Traveling to Honduras

Contact the Benhams

Questions regarding travel can be directed to:

Paul & Joyce Benham
2504 52nd Avenue Drive West
Bradenton, FL 34207-2347
Email: (jbbenham@aol.com)

Passport

http://travel.state.gov

You only need a valid passport to travel to Honduras along with an onward/return airline ticket. A visa is NOT required for stays up to 90 days. Holders of U.S. passports are issued a 30-days permit, which can be renewed every 30 days for up to a maximum 90-day stay. A $25 (U.S.) departure tax is imposed.

Airline Travel

Area code for Honduras is 504

All Prices US Dollars

For a list of travel agents who get find a good airfare from the US go to http://www.roatanonline.com/getting_to.htm You want to fly into San Pedro Sula then on to La Ceiba. Your final destination when arriving from the U.S. is La Ceiba. American and Continental only fly to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. From there you need to catch a 30-minute flight on a turboprop up to La Ceiba. The only airline I know of which gets you through to La Ceiba is TACA. It is the largest Central American airline as it combined the airlines of 5 Central American countries in 1997. They fly Airbuses. I’ve found them to be the least expensive. I’ve taken Jet Blue to Ft. Lauderdale then taken the shuttle bus down to Miami International. I bought my tickets twice online at: TACA at http://www.grupotaca.com/ · New York to La Ceiba $610 roundtrip (note this gets you all the way to La Ceiba) · Miami to La Ceiba $332 roundtrip (note this gets you all the way to La Ceiba) Sol Air (now AeroHonduras) · Miami to San Pedro Sula $333.50 (you would need to pay [??] Once you’re in the country, to fly from San Pedro Sula on to La Ceiba then on to Puerto Lempira, you may fly on one of three domestic airlines: Isleña (a subsidiary of TACA) at: http://www.flyislena.com/infoislena/getdata?command=reservac&lang=1 · $70 roundtrip San Pedro Sula to La Ceiba Daily flights From La Ceiba out to Puerto Lempira is $110 roundtrip leaving La Ceiba at 6:00am arriving 7:30 am. It returns at 7:40 am arriving La Ceiba at 9:10 am. Note when arriving from the U.S. plan to stay overnight in La Ceiba. On the return from Puerto Lempira it is possible to continue on to San Pedro Sula on either Islena’s 10:00 am flight from La Ceiba onto San Pedro Sula. Note that with the 10:00am flight make sure your baggage gets on because you’ll only have 50 minutes. You’ll be able to catch TACA’s 11:30 am flight to Miami arriving in Miami at 3:50. Sosa at: http://www.laceibaonline.net/aerososa/itinera.htm Telephone Reservations (504) 443-2519 443-1399 Airport telephone (504) 440-0692 441-2513 Atlantic Airlines at: http://www.atlanticairlines.com.ni/ Air Travel Located just a short, two-hour flight from the southern United States, the Bay Islands is a very convenient destination to travel to. The destination is currently experiencing one of the best growths in terms of airline interest, and this is expected to increase flights to the islands. The newly launched official airline for Honduras, Sol Air, currently flies from Miami to San Pedro Sula (on the mainland), twice daily. There are direct connections to Guanaja, Utila and Roatan. The airline will begin flying to Roatan, direct from Dallas, on November 2 this year. Please find more information on Sol Air below. TACA flies directly to Roatan island from Miami and Houston. The airline also flies from Los Angeles, New Orleans and San Francisco, with connecting flights to the islands. Domestic air service is handled by three local airlines; Atlantic, SOSA and Isleña, and it is normally not required to book for domestic travel, but we recommend that you do, especially if you are connecting to the islands. Airline name Office Telephone number Sol Air San Pedro Sula 550-6944 / 6955 Sol Air Tegucigalpa 220-6543 / 6708 / 6399 Sol Air Miami (786) 621-3161 TACA Roatan 445-1387 / 445-1918 TACA La Ceiba 443-3720 / 1915 / 441-2528 TACA San Pedro Sula 558-1636 / 668-3292 TACA Tegucigalpa 233-2192 / 232 7585 American Airlines San Pedro Sula 558-0518 / 668-3243 American Airlines Tegucigalpa 232-1414 / 233-9685 British Airways Tegucigalpa 225-5101 / 5103 Continental Airlines San Pedro Sula 557-4141 / 668-3208 Continental Airlines Tegucigalpa 220-0999 / 233-7676 Iberia San Pedro Sula 550-2530 / 668-3219 Iberia Tegucigalpa 232-7766 / 239-1729 KLM Tegucigalpa 232-6410 / 3885 Lufthansa San Pedro Sula 557-2459 / 1934 Lufthansa Tegucigalpa 236-7560 / 7564 Varig Tegucigalpa 225-5102 / 5103 / 04 Domestic 445-1179 Atlantic Airlines Roatan 440-2343 / 440-1220 Atlantic Airlines La Ceiba 557-8088 / 552-7270 Atlantic Airlines San Pedro Sula 234-9702 / 970 Atlantic Airlines Tegucigalpa Aerolineas SOSA Roatan 445-1154 Aerolineas SOSA La Ceiba 441-2512 / 2513 Aerolineas SOSA San Pedro Sula 668-3223 / 550-6545 Aerolineas SOSA Tegucigalpa 233-7351 Isleña Airlines Roatan 445-1550 / 1387 Isleña Airlines La Ceiba 441-2521 / 443-0179 Isleña Airlines San Pedro Sula 668-3333 / 552-8322 Isleña Airlines Tegucigalpa 237-3410 / 3450

