La Moskitia: rain forest adventure

A typical Miskito dwelling along the banks of the river.

By MARIA FIALLOS

Envision floating down the river in a dug-out canoe through a vast land untouched by civilization, an awe-inspiring world of pine forest savannas, dense tropical habitats, meandering, free-flowing rivers, and exotic wildlife. Such is the Honduran Moskitia. Covering an area of 22,000 square kilometers in Northeastern Honduras, the Moskitia is the largest, unspoiled tract of rain forest left in Central America. 

Rich in biological, ethnic and geographical diversity, open coasts, estuaries, river valleys, flood plains, fresh-water swamps, lagoons and mangroves await exploration. During the rainy season, the whole area is linked by waterways that run between lagoons, rivers and the ocean. The area is almost entirely navigable during this time, and water transport is the primary means of getting about of inhabitants and visitors alike. One of the most scarcely populated areas of Central America, four indigenous groups share the area with more ladino or mestizo settlers. Garifuna, Pech, Miskito and Tawahka live throughout approximately 200 communities and villages. Each group speaks its own language and maintains specific adaptation to the local environment, giving additional flavor to this exotic setting.

No roads lead into the Moskitia, getting there entails air travel by small crafts, or an ocean voyage to coastal communities, hiking or riding through dense, wilderness trails or river travel on motorized canoes, known in the area as pipantes or cayucos, carved from the trunks of mahogany trees. Primary tropical rainforest, river travel, and indigenous rainforest cultures allow the visitor to discover the mysteries of the tropics at its best.

Protected Areas
Two Biosphere Reserves can be found in the Moskitia, the Rio Platano and the Tawahka Asangni. These two are located just north of the Patuca National Park, located in the Department of Olancho, which is adjacent to the Bosawas National Park in Nicaragua. The Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve, the largest Honduran protected area, was declared in 1980 a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its unique value to humankind. This example of unadulterated natural beauty covers an area of 5,251 sq. kilometers, stretching across both the Departments of Colon and Gracias a Dos, until reaching the Cocoa River, the border between Honduras and Nicaragua.

Getting there 
Flights to the Moskitia can be taken from any major city. Boat rides are also available from either La Ceiba or Trujillo. The area is also accessible by road through Olancho up by way of Las Marias and on the Rio Platano. 
Many tour operators offer guided tours into the area and you might want to get online and check these out, just type Moskitia or Mosquitia in any search engine.

Palaces 
The starting point for Mosquito travel is usually by air to Palaces via La Ceiba.  Upon arrival in Palaces, a motorized canoe for hire transports visitors to one of the villages along the Bans Lagoon. A day at the beach can be enjoyed as well as a visit to the butterfly farm in Raster and to the Garifuna village of Paplaya to the Sea turtle Conservation Project operated by the local residents. From March to June, guided night-walks along the beach to search for nesting leatherback and loggerhead turtles can be taken, the leatherbacks are the world's largest turtles, weighing up to 1,500 pounds. From June to August, the nursery is open and visitors can witness the birth and release of baby sea-turtles, whose eggs were reburied in protected enclosures as a measure against poachers. An excursion up the river to Las Marias An 8-hour river journey up the Rio Platano from Palaces takes visitors to Las Marias, a Miskito and Pech village. Arrangements should ahead of time. 

The ride up the river to Las Marias offers the chance to witness the Miskito lifestyle of hunter-gatherer, fisherman, farmer. The shoreline is dotted with corn, plantain, bean and other crops. Las Marias is a settlement made up of three villages, the first one is the original Las Marias, the second one Pujulak, which turns into Baltiltuk, home to both Pech and Miskito. There is a lot to do in Las Marias, the most popular activity being an up river journey to petroglyphic sites. The journey takes an entire day and involves camping out for the night. On the way is a new Pech settlement (1980's) founded by Pech from Olancho who were invited to live in the Moskitia by the Moskitia Pech. This part of the river is more a jungle environment than the trip to Las Marias, through a secondary rain forest.

