Roatan Honduras Tour Prices and the Fees Fares Leave Out

A tour here costs $45 to $185 a person. That range hides more than it tells, because there is no island gate and every fare covers something different. This guide goes through what each kind of tour costs, the fees that sit outside the fare, and what the cheapest option leaves out. For the best tours in Roatan by what you want from the day, the choosing guide comes first.

What does a Roatan tour cost?

By kind of tour, per person:

• Private island days: $45 to $79.
• Shared sanctuary and beach days: $55 to $65.
• Snorkel boats and trips: $55 to $112.
• ATV days: $119 to $163.
• Zipline days: $69 to $75.
• Two scuba dives: $185, for certified divers.

The cheapest fares are private, which surprises people. The dearest are the two dives and the buggy and zipline day at $163. Every fare here is per person, the private ones too.

Is there a ticket for the island?

No. Roatan has no gate and no ticket office, and nobody charges you to land. You pay for the tour itself, and the fare lists which entries it covers along the way.

Those entries are what to compare. A sanctuary, a resort day pass on West Bay, the chocolate and rum tastings, the private island on the water-bike day: each is in some fares and not in others. The card's chips say which.

What is the reef fee?

The Roatan Marine Park, set up by dive operators and local businesses in 2005, asks visitors for a voluntary US$10 reef fee. You get a bracelet or token in return. It is not a ticket, no tour here requires it, and it is separate from any fee on a tour's own list.

The reef itself lies inside the Bay Islands National Marine Park, declared in 2010. If you snorkel several days, the bracelet is a simple way to give something back.

Is West Bay free?

The beach is public, and one family-day listing says so. What costs money is a resort day pass: a lounger, a restroom and a shower, and on the Henry Morgan days a pool. Several fares include one, among them the private Henry Morgan resort days.

Others give you beach time without a chair. On the most-booked shared day, one traveller found chairs at US$20, US$15 or free. The cheapest private car lists US$15 each for the beach, so ask what that buys before you pay it.

Is the sanctuary entry included?

On most sanctuary days, yes: most shared sanctuary days, every ATV day, both zipline days and the private sanctuary and West Bay day. The VIP car charges US$15 a person for its eco-park. The customizable days leave every entry to you.

Some listings do not say, including the most-reviewed private day. Ask before you book, and keep US dollars to hand in case.

Are private tours priced per person?

Yes, on every listing here. A private day for four costs four fares, not one car. Most private listings also need at least two travellers to book.

That makes the private days good value for two to four people, and less so for one. A couple pays $56 each for the most-reviewed private day, against $65 each for the most-booked shared one. Every private option is on private tours in Roatan Honduras.

Do children pay less?

On many listings, yes. The fare for a child appears when you add one to the booking. The most-booked shared day prices a child from age 1; several snorkel and private days from 4 or 5.

A few private days list only adult and senior fares, so everyone with a seat pays the same. The age bands tour by tour are in our guide to tours with kids.

What about tips, photos and extras?

• Tips: no fare includes them, and several list gratuities as not included.
• Photos: the private West End boat lists them as not included.
• Water rides: kayaks, banana boat and donut rides on the water-bike day cost US$10 each.
• Pickups further out: the private West End boat charges US$15 to US$20 each past Dixon Cove, and US$30 past French Harbour, paid in person.
• Towels: the resort day passes on the private days do not include one.
• Food: lunch is in no fare except the cooking class.

Which is the cheapest tour, and what does it leave out?

The lowest fare here, $45 a person, is shared by the customizable full day and the VIP car. The customizable full day gives you a guide and a car for up to nine and a half hours, and leaves every entry fee, the beach chair and the food to you. The VIP car gives you a driver for three to four hours, and lists US$15 each for its eco-park and the beach.

So the cheapest fare is not always the cheapest day. Add the entries, and a shared day with everything in it can cost less. That is the sum to do before you book.

How much do the extras add up to?

Take the cheapest private car. The fare is $45 a person, and it lists US$15 each for the eco-park and US$15 each for the beach. That adds US$30 a person if you use both, before lunch and tips, and the day then costs more than a shared one. The most-booked shared day costs $65, with the sanctuary, a rum tasting and two hours on West Bay in the fare.

The customizable full day works the same way. One traveller on it paid US$15 a person at the sloth and monkey park and US$30 a person for an afternoon at a West Bay beach club. Neither is in the fare. Add them to $45 and you have the real price of the day.

None of this makes the cheap fares bad value. They buy freedom: your own car, your own stops and your own hours. Just count the entries before you compare.

Is a private day better value for a family?

Often, because the fare is per person on both kinds. A family of four pays four fares either way: four fares of $56 on the most-reviewed private day, or four of $65 on the most-booked shared day. The shared day includes the beach and the sanctuary; on the private day, ask whether the park entry is in.

The private day wins on time rather than money. You leave when the children need to, and nobody waits for a van of 30. Ages and child fares are in our guide to tours with kids.

What does the dearest tour give you?

The two-dive trip, at $185, includes two boat dives from West Bay, the scuba gear, the port transfer and every fee and tax. It is for certified divers with a logged dive in the past 12 months, and starts at 8:00am.

The buggy and zipline day, at $163, packs in 12 zips, an ATV dune buggy ride, a wildlife sanctuary, about two hours at a private beach club and one beer or soda. Food at the ATV park and the beach club is extra.

Do you need cash on the day?

Yes, a little. Bring small US dollar notes for tips, a beach chair, food and drink, and the US$2 taxi up the hill at Mahogany Bay. On the customizable day and the VIP car, bring enough for each entry. The private West End boat's pickup surcharge is paid in person too.

Can you get a refund?

Every fare here refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours ahead. Inside 24 hours there is no refund. A boat trip the sea cancels is moved or refunded by the operator.

For a cruise passenger, the 24 hours is the window that matters. If your ship's call looks doubtful, cancel before it closes.

What does each kind of fare leave out?

A fare with the entries in it is often the better buy. Compare the totals, not the headline prices.

Frequently asked questions

Fares that say what they cover

Roatan VIP island tour in Honduras

The cheapest private car: a driver for three to four hours. The eco-park and the beach each cost US$15 on the day, and lunch is yours to buy.

From $45 per person

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Customizable Best Of Roatan Island Tour in Honduras

A driver and guide for the whole day, stops chosen by you, and pickup whenever you are ready. The entry fees at each stop are paid as you go.

From $45 per person

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Roatán Private Snorkeling, Wildlife Park, and West Bay Beach

A private day with a guided reef snorkel by boat, an eco-park and a resort day pass with chairs, a pool and showers. Children's fares start at age 5.

From $88 per person

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