Isla de Roatan: a Caribbean Wonderland

In November/December 2023, Debra and I went on a 14-day cruise of the Western Caribbean on board the Regal Princess. We sailed round trip from Galveston, Texas, with port stops in Costa Maya, Belize City, Cozumel, and Roatan. Click HERE to read a short introduction.

This story, the fourth in a series, is about my day on the Island of Roatan. 

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Roatan, Honduras (December 6, 2023) Have you seen this meme, a quote from American writer Susan Sontag, who often wrote about traveling? It pops up on my Facebook feed from time to time, in one variation or another, and each time it does, I think, So true!

And while I won’t check off every destination on my list in the years to come—a list that is certain to grow—it’s always gratifying to visit a place I’ve never been…like Honduras, one of seven countries that make up Central America.

The Isla de Roatan—the long, narrow island of Roatan—was the frist port stop on the second week of our cruise. Roatan, the largest of the ‘Bay Islands,’ is located about 30 miles off the northern coast of Honduras in the Caribbean Sea.

The main town is Coxen Hole, named for pirate Captain John Coxen, “who terrorized the Spanish Main in the late 17th century.” Coxen Hole is also home to one of two cruise terminals; the other terminal is at Mahogany Bay, and that was where the Regal Princess docked.

As an aside, Mahogany Bay is owned by Carnival Corporation, parent company for Princess, Holland America, Regent Seven Seas, and Oceania—and all ships from these cruise lines dock at Mahogany Bay. 

Sitting atop an ancient coral reef system—the largest in the Caribbean Sea—surrounded by gorgeous crystal blue waters and featuring a lush tropical environment, the island of Roatan looks every bit the Caribbean wonderland it is. 

~ Princess Cruises

The island is “known for its pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, and world-class diving sites.” It was no surprise, then, that most of the excursions Princess offered were water-based activities.

Well, I’m not a ‘water-based activity’ kind of guy—perhaps once I was—so, when I viewed the 33 excursions Princess offered, I zeroed in on ‘Botanical Gardens, Birds, Butterflies & West End Village,’ a five-hour tour that would introduce me to the island’s flora and fauna—many of the plants and animals indigenous to Roatan’s tropical environment.

I read the description to Debra, fingers crossed that she would join me.

“It sounds interesting,” she said, “but it will be hot and humid when we walk around the sanctuary and gardens. You go and I’ll stay on the ship.”

If I said it once on our trip, I said it a handful of time: Debra made the right call, as it was an 80/80 day—the temperature reached into the 80s and so did the humidity. It even rained (briefly) at all three stops.  

Before I take you on my excursion, I must share this photo, which I snapped from our cabin’s balcony. It captures those elements—crystal blue waters, lush tropical forests—that made Roatan, IMHO, THE most beautiful port we visited on our two-week cruise, bar none! 

By the way, the small island that you see in this photo is also owned by Carnival. You can reach it from Mahagony Bay by chairlift or pedestrian bridge. There’s a man-made beach on the island—but no snorkeling—as well as bars and restaurants. So, you really do not need to venture from your cruise ship (if you dock at Mahogany Bay) for a day of fun in the sun!

Okay…let’s head to the first stop, Mayan Eden, an eco-park—a sanctuary for birds, butterflies, and other wildlife—located in the dense jungle foothills of Coxen Hole, a short 15-minute drive from the port. 

Loving butterflies and hummingbirds? (We have) one of the biggest butterfly houses in Honduras, where we reproduce different species of butterflies native and non-native of the island.

~ Mayan Eden

​I’ve had the good fortune to visit a couple of spectacular butterfly gardens--Victoria Butterfly Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia, and Butterfly Wonderland in Phoenix, Arizona—that provided immersive experiences in the world of colorful and beautiful butterflies and moths from around the world. I felt privileged to spend time at both.
 
To be honest (and I must be, in case you travel to Roatan), I would not use those words—spectacular, immersive, and privileged—to describe Mayan Eden. The butterfly house was a rather drab enclosure and there were far fewer species than I encountered in Victoria and Phoenix. 

