A quick visit on the way to Utila, La Ceiba is a big city that doesn’t offer much in the way of tourism. It’s dirty, busy, loud, and probably a little dangerous.
However, a quick tour outside of the city can bring you away from the cement and into beautiful verdant hills, alive with wildlife. Kyle, Eliza, and I took a tour in the morning, picking up snacks on the way, with our guide Joel.
Once in the park we traversed a river, holding our gear above our heads, and began the hike up through the bush. We were in “pursuit” of two waterfalls, one far larger than the other. The first we got to we enjoyed but we would be returning later, it was on the way to the big one. After more climbing, some more like actual climbing than hiking, using roots and vines as support, we reached the huge waterfall that towered over us and offered a nice mist from the splash of the cascade.
We ate our lunch and took some photos nearby before heading back down to the first smaller waterfall. THis one, however, had a small pool at the bottom that was deep enough to jump into and play in — even though it was cold. Kyle and I enjoyed crawling behind the waterfall, in a little air pocket/cave that let us breath while feeling the waterfall rush over us.
After about an hour, we retraced ourselves and came back to the van and into the city. We got dinner in the street, which wasn’t bad, but the ambience of a restaurant in a median of the street isn’t that great. THe next morning we’d head out to live the island lifestyle.