Honduras

At a Glance:

From the essential perspectives of rock-bottom prices, a secure environment, and decidedly pleasant living, Honduras may well be the best bargain in Central America today. Throw in balmy tropical weather, remarkably warm and friendly people, and breathtaking venues -- and what’s not to like?

Well, what’s not to like is the fact that the country has done less to market itself than almost any other country south of the Rio Grande. It’s almost as if the indigenous population has gotten together and said, “Hey, it’s really great down here. Beautiful beaches. Perfect weather. Vibrant cities. And stunning mountain vistas. For Pete’s [or, in their case, Pedro’s] sake, don’t tell anybody!”

Think of Honduras as divided into three distinct regions – each of distinctly different, yet strikingly similar in their rustic appeal: the Pacific Lowlands, the Caribbean Lowlands, and the Interior Highlands.

The Pacific lowlands in the south is the smallest region of Honduras, with the nearby gulf waters rich in fish, mollusks, shrimp, and shellfish. The Caribbean Lowlands is dominated by the north coast, showcasing some of Central America’s most beautiful – white sand beaches. And the Interior Highlands – comprising about 80% of the country and the majority of the population – provide a panoramic sweep of majestic rainforest mountains (as well as the capital city of Tegucigalpa)

Taken together with the laconic charm of its people, the lure of this little-known land is embodied in an enticing tropical ambiance endemic to much of Central America, but epitomized here in what the author O’Henry (in his short story “Cabbages and Kings) termed the original “Banana Republic.”

The truth of the matter is, when driving across Honduras (and, yes, the road system is modern, safe, and extensive), it is difficult to look in any direction without being overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the terrain. From the towering peaks of its verdant mountains to the enduring charm of its quaint villages (do not miss lakeside Danli or the Valley of the Angels) to the splendid solitude of its pristine beaches, Honduras transfixes the eye and captures the soul. 

Yet as beautiful as the land is, it remains very likely the most undervalued in all of Central America. A sizeable beachfront property is still available for a few thousand dollars. Land in the interior can be had for mere hundreds of dollars an acre. Two-bedroom homes in safe, comfortable communities can be built for under $20,000. And condos on the beach still sell for as little as $100,000 – or less! 

Enough said. Now, if only the country’s Ministry of Tourism would get around to saying it! (Guess you can’t have everything, can you?)

Healthcare:

Honduras has a bifurcated healthcare structure. The government provides a sufficient safety net system for the those at the lower end of the economic ladder. And a widespread private healthcare system provides modern, well-equipped facilities for those seeking advanced treatment -- at prices a fraction of those in the US.

The doctors throughout Honduras are well-qualified, many having received training in the US and Europe. Medical standards are rigorous, with the doctors well trained in up-to-date practices. Medical facilities are clean and adequately appointed, though in rural outposts provisions can be sparse.

Particularly in the major cities scattered across the country, healthcare is state-of-the-art, with the latest technology readily available. The CEMESA facility in San Pedro Sula,  the Honduras Medical Center in Tegucigalpa, and both the Vincente Dantoni Hospital Center and the Atlantida Integrated Hospita in La Ceiba are all top quality medical centers with well-trained and attentive English and Spanish-speaking doctors.

What surprises most visitors and expats in Honduras is the low cost of healthcare treatment. A visit to the doctor costs between $5 and $15. A private hospital room costs $30 to $40 a day. Complex surgery is performed for as little as $1,000. Brand-name prescriptions in Honduras (most of which do not require a doctor’s signature) generally cost one-third, or less, than the same prescriptions in the US.

Public Safety:

As in many Latin American countries, the crime figures at first glance are alarming. In pursuit of “due diligence,” here’s what the State Department has to say: “Crime is endemic in Honduras and requires a high degree of caution by U.S. visitors and residents alike.”

The truth is, the report is patently hysterical two respects.

First, crime is no more “endemic” to the people of Honduras than it is to any other people in most parts of the world. According to Webster’s Dictionary, “endemic” means “belonging or native to a particular people or country.” The folks at U.S. State Department should be ashamed of themselves. They likely meant “epidemic” – though even that would be a egregious overstatement.

Second, here’s how one very credible resident of Honduras using the screen name Pedro responded to the State Department claim in a Lonely Planet posting:

“There's such a theatrical, over-the-top scare-mongering element to those State Dept reports that it's hard NOT to take them with a chuckle sometimes. Maybe particularly for those of us who've lived down that way for some time.

“Obviously the State Dept comes down on the "cautious" side, but are the facts they cite true? Yes, they are, but what's not made clear to the reader is that the stats come from a combination of urban and rural settings, and it's mainly the urban settings that so heavily weigh the stats with the extreme violence. So this all gives a slightly skewed impression to a person seeking advice on exactly how dangerous Honduras or other CA countries are. I mean, you're mixing in two of the worse-case CA cities ever, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro, and combining their crime stats with those of bucolic Copan Ruinas, Santo Rosa, etc. And you're telling me that that gives someone an accurate impression of the situation on the ground? I don't think so.

“The other factor that skews one's thinking is that the overall number of tourists visiting the country vs the number of people in these crime stats is not mentioned; it is important to realize how many people have no incidents at all, and what the ‘odds" really are.”