River Rafting through the Moskitia
Another alternative to experience the tropical jungle is a 10-12 day rafting expedition down the Rio Platano, from the southern tip of the Biosphere Reserve. The journey begins in the Capital city of Tegucigalpa with a drive through Olancho, and another day and half hike to the mountain headwaters of the river, through the rain forest, past the indigenous communities at Las Marias, down to famous the Moskito Coast. Abundant wildlife can be viewed during such travel, including pumas, alligators, dears, river otters, harpy eagles, iguanas, parrots, macaws, ocelots, tapirs, amongst hundreds of bird species.

For the adventurous traveler, the Moskitia offers a truly unique experience, a voyage into a rapidly vanishing world.

Guanaja

Guanaja, located east of Roatan, is the ultimate get away for those seeking an out of the way vacation.

Upscale resorts will cater to your every need including diving, snorkeling, kayaking and horseback riding. The tallest of the three Bay Islands, the island is covered in pine trees and was once called Pine Island. Transportation on Guanaja is done mainly by water, since most of island's residents don't live on the main island but rather on Bonacca Cay. Going there or to any other town or resort requires a boat ride.

RESTAURANTS

La Posada del Sol
Known as the islands best resort, the hotel's restaurant offers fine dining, call to make reservations for breakfast, lunch or dinner in this old Spanish style villa.

Pirate's Den
Bar and restaurant, menu offering fresh, locally caught seafood, as well as chicken and meat dishes. Daily lunch specials offered at noon.

West Peak Inn
West Peak is located at the very tip of Guanaja´s West End Beach, a favorite among locals for the Sunday barbecue. Full service bar as well as rooms, tents and seas kayaks for rent.

Hotels Telephone Cost US$

Bayman Bay Club 453-4191 160.00
Posada del Sol 435-4505 120.00
Nautilus 453-4389 117.00
Dumbar Rock 453-4506 117.00
Island House 991-0913 100.00
Manatee 453-4182 100.00

In a bid to improve it's market share, El Salvador based TACA Airlines, the leading Central American carrier is beefing up it's in flight food and beverage offering. TACA is now offering what it calls, Deli Snack on all it's flights over 46 minutes. The airline is also reinstituting it's justly famous and always popular "open bar service" on the majority of it's flights. Free drinks and Deli Snack service at 30,000 ft....flying to Central America never felt this good!

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The ruins of Copan were opened up the nights of Jan 22 and 23 to the public for a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit the site at night. The entry trail as well as The Great Plaza was illuminated with a wonderful and spectacular indirect lighting system which was put in place for the inauguration ceremonies which will take place at the ruins on Jan 27. Hats off to the Institute of Anthropology & History for allowing the citizens of Copan and tourists alike to view the ruins at night - it was an impressive opportunity to view some of the finest Maya sculpture ever created - on a clear, cool, Copan winter evening.

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Sex tourism which is a worldwide phenomenon has also touched Honduran shores in recent years. The latest example is the case of an Australian who was arrested in Tegucigalpa back in 1998. Extradited to Australia, he faced charges of child abuse dating back to 1986. Upon being charged in Australia he fled to Indonesia and then to Honduras, where he resided in La Ceiba, Trujillo, Roatan, Olanchito, Tela and finally Copan Ruinas where he ran a pizzeria for a short time. Last week the 61 year old was sentenced in Australia to a 30 year term...so it doesn't look like he will be back on Honduran shores anytime soon. As other nations around the world crack down on sex tourism, Central America has proved fertile stomping ground for sex tourists. Costa Rica in particular has been under intense international pressure in recent months to strictly enforce laws regarding child and sexual abuse.

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According to press reports the Caribbean province of Bocas del Toro in Panama could soon become one of the principal ecotourism and sustainable tourism sites in Central America. Bocas del Toro is located near the border with Costa Rica, already a major regional tourism powerhouse in it's own right. Recently the "First Forum On Sustainable Tourism in The Archipelago of Bocas del Toro"' was held with the participation of international and Panamanian experts who analyzed the principal problems that the province and it's ecosystems face as tourism development increases.

