Packages
Eco-adventures: YOU choose, WE take you!
1 Week Package Details:
During your week at Porlamar Beach House, you can elect to take any of the optional excursions listed below. Allow 1/2 day to 1 full day for these adventures.
- An expedition along the Cangrejal River led by a tour guide. The trip goes for 10 kilometers and along the way you'll visit small communities like San Isidro, where the river reaches the Carribean Sea. For the more adventurous, a white-water rafting trip is available. The Cangrejal is a Class III-V river, home to some of the best rapids in Central America.
- A trip to Cuero y Salado, site of an ecological reserve, featuring a river launch from which to view manatees and monkeys and other exotic creatures of the forest and lagoon It is home to approximately 30 manatees, as well as jaguars, monkeys, jabirus, alligators and at least 30 other endangered species. The reserve is "flocked" with birds: about 200 species have been spotted so far.
- A tarzan-like trip through the jungle - ride along a suspended cable through the rainforest, with ZipLine Canopy Tours. This Canopy Tour differs from others as it offers a ride above geothermal waters.
Visitors are taken up the mountain on horse back to the start of the ride, where they will travel from tree to tree suspended by a harness. The ride is very safe, fit for ages 5 to 70. Due to the geothermal waters, there exists a micro-climate in this part of the forest, dense with air-plants, ferns, butterflies and flowers, where the leaves of the trees are constantly dripping with moisture. After the ride visitors can relax in a hot-tub naturally formed by the merging cascading waters of the hot spring and cold river. The water temperature is about 29 deg. Celsius. All this in the beauty of the jungle.
- A visit to Cuyamel by train, which departs La Ceiba in the morning, and takes you to the confluence of the Cuyamel River with the Carribean. Along the beach, you will be able to purchase traditional foods prepared and sold by Garifuna villagers.
- A visit to Corozal, a Garifuna village, where you can observe and take part in the traditional life style of these unique people. Descendants of escaped African slaves and Carib Indians, the Garifuna have maintained their culture and share their delicious traditional foods: fried fish, conch soup, machuca, cazabe and various drinks mixed with guaro. You will be treated to their upbeat music and the rhythmic dance known as the Punta. For the very athletically-minded, you can try to keep up with the dancers!
- A trip to the fishing docks near Corozal to watch sailboats and barges arriving and departing, fishermen and shrimpboats bringing in their nets, cranes vying for an opportune meal and people travelling to and from the Bay Islands.
- A visit to a unique mountain resort Villa Rhina, which features pools and waterfalls fed by cool mountain streams, taking you close to nature in the most beautiful tropical surroundings.
- Journey to Pico Bonito, a virgin rainforest that's been turned into an ecological wildlife preserve, and filled with exotic flora and fauna. An excellent locale for bird-watching. Over 300 species of birds have been sighted. Other activies include hiking in the rainforest, swimming under waterfalls, and a visit to a butterfly farm and Serpentarium.
- La Ceiba town - "Ceibita la Bella" during the day: shopping for crafts from local artisans. La Ceiba's Central Park features traditional art fairs and a myriad of hand-made crafts. The park is also home to local wildlife, including turtles. At night: enjoy dining at any of the fine restaurants, and finish the evening with a trip to a night spot on the beach, dancing under the stars and the warm tropical sea breeze.
- Enjoy the water at Water Jungle Aqua Park. An extensive park with pool games for small children, huge waterslides, and a wave pool are all part of this theme park decorated as a jungle. Newly constructed in 2004, this is the largest park of its kind in the country.
With a longer stay at Porlamar Beach House, you can take any of the optional excursions listed above (under the 1 Week Package details), and will have additional time to devote to these longer excursions. These trips are at least one full day - some are "overnighters".
- The Bay Islands - Roatan, Utila, Guanaja - it's all about diving
A ferry or a short flight takes you to Roatan, which features the best diving in the Western Hemisphere, immaculate white sand beaches which are very sparsely populated, and many other activities (Roatan is listed in Patricia Schultz's book "1000 Places To See Before You Die"). On Utila (the closest of the three), SCUBA certification is provided at the lowest cost available anywhere. Guanaja is the furthest to reach and least developed - a place for travellers who want to get off the beaten path to the picture image of a tropical paradise.
- Tela / Lancetilla Botanical Gardens - Tela is a small coast town with a big heart and magnificent beaches. Located 100 miles west of La Ceiba, it was one of the centers of banana production (La Ceiba was the other) during the heyday of the United Fruit company. Just out of Tela you will find Lancetilla Botanical Gardens, a wondrous collection of botanical specimens from around the world. Founded in 1926, it is the second largest Tropical Botanical Garden in the World.
- Trujillo - Located 100 miles east of La Ceiba, towards the Nicaraguan border, Trujillo's place in history is secure due to the fact that here, in 1502, Christopher Columbus first set foot on the American continent (on his fourth and final visit to the New World). More recently, Trujillo's colorful history has included pirate raids, and it has been the place of residence of such diverse personalities as the notorious American privateer William Walker and short story writer O. Henry.
- La Moskitia - further on towards Nicaragua (past Trujillo) you encounter the largest intact rainforest in Central America. It straddles the Honduran/Nicaraguan border. River excursions are available, as are visits to Garifuna villages in this untouched Amazon-like jungle.
- Copan Mayan Ruins - In the cool mountains bordering Guatemala, archaeologists uncovered treasures of the Mayan civilization. A visit to the site, its museum where many of the prized treasures are displayed, and the neighboring town of Santa Rosa de Copan are not to be missed if you're in this part of the world.
- Antigua, Guatemala - Past Copan and into Guatemala is a magical valley where time has stood still. Visiting the town of Antigua is like stepping back into the 17th century, and experiencing the Spanish colonial past of Latin America.
Weekend Package Getaway deals:
If a short stay is all you need, you have the chance to relax on the beach, and choose any of the optional activities listed under "1 Week Package Details", above.
Spanish lessons or other classes will be given every day at different times, including evenings if necessary, to accomodate trip schedules.
To request a custom package that best suits your needs - or to inquire about rates - please submit your comments/query below:
