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UNESCO World Heritage Site
Photo: Hjvannes at Dutch Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve is in Honduras.
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There is a tour operator that offers a 14-day raftride through the whole reserve. This is the only way of getting access to the deeper parts of the reserve. They enter the park from the south.
A collection of six indigenous communities that provide ecotourism products and services within the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve. All of the ecotourism enterprises that are a part of La Ruta Moskitia are 100% community-owned and operated, and therefore all of the financial benefits of La Ruta Moskitia go directly to local communities. This organisation distributes packaged tours within the Biosphere Reserve including transportation to the reserve, lodging, food, drink, tours through the indigenous communities, and hiking, kayaking, and other outdoor opportunities!
Awards and recognition of The La Ruta Moskitia Ecotourism Alliance includes the World Travel and Tourism Council's Tourism for Tomorrow "Investor in People" award in 2008, the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award "Best Park or Protected Area" in 2007, and the Conde Nast Traveller's coveted Green List in 2006. Also, La Ruta Moskitia was recognised as one of National Geographic Adventures "Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth.", and recommended by Lonely Planet and Outside Magazine.
Difficult (but not for the usually fit). 2 days. Djungle hike. Leaving from Las Marias. travel up river in a "pipante" for one two hours before reaching Quebrada Suawala. From there you hike towards the peak that as you get closer, the road turns a bit slippery and steep. Sleeping is in permanent cottages along the way. Costs about L3000.
Intermediate. 2 days. 2 guides. Jungle hike. Departing from Las Marias one walks to a nearby peak that offers great views of the whole area.
Easy. One day. 1 guide. Jungle hike.
Intermediate. 1 day. 3 guides. rivertrip. Travel up river in a pipante. See the doubleheaded crocodile petroglyph among other things. Also a 40 min djungle hike with a cool tree platform.
Intermediate. 2 days. 3 guides. River trip. This one can be customized to several smaller jungle hikes as one goes in pipante past the first petroglyph to this last set of rock carvings.
2 days. 3 guides. jungle hike. Travel up river in a pipante to the mouth of Quebrada Sulwala. Do a hike and see the tree platform. Go see the first petroglyphs. Stay a night at Don Bernardo. Hike up to Cerro Mico.
2-3 hours. on your own or with a guide to hear all the village fresh gossip.
One of the first hospedajes along the river as one approaches Las Marias. Meals available (L70). Don Tinglas has a radio, and make frequent trips to the coast, that tend to be a bit more pricey than other providers (about L800 one way).
In the center of Las Marias, several rooms. Meals available.
Centrally located. Dormitory style. Meals available.
4 hours up the river from Las Marias, and one of the very last houses before the great jungle begins. L70 per meal. They make great homegrown hot chocolate and coffee. A Pech family that doesn't speak Moskito, which is rare. Good Spanish skills though.
A well kept place in the middle of Las Marias with a small flower garden. It is the town's cheapest. Meals are L50-60. Don Luis takes great interest in his guests and likes to converse on temas regarding indigenous rights and cultural differences. But as is common around here very little, or no English is spoken.
Boat services depart with great infrequency from La Ceiba and Trujillo. These are cargo barges that makes stops along the coast to sell merchandise to local stores. Ask at the docks.
Read in the guideInside the reserve there are no roads and all transport is done by boat. The local boats are called "Pipante" and are hollow tree trunks sometimes motorised by outboard engines.
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Articles and travel topics about Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve and Honduras.
Nature & adventureHonduras has 20 national parks conserving a wide range of plant and animal species across several types of ecosystems including Caribbean beaches, coastal wetlands, mountainous rainforests, and rugged volcanic peaks.
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