On April 14th, Day of the Americas, or Pan American Day, Held annually commemorates the establishment of the International Union of American Republics in 1890, promoting cooperation and peace between North and South America. On this Honduras festival and holiday, every American country displays pride in this important event in history. However, Honduras has its way of adding a dash of unique flavor to the celebrations. Proud flag-waving, street parades, musical performances, and art displays bring the country’s streets alive. You may even catch re-enactments of actual events from American history performed by the university or school students.

The oldest permanent settlement in Roatan, Punta Gorda, was founded shortly after April 12, 1797, when some 3,000 Garífuna deportees from the Caribbean island of San Vicente were stranded on Roatan by the British. At the Garifuna annual festival, the Garifuna people celebrate their first arrival in Punta Gorda, Roatan. The event is the best display of the Garifuna culture. The festival includes animated theatrical performances that celebrate the first arrival of the first Garifuna group from Yurime, a small region east of the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. The Garifuna come to live with their dances, drums, and colorful attires. Roatan locals dress the part and chant traditional songs in their native Garifuna language.

National Garifuna Festival is celebrated on the third weekend of July every year; National Garifuna Festival is held in the town of Bajamar, near Puerto Cortés in northwestern Honduras. Understandably, this Honduras holiday and celebration is contained in honor of the Garifuna people and communities. During this time, Bajamar comes alive with the locals sipping on Gifty and enjoying a merry time. There’s singing, dancing, and enjoyment, turning the entire town into a giant party!

This “fish rain” occurs at the beginning of the rainy period, somewhere from May – to July. Downpours of heavy rain and strong winds continue for at least 45 minutes and may last even for several hours. There comes a day when an ominous, dark cloud with furious lightning and thunder comes in the afternoon.

As the storm leaves, the people of Yoro pick up baskets and run out to the swampy meadows of La Pantanal at the foot of extinct volcano El Mal Nombre. Hundreds and even thousands of jumping, live fish are found in the wet fields as if fallen from the sky during the storm. People collect the fish to bring it home and eat – fish is told to have a specific taste, different from the bite of common fish.

The most significant influx of tourists occurs during Holy Week (La Semana Santa) in Honduras. Semana Santa means several days of devout celebration, including extravagant parades with costumed participants marching through the streets carrying fantastic floats with Jesus on the cross. On Good Friday, people cook soups made from dried salted fish and Sopa de Capirotadas with cheese dumplings. Sweet ring-shaped pastry Rosquillas En Miel and Nacatamales are also served today. After a meal, everybody usually goes to see a procession dedicated to the crucifixion.

This festival celebrates in the city of Danlí, located some 90km (56 miles) southeast of the capital city Tegucigalpa, and Fiesta de Maiz celebrates to honor one of the essential foods, corn in the country today and a central food item of native Mayan tradition. The celebrations usually kick off during the last week of August and go on until the beginning of September. During this time, locals put up fervent displays highlighting the centrality of corn. Corn-based food preparations (corn tortillas, corn tacos, corn tamales, etc.) take over local fairs, and they’re worth trying. Don’t forget to try the unique yet hugely delicious corn doughnuts sold during the festival. Live music concerts, skits, and other fun activities also occur, so try and attend Fiesta de Maiz.

The site comprises some 250 acres (100 hectares), including residential areas. Its central district covers 54 acres (22 hectares) and consists of stone temples, two large pyramids, several stairways and plazas, and a court for playing the ball game tlachtli. Most of these structures center on a raised platform (now called the Acropolis) that was the architectural center of the ancient city. Copán is particularly noted for the friezes on some of its other buildings and the portrait sculptures on its many stelae. The Hieroglyphic Stairway, which leads to one of the temples, is beautifully carved with some 1,260 hieroglyphic symbols on the risers of its 63 remaining steps. There is evidence that astronomers in Copán calculated the most accurate solar calendar produced by the Maya up to that time.

Utila, Bay Islands is located approximately 18 miles from the coast of mainland Honduras; Utila is the smaller of the three central Bay Islands. A lush canopy of pine, mango, almond, and palm trees covers most of the island, providing a haven for tropical birds, rare lizards, and iguanas. Utila offers a delightful maze of caves and caverns, where jade beads and many other indigenous artifacts have been found. A large hill on the extreme northeast coast dominates the landscape and is named Pumpkin Hill for its round, sloping shape. It is the most prominent and visible hill on the island, a favorite lookout point for natives and pirates.

