Last Updated on: 3rd April 2025, 01:05 pm
For most foreign travelers visiting Honduras, La Ceiba is mainly known for being where you get on the boat for Roatán or Utila. But wanting to explore Honduras beyond its main tourism hubs, I booked a few extra nights in the city. My goal was to explore the city itself along with the gorgeous Pico Bonito National Park just outside of town.
Sometimes when exploring lesser-visited destinations, you get lucky and discover a hidden gem. But other times, you might end up wondering why you even bothered. Unfortunately, my experiences in La Ceiba and Pico Bonito were examples of the latter.
With that said, the experience taught me a lot more about how to visit Pico Bonito National Park, as useful practical information is very hard to come by. If you’re considering a visit to the region, the info below should come in handy.
For more general information on reaching the area and where to stay, be sure to check the very end of the article.
Around La Ceiba
With a population of 250,000, La Ceiba is Honduras’ fourth-largest. Statistically, it doesn’t seem to have the terrible crime and gang problems of San Pedro Sula or Tegucigalpa, while it’s also situated along the coast. ‘Why aren’t more people talking about La Ceiba?’ I wondered.
I decided to start my explorations by walking along the seaside promenade. It being a gloomy and windy day, visiting one of the area’s beaches was out of the question, but I still hoped to get a taste of what La Ceiba had to offer.
My plan was to walk near the water from west to east, eventually reaching the city’s pier – arguably La Ceiba’s most prominent landmark.
Things began normally enough. But the next thing I knew, the view of the sea disappeared and I suddenly found myself in what was clearly a bad part of town.
In addition to the dilapidated buildings and piles of trash everywhere, young men were standing on the sidewalk and scanning their surroundings. I got the sense that they were local gang members on patrol.
I then observed multiple people who were completely oblivious to their surroundings, stumbling around in a dazed state like zombies. They were clearly addicted to some horrible substance, though I’m not exactly sure which one.
It was only around noon at this point, but my survival instinct told me to start walking as fast as possible. Luckily (and surprisingly), the pier was right around the corner from this rough neighborhood.
It being a rainy day, there wasn’t much to do other than walk down the pier and back again. Next, I figured I’d at least check out the city’s central square. But that wasn’t much to write home about, either.
I certainly wasn’t going to walk back to my hotel the same way I’d come, so I headed back via one of the main roads, which felt a lot less sketchy.
Having traveled through much of Central America and also through plenty of Mexico’s ‘no-go’ states, walking through La Ceiba – even in broad daylight – gave me an unsettling feeling that I’ve seldom felt elsewhere.
Pico Bonito National Park: The El Pino Entrance
As sketchy as parts of La Ceiba can be, there’s no denying that the general area is beautiful. On one side of the city is the Caribbean Sea, while on the other are the picturesque mountains of Pico Bonito National Park, visible from all over town.
The massive park covers an area of about 564.30 km², while it contains multiple entrances. So how does the average person go about visiting?
As mentioned earlier, practical information about Pico Bonito is very hard to come by, with online searches mostly yielding vague promotional blurbs written by local hotels and travel agencies.
The Cangrejal River Entrance?
Before my visit, the only detailed article about Pico Bonito that I found written by an actual traveler was this one.
The author, however, stayed within the park near the Cangrejal River Entrance. Though considered the park’s main entry point and where you’ll find the official Visitor Center, that entrance is located relatively far away from La Ceiba.
And for those traveling by public bus, the main problem is that the first bus departs at 10:00, with the last returning as early as 13:00 in the afternoon! If you’re just visiting as a day trip, that would only give you a couple of hours to hike. Yet there seem to be plenty of interesting trails in that area.
Unfortunately, despite asking numerous locals and doing multiple online searches in Spanish, I was unable to find any further information on the bus timetables.
Various locals I spoke with, however, said it would be easiest just to visit the entrance at El Pino. So I decided to skip the Cangrejal River section of the park altogether.
But for those still interested in the Cangrejal River, consider taking this rafting tour.
