HONDURAS: About Honduras

Capital: Tegucigalpa

Size: 112,492 km²

Population: 6.25m

Currency: Lempira

Language: Spanish

Visas: Not required by British nationals

Food: On the north coast, look out for pan de coco (coconut bread) made by Garífuna (Black Carib) women.

Drink: Go for twelve-year-old Flor de Caña Centenario rum.

Honduras is the second largest country in Central America but its population is no larger than that of neighbouring El Salvador, the smallest country.

The capital, Tegucigalpa, is a chaotic celebration of colonial architecture divided by steep cobbled streets. Get out of town and the mountainous interior has minimal road access, keeping it firmly off the beaten track and making it a haven for trekking, hiking and bird-watching. Tranquil hillsides are dotted with tiny communities and, close to the Guatemalan border, the spectacular ruins at Copán mark the southernmost tip of the Maya Empire.

Resting off the Caribbean coast, the Bay Islands bask under sunny skies and are still the cheapest place in the world to learn to dive. Unwind to the Caribbean rhythms on endless beaches, snorkel in the pristine waters or hop over to the mainland to explore the thriving market towns of the northern coast or the cloud forests of Pico Bonito National Park.

Bearing the brunt of Hurricane Mitch in late 1998, Honduras was quick to repair its basic infrastructure, although rebuilding in terms of loss of life and economic setbacks has taken much longer. Today, the country is very much open for business – and if you go now, you’ll find the villages still quiet and the hillside paths less travelled.

HONDURAS: 4 Dead After Floods in Honduras

Four people have died in floods in the departments of Yoron, Colón and Atlandida, Honduras, over the last few days. Heavy rainfall has been falling in the Atlantic coastal region of Honduras since 28 November. Reports say around 60mm of rain fell in 24 hours in some areas of Colón.

Around 300 people had to be evacuated after floods damaged as many as 100 houses. Roads and transport has also been badly affected in Colón and Atlandida.

One of the victims was a man, aged 42, who was swept away by flood waters of the overflowing San Jose River in the deparment of Yoro. La Ceiba and Roatan airports were closed for a short time as a result of stormy weather and poor visibility.

The heavy rain and storm have also affected the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, although on minor damage has been reported with no casualties or evacuations.

Flood warnings were issued for departments of Yoron, Colón, Atlandida and the Bay Islands (Islas de la Bahía), the small group of Honduras islands in the Caribbean, but have since been downgraded to “green”. The heavy rainfall was part of a cold front in the region, which is expected to stay for a few more days, making further heavy rainfall a possibility.