This was the most prevalent butterfly I saw—and I’ll be darned, but I failed to learn its name! I did not despair, though, as I later learned (with a few clicks in the Google search bar on my phone) that it was the Dark Owl Butterfly, found in the rainforests of Central America.

I could not help but notice its central ‘eyespot’ (flanked by several tiny ones) on its brown and white ventral wings. Our guide, Shiela, told us that the main purpose of the larger eyespots (there is one on each wing) is to intimidate potential predators, which see those spots “as the eyes of something that appears bigger and more dangerous.”

Gotta love nature!

Try as I might to photograph other species as they flitted about the enclosure, they were simply too fast for me to capture a clear image, as were a couple of hummingbirds I spied.

The butterfly enclosure wasn’t (IMHO) a great experience, but I rather enjoyed what came next.

Experience the joy of interacting with free monkeys and Ara macaws! Meet first-hand the Kinkajou, coati, Ruatan Island agouti (unique to the island), toucans, spider monkeys, and more. 

~ Mayan Eden

I saw them all, except the agouti.

Most of the monkeys at Mayan Eden were in cages, but several, like these two, were free to roam the grounds.

From monkeys to bird…

The Geoffry’s Spider Monkey—its tail is longer than its body—is native to Honduras.

“They are social animals that live in large groups of 20 to 40,” said Shiela, “although they typically split into smaller groups when they hunt for food. They are also highly intelligent, ranked third among non-human primates, behind chimpanzees and orangutans.”

(I jotted down notes as she spoke—the better to write from when I was ready to do so!)

Do you remember Toucan Sam, the mascot for Froot Loops cereal? Well, I spotted Toucan Sam—several, in fact—in a couple of caged enclosures.

My, what a big and colorful beak you have, I thought.

As if on cue, Shiela said, “The Toucan’s beak, which can be as long as eight inches, accounts for 40% of its total body surface area. The beaks look heavy, but they are truly light weight and soft, made up of keratin—the same material that our hair and nails are made of.”

“What is the lifespan of a toucan?” someone asked.

“Twelve to 20 years,” Shiela replied. And then she added, “Generally longer in captivity than in the wild.”

There was another colorful bird at Maya Eden— the Awa macaw, also known as the scarlet macaw. Its habitat ranges from southeastern Mexico to Brazil, as well as islands in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.

“Their personalities are as colorful as their feathers,” said Shiela. “And they are playful.”

IMHO, the scarlet macaw is the most beautiful parrot.

Shiela added, “Awa macaws can live 40 to 50 years in the wild, and longer still in captivity—upwards of 70 to 80 years.”
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(I recalled that Debra, who loves parrots, once told me that people who own macaws and other long-lived parrots must provide for long-term care in their wills.) 

A young lady who worked for Mayan Eden held a cute furry animal I was not familiar with.

“What do you have there?” I asked.

“It’s a kinkajou,” she replied. “Some people call it a honey bear, although it isn’t a member of the bear family. Rather, it is a member of the raccoon family.”

It looked sweet and cuddly, but I was afraid I might lose a finger if I tried to pet it—so I didn’t, content to look at it in her arms.

“Here’s a fun fact about kinkajou,” she said as a smile crept across her face. “They can run in either direction along a branch by turning their feet backwards.”

As I said earlier, gotta love nature! 

The last animal I saw, the coati (or coatimundi), was also a member of the raccoon family.

As I gazed into a large enclosure that housed several coati, I heard Shiela say, “Coatis, which are highly social animals, are native to the three Americas—North, Central, and South. You can find them in forests, grasslands, and mountains, and because they live in different environments, they adapt their diet to what is available, including fruit, nuts, insects—even eggs.”

Kind of like me, I mused. Well, except for the bugs!

Sheila added, “Like the spider monkey and kinkajou, coati have prehensile tails that help them balance when they climb and can be used as a communication tool.”

A short path led to a suspension bridge, and past that, hiking trails. Well, there was no time for a hike, but just enough time (before we reboarded our bus) to walk on the bridge…and I did.

It was my cheap thrill for the day!

