It’s a surprisingly well-manicured corridor that leads into the untamed jungles of northwest Honduras. The drive from San Pedro Sula airport to Pico Bonito National Park, a sprawling preserve spanning the region’s rain and cloud forests, is a slideshow of industrial plantations, with row after orderly row of abundant exports like bananas and sugar cane lining the highway sides.
There’s no dormant growing period here— everything just springs out of the earth all year long. So it makes sense that the Central American country, which boasts twice the amount of protected natural areas as Costa Rica, is proud of its native flora and fauna, from pineapple plantations and cloud forests to the barrier reef surrounding the neighboring island of Roatan.
Wildlife wanderers should begin their explorations at The Lodge at Pico Bonito, a chic eco-lodge located in the foothills of the eponymous park’s Nombre de los Dios mountain range. It serves as an oasis of modern indulgences within the jungle, with a five-star restaurant, pool and 22 luxurious guest cabins scattered amidst 400 acres of lush tropical vegetation.
Explore the rainforest along miles of hiking trails, with exotic wildlife from tigers to toucans and secluded swimming holes lying just beyond the footpaths. The lodge also offers off-property eco-excursions, like kayaking trips through the Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, where visitors can spot manatees loafing in the mangrove swamps bordering the Caribbean.
Just 35 miles offshore, Roatan is a diverse extension of Honduran life, but it’s best known for its underwater ecosystem, specifically the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second largest in the world, that encircles the island. Hundreds of resorts offer trips to the myriad dive sites found along the 88-mile stretch of coral reef, but the Las Verandas Hotel & Villas Resort, which opened in March in Pristine Bay, is the best place to explore the island above and below the water. Las Verandas’ glamorous seaside villas, complete with sleek infinity pools overlooking a private white-sand beach, radiate a shimmering mirage of Caribbean luxury.
But the most exclusive perk is the unparalleled diving found just offshore. The resort’s Black Pearl Divers offers snorkeling, scuba diving certification classes and Master Diver plunges. No matter what the skill level, divers can witness stunning scenes at sites like Garden of Eden with swim-through coral caves and pentacle reef formations, all inhabited by a colorful carousel of almost 1,000 species of tropical fish, mollusks and sea turtles. The intoxicating underwater spectacle has become known as the “Roatan Vortex” within the island diving community: Once travelers get sucked into the Roatan reef, they have a hard time leaving.