Visit everything that Honduras has to offer. From colonial towns on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa to National Parks, which range from the magic of the cloud forests to white sand beaches, and exotic and very exuberant jungles. From coffee plantations to a 100-year-old hacienda and to top it off, a journey back in time to the Mayan Ruins of Copan.

Day 1: San Pedro Sula
Upon arrival at the International Airport in San Pedro Sula, you will be met by one of the representatives and transferred to your hotel. Overnight at Gran Hotel Sula.

Day 2: San Pedro Sula - Yojoa Lake - Tegucigalpa
After having breakfast, transfer to Tegucigalpa visiting Los Naranjos Archaeological Site at the Yojoa Lake. Near the village of Los Naranjos, on the shores of Lake Yojoa, exist an extensive set of ruins of pre-Columbian settlements. The Los Naranjos Archaeological Zone, which includes 9 archaeological sites, is a 10-sq. km. area along the northern shore of the lake. The largest of these sites is called the Principal Group, featuring one structure that is 20 meters high with an acropolis group on top. The late George Hasemann, a prominent archaeologist with the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History (IHAH), suggested that human settlement around Lake Yojoa may go back many thousands of years, possibly involving groups hunting the extinct late-Pleistocene mega-fauna such as the mastodon.In the afternoon, you will visit the Valle de Angeles and Santa Lucia. These two former mining towns give you an excellent introduction to what the Honduras countryside is all about. Once an important mining center early in the colonial period, Santa Lucia is now a small, quiet community nestled on a hillside with wonderful vistas of Tegucigalpa. There are "two" town centers: the traditional town center with the church and municipal building and another area with a lake and park. The steep, narrow streets are cobblestone and the buildings are whitewashed stucco with tile roofs. Valle de Angeles Valle de Angeles is a slightly larger town, but it still retains a quiet, rural charm. It is a major handicrafts center and a school that teaches native crafts is located there. Good buys are available on mahogany products as well as leather and pottery. As in most Central American towns, the center of town is a plaza/park with the church and municipal buildings located here. The town still has the atmosphere of a Spanish colonial era town and is very relaxed and "laid back " kind of place. Valle de Angeles is the best place in the area, if not the entire nation, to buy souvenirs and craft items. Continue to Tegucigalpa and overnight at the Hotel Plaza del General or similar. (B, L)

Day 3: Tegucigalpa - La Esperanza
After breakfast at your hotel, you will visit La Tigra National Park, a cloud forest located at only 11 km. from Tegucigalpa, and with 238 square km. The magic of the cloud forest, combining the complexity of a mixed pine, oak and liquidambar forest, is the main attraction in this unique protected area. It is considered one of the richest habitats in the world, where there is the highest diversity of Flora and Fauna. Bromeliads, orchids, arbores cent ferns and over 200 bird species call La Tigra home.Then, you will be transferred to La Esperanza. On the way, you will visit the colonial town on Comayagua, located only 60 miles north of Tegucigalpa. It was founded in 1537 and was the most important city of colonial Honduras. The city itself is built according to the Old Spanish tradition, a square central park and streets laid out in a square fashion. Old homes and buildings are silent testimony of the cities old heritage. Its heritage is proudly standing in the colonial monuments that still survive, among which is the Cathedral, the church of Las Mercedes, and the Museum of Comayagua, offering a variety of artifacts dating from the colonial times. Overnight at the Hotel Los Pinos. (B, L)

Day 4: La Esperanza - Copan
This morning, after breakfast, visit the indigenous Lenca town of La Esperanza.La Esperanza is unique to Honduras because of its large indigenous community, the Lenca. The Lenca can be distinguished by their bright, solid or checkered cloths covering the women's hair, and their production of vegetables that you will find in most of the supermarkets. Around mid day, you will depart towards Copán Ruins. Overnight in Copán. (B, L)

