The last leg of our adventure with our friends Paul and Clare put us in Tela on the north coast of Honduras for a couple days. Kristi and I had been to Tela a couple times previously, but we had never been to the eco-park situated on the peninsula just to the west of town.
Jeanette Kawas National Park located on Punta Sal is a protected peninsula of ideal Caribbean beaches and tropical forests. Guided trips take visitors by boat to Punta Sal where hiking, swimming, and snorkeling may be enjoyed. The park is named for a North American expat who, for years, battled private development of the peninsula. She was murdered for her efforts in the mid-90s but her cause was not lost. Shortly after, the national government named Punta Sal a national park and dedicated it to the memory of Jeanette Kawas.
Kristi, Paul, Clare, and I, along with several other tourists (including another PCV, randomly!) made the 45 minute boat trip with our bilingual guide, Mauro. The views from the boat included a huge gas tanker that was moored in the bay, pumping fuel via underwater pipeline to the town for distribution throughout Honduras.
Boat
Gilligan and Ginger
Upon arrival at Punta Sal, we waded ashore and began a hike through the tropical forest. The group zigzagged through the forest to two hidden bays where pirates such as Henry Morgan once hid out. One of the hidden bays hosts manatees once every 5 years during mating season. This happened to be the year! but in August. I’m sure the manatees prefer a little privacy anyway.
In one of the hidden bays
Highlights of the hike included eating termites and spotting HOWLER MONKEYS! We saw two groups of monkeys; one deep in the forest, the other on a beach. Our guide got the first group riled up by clapping and mimicking their howl/grunt. This resulted in… yes, feces and urine being directed towards our group. Nobody took any shrapnel but things did get pretty intense for a moment.
After we ate termites
Los monos
At the conclusion of the hike we re-boarded our boat which we found waiting on the other side of the peninsula. The boat took us to a tunnel through a rock formation in one of the hidden bays. Paul and I agreed immediately to swimming through and once we were headed in, almost the entire rest of the group followed. A couple of scared parents even agreed to let their under 10 y/o girls go! I went first and have to admit got a little sketched out once I arrived to the tunnel, but we all made our way safely through. I waited inside the tunnel for Kristi who bravely brought up the rear.
Caveman
Next, we hopped out of the boat once more, this time with our snorkels on. We all toured the reef and were treated to dozens of types of tropical fish, jelly fish (which kind of gave us a scare), and a big ol’ barracuda!
The trip to Punta Sal ended with a lunch of freshly caught red snapper and fried plantains. For budget travelers to Central America, Punta Sal is totally worth a stop.
Our boat parked at our lunch/swimming spot
We concluded the Paul and Clare adventure with a lazy Sunday at our hotel pool and sunset cocktails on top of the tallest building in Tela. We are very grateful to our friends for their visit; it means a lot to see old friends when you’re so far from home.
Tela at sunset looking towards the mountains
From our cocktail spot
Thanks, friends!
What a great place. It was so sweet of Paul and Clare to visit y’all in Honduras. The photos are beautiful. That must be the nicest beach in Honduras. No litter!
Is that last shot a Chaco ad?
It oughtta be!
I wondered the same thing
Glad that you guys had fun. The photos are beautiful
Glad you got the chance to show your friends where and how you’ve been living the last 2 years and have some company. The pictures are great! I guess we’ll have to see it when you go back to visit sometime in the future. Love ya!!
[...] we were lucky enough to have our friends Paul and Clare visit us (read about that here and here) we did a lot of chatting about our life in Honduras compared to life in the US. We tried to [...]