costa rica or honduras
 

torn between the two countries which do you prefer and why? we love to swim and also like wildlife and exploring. been to costa rica 3 times ;.caribbean coast and ma and montezuma.this time we would do arenal and hermosa ,flamingo,conchal beaches(possibly monteverde)...If we went to hondorus we would go to copan and roatan...the problem with hondorus esp roatan is there might not be enough for us to do (dont really care for iguana farms or butterfly farms), just exploring seeing different things by bike or foot ...also love to snokel but dont know if its good enough shore snorkelling (please advise how good is the shore snorkelling?)..also very concerned about the no see ums and mosquitos...are the really that fierce..im allergic to bug spray; are natural remedies such as cactus juice and oils enough to keep the bugs away?...as for costa rica we would be flying in and out of san jose..that would mean we would have to take inter bus 3 or 4 times for many hours (4 to get to arenal) 4 more to hermosa then 5-6 to get back to san jose..and if we did monteverde 3 more hours..( i wont fly on a small plane).also love to swim in calm water would hermosa be the only really calm water beach? if we did cr we would take 9 days hondourus 7or 8...please advise which country would best fit are needs? thankyou for all replys!

I'm returning to Honduras this summer for a 3rd visit but am not really interested in Costa Rica so can't compare but will toss my vote in for Honduras anyway. I'm really interested in indigenous culture, both historical and contemporary which makes it an obvious choice, plus I'm a diver and snorkeler and Honduras wins there, too.

The shore snorkeling is decent to fabulous on Roatán depending on where you stay. I enjoyed the hiking in the Carambola Reserve and my husband flyfished his brains out. We were happy campers there for nearly 2 weeks but we don't get bored anywhere so can't address your concerns there.

We didn't have problems with mozzies or sand flies on Roatán - pray for a breeze!

Some great mountain activities in La Ceiba where you catch the ferry for Roatán - hiking, rafting, kayaking, horses.

The bus trips between San Pedro Sula and Copán and between SPS and La Ceiba are about 3 hours each, so 6 hours between Copán and La Ceiba.

Our trip photos and travelogues are linked below if you're interested. Happy trails!

http://flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

Following a great two-week trip to Costa Rica (Osa, central valley, rafting, spanish school), I decided to return to Central America. I chose Honduras, partly because of the great info hopefulist provided. I spent 10 days in Honduras, mostly in Copan but also a couple nights in Tegucigalpa, and had a great trip. Which one you should choose really depends on your budget, travel desires, etc.

Considering the places I've been to in each country, I think Costa Rica and Honduras are pretty different, in terms of the amount of infrastructure and tourist facilities. Honduras felt more low key, intimate, and authentic (meaning less touristy), but Costa Rica was easier to navigate. There wasn't much English in Honduras, at least in the places I went, while it was all over the parts of Costa Rica (other than my homestay!). Costa Rica was considerably more expensive, but also considerably more luxurious/comfortable.

I would go back to either place, but since you've already been to Costa Rica a handful of times, maybe you want to keep exploring the Honduras option?

Keep us posted...

Hopeful,
We hope to go to Roatan 2/09, mainly for shore snorkling. You mention it depends on where you stay. Any recommendations? We want quiet, clean, simple, good food nearby.
Do you know if they had much reef damage from last winter's storms?
We were in Akumal last month, and were sad to see how the storm surge broke up the coral and brought in so much sand that the water was not as clear - it was disappointing.
LUCY

I have visited both Costa Rica and Roatan. It looks like you have been to Costa Rica already. You should visit some place new. The snorkeling on honduras especially Roatan is very nice. You can reach it from shore, but it is a bit of a swim. I snorkeled near Gumbalimba.Costa Rica is better for wildlife.But I wouldn't recommend snorkeling at hermosa beach. The locals told me that the seas around costa rica aren't ideal for swimming.It is for surfers, if you catch my drift. Big waves.If you want to swim go to Honduras.Hope this helps.

my best advise is to do both countries simply because they are different experiences.

Honduras is 20 years behind Costa rica in tourist infraestructure, honduras feels more of an adventure. ROATAN is paradise: i did white-knuckle it in a 20 seater plane from La Ceiba to Roatan in 1991 but seeing the rings of beautiful emerald water around it made me forget my panic to fly small planes. Snorkling is amazing, better than Costa Rica, but except for a handful of addtl activities, ROATAN is strictly fun in the sun material-Costa Rica is different.

Copan is a great source for precolombian culture and history.

So, seriously, consider taking a vacation that includes both countries. Go to Roatan-you will not find a place like that in Costa Rica. Then, hit copan and then fly to Costa Rica using TACA, the central american airline.

I am located in Arenal and I hope you make there. A natural route to get to Arenal is thru Sarapiqui, which is the Caribbean lowlands, worth seeing specially if you like birding, and only two hours from Arenal.

Good luck.

Why fewer days for Honduras than Costa Rica? I've spent 6 weeks so far in Honduras and am heading back for another month this summer, still only scratching the surface in a few areas. On Roatán the restaurants are mainly in West end and there are lots of lodging options there. West Bay is a few minutes away by water taxi and has the most gorgeous beaches on the island and (in general) more upscale places to stay including some all inclusives. We stayed off the beaten path at Mango Creek Lodge (my husband is an avid flyfisherman), an hour east by car from West End and also rented a little house in Sandy Bay, about 3 miles east of West End. The snorkeling was excellent both places and excellent where we visited one day at West Bay. I've heard there are good places around West End, too, but we didn't try them so can't compare.

Check out Honduras Tips online magazine for ideas or buy a copy of the Moon Handbook of Honduras, an excellent guide with good background, culture, history chapters (and my photos if you haven't already). Happy trails!

Here's the link: http://honduras.com/hondurastips/index.htm

The sand fleas were very bad in Roatan when I was there. I think most insects are weather dependant so they may or not be present when you are there. Snorking from shore or from a paddle boat was almost as good as Belize