And a personal note from Caribbean Life Club president, Carter Clews: “I live in the Honduran countryside, and take the ‘chicken bus’ into the nearby city of La Ceiba every day. Simply put, I feel safer walking the isolated lane near my country home, riding the bus late at night, or strolling he streets of La Ceiba than in most American cities and many rural areas in the US today. Give me the chicken bus to a metropolitan transit authority bus any day of the week”

In 2008, the United Nations issued a report saying that Honduras does not have an endemic (using the word correctly) drug or alcohol problem. The drug-related crimes in Honduras are committed by traffickers using the country for transit. And that transit is in isolated areas with most of the victims involved in the drug trade.

So, Pedro was right. And Honduras as a whole is a relatively safe country for tourists and expats.

Population and Geography:

Honduras is slightly larger than Tennessee, with a marginally smaller population (between around 7 million) About half of the Honduran people live in urban areas. The population is 90% mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European, 7% Amerindian, 2% black, and 15 white.

The country borders the Caribbean Sea between Guatemala and Nicaragua, and the north Pacific Ocean between El Salvador and Nicaragua.

The largely untrammeled Caribbean coast is by far the country’s primary geographic attraction – and perhaps the best way to describe it is with a picture worth a thousand words provided by Lonely Planet:



Type of Government:

Honduras is a solid representative democratic republic with a president elected every four years (to a rigid single term – the last president who tried to circumvent the term limit was impeached and removed from office).

The legislature – Congreso Nacional – is unicameral. It has 128 members elected to four-year terms according to proportional representation.

The Judicial branch includes a Supreme Court, courts of appeals, and a variety of “courts of original jurisdiction” (e.g., labor, tax, and criminal courts). Supreme Court justices are elected for seven-year terms.

The Hondurans Constitution protects freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, movement within the country and foreign travel. It prohibits discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, opinion or political beliefs. The Constitution of Honduras prohibits all forms of discrimination.

CLC Don’t Miss This Alert!:   

Roatan Island – Heaven Under Your Feet and Over Your Head

On beautiful Roatan Island, the sun is always shining, the waves are gentling cresting, and the pristine beach beckons you to bare your feet and wiggle your toes in the warm, white sands. There are no crowds on Roatan Island. No traffic jams to impede your passage , no grocery lines to try your patience, no hurry, scurry, stress, or worry.

In short, Roatan is paradise island. It’s where you go when you’re through going. Where you land when the flight is finished, and the time has come to cool your jets.

An easily traveled paved road connects the most developed towns on Roatan Island. If you start on the western end, you travel through the quaint communities of Lighthouse Point, West End, Sandy Bay, Coxen Hole (the capital of Roatan, where the cruise ships dock), Brick Bay, Mount Pleasant, French Harbour and Oakridge - Punta Gorda.  After that, the asphalt gives way to red-clay dirt as you navigate each to Paya Bay, Camp Bay, Port Royal, and other outposts.

Now, when one calls Coxen Hole, French Harbour, and the rest “communities,” please don’t get the idea you’re heading for small-town America with a lamp-post-lined Main Street, a bustling town square, and a Starbucks at the end of the block. Most of the communities on Roatan Island are (or at least at one time were) fishing villages. They exude the relaxing air common to communities worldwide where the locals have long-since learned that nature not only takes it own course. It takes its own sweet time, as well. And you may as well enjoy the wait.

Which you will when you visit the typical tropical village of West End. Here, a single sand-covered street leads you from one end of “town” to the other. Walking from east to west, you’ll have the Caribbean Sea on your right and the island shops on your left. Most of the shops are small cafes or trinket boutiques, though you’ll also find some clean, comfortable restaurants where $10 will buy you a delectable dinner. 

Now, for those who prefer the big city and bright lights, Coxen Hole (population 13,000) is only about a 10-minute drive from West End. And there, they have everything (if your idea of everything isn’t really all that much). There’s a real super market – well, maybe not super, but certainly a market – with fresh fruit, vegetables, some meat (mostly fowl), and even a well-stocked candy counter. There’s a department store, with clothes, cosmetics, and even (a few) appliances. One thing there’s not is hustle and  bustle. After all, you are in the Caribbean.

Another place you’ll want to visit when you venture out to Roatan is West Bay. If West End is typically tropical, West Bay is the “United States of Roatan.” Here, you’ll find New York-style delis, the Cool Beans coffee shop, modern accomodations -- and a seashell’s throw away, the exquisite residential community of Keyhole Bay. 

Lavishly ensconced on 23 acres of rolling hills, Keyhole Bay is the quintessential New Urbanism community – complete with a private beach, cascading waterfalls, and infinity pools overlooking the turquoise Caribbean. But be forewarned: Go to look, and you’ll long to stay.
And then, there is tiny Oakridge. Located on the east side of the Island, Oakridge is as quaint a fishing village as you will ever chance to visit. Scaling the hillsides engulfing an inlet, Oakridge at eventide, with the sun settling into the sea, evokes an aura of a day well spent, the promise of a peaceful night. Imagine Cabin Cove without Jessica Fletcher nosing around trying to stick you with a murder rap, and you have just arrived at Oakridge.

Whether strolling the West End or lapping up lattes at West Bay, shopping at Coxen Hole or enjoying the aura or Oakridge, you are unlikely to find a more pleasant place to live on the face of God’s good earth than Roatan Island. When you can begin each day with a leisurely jog along a pristine beach, counting the starfish awash in the tide and listening to the call of boatbill herons, you sense something of what Thoreau meant when he wrote, “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”



For Additional Information:

• Heritage Foundation Economic Freedom Index:

• Freedom House Index:

• State Department Country Report:

• CIA Country Factbook:

• World Health Organization Rankings 2000 (dated but still useful):