Ponant’s Dumont-d’Urville is a beautiful way to travel in French style. We spent much of our cruise exploring Honduras and the rest in Belize.
Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras, a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea. Its capital and largest city is Tegucigalpa, home to about 1.6 million of the country’s 9.5 million people. Slightly larger than Tennessee, Honduras is unique in Central America for having two major urban centers: Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula.
Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and has one of the world’s highest murder rates. More than half the population lives in poverty, with rural and indigenous communities particularly affected. Per capita GDP was about $5,600 (2021 est.), and nearly half the population lives below the poverty line. Honduras is also a major transshipment point for cocaine bound for the United States.
Although primary school enrollment is near 100%, the quality of education is low, with high dropout and grade repetition rates and weak accountability.
Honduras gained independence from Spain in 1821 and has held regular elections since 1838. During the 1980s, the United States established a strong military presence in the country to support operations in neighboring El Salvador and Nicaragua, while developing strategic infrastructure.
The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage. While the economy has slowly rebounded, setbacks from COVID-19 and severe storms in 2020–21 remain.
Despite these hardships, Honduras offers extraordinary natural beauty.
Guanaja, one of the Bay Islands of Honduras, lies about 70 km off the north coast and 12 km from Roatán. Most of its 10,000 residents live on a nearby cay called Bonacca, often referred to as the Venice of Honduras for its waterways.
The Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, on the Atlantic coast, is a protected area home to manatees, monkeys, and countless bird species. Its mangrove canals, fed by the Cuero and Salado rivers, create a rich brackish habitat where freshwater meets the sea.
The Cayos Cochinos (or Cochinos Cays) consist of two small islands and 13 coral cays northeast of La Ceiba. Although small in population (108 residents as of 2001), the islands form part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the world’s second-largest barrier reef. With no roads, cars, or bikes, Cayos Cochinos remains a pristine marine reserve managed by the Honduras Coral Reef Foundation.
You can see more photos of Honduras here.
Sources: CIA World Factbook | Wikipedia | Honduras Official Tourism Site | Audley Travel