Honduras is the second-largest country in Central America. It attracts tourists with its natural beauty and diversity of wildlife. There are many places to see and activities to do, but it would be better to distinguish a few. An exciting place for tourists to visit is the city – Copan, the most studied Maya city in the world, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (“Maya Site of Copan,” n.d.). Interesting elements include a ball platform, a unique temple with the longest known Mayan text, and Acropolis with carved reliefs of the 16 kings of Copan.
Not far from Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras is the country’s first national park – La Tigra (“Parque Nacional La Tigra,” n.d.). This untouched area of Central America’s tropical jungle is home to ocelots, pumas, and monkeys. Moreover, the park is also a haven for many surprisingly bright and beautiful birds within its borders, including toucans and trogons. It is one of the most visited parks in Honduras, and it is worth a separate excursion. Along the main road between San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, is the natural attraction of Honduras – Lake Yojoa (Masters, 2016). It is the largest natural lake in the country and the primary habitat for birds in this Central American country.
Accommodations in Honduras depend on the desires and opportunities of a tourist, and prices can vary. It is crucial that the country has a popular Couchsurfing service, allowing people to offer free overnight accommodation to travelers. Those who want to explore as many attractions as possible in Honduras should familiarize themselves with the area’s transport system in advance. One of the most popular types of transportation is buses with many different destinations (“Honduras – Transportation,” n.d.). Moreover, taxi and car rental services work for everybody. If a tourist wants to get to the islands, then he or she needs to use the ferry and water taxis.
The best shopping experiences can be obtained while searching for souvenirs. The most popular tokens in Honduras are pottery, ceramics, leather items, tobacco, and coffee (“Honduran Souvenirs,” n.d.). The last souvenir deserves special attention as it will warm the traveler for a long time and please with an unusual taste, which may differ depending on the growing region. Before shopping, it is worth repeating the numbers in Spanish, as there is a chance that the seller may not know English. Those who have a desire for this can try to bargain.
Hondurans usually start conversations with a friendly salutation and consider it impolite to bypass someone with a greeting. In the rules of an ethics tone, there is also a firm handshake when meeting. Courtesy is viewed as the basis of local etiquette, so it is important how and what is said and in what situation. Various signs are generally given a significant place – the more the high status of the interlocutor is emphasized, the higher the respect for the guest himself. The official and predominant language of the country is Spanish, but one can find a population that communicates in dialects with an admixture of Native American words.
Since the main language of the country is Spanish, phrases such as Buenos días, Hola, Hasta luego, Sí, No, Gracias, Por favor, Lo siento are useful for personal communication. Cerrado, Abierto, Entrada, Salida, A la izquierda, A la derecha, Prohibido is the other group of words useful for tourists. If there were problems in understanding phrases No hablo español¿ Habla ingles? were used. At acquaintance, it is possible to use ¿Cómo te llamas? Me llamo.
References
Honduran souvenirs. (n.d.). Web.
Honduras – transportation. (n.d.). Web.
Masters, T. (2016). Lago de Yojoa: Honduras’ hidden oasis. Web.
Maya Site of Copan. (n.d.). Web.
Parque Nacional La Tigra. (n.d.). Web.