2 Days in Honduras with G Adventures

Last year, I went on a 17-day group tour through Central America with G Adventures. After spending a brief amount of time in Antigua, Guatemala, our group headed south to Honduras.

Day 1 – Traveling to Copán

We left Antigua early in the morning to begin our drive to the border. Our group had a private vehicle to ourselves which made the long ride fairly comfortable. We stopped at a mall for lunch where I tried Pollo Campero, a fried chicken chain. I thought it was just okay, but our guide told us that Guatemalans are obsessed with it.

We arrived at the Guatemala-Honduras border soon after lunch, and the crossing was easy other than the border agent asking me questions in Spanish. It was nice to have a tour guide for moments like this, although I was able to respond without asking for help (which I was very excited about). Before too long we arrived at the town of Copán and got settled into our hotel rooms. Apparently the town had had a big rain storm a few weeks ago and just got water back before we arrived, so we got lucky!

Our guide gave us a quick orientation walk around the town, and then some of us joined her for coffee at San Rafael Café. We sat there for a couple of hours and spent some time getting to know one another. We also learned about some Latin American ghost stories – my favorite was about La Llorona who kidnaps crying children. Parents often tell their children this story when they are growing up; that’s one way to make your kids behave!

The town of Copán

We had planned to have a salsa lesson at our hotel, but it started raining heavily so we stayed at the coffee shop until dinner. Eventually the rain stopped, and we all went to a group dinner at a nearby restaurant. I had a plate with beans, rice, and grilled meat, and I also tried Salva Vida (a local beer) that was really good. We spent the rest of the evening at the restaurant, talking to each other and enjoying the Latin music. It was a nice second day with the group!

Our group dinner in Copán

Day 2 – Ruins and Hot Springs

We left around 9 the next morning to head to the nearby Copán Ruins, one of the most important sites from ancient Mayan civilization. The ruins date back to around 1000 BC and were inhabited until about 1200 AD. A local guide showed us around and taught us a lot of detailed information about the archeology and Mayan culture as a whole. During the tour we also saw some scarlet macaws which were beautiful (and loud!). Afterwards, we went back to San Rafael Café where we had lunch and cooled down in the much-needed air conditioning.

Scarlet macaws, the national bird of Honduras

The Copán Ruins

The ruins were finally excavated in the 19th century

One of many detailed statues at the ruins

After relaxing for a bit, it was time for us to head to the Luna Jaguar Hot Springs. We drove an hour on super bumpy roads and I was thankful I had taken Dramamine beforehand. The springs smelled like sulfur, but they were very relaxing. There were all kinds of different hot springs, including a “disco” spring with colored lights, a mud bath, a spring with alternating hot and cold baths for leg circulation, cascading pools that got hotter as you reached the top, and lots of normal pools as well. It was the perfect way to relax after a long morning in the sun.

The entrance to the springs

Luna Jaguar Hot Springs

Our dinner was included in a restaurant by the springs, where we had rice and grilled meats along with hibiscus juice spiked with rum. The food was really good, and there were a lot of locals eating at the restaurant as well. Before long we had another long drive back to the hotel, which was thankfully made more tolerable by the rum. We headed to bed early in preparation for our drive to El Salvador the next day. Overall, it was a short but sweet introduction to Honduras!