The crystal clear beaches found on the Cayos Cochinos is a short boat ride from the port city of La Ceiba, Honduras where we are so blessed to live. The Cayos Cochinos has been ranked by various travel magazines as some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
September 15 is Independence Day in Central America and a National holiday. Being that we have been here a little over a month and had not gone to the beach we decided to take advantage of the day and go on the Cochinos Cays boat tour with the pastoral family. From Sambo Creek, a Garifuna community outside of Ceiba, the boat ride was a little over 45 minutes. There are 15 keys in all and are part of the Bay Islands which also includes Utila and the more famous Roatan. The Islands are a marine protected area and part of Meso-American Barrier Reef second largest to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. From what we were told is the reef here is better protected.
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| Garifuna Fishing Village |
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Here, the Garifuna people, live off of fishing and tourism.
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We saw many interesting wildlife. Dolphins swam next to our boat as we neared the Islands. We saw an iguana type animal that they call a Jamo, a Pink Boa, which is native and only found on the keys. We went snorkeling and saw some amazing coral reef in crystal clear and turquoise water.
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| Jamo |
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| Pink Boa |
It was a fun and beautiful trip. Most definitely worth going on to see beautiful water, coral, and wildlife. We had a great day of relaxation with friends that was long over due.
