GENERAL INFORMATION Spanish is the official language.

Weather conditions remain stable throughout most of the year. The north coast is balmy and muggy with average temps hovering 30 degrees Celsius, while the south coast is equally hot but dry. The central and western regions average 24 degrees Celsius all year round.

The lempira (named after an Indian chief who fought against the Spanish conquest) is the national currency. The exchange rate to the U.S. dollar is approximately of 19 lempiras. U.S. dollars are accepted all across the country.

HOW TO GET THERE Honduras is outfitted with four international airports: Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba and Roatan. International flights are operated by Aero Honduras, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, COPA Airlines and TACA. From Europe, any carrier serving the United States or any other Central American country –like Air Madrid and Iberia- provides connections with TACA or COPA Airlines to get to Honduras.

There are border checkpoints for entry through El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala.

HOW TO MOVE AROUND Local flights take travelers to all major locations around the country. These flights are operated by local air companies like Isleña, Aerolineas Sosa and Atlantic Airlines.

Roads cover most of the country –the best part of it, indeed- and provide access to all nooks and crannies. There’s first-class ground transportation to and from the nation’s major cities.

LODGING There are good accommodations all around Honduras, ranging from fancy hotels to more modest inns. Finding a hotel room in Honduras is a hassle-free experience. Even the most faraway places offer nice-looking, clean and comfy accommodations, especially in mom-and-pop businesses whose owners go the extra miles to make guests feel like home.

See: www.hondurastips.honduras.com

CUISINE Honduran cuisine is the result of a rich blend of epochs and cultures. It’s been million of years ago since people in Honduras began to grow corn and today, it is the undisputed king of any Honduran household. Corn is used to make atoles –tortillas stuffed with beans and cheese- and tamales (also stuffed with seasoned meats and aromatic spices like chili, peppermint and wild pepper).

Seafood and shellfish are also major ingredients of the Honduran cuisine, chiefly mixed with such crops as coconuts and bananas to give their food a superb Caribbean flavor that’s simply too hard to forget. An assortment of tropical fruits and pastries also add a colorful touch to any table in Honduras. Papayas, mangos, coconuts, pineapples are the perfect complement to any meal and can also be drunk in juices, desserts and in fresh slices.

INFORMATION At the Honduras Tourism Institute, the country’s top authority in the field, travelers may get all the information they need to live and enjoy their trip to this lovely Central American nation. Mailing address: Colonia San Carlos, Europa Bldg., 5th floor. Tegucigalpa. Phone: (504) 222 21 24. Fax: (504) 222 21 24.