El Pino is located about 25 minutes west of La Ceiba. As it’s situated along the main highway, buses in either direction are quite frequent. Furthermore, the El Pino entrance is the home of one of Pico Bonito’s most popular hikes on AllTrails: Unbelievable Falls.
While there’s yet another entrance a bit further west of El Pino called Rio Zecate, I took the advice of local La Ceiba residents and headed for El Pino instead.
Note that the El Pino entrance is also known as the The Lodge at Pico Bonito Entrance, as that’s obviously where The Lodge – a combined hotel, restaurant and spa – is located.
But, as mentioned, numerous La Ceiba residents recommended this entrance to me, so I didn’t think much of it.
You can find buses for Pico Bonito departing from the San Jose Bus Terminal on Boulevard 15 de Septiembre (conveniently across from my hotel). The ride should just cost just 25 lempiras, though the bus will only drop you off in the town of El Pino.
From the main highway, it’s about 40 minutes on foot to reach The Lodge at Pico Bonito Entrance.
I briefly spoke with a tuk tuk driver who quoted me about $6 USD. But seeing as how I was there to hike, I just decided to walk.
On this hot and humid day, I followed the signs pointing to The Lodge and finally reached the entrance to the National Park. But the guard at the office wouldn’t let me pass! The land beyond was private property, he said, and I was prohibited from going further.
I explained that I’d walked all this way just to do the Unbelievable Falls hike. He asked if I had prior permission from The Lodge, and I said no. I was just following the advice of locals in town.
Confused, I asked him if this was indeed a National Park. He told me that it was, though large parts of it – including multiple hiking trails – are on private land.
After some more back and forth, the guard finally decided to call someone at The Lodge and asked if I could come in and hike. They granted me permission, and I was finally allowed to enter.
Even now, I still don’t understand why he didn’t just call them as soon as I arrived, and why he was initially so adamant about keeping me out.
I arrived at lobby of The Lodge, only to learn from the staff member that I couldn’t do the Unbelievable Falls hike. Despite the route being listed on AllTrails, I was told that it’s too risky for hikers to go alone and that a guide was required.
The fee for the guided hike costs around $40 per person, she explained. But that didn’t matter, as the guide wasn’t even there that day. Oddly, none of the reviews I came across on AllTrails or Google Maps had mentioned anything about this.
The only alternative was to do another hike which has no official name. This was the only thing I could do on my own, but I still had to pay $12 USD to enter the area.
The trails for this hike don’t appear on any map, but I was given a laminated hand-drawn map to follow instead.
I decided to do the long loop trail as pictured on the map above. Considering how beautiful Pico Bonito appears from La Ceiba, I was anticipating even more impressive views from closer up.
But as I’d later discover, a brief glimpse of some nearby mountains early on in the hike would turn out to be the highlight.
I walked past a few landmarks like a frog pond, and then began the steep uphill ascent of the loop trail. As mentioned, it was a sweltering day, and it wasn’t long before I was entirely drenched in sweat.
But given the uphill nature of the hike, I was feeling certain that the views at the end would be worth it.
On the way, I passed by multiple ‘viewing platforms’ that simply faced the dense jungle. It was quite odd, and one wonders what the reason was for building them here. Perhaps they’re mainly intended for birdwatching, though I didn’t see much.
All in all, the hike was a lot more tiring than I’d anticipated. And the trail was entirely covered in leaves that often hid things stones and roots, meaning I had to carefully watch my steps to avoid tripping.
And in the end, other than a brief glimpse of some distant jungle through a crack in the trees, there were no overlooks at the highest point of the hike. And in a park famous for its waterfalls, I didn’t encounter a single one.
Back near the beginning again, I headed to a river area known as Las Pilas where visitors are allowed to swim. At this point in the day, it was exactly what I needed.
At one end of the swimming area was a small waterfall – the only I’d end up seeing at Pico Bonito National Park. Unsurprisingly, there were no other visitors there, and I relaxed in the water for a while before heading back.
I then made the long return to the highway, from which I quickly caught a bus back to central La Ceiba.
