La Ceiba, Tropical Paradise on the Caribbean!

There is a city in Honduras that is known for its friendly people, festive mood and best of all, abundant nature. There are actually 4 very diverse protected areas within its reach, including cloud forest, tropical rain forest, marine coastal lagoons, mangrove canals, and some of the most pristine coral reef systems in the Caribbean. The City has its name from a huge, massive, tree that provided shade to its founding fathers, a Ceiba tree, considered a sacred tree by the ancient Maya,s that inhabited Western Honduras.

The City of La Ceiba has played an important role in Honduran history, despite the fact that it is a relatively young city. This was the original capital of the original Banana Republic, where the Banana industry first started developing what is today modern Honduras. It was here where the most important modern day companies in Honduras where born, such as Banco Atlantida, the first and oldest bank in the country, Cerveceria Hondureña the Honduran brewery that brews all 4 national beer brands: Salvavida, Imperial, Port Royal and Barena.

Today La Ceiba is going through a change in its economy, with the Standard Fruit Company (Owners of Dole) are less and less influential, and the tourism industry is acquiring more relevance. La Ceiba is one of the most diverse areas in Central America, here you can find a modern city with first class hotels within the city, beach resorts on lovely expanses of beach, crystal clear creeks, magnificent white water rafting, hot springs in the jungle, Garifuna villages, and much, much more...

La Ceiba is known for its famous Carnival that takes place the third or fourth week in May. The city commemorates its patron saint, San Isidro, whose day is celebrated on the 15th of May. If you are looking for a good time, you should definitively consider visiting La Ceiba next weekend, May 23rd and 24th. You will have the time of your life!

Drummers at the Carnival in La Ceiba

Pretty young native on one of the floats during the parade.