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Voykit pocket guide · Honduras
Roatán
Roatán is a base-on-the-west-end island: sleep in West End or West Bay, dive or snorkel in the morning, keep the middle of the day for shade, and take a taxi you booked for everything after dark — there is one main road and it is not lit.
Roatán is a long, narrow island with one main road, a small airport near Coxen Hole and two beach villages at the western end. Most trips break on transport: taxis are priced by zone and hard to find late, the road is unlit, and cruise-ship days crowd the beaches. Four small clusters cover a first visit; a hired taxi or a scooter joins them, and hurricane season decides whether the ferries and flights run.
- Country
- Honduras
- Best months
- Feb · Mar · Apr · May
- Time zone
- America/Tegucigalpa
- Stay
- 2 days: West End reef morning, West Bay beach
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- HNL
- Money
- US dollars are widely accepted; keep some lempira in small notes for minibuses and local counters. Withdraw at ATMs inside banks or supermarkets in daylight and keep a reserve.
- Daily spend
- Budget L700–1,200 excl. bed · Mid L1,200–3,000 excl. bed · High L3,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Tigo and Claro sell SIMs at airports and shops; passport required.
- Emergency
- Emergency 911 · Tourist police Check locally
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · US plugs fit; power cuts on the mainland.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: 10%; sometimes on the bill.; Dive crews: 10% of the dive cost or US$5–10 per dive.; Guides: US$5–10 per person per day.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap; bottled and refill jugs.
- Toilets
- Paper in the bin.
Get in
By air
- Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport (RTB), Roatán
- RTB to West End: one pre-booked taxi, 25–40 minutes for about 15 km — the risk is a late landing with no ride arranged and an unlit road.
Get around
Walk inside a village by day; taxi between villages and always after dark.
- Passes
- No pass. Taxis have zone prices: agree the price before you get in. Shared minibuses run on the main road by day.
- Late at night
- No rail. Taxis get scarce late: ask your hotel or dive shop to book the ride back before you go out.
See and do
01West Bay BeachWest Bay
A long white beach with calm water and shade at the north end: go in the morning, or at dusk, and avoid cruise-ship days.
02Half Moon Bay (West End)Half Moon Bay
The sandy cove at West End with reef right off the beach: snorkel in the morning before the water-taxi and dive-boat traffic starts.
03Carambola Botanical Gardens
Tropical gardens and a short hillside trail: one to two hours; check the entry fee, hours and trail conditions before you go.
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Eat
- West End baleada and seafood counters
- Walk-in baleadas, grilled fish and rice-and-beans at counters on the main street; go at midday or early evening and carry small notes.
Sleep
- West Bay resort strip
- Quieter, resort-style beach base with more space and pools; a taxi ride from anything except the beach.
- West End village
- Best first night: dive shops, counters and the beach are a walk from the door; choose a place with a night desk, a taxi-reachable door and a lit path.
Language
Spanish is the national language, but the Bay Islands grew up English-speaking under British influence, and many islanders speak Bay Islands English as their first language. Garífuna communities keep their language along the north coast.
- Hondurans call themselves 'catrachos'.
- WhatsApp for boats, dive shops and shuttles.
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'buenos días'; avoid: Skipping greetings
- Island life: Relaxed pace, greet neighbours; avoid: Loud impatience
- Conversation: Football, food, family; avoid: Gangs, politics, the 2025 election
Red lines
- Do not touch coral, feed fish or take shells.
- Ask before photographing people.
- Cover up away from the beach: beachwear is for the beach.
Scams (Honduras page)
- Taxi overcharging: Agree the fare; use hotel-arranged transfers.
- Currency games: Ask if prices are in dollars or lempiras.
- Unlicensed dive shops: Choose PADI/SSI centres with good reviews and serviced gear.
- Unofficial border fees: Only the posted entry fee; ask for receipts.
- Card skimming: ATMs inside banks and malls.
One and two days
1 day
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Half Moon Bay snorkel at 08:00, a 12:30 lunch table
- 08:00Half Moon Bay (West End)
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (West End)
- Rest in the shade 13:00–16:00; dinner in the village and be back before dark.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Half Moon Bay snorkel at 08:00, a 12:30 lunch table
- 08:00Half Moon Bay (West End)
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (West End)
- Rest in the shade 13:00–16:00; dinner in the village and be back before dark.
Day 2 — West Bay Beach before the crowds
- 08:30West Bay Beach
- Afternoon in shade; book the taxi back before you go.
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Honduras Tourism Institute (official): www.letsgohonduras.com/
- Wikivoyage — Roatán: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Roat%C3%A1n
- Wikivoyage — Honduras: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Honduras
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Roatán
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- West BayWest Bay Beach
- Half Moon BayHalf Moon Bay (West End)
- Emergency911
- Tourist policeCheck locally
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/roatan). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.