The town of Utila in East Harbor is the center of activity. Visitors stroll the main road leading from the old airstrip past a large mangrove-lined lagoon into town. Softly faded pastels of shuttered wooden buildings, often precariously perched above stilts and over 100 years old, sweep the unsuspecting into another era.

Roatan is home to the Roatan Dolphin Encounter, a sought-after shore excursion island visitors have come to enjoy and talk about for years to come. Located at the Roatan Institute of Marine Sciences (RIMS) in Sandy Bay, the Roatan Dolphin Encounter is centrally situated for cruise ship passengers and resort guests. The picturesque views and clear Caribbean turquoise sea make this experience one of a kind.  

The Roatan Dolphin Encounter consists of a 30-minute session with the dolphins and a trainer in waist-deep water. You will have the opportunity to learn about the dolphins and interact with them. They will perform jumps, tail walks, hugs & kisses, and rubdowns. Photographs will be available for purchase, and you may take your photos towards the end of your dolphin encounter.

The Copan Sculpture Museum in western Honduras features the extraordinary stone carvings of the ancient Maya city known as Copan. The city’s sculptors produced some of the finest and most animated buildings and temples in the Maya area and stunning monolithic statues and altars. The ruins of Copan were named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980, and more than 150,000 national and international tourists visit the ancient city each year. This museum Opened in 1996, and the Copan Sculpture Museum was initiated as an international collaboration to preserve Copan’s original stone monuments. Its exhibits represent the best-known examples of building façades and sculptural achievements from the ancient kingdom of Copan. The creation of this on-site museum involved people from all walks of life: archaeologists, artists, architects, and local craftspeople. Today it fosters cultural understanding and promotes Hondurans’ identity with the past.

La Tigra National Park is close to the capital of Honduras. Its boundaries are a mere 14 kilometers from Tegucigalpa, which locates in the country's southern region. La Tigra was initially established as a reserve in 1952 and then became Honduras' very first national park in 1980. The park's boundary covers an area of approximately 23,571 hectares, with parts of La Tigra reaching altitudes of 2270 meters. The park's large size means that it is home to many cloud forest areas, an ideal environment for oak trees to thrive. Cloud forests are forested areas covering mountaintops and contain an array of plant life, including lianas, vines, bromeliads, mosses, and ferns. La Tigra National Park is the best opportunity for enthusiastic bird watchers to see most of Central America's highland endemics in the cloud forests. The park is also home to the arid broadleaf forest and highland forest. Birders could expect to see quetzals and perhaps be fortunate enough to spot blue and white mockingbirds, rufous-browed wrens, wine throated hummingbirds, and green breasted mountain gems. The park is home to many mammals, including ocelots, pumas, peccaries, white-tailed deer, armadillos, opossums, and agoutis.

Lake Yojoa is the largest lake in Honduras, with a surface area of 79 square kilometers (30.50 mi²) and an average depth of 15 meters (50 ft). At an altitude of 700 meters (2,300 ft), it lies in a depression formed by volcanoes. The Lake Yojoa volcanic field consists of Pleistocene to Holocene scoria cones, craters, and lava flows. The lake sits on the highway connecting the two largest Honduran cities, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. The west side of the lake is bordered by steep mountains and Santa Bárbara National Park, while the east side is adjacent to Cerro Azul Meambar National Park. For many people traveling between the cities, the lake serves as a rest area to appreciate the view and enjoy the fresh fried fish and other foods offered by the restaurants located on its banks.

Lake Yojoa is a popular fishing destination, and the surrounding area has rich biodiversity—almost 400 birds and 800 plant species have been identified in the region. However, it also is threatened by deforestation, cattle ranching, and development. The settlers of the communities around the lake dedicate themselves to cultivating fruits, vegetables, and basic grains. Nevertheless, many of these inhabitants earn their living from the sale of fish originating from the lake. People dedicate surrounding areas to the growing of coffee plants. Coffee grown near Lake Yojoa in Santa Barbara is particularly well-known.

One of Honduras' most charming destinations is the Jeannette Kawas National Park, PNJK. This treasure of mother nature is located in the Bahía de Tela, department of Atlántida, although people place it between; the municipality of Tela and the municipality of Puerto Cortés in the department of Cortés. The famous park adorns flora and fauna, scenarios that leave national and foreign tourists speechless. Visitors who visit the park will notice that in this place, there are two worlds to discover: the Punta Sal Peninsula and Los Micos Lagoon. As they enter this splendid site, visitors will appreciate the mangrove forests, rocky white sand beaches, coral reefs, and coastal lagoons, habitat of a great diversity of trees and shrubs, as well as mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects, many of them in danger of extinction.