Tiny Utila, one of the Bay islands in front of Honduras’ Caribbean coast, serves as a ‘diving university’. By day, young backpackers study the wondrous underwater world of the second biggest barrier reef in the world. By night, the party can get raucous on this bounty island.
A wild game of pool on skid row
In the Skidrow Bar, in front of our Backpackers Lodge, tempers flared on a warm Caribbean evening.
“Gimme that ball”, the bartender yelled. Annoyed to death, he held a cooking pot in front of him. The pot contained all but one of the pool balls. The rascal with the missing ball refused to give it back. A little bit earlier, the players, a merry gang of young islanders and one grizzled gringo, almost got into a fight over a disputed game of pool.
What a great scene it was. Not in the least because of the gringo, an elderly man in shorts and bare torso who carried his own detachable cue stick in his backpack and who moved around frantically, as if on drugs, challenging local youth to games of pool. This island certainly holds a lot of characters.
Utila might evoke the cliché images of white sandy beaches and waving palm trees, but the town itself wasn’t all peace and quiet. In the narrow streets, pedestrians, cyclists, mopeds, golf carts and quads fought for the little available space. Save for the few pedestrians, no one seemed to stick to the maximum speed, 20 kilometres per hour. It was quite a frantic affair.
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In the meantime, a pot-bellied gringo, completely shit-faced, was carried to a tuk-tuk and ferried off. “He has no friends, but comes here every night to get pissed and harass women”, whispered another regular, a sailor waiting to join friends on a trip through the Caribbean. He shook his head. “Pretty sad.”
God knows how long the drunk had been going on maudlin solo visits to the bars of Utila. Local lore claims that Utila is one of those places that are impossible to leave. At least for a certain type of “Yolo” shouting, tequila jugging gringo. According to an island hit song, “I’m gonna leave tomorrow” is one of the three lies uttered the most on Utila. Another one is “I’m not drinking tonight”. Maybe this sad old drunk once belonged to that beautiful young party crowd. Some people fail to judge when the party is truly over for them.
Caribbean dream, but for how long?
Most visitors to Utila are divers, but there are many other ways to enjoy your time here. We rented a bicycle and a kayak to explore the island in different ways. With our bikes, we followed the contours of the island for a while, past oversized villas that could easily host whole villages, until we get lost in a tangle of small mud roads. We ended up near the airport with the fewest safety concerns in the world. From a strip of concrete amidst low scrubs, an 8-passenger Cessna just took off.
Eventually, we found our way back to Pumpkin Hill and the adjoining beach, Pumpkin Beach, a beautiful belt of white sand which ends almost directly on coral and which we had to ourselves. Pumpkin Hill, a small extinct volcano, offered great views over the island. There is still a lot of nature on this rock in the middle of the sea, although the project developers seem keen to change that. Many Americans have a Caribbean dream, so development is rampant, especially along the coastline. Whilst enjoying the beach, a drone buzzed over our heads, prospecting for land. My rock narrowly missed its target.
Iguana soup
I already mentioned that Utila is a popular spot for divers. Many come here to swim with whale sharks. The largest living fish species on the world, whale sharks can grow as big as a bus, although most of them stop at five to ten metres. Utila is the whale shark capital of the Caribbean Sea, one of the most reliable places to spot them. Although a protected species, whale sharks are under a lot of pressure from humans. Slow-moving, they sometimes end up in propellers of motorboats or as a bycatch of tuna fishermen.
We popped into the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center on Utila. The volunteer told us it was not the season to see them. I sighed with relief under my breath. Whale sharks might be eating only plankton and small fishes, and as thus pose no risk to humans, but look at that big mouth of theirs. A full-sized human easily fits in. No, I was quite happy to check out a different, less threatening type of animal. The Iguana Research Center commits itself to the survival of the local Utila spiny-tailed iguana. Aka the swamper.
With a habitat limited to Utila, the swamper is under serious threat. The local population likes to make a soup of it. Two other species of iguana live on this island, both of which faces problems of its own. The destruction of mangroves, by aforementioned project developers (scum of the earth, if you ask me!), does not improve the plight of these jolly fellows. A German volunteer, a student of forestry, expertly showed us around the many cages.
