Cayos Cochinos, Northern Tour And Travel | Travel Information

Name        : Cayos Cochinos
Location   : Northern
Country    : Northern
This location is very beautiful and stunning highly inappropriate for a family vacation who want to travel. This location is ideal and will never regret after the visit.
The Cayos Cochinos Islands, also known as the Hog Cays, is a small archipelago and is located just 19 kilometers off the northern coast of Honduras.

The two larger islands are covered with thick tropical forest and are ringed by white sand beaches. The Cayos and surrounding waters were declared a marine reserve in 1994, with the help of the Smithsonian Institute, protecting all marine and terrestrial flora and fauna within a 460-square-km area from fishing, development or any other harmful activity. The reserve extends eight kilometers in all directions.

Because of the reserve, and more importantly because only a few people live on the islands, the surrounding reef is in fantastic shape and is teeming with colorful marine life. All in all, the Cayos are one of the most spectacular collections of islands, beaches, and reefs in the western Caribbean.

The archipelago has only two small, upscale resorts, and so its reefs are little used; though many resorts on Utila, Roatan and Guanaja like to make occasional day trips to these tropical island jewels. The Cayos Cochinos reef system is particularly prized for its lush macro life, the Caribbean's most diverse.

Budget travelers often make trips out to these islands by way of an early morning boat from the mainland Garifuna village of Nueva Armenia, an hour's drive east of La Ceiba. They stay in small huts or in hammocks on tiny Chachauate Key where there is a semi-permanent Garifuna fishing settlement.

The Cayos Cochinos archipelago is a unique retreat for travelers looking to escape urban landscapes and crowded tourism centers. The islands have no roads, thus no cars or bikes.

There is a hiking trail that connects residences and beaches on Cayo Grande. There is a lighthouse on the highest point of the island which can be hiked to and offers a panoramic view of all Cayos Cochinos. The only inhabitants of the islands are Garifuna fishing villages (Chachauate and East End), 9 private homes on Cayo Grande, and 6 homes on the 13 smaller keys. The islands are accessible by boat from La Ceiba or by sailboat charter departing from Utila or Roatan.

The actions taken in preserving the underwater environment has left the Cayos Cochinos waters as the healthiest and most pristine marine life in the Bay Islands. The Honduras Coral Reef Fund is responsible for upholding the environmental restrictions and protecting the marine park, and collect a park entrance fee from all those who enter ($5/day, $10/week, $20/month).

Since the 1970s only one tourist destination has been available in Cayos Cochinos, Plantation Beach Resort, offering lodging on Cayo Grande. Plantation Beach Resort is a PADI resort catering to divers, snorkelers, and others wishing to enjoy this island paradise. Both Garifuna villages offer cheap lodging for backpackers who wish to stay in either East End or Chachahuate in hammocks or hostel-like huts.