Roatan Honduras Visitor Guide: Ports, Fees and Getting Around
Nobody sells a ticket to Roatan, because the island has no gate. If you are pricing Roatan island tours, you pay for the tour itself, and the charges to watch are the ones a fare leaves out.
No gate, no island ticket
You can walk off your ship and onto a public beach without paying anyone. What you buy is a tour: the pickup at the port, the drive, the boat, the guide and the stops. The fares here run from $45 to $185 a person, and every one of them is priced per person, the private days included.
Three charges decide whether a cheap fare stays cheap. Is the beach-club day pass in it? Is the sanctuary entry in it? And does anything get paid in cash on the day? Every card says which.
| What you pay for | What it costs | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| The island and its beaches | No gate and no admission | West Bay Beach is public sand |
| A tour or shore excursion | $45 to $185 a person here | Each fare covers different things: read the card |
| A beach-club day pass | In some fares; one listing prices a West Bay Beach entrance at US$15 | A chair, a shower and a restroom at a resort |
| A sanctuary entry | In some fares; one listing prices the Manawakie park at US$15 | Each card says in the fare, extra, or ask |
| The reef fee | US$10, voluntary | A bracelet or token; no tour requires it |
| A far pickup | US$15 to US$30 on one private boat | Charged past Dixon Cove and French Harbour, in person |
The Roatan Marine Park and its voluntary fee
The Roatan Marine Park is a community-based non-profit in West End, set up in 2005 by dive shops and local businesses. It runs marine patrols, a coral restoration programme with SECORE International and workshops for lionfish hunters.
It asks visitors for a voluntary fee of US$10 to protect the reef. You get a bracelet or a token, from the park's EcoStore in West End or from partner dive shops and resorts. It is not compulsory, and no tour requires it. If you snorkel or dive, it is the one payment that goes straight to the reef.
Reef operators ask you to wear reef-safe sunscreen, or a rash guard instead. Do not touch the coral or stand on it.
The Bay Islands National Marine Park
The water you snorkel in is protected. The Bay Islands National Marine Park was declared a marine protected area on 10 June 2010. It covers Utila, Roatán, Santos Guardiola and Guanaja, 647,153 hectares in all, and the park calls it the largest marine protected area in Honduras.
It has three zones: a coastal zone from the high-tide line to 10 metres deep, a special marine zone to 60 metres, and a buffer zone out to 12 nautical miles. The reef itself is part of the Mesoamerican Reef, the second-largest barrier reef in the world, shared by Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras.
The two cruise ports
Most visitors arrive by ship, at one of two ports about 5 km apart. The Port of Roatan sits in Coxen Hole, the island's largest town, and takes Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, MSC and others. Mahogany Bay, renamed Isla Tropicale, sits in Dixon Cove to the east and takes Carnival and its sister lines.
Independent operators wait outside both. At Mahogany Bay you walk through the shops, out of the covered gangway and up the hill past the security gate, or take a US$2 taxi. Pickup is usually one hour after the ship docks. Several operators warn that ship time and island time can differ, and run on ship time. The walk, the gates and the timing are set out in the cruise port guide.
| Where you meet | Where it is | What the listings say |
|---|---|---|
| Port of Roatan, Coxen Hole | Outside the security gate into town, usually gate 1 | Some name gate 2 or 3; one checks you in at kiosk 1 in the independent tours area |
| Mahogany Bay (Isla Tropicale) | Outside the port, up the hill past the security gate | About a quarter of a mile on foot, or a US$2 taxi |
| Your hotel or rental | At the door | Almost every tour; the night snorkel collects between 5:30 and 6:30pm |
| The airport | Juan Manuel Gálvez International, by Coxen Hole | The customizable days and several others |
Getting around the island
Roatan lies about 65 km off the north coast of Honduras, the largest of the Bay Islands. It is some 59 km long and under 8 km wide. West End, West Bay and Sandy Bay sit at the west end; French Harbour and Oak Ridge lie further east along the south shore.
The airport, Juan Manuel Gálvez International, is beside Coxen Hole. Ferries run to La Ceiba on the mainland and to Utila. Their times and fares are the ferry companies' to publish. You rarely need a car for a tour: almost every one collects you at the port, your hotel or the airport. Every stop is on the Roatan map.
What a tour costs
The fares look far apart until you read what each one covers. A cheap private day may leave every entry to you, while a dearer shared day pays for the sanctuary and a beach pass.
| The tour | What you pay | What the fare covers |
|---|---|---|
| A snorkel boat or reef trip | $55 to $112 a person | Gear and a guide in the water; the fees on most |
| A shared sanctuary and beach day | $55 to $75 a person | The sanctuary on most; a beach day pass or beach time |
| A private driver-guide day | $45 to $130 a person | Your own vehicle and guide; the entries vary by listing |
| An ATV day | $119 to $163 a person | The ride and a sanctuary; a minimum driving age |
| Two scuba dives | $185 a person | Certified divers only; the gear and the fees |
Fares are shown in US dollars, as the listings publish them.
Not sure which kind of day you want?
The reef, a sanctuary and a beach, or your own driver for the stops you choose: compare them side by side.
When to go
Every tour here is outdoors and most touch the water. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, according to the US National Hurricane Center, and is busiest from mid-August to mid-October. In those months, book a tour you can cancel and watch the forecast. The months are set out in the best time to visit and the Roatan weather page.
On the day
Bring swimwear, a towel, water, sun cover and small notes. Several beach-club fares leave towels out. Keep your ship card and the operator's message with the meeting point to hand.
Tell the operator your ship, your docking time and your all-aboard time when you book. If you use a cane or a wheelchair, ask about the walk from the gate before the day: at Mahogany Bay it is uphill. The reviews show how often the walk and the gate are what travelers wish they had asked about.
When a tour is worth paying for
You can reach West Bay Beach on your own and swim from the public sand. A tour earns its fare in three places. It meets you at the port and brings you back in time for your ship. It takes you to the reef by boat with a guide in the water. And it pays for the sanctuary and the beach pass where the fare says so.
Pick a snorkel boat for the reef, a sanctuary and beach day for a first visit, and a private driver-guide if you want your own pace.
Asked before you go
Is there a ticket to visit Roatan Honduras?
Is West Bay Beach free?
What is the Roatan Marine Park fee?
Where do I meet an independent tour at Mahogany Bay?
Where do I meet a tour at the Port of Roatan?
Is ship time the same as island time?
Do I need cash?
Next: read the cruise port guide for the walk and the timing, see things to do in Roatan, or compare every fare on Roatan Honduras Tours.