The Bay Islands

Honduras

Image a string of emerald islands crowded with palms, steeply protruding from a turquoise sea. These are the breathtaking Bay Islands of Honduras. There are three major islands (Roatan, Utila and Guanaja), three small islands and 60-odd islets, falling like tears off the face of northern Honduras.

Volcanic in origin, the Bay Islands have a mountainous rainforest interior and paradise like palm-lined beaches. On the mainland side, the bottom falls quickly to 200 feet or more; toward the ocean side, depths quickly reach several thousand feet in an abyss known as the Bartlett Trough. This rugged topography and undersea landscape explains the drama of the Bay Islands coral reefs. The fore reef is narrow and compacted, often reaching the drop-off within a stone's throw from shore. This close-to-shore phenomena provides the popular feature of shore snorkelling and scuba diving at many of the resorts.

Coral species diversity is extreme: 64 of the 65 Caribbean stony coral species are found here. Fish life is varied. Migrating species populate as well as deep water species are abundant, thanks to the fact the islands are on the migratory route from Mexico to South America and close to deep water. The reef attracts species such as jacks, kingfish, wahoo, mantas, marlin, pilot whales and whale sharks. The bank side of the Bay Islands is a pedestal for hundreds of bank reefs and coral pinnacles or seamounts. No wonder that the islands are a heaven for snorkellers and scuba divers!

The islands are culturally different from mainland Honduras. During colonial times they were the scene of many disputes between Spain and England, with the British settling and controlling the islands most of the time. As a result, English is the favoured language!

Roatan is the largest and the most popular amongst visitors. It is also the most developed but, relatively speaking, it is still mostly wilderness, interrupted only occasionally by a stilt-mounted town or village. The island has a mountainous backbone and is totally surrounded by coral reefs, offering superb diving as well as excellent fishing.

Utila, the smallest of the Islands is also the flattest and closest to the mainland. It is world famous as one of the most inexpensive places to get certified as a diver.

Guanaja, the tallest of the islands, is the most elite oriented, with many of the better hotels. It is a unique island as it does not have any roads and the largest community, known as Bonaca, is not even on the island itself, but on a small key, a short distant from Guanaja.