A heat, subtropical local weather makes Honduras a great year-round vacation spot. The most effective time to go to is determined by what you wish to do. Many outside actions are weather-dependent and to make journey planning additional enjoyable, some components of Honduras stay dry whereas the remainder of the nation will get lashed by tropical deluges.
Everytime you go to, be ready each for solar and rain, and pack a sweater for the cooler highlands. Right here’s our information to one of the best time to go to Honduras.
January to June is one of the best time to go to for outside journey
Sunny, heat days and brisk nights draw guests to Honduras to discover the Mayan ruins of Copán, hike within the mountains round Lago de Yojoa, and absorb the environment within the quirky coastal city of Trujillo.
It’s additionally the driest time to hit the Bay Islands, the place you may head beneath the waves to discover the world’s second-largest barrier reef whereas the visibility is greatest (January to March).
Summer time rains fall on the Honduras mainland in Might and June, although the Bay Islands stay comparatively dry as they’ve their very own microclimate. Alternatively, you may laze about on white-sand seashores in Roatán and on tiny Cayos Cochinos. That is Honduras’ busiest season, so lodge costs spike round New Yr and through Easter.
July to September is greatest for whale shark recognizing
Whereas solo whale sharks are noticed across the island of Utila from February to April, the June to September migration season provides you one of the best probability of recognizing small faculties of those mild giants of the deep.
October to December is greatest for white-water sports activities and exploring Moskitia
Whereas mainland Honduras is battered by torrential downpours in the course of the wet months, and overland journey is affected by occasional flooding and mudslides, situations for white-water rafting and kayaking are notably good after the rainiest months of September and October.
August to November can also be a superb time to leap aboard a river boat and discover the distant La Moskitia area, which has its personal mini dry season. Scuba diving facilities on Roatán and Utila keep open year-round, and whereas visibility isn’t as nice as in the course of the drier months, now could be the time to get some actual bargains on diving packages.
Does Honduras have a hurricane season?
Honduras’ east coast and the Bay Islands are bathed by the Caribbean Sea, and the area is notoriously affected by the Atlantic hurricane season that usually lasts from June to late November.
Nevertheless, the final time the Bay Islands had been affected was in 1998 when Hurricane Mitch scored a direct hit. Odds are, you’ll solely encounter a tropical storm or two in September or October. In the event you’d quite not take your possibilities, decide to journey in the course of the excessive season as an alternative.
January is for post-festival leisure
A comparatively quiet month, everybody goes again to work after the Christmas celebrations and the Three Kings parades on January 6. It’s chilly at night time in Santa Rosa de Copán, Tegucigalpa, and different high-altitude locations, nevertheless it’s a good time to move out to the Bay Islands the place balmy temperatures and the final of the winter rains are a boon for seashore bums and scuba divers alike.
Key Occasions: Día de Los Reyes Magos, El Guancasco
February is nice for scuba diving
The driest month of the yr means terrific visibility for scuba divers visiting Roatán and Utila; should you’re fortunate, you might spot the primary solitary whale shark of the yr. It’s a beautiful time to discover the Mayan ruins at Santa Rosa de Copán, however pack a sweater or two for the chilly nights. Carnival (Shrove Tuesday, per week earlier than the beginning of Lent) is widely known with gusto throughout the nation.
Key Occasions: Feria de la Virgen de Suyapa, El Baile de los Diablitos de Comayagua
March is for mountain climbing within the highlands
The times are warming up within the highlands however the nights stay breezy and funky; benefit from the best spring climate to hit the mountain trails round Lago de Yojoa. Diving and seashore season are in full swing on the Bay Islands.
Key Occasions: Competition de San José, Semana Santa, Fiesta de San Gabriel
April is for Easter festivities
Easter is likely one of the largest festivals in Honduras. Highlights embody solemn processions and carpets of flowers. Whereas the highlands are starting to see rain showers, they not often final lengthy, and hotter evenings carry an inflow of holiday makers to Santa Rosa de Copán.
Key Occasions: Semana Santa, Día de los Américas, Competition Punta Gorda
Might is for Honduran Mardi Gras
The beginning of the wet season in mainland Honduras; daytime temperatures stay sizzling and muggy. Coastal La Ceiba kicks off its two-week-long carnival – the most important celebration in Central America, full with costumed parades, exuberant dancing within the streets, and stay music.
Key Occasions: Feria San Isidro, Gran Carnaval Internacional de La Ceiba
June is the start of hurricane season
It’s nonetheless comparatively dry within the Bay Islands. Elsewhere in Honduras, it’s one of many hottest and rainiest months of the yr. Within the forests, savannahs, and grasslands to the far east of the nation, humidity is near 100%. Hurricanes start to type within the Atlantic.
Key Occasion: Feria Juniana
July is for whale shark watching
If in case you have your coronary heart set on recognizing whale sharks, now could be the time to go to the Bay Islands, because it’s the height of the annual whale shark migration, and you’ve got a very good probability of diving with a pod of those exceptional creatures.
Key Occasion: Competition Garifuna
August is when Honduras goes on trip
Coastal Honduras is ruffled by occasional tropical storms, and the tough seas could make touring to the Bay Islands by boat a little bit of a rollercoaster. Pods of whale sharks are nonetheless noticed within the depths round Utila, and it’s heat and fairly dry within the northern highlands – a pleasing time to be in Santa Rosa de Copán. Many Hondurans go on trip in August, so guide your lodging upfront.
Key Occasions: Feria Agostina, Competition del Maiz
September is for river journey within the Moskitia area
Whereas the mainland is drenched by the heaviest rains of the yr, a mini dry season in distant Moskitia in jap Honduras is the right time for intrepid explorers to move for the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve and the small indigenous villages within the jungle, accessed solely by river boat. September 15sees Independence Day celebrations everywhere in the nation.
Key Occasion: El Día de Independencia
Honduras street journey to the Copán Ruins
October is for heavy downpours
There are few vacationers within the Bay Islands as heavy rains imply poor visibility for divers. Tropical storms proceed to batter the north coast, while inland, downpours could cause delays on the roads. Moskitia stays comparatively dry.
Key Occasion: Fiesta del Pescado
November is for white-water rafting
The wet season is coming to an finish and with the rivers swelled up by fall rains, it’s time to go white-water rafting on Río Cangrejal. The Chortí, an indigenous folks within the Santa Rosa de Copán space, spend a lot of the month celebrating their largest annual pageant, Tzikin.
Key Occasion: La Ceremonia de Tzikin
December is pageant season
Festivities are in full swing in the course of the weeks previous Navidad (Christmas), so head for Santa Barbara to catch the Royal Stroll of the Big Chimneys, or the north coast to witness Garifuna drumming and processions. It’s the beginning of the dry season, and lodging get booked up forward of the vacations.
Key Occasions: El Paseo Actual de las Chimenea Gigantes, Competition Garífuna, Navidad
