Information on Roatán, Honduras
(various online sources – Spring, 2007)
Roatán
Roatán, located between the islands of Utila and Guanaja (16.34° N 86.33° W), is the largest of
Honduras' Bay Islands. It is approximately 60 kilometres long, and less than 8 kilometres wide at
its widest point.
The capital and most populated town is Coxen Hole, located in the Southwest of the island.
Other important towns include French Harbour, West End, and Oak Ridge.
Located near the largest barrier reef in the Caribbean Sea (second largest worldwide after
Australia's Great Barrier Reef), it has become an important cruising and scuba diving destination
in Honduras. Tourism is its most important economic sector, though fishing is also an important
source of income for islanders.
In 1998, the island suffered minimal damage from Hurricane Mitch, but CNN reported extensive
damage, temporarily paralyzing most commercial activity. Many of the native islanders attribute
this storm as having broken the previously undisturbed Aguila shipwreck into three pieces.
Roatán is served by Roatán International Airport.
The island was formerly known as Ruatan and Rattan.
Tourism and environmental impact
While tourism has strongly contributed towards the economic development of the island, it has
also altered Roatan's ecosystem. Land clearing for the construction of residential areas, as well as
improper sewage and garbage disposal methods, have inflicted considerable damage to the island
in a time span of less than a decade.
Several efforts by environmental organizations have helped to reduce the adverse environmental
impacts. Still, the long-term success of these efforts is uncertain. Enforceable regulation has
ruled an embargo on the importation of plastic containers into the Bay Islands of Honduras.
In 2006, the number of tourists likely reached 250,000. With a population of only 30,000,
considerable effort is now being directed towards new environmentally friendly septic systems as
well as energy and water conservation programs.
Language and History
Although Spanish is spoken in mainland Honduras, the main language on the island is (creole)
English, due to the fact that the first modern population originated from parts of the British
Caribbean. In general, the history of the Bay Islands was driven by the various larger political,
economic and cultural forces throughout the entire Caribbean and Central American region.
The Pre-Columbian residents of the Bay Islands are believed to have been related to Paya, Maya,
Lenca or Jicaque, which were the cultures present on the mainland. Christopher Columbus, on
his fourth voyage (1502-1504) came to the islands as he visited the neighboring Bay Island of
Guanaja. The Spanish soon after began using the Islands for purposes of slave raiding, and no
original Native American communities survived.
Throughout European colonial times, the entire Bay of Honduras attracted a diverse array of
individual settlers, pirates, traders and militarists, engaged in various economic activities and
playing out political struggles between the European powers, chiefly Britain and Spain. Roatan
and the other islands were used as frequent resting points for sea travelers, and on several
occasions were the subject of military occupation. In 1723/1724 an about 20 year man from New
England, Philip Ashton, managed to survive as a castaway on the island for sixteen months until
he was finally rescued.
Britain, in its aggressive attempt to colonize the Caribbean from the Spanish, occupied the Bay
Islands on and off between 1550 and 1700. During this time, the Buccaneers found the vacated,
mostly unprotected Islands a haven for safe harbor and transport. English, French & Dutch
pirates established settlements on the islands and raided the cumbersome Spanish cargo vessels
laden with gold and other treasures from the new world. The English buccaneer Henry Morgan
established his base at Port Royal on Roatan in the mid-17th century; at that time as many as
5,000 pirates were living on that island.
In a fortuitous event in 1797, the British defeated the Afro-indigenous Black Carib, who had
been supported by the French, in a battle for control of the Windward Caribbean island of St.
Vincent. Weary of their resistance to their plans for sugar plantations, the British rounded up the
St. Vincent Black Carib and deported them to Roatan. The majority of Black Carib migrated to
Trujillo on mainland Honduras, but a portion remained to found the community of Punta Gorda
on the northern coast of Roatan. The Black Carib, whose ancestry includes Native American
(Arawak) cultures and African Maroons, remained on Punta Gorda, becoming the Bay Island's
first permanent post-Columbian settlers. They also migrated from there to parts of the northern
coast of Central America, becoming the foundation of the modern day Garifuna culture.
The main permanent population of Roatan originated from the Cayman Islands near Jamaica,
arriving in the 1830s shortly after the end of slavery in British territories disrupted the economic
structure that had maintained Caymanian culture. Caymanians were largely a seafaring culture
and were familiar with the area from turtle fishing ventures and other activities. Former
Caymanian slave-owners were among the first to settle on the seaside locations throughout
primarily western Roatan. Former slaves continued to arrive during the 1830s and 1840s, and
altogether, the former Caymanians became the largest cultural group on the island.
In the 1850s for a brief period the Bay Islands were declared a colony by Britain, who within a
decade ceded the territory formally back to Honduras.
