Southern Honduras Sights

1. Cerro Vejía

A glance at the reverse of the L2 bill gives you a preview of the island's most prominent natural feature. Isla del Tigre is really an inactive volcano, the Cerro Vejía, which locals frequently refer to as simply El Cima ("the Summit"). If you can get to the top—the volcano measures 783 meters (2,580 ft) in elevation—the views of the gulf, the ocean, and the three countries (Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua) are stupendous. The path up heads inland from the naval post halfway between Amapala and Playa Grande. Plan on three hours each way, and it's no small feat to make the hike in this very warm climate. Until 1990, a U.S. military station on the top of the volcano was used to monitor troop movements in the Contra war in next-door Nicaragua. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) also used the facility to monitor drug trafficking in the region. The site has now been abandoned.