For a list of travel agents who get find a good airfare from the US go to http://www.roatanonline.com/getting_to.htm

Health

Go to http://www.cdc.gov for the latest vaccination requirements.

Also a MUST READ IS http://crs.uvm.edu/partners/vtchapterguide.htm

· Check State Dept advisories: . Go to “Services” then “Advisory”, the pick country - e.g. Honduras.

· Centers for Disease Control an Prevention (CDC_ - International Travelers Information Line and Web site (877-394-8747) has information on diseases found in specific countries, pre-travel immunizations, regional data and other health matters.

· Johns Hopkins Health Information

· The World Health Organization

· The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

· The International Society of Travel Medicine and the Journal of Travel Medicine

· Travel Health Information Service

· The Medical College of Wisconsin, International Travel Clinic www.intmed.mcw.edu/travel.html

· http://www.carlsonwagonlit.com - Carlson Wagonlit Travel Company (represented at theUVM Travel Office at the Bookstore) is one of the largest travel agencies and has some useful materials. Also see http://www.Enquest.com/ for travel arrangements.

Hotel Accommodations

In La Ceiba:

Hotel Gran Paris (with a nice swimming pool) http://www.laceibaonline.net/hparis/paris1e.htm

Reservations at: reservaciones@granhotelparis.com,hotelparis@psinet.hn

Money

The Honduran currency is known as the Lempira (a famous 1600s Indian warrior who defeated the Spanish). In April the exchange rate was U.S. $1.00 = $18 lempiras). So 36 lempiras for a hotel room equals U.S. $2.00

What to Pack

Note: The editor of this page is a Boy Scout leader couldn't help but make some suggestions in italics. Campmor.com is a good place to find some of the items below.

· Medications
· Hand sanitizer
· Coffee Cup
· Plastic water bottle/drinking cup (Nalgene)
· 3 days works clothes (including one light weight long sleeve shirt) (Duofold Coolmax)
· work gloves
· work shoes/sneakers
· socks (Polypropelyne - it dries quickly)
· Hat/baseball cap
· Recent tetanus shot
· Bible
· Snacks
· Sunscreen
· Sunglasses
· Rain coat/pants (optional)
· Swimsuit
· water shoes
· Towel/wash cloth
· Insect repellent w/ DEET
· Sleeping or a sheet with an air mattress
· Mosquito net (available at DeJulio’s and EMS)
· Small first aid kit
· Watch
· Reading material
· Notebook/journal pen & pencil