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Quick Guide to Roatan
Undoubtedly the crown jewel of Honduras, Roatan has blossomed from a sparsely-populated, laid-back fishing community into the hottest new tourist destination in the Caribbean. With our sweeping white-sand beaches, rolling jungle hills, and fringing world-class coral reefs, Roatan welcomes you to kick off your sandals and relax.
Where is Roatan?
Roatan lies about 65km/40miles off the northern coast of Honduras. Measuring approximately 60km/37miles from east to west and less than 7km/4miles across at its widest point, Roatan is the largest of the three main islands that, along with Guanaja and Utila, comprise the majority of Las Islas de La Bahia (The Bay Islands). These islands are joined by three smaller islands to the east (Barbareta, Morat, and Helene) and the sixty-five tiny keys of Cayos Cochinos (Hog Islands) to the south.
Coxen Hole, the municipal center and most densely populated town in Roatan, is your most likely point of ingress to the island, as it is home to the airport, cruise ship dock, and ferry dock. French Harbor is the island's main center of commerce, though historical Oak Ridge supports a bulk of the commercial fishing industry. Punta Gorda, Camp Bay, and Santa Helena to the east maintain much of their unique cultural heritage. On the opposite end of Roatan, Sandy Bay, West End and West Bay form the island's tourist hub.
The islands rest atop the underwater Bonacca Ridge, a mountainous culmination of eons of tectonic plate movement stemming from the Cayman Trench to the north. From its highest point near 270m/900ft elevation to the white-sand shores at sea level, the entire island rests atop an exposed ancient coral reef. The mountain ridge, which spans the length of the island, features tropical vegetation on the west end with pine trees and catci adorning the east.