Overland Honduras Travel
Pan American Highway > Honduras
Currency to display:
Contents
- 1 Visiting Honduras
- 2 Entering Honduras with a Car or Motorbike
- 3 Driving in Honduras
- 4 Gas and Diesel price in Honduras
- 5 Safety and Security Considerations
- 6 Camping in Honduras
- 7 Navigation
- 8 Special Overland Travel interests
- 9 Vehicle Maintenance
- 10 Buy or sell a car or motorbike in Honduras
- 11 References
- 12 Helpful External links
Visiting Honduras
Give a brief overview of what it's like to visit. How easy is the border, how safe is the country, are there great things to see and do, etc.
Entering Honduras with a Car or Motorbike
Correct as of: December 2015
Required Paperwork
(To check if you need a travel Visa for Honduras, application instructions and fees see: Honduras Visa online application at VisaHQ.com)
This border is notorious for corrupt officers who will ask for whatever paperwork they feel like on any given day. Your experience will probably differ from what is below, so come prepared with lots of copies of everything.
- Passport of registered owner (original and 4 copies).
- Vehicle registration (original and 4 copies).
- Drivers license of registered owner (original and 4 copies).
- 4 more copies of the owner's Passport, clearly showing the Honduras immigration stamp and the entry payment receipts.
Process at border
Again, this will vary from day to day depending on the mood of the officer on duty.
Detailed instructions from Oct 2014, including GPS POI's, Map of office locations and pictures can be seen here: El Salvador to Honduras El Amatillo Border Crossing
The process is described very clearly at Through Honduras in one day|PanAm Notes (also available to download in pdf format).
Detailed instructions as of 24th April 2016 crossing from Guatemala to Honduras at Corinto with a motorcycle. Full details including paperwork requirements, GPS coordinates and photographs can be found here http://www.tiger800rtw.com/?p=1259
NOTE: You may encounter locals offering to help you with paperwork to get across the border. See Border Crossing Helpers for advice.
Cost of entry
Again, it depends. Expect to pay, roughly:
- $3.00 USD per person for entry (price as of 24th April 2016)
- Payment of $40.00 USD for vehicle permit (price as of 24th April 2016)
Permitted length of stay
90 days.
Honduras is part of the CA-4 Border control agreement. This agreement grants travel between Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua for a TOTAL of 90-days. The number of days remaining on your CA4 is written in your passport as you travel from country to country. The 90-day limit begins when you enter any country that is part of the CA4 agreement. To avoid penalty and fines, Exit the CA4 countries and enter into Costa Rica or Mexico/Belize before the 90-days limit expires.
Extension of stay
Unknown.
Describe the process to extend the permitted length of entry for the vehicle, if possible.
Storing a vehicle and temporarily leaving the country
(unknown)
Describe if/how a vehicle can be stored, and for how long.
Also mention if the owner / temporary importer can leave the country while the vehicle is in storage.
Exiting with a vehicle
- The registered owner presents the temporary import paper to customs.
- The registered owner is stamped out of Honduras at immigration.
Driving in Honduras
Recommended books for Overlanding in Honduras
Travel insurance for Honduras
World Nomads offer the most flexible Travel Insurance at the best prices for multi-country / multi-year trips. You can buy, extend and claim online, even after you've left home.
Vehicle insurance requirements
Insurance is not required in Honduras
Cost of insurance
N/A
Where to purchase insurance
N/A
Driving license
Technically an International Driving Permit is required.
In reality, showing a license from anywhere in the world seems to be good enough.
Driving side of road
Right.
Right hand drive vehicles are permitted without problem.
Mandatory items in vehicle
The Police and Military will absolutely try to bribe you if you do not have the following:
- 2 safety triangles
- A fire extinguisher
Roads
General Road quality
Roads in Honduras vary greatly. The Pan American is paved and good quality for the length of the country. Lesser roads are gravel and can be very bumpy and rutted.
Road signs
Road signs are mostly common, but can not be relied upon.
Toll roads
Parts of CA-5 are in the process of being tolled.
Bribery in Honduras
Honduras is probably the most corrupt country on the Pan American Highway, and you will almost certainly encounter bribery attempts by the Police and military. Many Overlanders have special stories about how common bribery is in Honduras, with most foreigners being stopped 5-10 times on the Pan American Highway alone.