Day 5: Copan
After breakfast, visit Copán Main Archaeological Park. Located in the jungles of northeastern Honduras are some of the oldest and most well preserved Ruins of the Mayan Empire. Copan has been the focus of the most continuous sustained investigation in all the Maya World, as a result, the most amazing mysteries about the Mayan Civilization ever unraveled has been discovered here. You will find remarkable temples and pyramids, giant stelaes with carved glyphs representing a complex system of writing, including references to astronomer?priests who tracked planets and could accurate predict both solar and lunar eclipses. After lunch, continue to the Mayan Sculpture Museum This massive museum is without doubt one of the highlights of your visit to Copan. It houses a series of original pieces of sculpture that have been recovered within the Copan Archaeological site. The masterpiece is the real size replica of the Rosa Lila temple, discovered intact under structure 16 in the acropolis. This replica will give you a very clear idea of how the temples where decorated with stucco and paint during the peak of the Mayan culture, over 1000 years ago! In addition, a series of temples with fine sculpture have been reconstructed here. Perhaps the most outstanding is the facade of the Ball Court, which is completely original. The archaeological bench, originally from the Sepulturas site is also one of the most distinguished masterpieces. You will also visit this small site that has been most important in understanding how the Mayan elite lived during the days before the collapse of Copan. Probably the most asked question by tourists visiting a site like Copan is: where did the population live? A good part of the answer to that question can be found at "Las Sepulturas". Afterwards, you will make a horse back riding tour to the Hacienda San Lucas, a 100-year old family-owned retreat nestled in the hills above the tranquil Copan Valley. The hacienda was recently restored and is hand-built, solar-powered adobe hacienda. On your way there, you will visit a place called Los Sapos, a small site located on the hilltops overlooking the Copan Valley. Overnight in Copan. (B, L)

Day 6: Copan - Tela
You will have breakfast at your hotel, and then visit the Tropical Bird Park close to Copan Ruins, which offers a first class experience in an unspoiled part of the world. Here you learn about and interact with the intelligent, colorful birds of Central America. After lunch, you will continue towards Tela, with a stop at Finca Santa Isabel (coffee plantation). Finca Santa Isabel offers this once in a lifetime "hands on" experience, beginning with the plant nursery where young coffee plants are grown, continuing up through the mountain side exuberant green plantation under magnificent trees, presenting the harvesting and finally, the processing of this bean that has become a truly ritual of the modern daily life. Overnight at the Hotel Villas Telamar. (B, L)

Day 7: Tela - La Ceiba
In the morning, you will visit Punta Sal National Park and wildlife refuge, a fantastic park located on the western end of the Bay of Tela and accessible only by water. Based on its size and biodiversity, the park is one of the most important national parks in Honduras. The small bays within the park served as havens to the pirates and buccaneers of yesteryear. The park has two separate, well-defined areas: the peninsula and the lagoon. The peninsula is only accessible by sea. A vast natural beauty awaits you: white sand beaches, an exotic and very exuberant jungle and a very attractive coral reef are the main attractions. During the tour, it is quite possible to encounter different animals, such as dolphins, monkeys and of course a large variety of tropical birds, giving an added spice to your tour. The Lagoon, known as the Micos Lagoon, is the area with the highest population of birds in the park. Between December through May you will find up to 350 different species of birds living within the lagoon! Mangroves, forming canals and cayes where other types of tropical plants and trees coexist, surround the lagoon. To the east, the lagoon is separated from the sea by a narrow tongue of sand, forming an extensive and very beautiful beach. In the afternoon, transfer to La Ceiba, the third largest city in the country, located on the Caribbean coast of Honduras. La Ceiba is a vibrant, lively town that beats to the rhythm of its Latin, Caribbean and Afro-Antillian culture. It is home to the Dole Fruit Company, producers of bananas, pineapples and grapefruits.On the way there, you will visit a garifuna community. Overnight at the Palma Real Resort. (B, L, D)

Day 8: La Ceiba
After breakfast, enjoy a tour to Pico Bonito, this beautiful and diverse National Park located just south from La Ceiba to hike through a tropical jungle and swim in crystal clear water ponds under beautiful waterfalls. The park covers an extension of land of 680 km2 that goes from sea level to an altitude of 2,435 mts. (7,300 ft.) Accessible through the rivers Zacate and Cangrejal, it has a cloud forest, serveral endangered species and many waterfalls and the beauty reaches its greatest splendor during the rainy season with tappearance of new waterfalls visible from distances kilometers away. Overnight at the Palma Resort. (B, L, D)

Day 9: La Ceiba
Enjoy breakfast and depart to La Ceiba airport where you will catch your flight to your next destination. (domestic flight not included) (B)

YOUR PACKAGE INCLUDES:

• All land transfers according to itinerary in A/C units
• Excursions and entrance fees Bilingual guide (Spanish/English)
• 1 night at the Gran Hotel Sula, 1 night at Plaza del General Hotel or similar in Tegucigalpa, 1 night at the Hotel Los Pinos in La Esperanza, 2 nights in Copan, 1 night at the Hotel Villas Telamar, 2 nights at the Palma Real Resort
• 8 Breakfasts, 7 lunches and 2 dinners
• Hotel taxes.