Getting around Honduras: buses, shuttles, ferries and domestic flights

Match the mode to the route rather than to a general rule. The mainland is a road network with two big hubs, San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, and the islands are reached from La Ceiba or by air. If your trip is Roatán only, you may never need a mainland bus.

Book the long legs first. Shuttles and first-class buses sell out around Semana Santa and the December holidays, and the last ferry to the islands leaves mid-afternoon, so a delayed bus can cost you a night in La Ceiba.

For the islands, decide ferry or flight. The ferry is cheaper and runs from La Ceiba; the flight is faster and avoids the crossing, but small aircraft have tight baggage limits and schedules that move. If you are prone to seasickness, take the flight.

On the mainland, use tourist shuttles for airport-to-town legs and first-class buses for the main corridors. Arrive at terminals by taxi, not on foot.

On Roatán, the island has one main road. Water taxis run between West End and West Bay, colectivo taxis are shared and cheap, and a rental car makes sense only if you are staying away from the west side. In Copán Ruinas, tuk-tuks cover the short hops between town and the ruins.

Keep a buffer before any international flight. Road works, checkpoints and weather on the north coast all add time, and the ferry crossing can be cancelled in a norther.

Do not plan on trains. Honduras has no scheduled passenger rail service that a visitor can use, so any itinerary built around rail is not workable (check).

There is no national bus pass or rail pass. You buy each leg from the operator, and prices vary by company and season.

Avoid driving on the mainland after dark. If you must arrive late, take a shuttle or a taxi from a bus terminal rather than driving yourself.

Rental cars are most useful on Roatán, where the single main road makes navigation simple. On the mainland, insurance rules, deposits and road conditions make a rental a poor first choice for most visitors.

Ferries and small domestic airlines are weather-dependent. Build a spare half-day into any island-to-mainland connection before an international departure.

Semana Santa and Semana Morazánica close offices and fill transport; banks also shut on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, so carry cash for fares.