Down the mangroves
We wanted to see the mangroves with our own eyes, so we rented a kayak. Not from youth hostel Venue, where a wild-haired yet slick volunteering gringo tried to convince us that their prices were “really not that expensive at all”. Instead, we turned to the friendly local man next-door, who provided us with lots of information about the journey. We intended to peddle through the ‘canal’, which cut the island in half. First, we had to cross a small lagoon. After some guesswork, we ended up in the canal.
The man had said the canal through the mangrove was three metres wide, but that was a generous assertion. At times we could barely paddle because the space on both sides of the boat was not sufficient to dip our paddle. We navigated through the mangrove, a smelly maze of funny-looking sticks. It took a while, an hour or so, and it was quite an experience to move through such an environment, one that we rarely get to see so closely.
On the other side of the island, peace and quiet awaited, long and lonely beaches that we had all to ourselves. The bustle of the village, where tuk-tuks mowed you over and fat ladies did laundry with much aplomb, contrasted sharply with this deserted island feeling. We dragged our kayak onto the land, hiding it between the pine trees, and jumped into the water. We’d found our little piece of paradise on busy Utila. Maybe we could really stay here forever?
Practical information about Utila, Honduras
What to do on Utila?
Most people come here to dive. We don’t dive but still managed to enjoy our time on the island. [Read: 3 fun activities to try in Utila when you’re not a diver]
Where to stay on Utila?
Lodging is more expensive than in other places in the country.
We stayed in the friendly Backpackers Lodge, where around 300 HLN got us a private double room with shared bathroom and kitchen. This place is not on Google Maps, but you can easily find it behind the notorious Skidrow Bar (but far enough to not suffer from noise pollution).
The Backpackers Lodge is connected to Gunter’s Ecomarine Dive Center. If we would’ve wanted to dive, we would have done it with these guys, a genuinely welcoming crowd.
Divers can often stay for free or get steep discounts on accommodation, so look into that if you’re planning to dive. Discover other options in Utila.
Where to eat on Utila?
Lots of options, although most comparatively expensive for Honduran standard. If this is your only destination in the country, make sure to try baleadas, delicious flour tortillas filled with refried beans, powdered cheese, marinated onions, hot sauce and sometimes, in more touristic areas, avocados. We ate cheap traditional baleadas in various small stalls on Main St, which you’ll find easily.
How to save money on Utila?
One of the owners of Gunther’s Eco Marine Dive Center used to work in Finland and made ferry trips to party in Tallinn. He also told us that Utila has the most expensive electricity on earth, having recently overtaken the Cayman Islands. Consequently, many things cost more here than elsewhere in Honduras.
- Water, to start with, is much more expensive than on the mainland. Rather than continuously splashing the cash on small bottles, we paid a deposit for an 18.9-litre big jug, which we used to fill smaller bottles. This saved us hundreds of lempira’s, as we finished two of those big boys in five days. And it’s a remarkably more environmentally friendly solution.
- If you’re planning to cook at least some of your meals, it’s worth to buy some basic groceries in La Ceiba.
- Backpackers flock around The Venue. Even the ones not staying there, often rent kayaks from them. If you’re not joining a tour, however, you can rent a kayak for half the price from an old chap a few houses away.
- Utila is small enough to get around on foot and bicycle. Don’t waste your money on renting a motorbike or, even worse, a golf cart or quad. You might think you look cool, but you’re just a dick that pollutes streets that are already plagued by exhaust fumes. Opt for cheaper and eco-friendlier bicycles (5 USD/day at Roneey).
How to get to Utila
Two companies ferry passengers between La Ceiba and Utila. The Utila Princess leaves La Ceiba at 9.30 am and 4 pm. The return leg away from the island runs at 6 am and 2 pm. 472/448 HLN (to Utila/from Utila). The Utila Dream goes twice daily from La Ceiba to Utila, at 9 am and 4.40 pm, and from Utila to La Ceiba at 7 am and 3.20 pm. 630/1250 HLN (one-way/return).
Onwards from Utila
- Make your way to Copán Ruinas, a small town near ancient Maya ruins. This was one of our favourite places in the Central American region. [Read: horse riding in Copán Ruinas // birds in Copán Ruinas]
- Not done yet with the Caribbean? Wind down some more in relaxed Trujillo.
- Or head inland towards Lake Yojoa, for hikes, kayaking and craft beers.
