Copan, not just the ruins

E Rubi waterfall located outside Copan Ruinas

By MATT CONRAD

COPAN RUINAS — Droves of tourists flock to western Honduras, above all during Semana Santa, to see for themselves the ancient Mayan wonder of Copan. The ruins on average take about three hours to tour, preferably being led by one of the incredibly knowledgeable and multi-lingual guides like Marvin. Unfortunately, the marvel of the ruins draws the majority of the tourists and other impressive tourist sites, glowing with natural beauty, are neglected.

Yaragua Tours offers a range of delectable hikes and excursions, namely the El Rubi Waterfall Hike a hike up the rolling hills 12 kilometers outside of Copan. One traipses through lush forestry until you reach a fresh water plunge pool headed by a narrow 10m high waterfall. The guide will no doubt whip off his shirt and dive right in leading you to a little ledge where you can perch under the cascading waters or swim around the warm waters of the little plunge pool. He will probably have to drag you away to the next spot, maybe a kilometer up river, with the promise of even more dramatic scenery. Make sure you wear aqua socks or durable sandals as this little treck has no real path and you will be glad of water-resistant shoes that offer some support. You’ll reach a miniature canyon varying from eight to ten meters in height and wonder what your guide thinks he is doing as leaps right off the top into the water below. Then you wonder how he managed to convince you to follow with a case consisting of little more than a gurgled “Do it!” The walk back takes you through more vibrant undergrowth and if you began your trip in the mid afternoon you will be lucky enough to catch the sun setting over the tree clad hill tops.

You are driven back to Copan in a seated pick-up refreshed and re-vitalized by the mountain waters. Unfortunately rumors have turned into one or two credible accounts of bandits robbing tourists in and around El Rubi. However, these persons were not escorted by three machete-wielding guides and an armed police officer. At no point do you feel unsafe or threatened. There is much to be said for reasonable precautions in place of hyper paranoia and scare mongering.

The people of Copan and principally the guides are very aware that tourism funds life in Copan. Guides pick up garbage to maintain its appearance of an untouched wonderland; everyone takes great pride in their town and surrounding greenery.






 

Bad news for the Rio Platano Biosphere in La Mosquitia. The Rio Platano Biosphere, one of the most important stretches of protected nature in all of Central America is in grave danger. According to a United Nations study it may lose it’s classification as a World Patrimony Site. Due to the degradation of the ecosystem by uncontrolled logging, invasions by farmers, ranchers and homesteaders the biosphere is in danger of being decertified by UNESCO who declared the site a World Patrimony in 1980.

In addition to it’s importance as a protected area, the biosphere also is significant for it’s potential to become a major draw for ecotourists who now travel the Platano River in small but growing numbers in search of birds, mammals, plants, trees and the opportunity to interact with the indigenous Miskito Indians who live in the zone. The area of La Mosquitia is considered as the jungle version of the Wild West, where a lack of infrastructure, roads, transport and government presence has lead to an anything goes mindset, which leads to the uncontrolled destruction of it’s valuable natural resources without the national government paying much attention to this sparsely populated, poor and politically insignificant part of the country.

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Ever wonder what country will soon be the world’s most visited destination, France, Germany, England, or United States? Nope, none of the usual suspects. Would you believe China? In a couple of years China will be the most heavily visited place in the world. Yep, this nation of 1.3 billion inhabitants which boasts a 4,000 year old history is getting set to crank up it’s tourism machine. Prices right now to this far away land are very accessible. A 10-night package including air will set you back $999 and $700 r/t flights from the West Coast make China downright affordable to the working class masses.

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Goloson International Airport in La Ceiba is remodeling it’s terminal. Although no flights at this time depart La Ceiba for the United States, local Honduran carriers serve Gran Cayman and Belize with direct flights. It has been reported that Sol Air is considering serving La Ceiba. Currently Sol flies to Dallas and Miami. The remodeling is slated to cost Lps. 60 million and will entail the construction of two waiting rooms, restaurants, shops, bathrooms as well the enlarging of the taxi way for planes and increased parking for vehicles. Goloson currently sees some 80 planes daily, which makes it the nations busiest airport in terms of number of aircraft served. La Ceiba is the hub for a host of small local carriers with flights to the Bay Islands, La Mosquitia, San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa.

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How has the Iraq war affected tourism to Honduras and Copan Ruinas in particular you might ask? Well there is plenty of good news for all it seems the Iraqi people will soon be liberated from a brutal and despotic megalomaniac and tourism, thank you very much, is doing quite nicely these days. In the year following Sept 11, tourism to Honduras saw a healthy 20 percent increase and 2003 is looking good as well. As other more exotic destinations like Paris, London, Bali, Mogadishu and Manila look more like potential terrorist targets, Americas’ backyard: Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America are looking more and more attractive to tourists looking for an uncomplicated and less terrorism threat intensive environment especially in the dicey post Iraq war period where the threat of retaliatory attacks by extremists will hang over many traditionally strong tourist destinations. Central America and Honduras in particular can boast of easy and quick air access to the United States, uncomplicated connections, low prices and good value for the buck in addition to the usual host of in demand products like world class diving, spectacular archeological ruins, ecotourism and miles of undeveloped beaches.