HONDURAS REPORT TRAVEL.

  

Once the customs formalities have been completed in Guasaule in Honduras, there is a minivan for the Choluteca Bus Station, which leaves when it is full from 5.00 to 21.00. The wait in the central hours is minimal. The cost of the ride which lasts less than an hour is L $ 35. The attendant comes by to collect the money after departure.

 

From the Choluteca Bus Station, direct small buses and ordinary large buses depart quite frequently. The difference is that direct ones take almost half the time. There are several companies that offer this service and that are proposing themselves with a pressing insistence. In the end I choose the bus of the San Benito Express company that takes me to Tegucigalpa in 3 hours at the price of 100 L $ 35. The attendant passes by to collect the money after departure. The bus stops often and willingly to pick up and drop off passengers.

 

Eventually I am dropped off in a suburb of Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, so that I can immediately board an urban minivan that takes me about 100 meters from Parque La Merced, for the price of L $ 10. get off. There is also an armed policeman on this minibus.

 

The center of Tegucigalpa, one of the most dangerous cities in the world, can be explored on foot with caution. There are a lot of police during the day and therefore you can walk with relative peace of mind, logically not showing off valuables, cameras, etc. While at night the danger rate becomes very high.

 

After visiting the capital of Honduras, I take a taxi for the price of L $ 80 which in about 15 minutes takes me to the Catracos Bus Station, located on the western outskirts of Tegucigalpa. From here buses depart approximately every hour from 3.00 to 18.00 to Comayagua (2 hours). The ticket costs L $ 50 and can be purchased at the ticket office before boarding the bus. The bus stops often and willingly to pick up and drop off passengers. It must be said that the El Rey de Oro company also carries out this service but leaves you in the outskirts of Comayagua, while the Catracos Company I took leaves you practically in the center at the intersection of Calle Manuel Bonilla and 1 ° Av No just 5 squares from the Parque Central that you can walk to during the day.

 

If you want to reach Copàn Ruinas from Comayagua, keep in mind that there are no direct buses but you have to change in San Pedro Sula and La Entrada.

 

Buses to San Pedro Sula leave from the station located on the corner of 2 ° Calle SO and 2 ° Av SO, just 6 squares from Parque Central which you can walk to during the day. From there, direct and ordinary buses depart every hour from 5.00 to 16.00, the latter cheaper but slower. If you don't want to wait an hour, you can take a taxi at a cost of L $ 20. which takes you to the state road where numerous small buses pass to San Pedro Sula from the capital Tegucigalpa. The ticket costs 90 L $. The clerk passes by to collect the money after departure. The bus stops often and willingly to pick up and drop off passengers. The trip takes about 3 hours.

 

The aforementioned bus arrives at the Metropolitana de Autobuses Terminal, located 5 km south of the center of San Pedro Sula. To reach Copàn Ruinas from here you can opt for one of the few direct buses or take one to La Entrada, which leaves about every hour and then change.

 

There are several companies that offer this service but I opted for the Cooperativa de Trasporte S Josè Bus, which takes almost 3 hours to reach the center of La Entrada. The ticket costs L $ 90 and can be purchased at the ticket office before boarding the bus. The bus stops often and willingly to pick up and drop off passengers.

 

Once in the center of the Entrada, you have to cross the busy state road to reach the minivan headed for Copàn Ruinas, which leaves when it is full. In this move, the client finders of the aforementioned Minivan help you and accompany you in the right direction. The trip to Copàn Ruinas takes just over 2 hours. The cost of the ride is L $ 70. The attendant passes by to collect the money after departure. Keep in mind that before arriving at the Copàn Ruinas bus station, pass in front of the Copàn Archaeological Site, located 1 km before, and therefore if you are interested in getting off there you must notify the driver in time.

 

The Copàn Archaeological Park is open from Monday to Sunday from 8.00 to 16.00. For foreigners, the price of the ticket to visit the Park alone costs 15 $ but can also be paid in Lempira (L $). Additional prices are due for the visit to the Galleries. For Hondurans and Latin Americans, the prices are significantly reduced. From the ticket office to the ticket control (where you can leave your backpack for free) there are about 350 meters to go. walk in the middle of the forest. Then another 50 meters. and you arrive at the Gran Plaza from where you can begin the visit to the site which can last over 4 hours. The colorful birds Guara Roja accompany you on your journey, with their song. There are also several scales to tackle if you want to visit the site in its entirety.

 

To go to the city of Copàn Ruinas, which is over 1 km from the Archaeological Park, I took advantage of a motor taxi at the price of L $ 20. I persistently tried to lower the price, but there is no room for negotiation on this. service.

 

In Copàn Ruinas, I slept at Hostal La Manzana Verde at the price of 150 L $, for a bed in the dormitory. It is located a few tens of meters from the Central Parquet and the Bus Station. It is very clean, has a billiard room and a small gym as well as a large kitchen. The staff are competent and friendly.

 

Copàn Ruinas, is very quiet and touristy and you can walk alone even in the evening without problems. You can visit it on foot in a short time.

 

Keep in mind that Hostal La Manzana offers you a direct connection (I don't know if daily) with San Salvador departing at noon from Copàn Ruinas for the price of 50 $, but if you want to save a lot and proceed on your own you have to change several buses if you want to reach the capital of El Salvador as explained below.

 

From the Bus Station, located at the entrance to the town of Copàn Ruinas, minibuses leave every hour from 4.00 to 17.00 for the Entrada (L $ 70, scarce 2 hours). The clerk passes by to collect the money after departure. The bus stops often and willingly to pick up and drop off passengers.

If you are interested in getting off at the stop for Santa Rosa de Copàn, you need to notify the driver in time.

 

From the Entrada there are minivans that leave every 30 minutes from 6.00 to 19.00 and take about 1 hour to reach the Santa Rosa de Copàn bus station at a price of 40 L $. The clerk passes by to collect the money after departure. The bus stops often and willingly to pick up and drop off passengers.

 

From the Santa Rosa de Copàn bus station, located 1 km north of the center, they pass near a shelter outside the terminal but adjacent to the taxi stand, buses to Nueva Ocotepeque pass quite frequently (scarce 3 hours, L $ 90). The bus stops often and willingly to pick up and drop off passengers and leaves you in the center of the aforementioned town, located just 7 km from El Poy, the border with El Salvador and only 22 km from Agua Caliente, the border with Guatemala .

 

From the center of Nueva Ocotepeque, minivans leave frequently for El Poy, the border with El Salvador, located just 7 km (L $ 10, approximately 15 minutes). The clerk passes by to collect the money after departure.

 

At the El Poy border post in Honduras, no exit tax is payable. Customs operations are quick and easy. For currency exchange there are unofficial money changers both on the Nicaraguan side and on the Honduras side and also in the Banks, where you can both change and withdraw.

My complete travel report with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:

http://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2016/04/traversata-del-centro-america-da-panama.htm