Looking back, I regret not sneaking off to do the Unbelievable Falls hike on my own, as that hike is clearly outlined on AllTrails. But I tried giving The Lodge the benefit of the doubt and never anticipated their alternative hike to be so dull.
As mentioned above, I probably should’ve gone a bit further west down the highway to enter the park via the Rio Zecate entrance. Though not having been there, I can’t compare the two hiking experiences.
In conclusion, I think Pico Bonito National Park is only worth it for those willing to spend a few nights within the park, as it does indeed seem like a great place to unwind in nature.
But for those thinking of just visiting as a day trip, you’re probably better off skipping Pico Bonito – and La Ceiba as a whole – altogether.
Additional Info
I stayed at Hotel El Dorado, situated right across the street from the San Jose Bus Terminal.
While La Ceiba seems to be a bit more expensive than other destinations in Honduras, El Dorado is one of the cheaper hotels in town.
The rooms feature AC, have fast internet, and are quite spacious. The furniture, however, was not in great shape. Furthermore, the hotel staff are simultaneously working at the Chinese restaurant on the ground floor!
In the daytime, you must enter the hotel via the restaurant, while later in the afternoon, you can only do so via the side office. But sometimes the door is locked, forcing you to wait for someone to show up. All in all, this was a rather strange accommodation experience.
Those looking for something a bit nicer that’s also by the beach should consider Hotel Carnaval or the Tramonto Boutique Hotel.
As mentioned above, trying to visit Pico Bonito as a day trip from La Ceiba can be complicated and frustrating. Therefore, those with some extra time should consider staying within the park itself.
In the southeast part of the park near the Cangrejal/main entrance, you have the choice between Villas Pico Bonito, La Villa de Soledad and Casa Cangrejal. All are highly rated.
Other than that, you can also stay at The Lodge, the starting point of the hike described above.
Those interested in experiencing the Cangrejal River section of the park should consider taking this rafting tour.
Otherwise, this tour takes you on a hike to various waterfalls, though it’s not clear exactly which hike they’re talking about. In any case, the included hotel pickup means you don’t have to deal with complicated public transport situation.
For those coming by land, the closest major city to La Ceiba is San Pedro Sula. From that city’s main bus terminal, a few different companies can take you to La Ceiba. I went with Cristina, which generally seems to be considered the best option. Check their web site for the latest timetables.
The journey lasts about 4.5 hours (including a stop on the way for a meal).
Alternatively, you could book this tourist shuttle online in advance.
For those coming from Copán, don’t count on any direct buses, though you might be able to find some private tourist shuttles during the high season. In my case, I actually came from Copán and arrived in La Ceiba on the same day. Here’s what I did:
I took the 6:00 am bus run by the Casasola company from Copán to San Pedro Sula, which cost 160 L in 2024. We then arrived at the main bus terminal at 10:30.
I then walked to the Cristina office and bought a ticket for the 11:15 bus to La Ceiba, which I believe cost about 150 L. As mentioned, the ride lasted for 4.5 hours in total, and I ultimately arrived in La Ceiba at 15:45.
La Ceiba, of course, is home to the port for ferries to Utila and Roatán. And the last ferry for either island departs at 16:30. So it is technically possible to leave Copán in the morning and catch the ferry on the same day. A fellow traveler I met on the journey was doing just that.
But we were quite lucky that we didn’t encounter any traffic jams. Even with everything running smoothly, she just made it with thirty minutes or so to spare. Therefore, I’d recommend most travelers coming from Copán to spend at least a night in La Ceiba and catch a ferry the next morning.
Those coming from the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa, meanwhile, can also take a direct bus with the Cristina company.
In regards to the ferry crossing procedure to the islands, learn more details about that in our dedicated guide to Roatán.
La Ceiba also has its own small airport called the Golosón International Airport. It has domestic connections to Tegucigalpa, along with both Utila and Roatán. Even though the ferry ride to the islands is relatively short, the ferries do get paused sometimes due to bad weather, so some people prefer to book flights instead.