Are you wondering is Honduras safe or not?
A mind-altering, perspective-widening, and bucket-list-warranting method of traveling the world is of course; backpacking.
Ever since my first trip to Latin America in 2014, backpacking is all I’ve been talking about. Encouraging all my family and friends to try it too.
Is Honduras Safe?
Although it might seem cliché at this point, the best way of truly immersing yourself into another culture is with boots on the ground.
You may kid yourself about how you get to see more and do more in a short space of time on other vacation types, such as a cruise or resort, but you and I both know that this is absolutely and unequivocally untrue.
As a backpacker devoting the best part of my time to discovering new places in Latin America through cultural travel and Spanish learning, so far, there’s been no life experience quite as rewarding as this.
Why Travel to Honduras?
Are you may already know Backpacking, or the notion of exploring the world without a tourist’s lens, has gained a reputation as being limited to the gap years of trust fund kids with nothing to lose.
The idea of this is complete garbage, however since more millennials chose to travel down the back roads instead of the trodden path.
The World Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation found in a survey that young travelers are not as interested in “the traditional sun, sea and sand holidays” as previous generations.
They spend less time in “major gateway cities” and prefer to explore lesser-known travel destinations.
The survey found that more millennials are staying in hostels in Honduras instead of hotels and they choose long-term backpacking trips instead of the conventional two-week getaway.
Backpacking Central America
Backpacking in regions that previous generations wouldn’t dream of, such as in Central America, opens traveler’s eyes to the reality of the countries they visit.
Due to the nature of western media, certain countries and cultures are inherently frowned upon or judged based on politics or crime rates.
None more so than the beautiful country of Honduras.
Many who backpack through Central America (including me) at some point have asked themselves: wether Honduras is safe for tourists or not.
Traveling to Honduras
You may be wondering if you’re planning to backpack in that part of the world but aren’t sure whether it’s worth bypassing.
I’m here to tell you it’s worth going! And here’s why:
- The Copan Ruins; a world-renowned UNESCO heritage site that’s home to a vast array of Mayan ruins.
- The Mesoamerican Reef system, one of the biggest underwater wildlife reserves in the western hemisphere. Threatened by complete deforestation after hurricane Mitch in 1998, the last remaining living coral is 14.4% of the coral reef mass.
- With the threat of pollution and climate change, this is slowly becoming the Venice of scuba diving locations. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
- The Macaw Mountain Bird Park and Nature Reserve, a privately funded habitat with the world’s most colorful parrots. Many are rescued or donated. The park serves to educate visitors whilst letting you pet them.
- Manawakie Eco Nature Park, home to nature and cultural center that lets you pet monkeys and sloths!
- Cayos Cochinos, a remote tropical island getaway ideal as a day trip.
- Many of the other sights and sounds of the three-bay islands; Utila, Guanaya and Roatan.
These are just some of the reasons why you may travel to Honduras.
See my guide on things to do in Honduras for even more ideas.
With the Copan Ruins been by far one the most popular tourist attractions in Honduras, you may be planning your trip around that.
If heading out into other parts of Honduras, what will you need to look out for? Let’s take a look at some of the Crime Statistics for Honduras to get an idea of what others are saying.
Honduras Crime Statistics
These are some great destinations, but is Honduras safe?
Well, let’s check the statistics. Around 2,000,000 tourists visited Honduras, of which most would’ve visited the three-bay islands.
That meant that Honduras generated around $722M (USD) in the tourism sector, accounting for 3% of the national GDP.
Honduras, like any other country within the tropical regions surrounding the Gulf of Mexico, is very much reliant on tourists spending money.
The Honduran government, of course, aims at increasing the annual visitor count by a million per year.
According to InSight Crime, the crime rate has decreased by 26%, which is what the Honduran government is aiming to work on if they expect more visitors per year.
Is Honduras Safe to Travel Alone
Traveling solo is becoming more popular and within Latin America, more people including myself have set out to travel alone.
More caution must be exercised when traveling alone, however, by sticking to the established backpacker routes you’ll be fine.
Don’t forget that although Honduras is becoming safer, it’s still a dangerous place to visit especially if you’re going off the beaten track.
The more you can understand the mindset of the local people and the general culture in Honduras you’ll begin to realize it is similar to travel to other countries in Central America.
Honduras Travel Safety Tips
Below I’ve written some tips to give you a head start when planning your trip to Honduras and considering your own safety.
If traveling alone, or even in groups, try to follow these sturdy tips:
- Don’t take any valuables with you to Honduras. It’s easier to not worry about them being stolen or them making you a target to petty crime.
- Protests can happen out of nowhere so take note of any large crowds and try to stay away.
- Protect yourself against mosquitoes – pack some bug spray, burn coils and nets.
- If someone attempts at mugging/robbing you, let them.
- Carry a dummy wallet, so that if you get pickpocketed, it’s not the end of the world.
- Even if you’re in the safest spot in the country, don’t go out and walk around at night. Just don’t do it.
- Be aware that there are high levels of HIV and AIDS in Honduras – it’s important to keep that in mind.
- Use ATMs in shopping centres, hotels and inside trusted banks only.
- Keep valuables locked in a safe – room robberies can happen. You don’t want to lose your passport.
- If you’re to travel around, make sure you take coaches or other modes of trustable transport. Only go with certified bookings through a trusted hotel concierge.
- Don’t participate in any drug-taking since it’s not only illegal, but you’re contributing to the gang violence.
- Don’t travel near San Pedro Sula or Tegucigalpa. This is where the gangs operate.
- Unfortunately, people can be dangerous, but some of the wildlife can be just as dangerous. Be careful of venomous snakes, crocodiles, poisonous spiders.
- Make sure you’re up to date with your vaccines – check with your doctor and see what you’ll need for Honduras.
- If you are a person that suffers from typical culture shock symptoms see our tips on adapting to new surroundings on this blog.
- Don’t drive, even if it’s in safe areas. If you want to travel around, make sure your taxi/bus is not taxed by the gangs.
- Chicken buses can be fairly unreliable, so if you’re looking to move from place to place, it would be easier to pay for coach services.
- Above all else, do more research on where you’re traveling to specifically. These are just tips on Honduras as a whole, but where you aim to travel might have a crime rate above the national average.
- Although designed to be helpful, do more research than just this page.
Of course, this guide is not going to protect you from all danger.
I have designed this guide for you to consider all the avenues when it comes to safety in Honduras, that way you know what to look out for.
Got Travel Insurance for Honduras?
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Is Honduras Safe?
So, is Honduras safe? Not entirely, but if you stick to the main visiting areas, such as the bay islands and Copan Ruinas, you’ll be safe.
Not to mention, amongst hundreds of other travelers and backpackers that travel to this part of Central America every day.
This makes solo travel not only a reality but there is always an option to do the specific trips with accredited travel-makers.
You need to be travel smart when it comes to a journey like this, so make sure you make all the necessary preparations before passing through.
Honduras is a beautiful country, and it would be such a shame if visitors were too scared to make the trip.
Trust me when I tell you: a trip to Honduras is worth it! Read more about safety in Central America to learn which countries to visit or avoid.
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