What should I pack for a trip to Honduras?

July 19, 2008 10:48 AM

I'm going to spend a week in Copán Ruinas, Honduras. What should I pack?

I'll be there for the first week in August. How hot/cold is it going to be? Will I need to keep modesty in mind? What am I going to want in terms of OTC medicines, bug spray/sunscreen (I'm pretty fair), etc? Should I get money changed before I go? Anything else I'm not thinking of?

posted by toomuchkatherine to travel & transportation around Honduras (7 answers total)

Lots of sunscreen, bug spray, and a camera to take pictures of the ruins.
posted by kldickson at 10:59 AM on July 19, 2008

I went there in August about ten years ago, so ymmv now. The area around Copan when I was there was not very big (we got there by bus from Guatemala) and so you shouldn't assume you can buy stuff there but I'd check to see about ATMs and whatnot before you go. There are a lot of good places to go walking and looking at stuff, so I'd make sure you have very comfortable walking shoes, a good walking pack and something to cover up with if it rains, which it most likely will [just a rain poncho is fine, nothing fancy].

Yes you should bring bug spray. Yes you should bring sunscreen. I'd also suggest a hat or good sunglasses, it will be hot and sunny. I would not worry about modesty unless you are a woman travelling alone and then I'd only really think about it if you want to avoid getting hassled. I travelled with two men and I had no problems but there was definitely a little bit of "hey I like your friend, can you introduce me...?" activity anyhow. If you're not a drinker, bring a book or cards or something to do at night. Bring earplugs if you're staying locally. The place we stayed was nifty but the walls were little more than cardboard and there were a lot of people staying there.

You'll want to bring stuff you need for your camera [spare batteries and whatnot] and depending where you're staying again you might want luggage locks. I had no trouble with keeping my personal posessions safe, but I'd heard stories that others were not as fortunate. Possibly a travel wallet to keep your passport and other really important paperwork on you.

As an aside, one of the things I enjoyed the most about Copan was a horseback ride up into the hills where we saw some of the carved rocks that locals had been digging up out of their back yards. The Copan ruins themselves, when I was there, were a sort of a well-groomed golf course looking place. Great for looking at stuff up close and personal but very different than Tikal for feeling like you were really in the jungle. I'd suggest a horseback trip, they're expensive, relatively speaking, but getting off the beaten path was worthwhile.
posted by jessamyn at 11:12 AM on July 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

And bring some thick skin. Seeing all the bands of really young homeless children begging and smoking cigarettes was kinda tough for me to bare.

Don't mean to be such a Gloomy Gus, just saying. It's pretty much the same althrough Central South American, though. :(
posted by MiggySawdust at 12:00 PM on July 19, 2008

immodium is a good idea to carry in honduras because the food can wreak havoc on you. If there is an ATM there it is a better idea to pull out from that when you need it because generally you get the best rate and only a small surcharge (5 dollars a draw for wells fargo when I was in honduras). Pay for everything in cash b/c they only charge tax on credit cards.
posted by Large Marge at 2:18 PM on July 19, 2008

Seconding Immodium. Don't drink the water, don't get ice in your drink, brush your teeth with bottled water, don't eat any fruit you can't peel, don't eat raw vegetables...you probably know the drill.

Pickpockets are a problem, too.
posted by bolognius maximus at 4:09 PM on July 19, 2008

All these responses are right-on. Copan is a fairly tourist-oriented town, but it's small. When I was there in 2003, the town only one ATM, so you'll want to have most of your money in traveler's checks.
posted by lunasol at 5:00 PM on July 19, 2008

Thank you, everybody, this is really helpful.

Are the electrical outlets going to take my USA plugs without an adapter?
posted by toomuchkatherine at 4:48 PM on July 20, 2008