About Cayos Cochinos...
Cayos Cochinos, Bay Islands,
Honduras...
Honduras...
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| Fly to San Pedro Sula from Houston, New Orleans or Miami. Airlines serving these routes are American Airlines, Continental, and Taca. From San Pedro Sula, take a short local flight into La Ceiba via Isleña or Aerolinea Sosa. Once in the resort city of La Ceiba (formerly the banana port of Honduras), head for the Gran Hotel Paris for a pleasant stay. Make prior arrangements with Plantation Beach Resort to meet their boat at Lagoon Marina on most any Saturday or contact Tourist Options in Sambo Creek (just east of La Ceiba) for reliable, safe and friendly service for your trip to Cayos Cochinos. Oscar and Frances also offer ground transportation. |
| How to get there... |
| The Foundation... |
| According to the WALLACEA Web site: In 1993, a team of business leaders concerned with the conservation of the Honduran coast and its wildlife, together with the Swiss conservation foundation called AVINA, formed the Honduran Coral Reef Foundation (HCRF) which lobbied the Honduran Government to obtain protection for these beautiful islands. In November, 1993, Presidential Decree No.1928-93 designated the Cayos Cochinos as a Natural Protected Area and the HCRF as the managing agency responsible for the conservation of the islands. In August, 1994, a second Presidential Decree No. 1704-94, confirmed the protected status of the islands. The protected area covers 460 km2 and HCRF are responsible for the management of the area. (see map below) A 1995 article regarding the Foundation by the Smithsonian Institution can be found here. However, HCRF's Web site describes their new Tourism Management plan rather vaguely, as it appears to contradict the original Presidential Decree of "protecting these beautiful islands." |
Park rangers patrolling Cayos
This is an aerial view of Cayos Cochinos taken
from the east northeast. In the foreground (left
to right) is Lower Long Cay, Upper Long Cay, and
Northeast Cay. The second row are Big Monitor
Cay, Round Cay, and Lamb Cay (also known as
Lambay). Little Pig Island (Cochino Pequeño or
Cayo Menor) is at the top with Big Pig Island
(Cochino Grande or Cayo Grande) to the right.
from the east northeast. In the foreground (left
to right) is Lower Long Cay, Upper Long Cay, and
Northeast Cay. The second row are Big Monitor
Cay, Round Cay, and Lamb Cay (also known as
Lambay). Little Pig Island (Cochino Pequeño or
Cayo Menor) is at the top with Big Pig Island
(Cochino Grande or Cayo Grande) to the right.
An amazing view
of Cayos Cochinos
from Trujillo!
of Cayos Cochinos
from Trujillo!
Once dubbed as "diamonds in the rough," Cayos Cochinos is a small archipelago off the northern coast of Honduras. Located in the northwestern Caribbean just south of Belize, they lie at approximately 15 55' N, 86 30'W. These privately owned jewels are composed of two hilly, lush islands (Cochino Grande and Cochino Pequeño) and 11 small coral cays. On old British maps, they are called "The Hog Islands" and lore has it that British pirates (Henry Morgan and the likes) "planted" hogs on these cays so they would have meat on their return trips. Considered part of the Bay Islands, the cays are the hardest to get to, even though they are closer to the coast than Roatán, Utila, and Guanaja. Situated about 18 nautical miles north northeast of the old banana port town of La Ceiba, Cayos Cochinos can only be reached by boat. Cayos Cochinos forms part of the second largest barrier reef system in the world known as the Meso-American Barrier Reef System and have been identified by the Smithsonian Institute, TNC, WWF, and World Bank as one of the key sections of the Barrier Reef to preserve. In 1993, the Honduran government designated these cays and surrounding sea a Marine Biological Reserve. |
| This website was updated January 3, 2010 |
