sounds beautiful. Looking forward to your pictures.
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Old Aug 19th, 2013, 10:24 PM
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Nice report - thanks!
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Old Aug 20th, 2013, 03:32 AM
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Thank you, looking forward to your photos.
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Old Aug 20th, 2013, 04:31 PM
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RAC,
This sounds wonderful. I was looking at Honduras (Roatan) for a snorkleing vacation, but I guess I should plan a longer trip, to include both Roatan and the mainland. Will just have to figure out when to go.

Thanks for a nice TR and looking forward for the pics.
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Old Aug 21st, 2013, 04:40 AM
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Thank you for this wonderful trip report RAC!
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Old Aug 22nd, 2013, 07:24 PM
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Yes, thanks for posting this RAC. I remember researching or reading about Pico Bonito somewhere in the last couple years and thinking it sounded great! So nice to have your first hand account and recommendation.
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Old Aug 25th, 2013, 10:41 AM
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Thanks for the post.
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Old Sep 10th, 2013, 02:04 PM
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I'm glad you made it down there despite the bad press. Like everywhere, the violence is very bad in some places, non-existent in others. Avoiding the two big cities is a good bet to avoid most of it.

Here's a review of Pico Bonito that also raves about it:
http://www.luxurylatinamerica.com/ho...co_bonito.html

If anyone reading this is up for adventure, there's some great whitewater rafting nearby as well. Around huge boulders as big as a van.
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Old Sep 10th, 2013, 02:41 PM
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Some of those boulders are as big as houses! Check out the (relatively tiny) yellow raft in this photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyh...57600080928006
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Old Sep 10th, 2013, 02:42 PM
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I looked again - there are 2 rafts.
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Old Sep 13th, 2013, 07:32 PM
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ictures are finally up. People who are indifferent to birds need only look at the first link.

Lodge/grounds/scenery:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=ce32419b22

Birds (by category/species) (Hummingbirds collected at the end):

Keel-billed motmot

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=3196c27394

White hawk eating a giant turquoise cicada:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=3466882b75

Tropical owls:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=a3067bfde8

Golden-hooded tanagers:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=d1cdbe7866

Collared aracaris:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=f74fa17db3

Rufous-tailed jacamar:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=5db4bd6867

Waterbirds (kingfishers etc):

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=7eadcaa415

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=09ba2e8d5f

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=64ef840796

Hummingirds--
Green-breasted mangos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=3e3491cb88

Violet-crowned wood nymph:

https://www.facebook.com/ryanacandee...2058692&type=3

Violet Saberwing:

https://www.facebook.com/ryanacandee...2058692&type=3

Brown violet-ears:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=e201b51033

Rufous-tailed hummingbirds:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=99085f40a7
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Old Sep 20th, 2013, 04:47 PM
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Great pics, thanks for sharing! This place is definitely now on my list
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Old Dec 6th, 2013, 04:16 PM
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We just returned from a trip to Honduras with two small kids (4 and 2) that included three nights at Pico Bonito and I completely agree with your trip report. We're not birders, but we love to hike and experience the diversity of the rainforest. We also did the excursion to Cuero y Salada wildlife refuge, and I think it's a must do even if you're not a birder. The night hike was a highlight for our whole family even though we didn't see many mammals either.

We also stayed at Bosque del Cabo in Costa Rica and I would say that our stay at Pico Bonito was every bit as good in all respects (except maybe fewer monkeys, which is a big deal for our 2 year old and 4 year old), but at a significant cost savings. The food at Pico Bonito was excellent and they did a great job accommodating our kids. The fish tacos were only $8 and they were amazing. I ate them everyday for lunch - not because there were no other appealing options, but they were just so good.

We have seen deals for Pico Bonito on Jetsetter for only $100/night, which is a steal for the quality of the lodge and guides.

We have pictures from our stay at the lodge and from our excursions on our website. Once we do a more thorough lodge review, I will post that link as well.

Cuero y Salada: http://travelswithcurley.wordpress.c...67&action=edit

Hiking: http://travelswithcurley.wordpress.c...42&action=edit
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Old Dec 6th, 2013, 04:41 PM
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That's funny! We were there the same time as you - myself and shillmac, the blonde & the redhead. We were all standing at that leafy big rock watching the aracari's. We just left on the 27th. Great place, I really really enjoyed it.
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Old Dec 10th, 2013, 10:37 AM
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You AND shillmac both went, and no trip report?
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Old Dec 10th, 2013, 02:35 PM
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I know, know, I am such a slacker. Will get to it soon! Needless to say, what a fantastic place.
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Old Dec 10th, 2013, 02:45 PM
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Ooh, yes, trip report please!
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