Utila

Introduction

Utila Island Sunset

© dwalker66

Utila is a beautiful island only 29 km from the port of La Ceiba. It is only 11 kilometres long and 4 kilometres at its widest point. The island is surrounded by amazing coral reefs and is considered one of the least expensive places in the world to dive and has over 60 different dive site. This small and charming island, with only around 2,500 permanent residents, is great to place to relax if your on a budget and is wonderful place to learn how to dive.

Towns

• Eastern Harbor is the main town on the island and home to the dock.

Sights and Activities

• Diving is very popular and dive sites are scattered around the island.
• Hiking explore some of the low level volcanoes.
• Beeches in some cases are the major roads.

Weather

Although Utila is a great place to enjoy the beaches and watersports, the weather is not always that nice. October to February is rainy season, with a smaller rainy season in June and July. Temperatures are between 25 °C and 30 °C most of the year, but some nights can be cool with temperatures dropping to around 15 °C in January.

Getting There

By Plane

The small airport has regular service with Aerolineas SOSA and Atlantic Airlines, with connections to Roatan and San Pedro Sula, which have international connections.

By Boat

The Utila Princess makes two trips a day to and from La Ceiba to Utila. It tatkes around 1 hour and costs US$21 one-way. It departs from La Ceiba at 9:30am and 4:00pm and from Utila at 6:20am and 2:00pm.

You can connect by ferry or private boat to Roatan on a regular basis.

Sleep

Upscale

• Rent the islands of Sandy Cay or Little Cay for as little as a $100 a night.

Keep Connected

Internet

No matter where you are in Honduras, you should find Internet access, either in a cafe, mall, or cybercafe. Most hotels, even hostels, have their own Internet service, and more and more are beginning to have Wi-Fi service. Roughly 90% of these hotels offer Wi-Fi for free, yet some international chain hotels in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, as well as a few resorts on Roatán, charge a fee that ranges between US$6 and US$15 per day. If the hotel does not have Internet service, the hotel staff can usually point out where to find it. Expect to pay approximately 20 lempira per hour.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The emergency numbers are 199 (police), 195 (ambulance) and 198 (fire). The international area code in Honduras is 504. All local phone numbers are eight digits, including the area code. Numbers either start with a 2 (landline) or a 9 (cellular).

Kiosks and convenience stores throughout Honduras sell phone cards with individual instructions on long-distance dialing, and phone booths at telephone centers will provide instructions on dialing.

Honduras's largest phone companies, such as Telefonica, operate on a GSM 850 or 1900 MHZ frequency, which several large North American carriers also use, though these frequencies are rare in other parts of the world. Any dual or multiband GSM cellphone will work in Honduras, but you might pay expensive roaming rates; it's better to buy a local SIM card and install it in your own cell phone for cheaper rates.
You can also rent a phone at kiosks located on the arrival level at the San Pedro Sula or Tegucigalpa airport; they are open daily from 6:00am to 9:00pm. Depending on your service, you may be able to insert your own SIM card, though you'll likely still pay regular roaming rates. Some cellphone companies in Honduras will rent phones with prepaid calling cards.

Post

Honducor is the country's national postal service. Post offices are open from Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm (though generally with a long lunch break) and on Saturday from 8:00am to noon. Sendings standard letters or postcards internationally start at around US$1 and take 10-14 days at least. You can get stamps at a post office and at some gift shops in large hotels. The Honduran postal service is renowned for being considerably more reliable than in other Central American nations, though if you are sending anything of value, it is still recommended to use an international courier service like DHL, UPS, TNT or FedEx, which have offices in larger cities.

External Links

• Official Tourism Website