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Where am I?
You're in the Bay Islands about 30 miles off
the coast of Honduras in the Western Caribbean, roughly a 2.5
hour flight from Miami, New Orleans and Houston. Roatan, Utila,
and Guanaja are the largest of the Bay Islands -- but there's
also Barbaret, Helene, the Cayos Cochinos (Big Hog and Little
Hog), and Morat, along with 65 cays (pronounced "keys").
The second longest reef system in the world is right at your doorstep.
The three major islands are surounded by nearly 61 miles of reef.
And the jungle clad mountains, verdant valleys, and golden sand
beaches are home to countless exotic flora and fauna -- an eco-traveler's
delight.
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Roatan?
Roatan, the most sophisticated and developed of the three, is
the home of the Garifuna, world class scuba diving, small fishing
villages and intimate resorts and hotels. Thirty-three miles long
by 2.5 miles wide (at the broadest), the 49 square mile island,
with 23 cays, sports a richly jungled low lying mountain range
down its center, and is fringed by over 34 miles of reef -- the
many beaches range from purest white, to honey, to golden fawn.
If you want to see and be seen, choose gorgeous Tabayana Beach
in West Bay -- if peace and quiet is more your style, head for
Paya and Camp Bays, or any of the many other beaches in between.
Explore dense mangrove forests in the east, stark iron shore in
the west, and deserted, gently sloping bights (coves) in between.
Visit the iguana farm, experience a dolphin encounter, hike mountain
trails, take a canopy tour, descend to the depths in a submarine,
pound the beach on horse back -- the opportunities are endless.
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Guanaja?
Guanaja is mountainous, blanketed by rare Honduran pine
forests, meandering tree lined pathways, sparkling water falls
and streams, and belted in deserted golden and white sand beaches.
Measuring 13 miles long by 4.5 miles wide, the nearly 22 square
mile island, with 13 cays, has no roads -- transportation is by
water or on foot. Appealing to seekers of solitude who love living
as one with nature, but with 21st century amenities, are several
small resorts which feature diving, snorkeling, kayaking, long
walks, and spectacular night skies. Scuba enthusiasts tout the
virgin reefs, and deep underwater caves and canyons. Apart from
a few scattered private homes, most people live on Bonacca, a
small cay off Guanaja’s coast called the Venice of Honduras.
The houses teeter over the water connected by tiny bridges and
walkways -- like living on a boat that never leaves port.
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Utila?
Divers from all over the world congregate in Utila Town to explore
the ancient reef just off shore. In a village caught in a 1970s
time warp, you won’t see any cars, just the occasional ATV,
motorcycle, or bicycle. Everyone walks here including the old
man who makes daily rounds with a macaw perched on his shoulder.
Sit in a restaurant sipping a Port Royal or Salva Vida (the local
beers), and you may hear six different languages. At 10 miles
long by 2.5 miles wide, the rather flatish 16 square mile island,
with 13 cays, boasts many small hotels and restaurants -- these
gladly share space with wooden houses built on stilts, painted
white with gingerbread balconies, green roofs and trims of lime
green, pink or blue. The rest of Utila and her cays are easily
reached by boat -- you’ll find picture postcard sparkling
white sand beaches, and swaying palms bordering azure seas.
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Why are reefs so
important?
Reefs are one of the world’s most sceen biologically diverse
ecosystems. They serve as breeding and feeding stations for underwater
life -- they also protect the island
from strong surge and wave action. Forty-two types of coral (two-thirds
of all Caribbean coral) is found encircling the Bay Islands which
supports 167 species of reef fish. Roatan’s system is fringing
reef punctuated by deep walls (91 dive sites) ... Utila, which
sits on the Continental shelf, features ancient submerged reefs
(41 dive sites), and is a major Whale Shark habitat ... while
Guanaja has a triple barrier reef (36 dive sites), unique to the
Bay Islands.
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Does everyone
speak English?
Yes ... and no. The island cultures are just as diverse as the
islands themselves. Roatan, with a large ethnic and cultural representation,
speaks English, Spanish and
some Garifuna. Guanaja, with a complex interracial mix, speaks
English followed by Spanish. Utila, which is mostly founded by
white Caymanians, speaks English and a little Spanish. Nearly
everywhere you go, you will find bilingual locals more than willing
to help. The Bay Islands are a crazy quilt of ethnicity which
spawns an acceptance and understanding of outsiders -- you’ll
quickly feel like family in your new home.
