Relax to the Roatan rhythms
At around 36 miles long and glimmering with the crushed-coral beaches and glowing reefs of other Caribbean islands, Roatan could just be that Honduran gem you've been looking for. Balancing earthy Latin fishing towns with chic seaside resorts, it's a neat concoction where Central America meets tropical paradise. Between mangroves and rugged inlets for the sea kayakers, the long, alabaster-colored stretches of beaches like West Bay and Camp Bay offer sunbathing and snorkeling. Open-water PADI dives are a staple _ think seas so transparent they're like glass. Meanwhile, Roatan vacation rentals in the colorful Carib villages mean really cranking up those relaxing, reggaeton rhythms.
Reaching for nature in Roat‡n
In a place that claims to have a whopping 95% of the Caribbean's marine wildlife teeming around its coral-dressed shores, the Marine Science Museum in Sandy Bay sounds like a great place to start. They run regular dolphin encounters, conservation workshops, and safaris over the seagrasses every day _ all in their own huge natural stretch of barrier reef. Other elegant creatures will flutter by in the Roatan Butterfly Garden in West End, where the sea grapes and palms of one gorgeous botanical reserve hide wings of multicolor.
Dive down into Roatan
With adrenaline-pumping 4X4 rides, butterfly gardens, merengue dancing sessions, and submarine tours of the resplendent sea beds on the menu, you certainly won't have to look far to fill those days on Roatan with tropical pursuits. Scuba is often right up the top of the list though. Most Roatan vacation rentals will have a PADI outfitter or a private dive guide right on the doorstep, just waiting to reveal that wonderworld of sea turtles, whip corals, loggerheads, reef sharks, bioluminescent squids, and alien-like moray eelsÉ
Seasonal weather in Roatan
Travelers speak highly of Roatan for its diving. If you're planning a vacation around warm-weather activities, August, September, July and June are the hottest months to visit, when temperatures average 83°F.
Resplendent corals around Roatan
Roatan shoulders above the Caribbean Sea on a bed of coral plants and petrified reefs. It's actually a part of the 2nd-largest coral reef on the whole planet, so you can just imagine how wonderful the range of marine life there is. Manta rays and pipefish, speckled sea slugs and squids, otherworldly octopi and endangered sea turtles will all be glimpsed on scuba dives here _ thanks largely to the uber-high visibility in the waters. Of course, the tropical location also makes for some gorgeous white-sand beaches shaded by sea grapes, mangrove forests, and coconut groves.
Transportation to and around Roatan
Fly into Roatán Intl. Airport (RTB), the closest airport, located 0.7 mi (1.2 km) from the city center. If you can't find a flight that works for your travel itinerary, you might consider flying into Utila (UII), which is 26.9 mi (43.2 km) away.
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