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Did you know that 2002 has been declared International Year of Ecotourism by the UN? We at Copan Update call upon the new Minister of Tourism to "put the pedal to the metal" and put in place a comprehensive national plan to develop ecotourism. The government has to put some teeth behind existing laws in order to protect threatened and environmentally sensitive areas.

 

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On January 27th Copan Ruinas will be the site for part of the inauguration ceremonies for the new President of Honduras, Ricardo Maduro. Preparations have been under way for weeks now, with a team of organizers led by Ricardo Martinez booking hotel rooms and setting up logistics. The archeological site will be closed Jan 26 & 27 to make room for the festivities. VIPS from the four corners of the globe will be chopping into Copan from Tegucigalpa thanks to a fleet of US choppers which have been loaned by the US for the occasion. As the logistics team sees to all the details, crews from the National Electric Company have been busy repairing and replacing street lights, municipal crews have been repairing cobblestoned streets and giving a new coat of whitewash to the old High School and the Market.

Citizens are being urged on the local cable station to clean up and sweep each day in front of their homes, businesses and properties. The event promises to be an interesting one, as this is the first time that an inauguration function has been held outside of the capital. Copan Ruinas was chosen as the site for the inauguration gathering as it is Honduras' best known and number one tourist/cultural attraction. The international press will be here to cover the event and it is hoped by Honduran tourism officials that the event will lead to some good press not only for Copan but for Honduran tourism in general. President Elect Maduro has repeatedly stated during the campaign that the development of tourism will be an important goal for his administration. With anemically low prices for basic commodities like coffee and sugar, the downturn in Honduran exports and slowdown in the ' maquila ' sector, tourism holds great promise as one of the few sectors of the Honduran economy which can expect healthy growth over the course of the next four years of the Maduro administration. By the end of four years, tourism may just well take it's place as the number one earner of foreign currency for the nation. The decision of President Maduro to hold a portion of his inauguration ceremony in Copan Ruinas, bodes well for his commitment to the development of tourism. His private sector experience and education in economics have raised expectations amongst the Honduran tourism sector that this may well be the first government in Honduran history to really take the ' tourism development bull by the horns ' and convert tourism into a tool for development and an important generator of jobs and economic activity.

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And speaking of developing tourism in Honduras........the nations of Central America recently banded together to promote Central America as a destination in the European market. With the slogan; Central America: so small...yet so big, the nations of the region seek to attract more European tourists to Central American shores. The promotion which carries a price tag of $800,000 seeks to attract tourists to visit a number of Central American countries as opposed to just one. Each country has it's own niche offerings and specialties to offer; diving, archeology, live indigenous culture and ecotourism. According to official statistics, the region, including Belize received 4.1 million tourists in 2000 who spent $2.926 billion.

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By February it is hoped that work will be completed on Roatan's new cruise ship pier facility. During the busy winter cruise season, it is estimated that 15 cruise ships monthly will make a port of call on the island of Roatan. For each ship carrying 1,500 passengers, Apr $120,000 - $150,000 is spent on the island for shore trips, food, drinks, souvenirs and tours.

In 2000, some 150,000 cruise ship passengers visited Honduras. With the new addition to Roatan's pier, it is expected that ships of 2,000 - 3,000 passengers will now be able to make a port of call on Roatan. Howard Rosenzweig, a U.S. expatriate living in the village of Copan Ruinas, is the owner of the Casa de Cafe Bed and Breakfast. He can be contacted at e-mail <casadecafe@mayanet.hn>.

Los Naranjos eco-archaeological park:
An impressive look at the Lenca culture

A water hen on Lake Yojoa, the Los Naranjos area is home to more than 375 bird species.

By SUYAPA CARIAS

Hidden amidst an impressively beautiful, lush natural setting, Honduran Culture and Anthropology authorities officially inaugurated the Los Naranjos archaeological site. This park is the sixth one in the country and the first one in Latin America dedicated to revealing amazing aspects of the culture and lifestyle of the Lenca ethnic group. Set on a 150 hectares, the park is located in three different departments, Santa Barbara, Cortes and Comayagua, in the northeast extreme of the Yojoa Lake basin. 