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What are
the average temperatures and rainfall amounts?
Average temperatures range from a high of close to 100 degrees
in August and September in the noon day sun ...to a low of 68
degrees in the middle of a December
night. Nearly constant trade winds keep the tropical humidity
and heat under control. The rainy season extends from October
through January -- the year’s total approaches 80 inches
providing lush greenery and exotic flowers. Though tropical storms
can occur in the fall, the Bay Islands are located so far west
that they’re rarely bothered by hurricanes.
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How many people
live here?
This is a tough question. Why? Because of the many isolated fishing
villages, some accessible only by water, or by long treks through
jungle ... and because of the migratory nature of the cultures.
Ask ten people, and you’ll get ten estimates. A rough guess
puts the population of Roatan at close to 30,000, while Utila
runs about 5000, and Guanaja comes in at around 3000. the largest
concentration of foreigners is found on Roatan and numbers over
300.
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What about health
facilities?
If you’re a diver, you’ll be interested to know there
are two decompression chambers on Roatan -- one at Anthony’s
Key Resort and one at Fantasy Island. There’s also a chamber
on Utila just in front of the Utila Lodge. Both Utila and Guanaja
have medical clinics, while Roatan has four good sized facilities
located in Sandy Bay (at Anthony’s Key), Coxen Hole, French
Harbour, and Punta Gorda. La Ceiba and San Pedro Sula, the nearest
large cities on the mainland, have fully equipped hospitals with
many U.S. trained doctors. Medivac is available if needed.
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What if I want to
stay longer?
Visitors may stay up to three months without a visa. If you extend
your time, you can go to the Municipality once per month and have
your passport stamped. Or you can leave Honduras for at least
48 hours, re-enter, and start the three month process over again.
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But I want to live
here!
You can own property in Honduras -- up to three-quarters of an
acre as an individual,
1.5 acres as a couple, and unlimited acreage if you form a Honduran
corporation. As for residency, there are several plans to chose
from. You may qualify as a Retiree (Pensioner) who is someone
living off foreign income -- you must prove $1000 per month which
is transferred into Lempiras, the local currency. You will never
be taxed on foreign income -- and you will be eligible for a Dispensa,
meaning you can import all your household goods and a car one
time duty free. Or you may qualify as an Investor -- your business
outlay must total at least 1,000,000 lempiras (about $560,000)
in fixed assets -- submit a business plan to the Ministry of Tourism,
and you may be awarded a tax holiday of up to ten years, along
with suspension of duties related to your business imports. Or
you may qualify as an Employee if a Honduran company sponsors
you because they feel your expertise is not readily available
here. Or you may apply for residency if you literally fall in
love and marry a local. Before buying land, building or buying
a home, or applying for residency, it’s important to consult
a Honduran lawyer.
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When were the islands
discovered?
Christopher Columbus first landed in the 1400s and immediately
enslaved the Paya Indians causing the founding island culture
to die out and migrate to the mainland. The Creoles were the next
to arrive from Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and Great Britain starting
in 1600 -- many of these direct descendants of African slaves
had mixed blood from cohabitating with the British. An influx
of Europeans began in 1638 who were mostly descendants of pirates
hailing from Spain, England, France, Holland, and the U.S. Several
of these families founded commercial fishing businesses which
are the financial mainstay of the Bay Islands today. One of the
most interesting island cultures, the Garifuna, appeared in 1797
after being shipped from the island of St. Vincent to Roatan.
The product of intermarriage between African slaves and fierce
Carib Indians (descendants of the Arahuacos from the Orinoco River),
St. Vincent plantation owners thought they were too ferocious
to make reliable workers -- so they shipped them to the Bay Islands.
Today the Garifuna (as they’re called locally) maintain their
African customs while speaking a Arahuacan dialect. And finally,
the Ladino culture from the mainland of Honduras started emigrating
to the islands in the 1800s completing the melting pot that describes
today’s society.
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What the Bay Islands
don’t have!
There are no high rise hotels, gambling casinos, Vegas style entertainment,
fast food chains or used car lots. Instead, there is staggering
natural beauty above and below the Caribbean sea, and some of
the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. We hope to welcome
you the next time you visit ... and the time after that ... and
the time after that ...
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