The island populations grew steadily in the latter half of the century, and new settlements
became established all over Roatan and the other islands. Individual settlers came from all over
the world and played a part in shaping the cultural face of the island. A fruit trade industry
started by islanders became very profitable and by the 1870s was taken over by American
interests, most notably the New Orleans and Bay Islands Fruit Company. Later companies, the
Standard Fruit and United Fruit Companies, became the foundation for modern day fruit
companies, the industry which gave Honduras the sobriquet "banana republic".
The twentieth century saw a continued population growth resulting in increasing economic
changes, and then environmental challenges. A population boom began with an influx of
Spanish-speaking settlers from the Honduran mainland, who in the last decades tripled the
original resident population. The Spanish settled primarily in the urban areas of Coxen Hole and
French Harbor. In these areas Spanish is common, with English being more common to the
families of original residents as well as in the other areas inhabited chiefly by islanders rather
than former mainlanders.
But in terms of population and economic influence, the mainlander influx was dwarfed still by
the overwhelming tourist presence in most recent years. This trend originated via a number of
American, Canadian, British, New Zealand, Australian and South African settlers and
entrepreneurs engaging chiefly in the fishing industry, and later, providing the foundation for
tourist trade. The rapid and dramatic demographic changes that Roatan has experienced in the
twenty-first century has contributed to the complexity of the environmental challenges that the
beautiful and historied island now faces.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Caribbean fantasy at a fraction of the price.
In terms of sheer distance, Roatan is one of the closest Caribbean Islands to the United States.
But when it comes to culture, value, and even good looks, Roatan is worlds away.
Overview:
At an impressive 40 miles long, Roatan attracts every type of traveler, from the luxury cruiseshipper to the budget backpacker. Most are united by a passion for scuba diving -- the island is
bordered by the second-largest barrier reef in the world
Part of Honduras's Bay Islands (which also include Utila and Guanaja), Roatan has endured
centuries of shuffling under British, American, and Spanish influence. Add the island's
indigenous tribes and afro-carib settlers, and it's no wonder Roatan's people are some of the most
diverse in Central America.
Get Your Bearings:
Because Roatan is so long and skinny, most of its resorts and luxury hotels are located on private
beaches outside of the island's towns.
Coxen Hole: The capital of the Bay Islands is Coxen Hole, Roatan's largest city and the first
place you'll see -- both the boat dock and the airstrip are located in Coxen Hole. Though travelers
don't tend to remain in the city, it's the island's center for politics and commerce.
Sandy Bay: Most of Roatan's cultural attractions are located in Sandy Bay, such as the Institute
of Marine Sciences and the Carambola Gardens and Marine Reserve. Sandy Bay is just across
the narrow width of the island from Coxen Hole.
French Harbour: Lively French Harbour is the core of Roatan's fishing trade. Several of
Roatan's most exclusive hotels are located here, as well as the island's only Iguana conservatory.
Punta Gorda: The only Garifuna settlement on Roatan, Punta Gorda boasts a dynamic culture
that has remained largely unchanged since the late 1700s. Travelers are welcome. Many of
Roatan's other local villages are found on this part of the island, like Jonesvile, Oak Ridge, Port
Royal, and Camp Bay.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Like Belize and Costa Rica, which are also in Central America, Roatan in Honduras is one of
those less-touristed tropical destinations where beaches are still pristine and uncrowded and two
on a budget can always find a place to lay their heads.
One of the three Islas de Bahía (Bay Islands), thirty miles from the Honduras coast, Roatan is
slowly becoming discovered by leisure travelers. The East End of Roatan is known for its
untouched beaches and bays, and most facilities -- including an Internet cafe -- are located on the
West End.
Water, Water Everywhere
Clear waters in Honduras make for great swimming in Roatan. Other outdoor sports include sea
kayaking, fishing, waterskiing, kneeboarding, wakeboarding, and waverunning.
The best place to keep cool in Honduras is underwater. Roatan's reefs make it a desirable
destination for snorkelers and scuba divers. There are a number of dive centers on Roatan. Sueño
Del Mar Dive Center, voted the best on Roatan by readers of Scuba Diving magazine, offers
professional PADI Scuba diving lessons and certifications from Open Water through Dive
Master.
Palmetto Bay Plantation in Roatan
The Honduras resort that's home base for "Temptation Island 3," Palmetto Bay Plantation is on
Roatan's north shore, four miles from the small town of French Harbour. Amenities include a
seaside pool, massage services, and a restaurant that's one of the top on the island.
Guests can wander for miles from Palmetto Bay Plantation's white-sand beach without seeing
another Roatan resort. Nature trails on the property wind through tropical flora and fauna,
overseen by colorful, chattering parrots. (If you go, do pack bug repellent.)
The hotel can arrange diving packages, sailing trips, tours of Roatan island, and swim-withdolphins experiences. Its boat captain knows best places for fishing or snorkeling at the nearby
reef. Kayaks are available for guests' use.
There are flights into Roatan from Miami and Houston. The next closest airports to Roatan are
Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula in Honduras. You can make connections there from other
Central American airports and then catch a ferry or other sea-going vessel into Roatan.