Tegucigalpa & Southern Honduras

Reviews of the complete guide to Honduras from which this one is drawn: "This guidebook by Maria Fiallos is the best coverage of Honduras available. All the dive sites, all the restaurants, and all the hotels from budget to luxury. The author is a real expert, and the information is fresh and complete."  -- Melanie, Amazon reviewer   "A great new resource"" --Travel + Leisure   "Bursting with relevant and exciting information..." -- Booklist    "These useful travel guides are highly recommended..." -- Library Journal    Pristine coral reefs, tropical waters, rainforests, and rivers meandering through jungles wait to be explored. Parks cover 24% of the country's area, where jaguars and giant anteaters reside. Coastal wetlands are home to monkeys, manatees, alligators and waterfowl. This guide focuses on Tegucigalpa and Southern Honduras, including La Moskitia and Olancho, Palacios, Puerto Lempira, Catacamas and the South Coast. Weekly open-air markets offer ripe mangos, oranges, bananas, avocados and tomatoes, adding charm and color to the country villages, where most people reside in whitewashed adobe houses with red tile roofs. This guide, by a lifelong resident, tells you everything about the history, the culture, the foods, how to get around, the recommended places to stay and eat, plus the activities and adventures, from cooking classes to monkey-spotting in the cloud forests. Honduras is just south of Belize and Guatemala, north of Costa Rica and Panama. WHY VISIT HONDURAS? Great diving on the second-largest barrier reef in the world. The Maya ruins. 112 protected areas, parks and reserves. River rafting, kayaking, hiking, biking, horseback riding in the midst of exuberant tropical nature. The most protected cloud forests in the world, with 35 reserves.  La Moskitia, the largest rainforest region in Central America.