Protected by thick Gualiqueme trees and water related vegetation, Los Naranjos is home to more than 375 bird species, while hosting a series of prehispanic foundations and monticulus that were built by Lenca tribes that inhabited the area around the year 200 A.C.

Symbolic pyramids
Not far from the lake’s border, experts found three 10-meter high pyramids, an indicator of the Lencas’ origins and their relation with the Olmeca culture lineage, considered the threshold of Mesoamerican tribes.

A 45 minutes walk is required to visit the entire site.

The new tourist destination has information signs in English and Spanish to guide visitors during the 45 minutes long walk required to see the entire area. Tourists will also be able to enjoy the lake’s placid waters in small boats, and can visit a small museum featuring vessels, plates, necklaces and other clay items elaborated by Lenca handcrafters. 

More to see
There are several hotel facilities near and around Lake Yojoa, as well as restaurants that serve delicious fried fish with fried green plantain slices and spicy, pickled onions. 

So far, the Ministry of Culture has invested at total of Lps. 10 million in building and conditioning the site. But according to anthropologists in charge, what has been found so far represents just a small sample at the Lenca culture, since there is a lot more awaiting to be discovered at Los Naranjos eco-archaeological park.

How ‘bout some airport news to start off this week..........
Did you know that from Dec - Sept 2001 The La Ceiba airport registered more than 15,544 combined landings and takeoffs, the most of any Honduran airport. Tegucigalpa, the nations capital registered 4,604, San Pedro Sula 5,068 and Roatan 7,847. Whenever the weather turns excessively cloudy and rainy many of Honduras’ four major airports must shut down. Last week La Ceiba, Roatan and Tegucigalpa were closed for a few days due to poor weather conditions. Tegucigalpa especially is plagued by weather closures as it sits in a high valley surrounded by mountains, as well the landing strip is extremely short and is situated right smack in the middle of a densely populated city of one million plus. In fact the Tegucigalpa airport is regarded as one of the world’s most dangerous where pilots must undergo special training to be certified to land. The exit tax for international flights originating in Honduras is $25. This tax provides the lions share of the income received by InterAirports the foreign concern which has a concession to operate the nations four major international airports. 

One concern of InterAirports are the number of Hondurans holding official and diplomatic passports as these passengers are exempt from the $25 exit tax. According to official estimates some 6,000 Hondurans are eligible for such passports. In addition there are estimated to be thousands of others that are no longer eligible for official passports as they no longer hold any public office are fulfil any official function, however these individuals continue to hold official passports.

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Heading to Belize...why not go by sea.......Capitan Carlos Noe Reyes leaves from the Laguna de Alvarado in Puerto Cortes every Tuesday at 9am, arriving Dangriga, Belize in three hours. The boat returns to Honduras on Saturday.
The launch has three motors and can take on 50 passengers. Information: Tel 984-9544, 984-6512 and in Belize 501 523-227.

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Did you know.......that Hispanics in the US sent back some $15 billion per year to their families in Latin America. Mexico alone receives $7 billion.
Although the lions share of money comes from Hispanics in the US, Latin Americans also residing in many other nations send back money to family members. There are for example, some 250,000 Brazilians living in Japan who send back $2 billion and 200,000 Ecuadorans in Spain.

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The Copan Ruinas archeological site will be closed Jan 26 and 27 to make room for the inauguration and protocol ceremonies for the new Honduran president Ricardo Maduro. Some 500 guests will be choppered into Copan for the event aboard US helicopters from the US/Honduran Soto Cano Airbase. Stay tuned to Copan Update for a post inauguration review of how the event went in Copan Ruinas. The tourism sector by the way has great hopes that the new Maduro administration will give tourism the attention it deserves since tourism is one of the leading source of hard currency for the nation, bringing in some $250 million in 2001.