The Cayos Cochinos – Cochinos Islands are a group of islands that is formed by two small islands (Cayo Menor and Cayo Grande) and 13 smaller keys of coral origin located 30 kilometers to the northeast of La Ceiba on the north coast of Honduras.
The population was 108. The larger settlements are Lower Monitor (46), East End (35) and Cayo Redondo (Round Cay) (17 inhabitants). The archipelago is closer to the Honduran mainland coast than to the Islas de la Bahía, but administratively belongs to the municipality of Roatán in the Department of Islas de la Bahía.
The islands are a protected marine area and are managed by the Honduran Foundation for Coral Reefs. The coral reef in this case is part of the second largest coral reef in the world, known as the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. There is a scientific research station on Cayo Menor, the smaller of the two main islands in the system.
Some of the keys or atolls are privately owned, and in one of them there is a community of Garífuna fishermen where you can have lunch,Laws prohibit all types of commercial fishing, nets and traps within the marine park.There are no roads, no cars or bicycles in the Kayos Cochinos archipelago.If you want to spend more time in this paradise, you can stay at the hotel in Cayo Mayor.
Here you can appreciate the sustainable tourism work carried out by its inhabitants and you can swim in turquoise blue waters, relax on the white sand beaches, snorkel, taste a delicious lunch prepared by the locals.
Access : Coordinates: 15.971942, -86.475372 / The islands can be reached by boat from La Ceiba or by sailboat from Roatán. -By day trip to Cayos Cochinos from Roatan.
Highlights :
- Since 1994, the Smithsonian Institution, WWF, Honduras Coral Reef Conservation Fund, Operation Wallacea and other non-profit organizations have been helping to preserve the area’s natural fauna and flora / The Honduran Coral Reef Conservation Fund is responsible for enforcing environmental restrictions and protecting the marine park, and charges an entry fee.
- The Cayos Cochinos are part of the second largest barrier reef, also known as the Meso-American Barrier Reef.
- There is a trail on Cayo Grande that connects the residential buildings to the beach./ There is a lighthouse at the highest point of the island.
- beaches of Cayos Cochinos, in Honduras ,Sit on the white sand, surrounded by fishing boats, a small paradise for divers and lovers of white and turquoise beaches.Its waters, crystalline and warm, surrounded by the Caribbean and with a white sand floor, are a vital invitation, closer than you imagine. In Cayo Menor, there are the Palapa and Playa Uva,Playa Cabeza León and Cayo Paloma , Playa de Cayo Chachahuate.
Go next : The city of La Ceiba, on the north coast of Honduras, in the Caribbean Sea. / Roatán ,an island in the Caribbean, about 65 kilometres (40 mi) off the northern coast of Honduras.
