Getting green in Pico Bonito national park
August 7th 2008 19:21
A view of Rio Colorado (the Lodge at Pico Bonito)
One of the biggest National Parks in Honduras is Pico Bonito National Park. It is located in the mountains around the city of La Ceiba, which makes it a great park to visit, since La Ceiba has lots of hotels and restaurants and good tourism infrastructure.
There are several ways to visit the Park, but these are my two favorites.
Your first option is to enter on the road that follows the Rio Cangrejal. The Rio Cangrejal makes the Eastern boundary of the Pico Bonito National Park. The river itself is quite impressive, especially during rainy season. There are category III and IV rapids on the river, and many tourism operators have rafting trips available. There are also several places along the river that tourists and locals use as swimming holes. Often you will see people jumping off of the rocks into the river below. Just remember to use extreme caution when swimming without a guide, because this is a naturally rocky river, and at times flows very fast. Needless to say, jumping off of rocks carries a great danger of hitting an unseen rock or object in the water below.
The road that travels along the river is fairly well maintained. You can go by private car (unless it is really rainy and muddy). Most taxis are willing to negotiate a rate up to the river. There are also local buses that go to communities up on the mountain. Yarruca buses will travel up the river road, and are very inexpensive, but slow.
There are a few hotels near the river. One of the best is Omega Lodge, an adventure tourism hostel about 22 kms up the road. They have a wide variety of accomodations, from $5 shared dormitories to a beautiful 2-bedroom suite for $70 a night in high season. They have a restaurant and bar, and a neat little swimming pool that is fed by water from a stream. This is a great place to meet other travelers, as everyone gathers for dinner each night. Omega Lodge is also one of the best guide services to use for rafting, hiking, and mountain biking in Pico Bonito and the river. They also do tours to other local parks. The only drawback to this wonderful little getaway is that there are lots of bugs, so do remember your repellant.
If you like a little bit more luxury, you can also try Las Cascadas Eco-Lodge on the river. This is a fancy getaway on its own waterfall. But if you do rafting, you will still be joining the crew from Omega Lodge.
On the other side of the park, the Western side, you can also find some great adventures in Pico Bonito. There is a visitor center that you can locate in Bonitillo (on the main highway, about 10 km outside of Ceiba on the West). You can access the public hiking trails from there.
Another option on the Western edge is the Lodge at Pico Bonito. This is a five-star luxury hotel, and widely recognized as a premium Eco-tourism destination. It is also great for families, with a swimming pool and many activities.
If you can't afford to stay at the Lodge, you can use their facilities for a day-trip. For a fee of about $35 per person, you get lunch at the Lodge, a tour of the Butterfly museum, and a hiking tour of 2 hours on their well maintained and beautiful trails. This price includes a paid guide from the National Park service, so it is well worth the money, both in terms of educational value and supporting the local park.
If you need more options for visiting the park, contact one of the local eco-tourism companies who speicalize in hiking, kayaking and rafting in the beautiful nature preserves in Honduras.
Omega Lodge
Garifuna Tours
La Mositia Ecoaventuras
The green glow of Pico Bonito National Park
White water rafting in Pico Bonito
http://www.honduranlaw.com/
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