The menagerie of animals I saw at Mayan Eden—two of which I had not seen before—more than made up for my disappointment with the butterfly enclosure. And while it wasn’t the best animal sanctuary I’ve visited—that would be Port Oasis in Caragena, Columbia—I loved how close I was to each of the species there!

“It’s a short distance—about a quarter hour drive—to Blue Harbor Tropical Arboretum,” Shiela announced as we left Mayan Eden. “The arboretum, which is located on the north coast of Roatan, is our tropical Eden—over 160 eco-friendly acres with botanical gardens and fruit orchards.”

One hundred sixty acres sounded big, but it wasn’t—just a quarter mile square. While we didn’t walk it all—and the acres we did walk were along groomed paths—we walked enough to see the breadth of the botanical collection in this ‘working’ conservatory—a “place to collect, display, and propagate unique plant species.”

Here’s a sampling of the plants we saw: Mahogany trees, Red and White Chenille, palms, star fruit, and tropical flowers. 

“Quite a few of the plants you see have health benefits and uses. This one, for example,” Shiela said as she pointed at a tree to her left, “is the soursop. We call it guanabana. The fruit inside its prickly, green skin has a sweet and sour taste that some describe as a combination of banana, pineapple, and citrus.

“There are many ways to enjoy the fruit—eat it whole, mix it in a smoothie, bake with it—but the point I want to make is that this fruit is high in antioxidants and, some claim, reduces inflammation.”

I love chocolate—who doesn’t?!—so I paid attention when Shiela stopped and said, “This is a cacao tree, THE source of all things chocolate.”

I had never seen ‘chocolate in the wild,’ the thick-shelled, ovoid-shaped pods that protect the cacao beans and pulp. I was fascinated to see that the pods grow directly from the trunk of the tree.

“Cacao pods—only the ones that are ripe—are harvested by hand with a machete or other sharp blade, and then split open to remove the wet beans inside. The beans are placed in a container, where they transform through a fermatation process in our tropical heat into a compound, which when dried, is used to make chocolate.”

I’ll be darned, I thought. Not too different a process from converting grapes into wine...or potatoes into rum. 

Before we left, we tried four local fruits: watermelon, papaya, pineapple, and star fruit. They were all delicious—I savored each bite!—but my favorite was the star fruit. Like the soupson, the flavor was sweet AND sour—a taste that was a blend of several citrus fruits.  

All in all, I enjoyed the hour we spent at the arboretum!

“Well, folks, we have one more stop,” Shiela announced after we boarded the bus. “We will visit the West End, a village on the northwest side of Roatan. This will be an opportunity for you to shop for locally made keepsakes. If you are hungry, you will also find street food vendors and sit-down restaurants. Or, you can spend your time on the beach.”

Ahhh…time to hunt for a souvenir!

The bus dropped us near the east end of Sunset Villas Drive, the main street through the West End.

“Please be back in 45 minutes,” Shiela said as we exited the bus.

I walked west—the direction from which we came—and stopped in a few shops along the way. Not everything is locally made, I thought, as I spied quite a bit of manufactured goods. 

But, in Roatan Rock Shop & Jewelry, I found a jade stone knife carved by Phillip, who was (I read from the tag attached to the knife) “born and raised in Sandy Bay Roatan and helps support his family with his talent.” The hilt was a toucan perched atop (what I would describe as) an ancient Maya wall. 

Could this be real jade? Not likely at this price.

It did not matter, because it was the perfect momento for me—a great addition to my small collection of handmade knives.

(Later, I read that green serpentine stone was often mistaken for green jade, and it sells for a fraction of the cost.)

We reached Mahogany Bay early afternoon. I found Debra in a chair on our cabin’s balcony, a book and a bottle of water in her hands. I coaxed her into standing at the rail for this photo op. Now she had proof she was in Roatan, even if just on the waters that surround this beautiful island.

I’m hungry,” I said. “Come with me to Horizon Court, and I’ll tell you about my day.”

She did…and so did I.   
 
Click here to read my next story, Costa Maya: A Maya Cultural Experience.