See the bribery tips page for advice.
Checkpoints
Police checkpoints are common in Honduras, especially on the Pan American Highway. You'll primarily be asked to show your Passport, Vehicle registration, drivers license, and the temporary import permit you were issued at the border. Depending on how official the checkpoint actually is, this is a perfect bribery opportunity for the police/military.
Traveling with pets
According to travelers in 2012, you need: [1]
Travelers in 2013 wrote this when traveling from El Salvador to Honduras: [2]
- A Health Certificate for the animal in Spanish (updated at least every four months)
- A vaccination record (the European Pet Passport works well)
You might not be asked for either one, but you should have them ready.
Gas and Diesel price in Honduras
Last updated: December 2015 (Diesel September 2013)
Currency and unit to display:
| Gasoline Grade | Price |
|---|---|
| Regular | L18.59 HNL per Liter |
| Premium (95) | L20.49 HNL per Liter |
| Normal Diesel | $1.20 USD per Liter |
Gas and Diesel Availability / Frequency
Gasoline is common along the Pan American Highway.
Gas and Diesel Quality
Unknown.
Safety and Security Considerations
Driving at night
Driving at night is absolutely not recommended in Honduras, due to safety considerations.
Vehicle parking
Find a secure parking lot to park for any length of time. Price unknown.
Special driving considerations
We were stopped many times by the police. They always wanted to check the papers and sometimes look inside the car, but were always friendly and let us go.
Security advisories and information
- Country Specific Information - U.S. Department of State
- Travel Reports and Warnings - Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
- Travel advice by country - Foreign and Commonwealth office (U.K.)
- Travel Advice for Honduras - Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Camping in Honduras
Camping is not popular in Honduras and roadside camping is not recommended.
Camping guide books
Unknown.
Drinking water
Tap water in Honduras is not safe to drink.
Paper maps
Reise Know-How are amoung the best paper maps. Purchase paper maps before arriving in Honduras
Purchase maps before arriving, good ones are very difficult to find in Honduras.
GPS Maps of Honduras
- Open Street Map: Appears to have good coverage.[3]
- Garmin: Apparently no map of Honduras.
- TomTom: No map of Honduras. [4]
GPS co-ordinates for camping, propane, gas, repairs, etc. in Honduras
- iOverlander is a website and iPhone application designed by Overlanders, for Overlanders. It contains GPS co-ordinates and reviews for camping, hotels, propane, water, mechanics, borders and much more.
- A few places in Honduras - Camping Places & Sights in Honduras by Pawsontour
- Camping Sites: Honduras - Detailed list of campsites and propane filling with description, directions and GPS co-ordinates. Some at hotels (lists facilities and price), some roadside and free.
- Central America Camping Locations - List of campsites, with basic directions and GPS co-ordinates. Mostly free sites.
- Camping Log 1: Central America - List of campsites, shopping, fuel, propane and border crossings with excellent descriptions and GPS co-ordinates.
- White Acorn camping log page - GPS co-ordinates and excellent description of campsites]
- Overland Honduras Alliance - Website dedicated to welcoming overlanders to Honduras created by the Honduras Information Project and backed by lodging and camping businesses in Honduras.
Special Overland Travel interests
None.
Vehicle Maintenance
Dealers
4x4s / Trucks
- Toyota Global Dealer Locator
- Land Rover International Dealer Locator
- Mercedes Benz International (select country on bottom right)
- Jeep International site locator
Motorbikes
Local Garages
Add known good mechanics here.
Buy or sell a car or motorbike in Honduras
Buy
Unknown.
Describe how a foreigner can buy a vehicle.
List any difficulties or limitations on where the vehicle can be driven.
Sell
Unknown.
Describe how a foreigner can sell a foreign-plated vehicle, or list not possible.'
References
- ↑ Central American Borders and dogs
- ↑ Traveling with dogs from Canada to Argentina. Experiences and Infos.
- ↑ OpenStreetMap Honduras
- ↑ TomTom Map availability
Helpful External links
- Honduras: Visa and Passport requirements | World Travel Guide
- Health Information for Travelers to Honduras - Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- Honduras travel guides at wikivoyage
- Honduras - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
