Pico Bonito National Park
One of Honduras's most spectacular national parks — pristine rainforest rising from Caribbean coast to 2,435m peaks, with exceptional biodiversity and private guided expeditions.
LCE · MHLC · Honduras
Golosón International Airport
La Ceiba — Atlántida — North Coast. 10 min to La Ceiba center / 30 min to Pico Bonito.
Runway
2300m
Surface
Asphalt
Elevation
15m
Hours
6am-8pm
Book your private flight to La Ceiba
Airport at a glance
La Ceiba — Honduras
La Ceiba calls itself the place where Honduras comes to have a good time, and it has the calendar to back it: the Feria de San Isidro in May is the largest carnival in the country, a week that ends with a night parade down the Avenida San Isidro drawing hundreds of thousands.
For travellers, though, La Ceiba is primarily a launch point — and an unusually well-equipped one. Golosón International Airport has a runway of 2,950 by 45 metres, which is the second longest in Honduras and considerably more than a regional coastal field needs. The capacity is a legacy of the banana industry that built this coast and of the airport's long-standing role as the domestic hub for the Bay Islands.
Single asphalt runway, 2,950 × 45 metres, at 15 metres elevation. ICAO: MHLC. It handled 186,570 passengers in 2023. It carries international status principally on the strength of its Cayman Airways service to Grand Cayman, alongside domestic operations by Aerolíneas Sosa and CM Airlines to Roatán, Útila, Guanaja, San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa.
For private aviation, LCE is the most capable field on the Honduran Caribbean coast by some margin, with generous margins and no meaningful payload constraint.
The airport also has a footnote worth keeping: SAHSA, the former Honduran flag carrier, was flying DC-3s into La Ceiba by 1950, with schedules appearing in Pan American's system timetable.
Getting there
Golosón International Airport — Getting there
La Ceiba is the mainland ferry port for both Roatán and Útila, and the crossings are perfectly serviceable in calm conditions. Between December and February, when the northers run, they are not — and that is when the fifteen- and twenty-minute flights justify themselves.
| Roatán | ~20 min | ~90–120 min ferry |
| Útila | ~15 min | ~60 min ferry |
| San Pedro Sula | ~30 min | ~3 h road |
| Palmerola | ~45 min | ~5 h road |
Nearby
Things to do near La Ceiba
The reason to stop in La Ceiba rather than pass through is directly behind it. Pico Bonito National Park rises from sea level to 2,435 metres within a few kilometres of the coast — one of the steepest elevation gradients in Central America — and that compression stacks lowland rainforest, cloud forest and elfin forest into a single visible wall from the town.
The park holds jaguar, tapir, and a bird list of over 400 species. Most of it is genuinely trackless; the accessible sections are around the Cangrejal river valley, which is also the country's best whitewater — Class III to V rafting within 20 minutes of the airport, with lodges built along the gorge.
The coast and the cays. Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, 30 minutes west, is a mangrove and lagoon system reached by a narrow-gauge railway left over from the banana plantations. It is one of the more reliable places in Central America to see West Indian manatees, along with howler monkeys and an extensive waterbird list.
Cayos Cochinos, 30 kilometres offshore, is a marine protected area of two small forested islands and thirteen cays, with a resident Garífuna community at Chachahuate living on a sand cay a few hundred metres across. The reef here is part of the Mesoamerican system, fishing is restricted to traditional methods, and it is a considerably quieter proposition than Roatán.
Sambo Creek and the villages east along the coast are Garífuna, with drumming, casabe and a food culture worth seeking out.
Specialized Birdwatching — Pico Bonito
Pico Bonito is one of Central America's premier birdwatching destinations — over 400 species including keel-billed motmots, trogons and resplendent quetzals.
Private Canopy & Waterfalls — La Ceiba
La Ceiba's jungle rivers and private canopy tours — ziplines through rainforest, natural pools at the base of cascading waterfalls and expert naturalist guides.
White-Water Rafting — La Ceiba Rivers
Class III-IV rapids on Honduras's Caribbean slope rivers from La Ceiba — the country's best white-water rafting in pristine jungle canyons.
Cayos Cochinos — Private Day Charter
A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve 30 km offshore from La Ceiba — private boat charter to pristine Caribbean cays with coral gardens, hawksbill turtles and Garifuna culture.
Technical Diving — Cayos Cochinos
Cayos Cochinos is Honduras's most pristine Caribbean marine reserve — advanced dives on the outer walls with whale sharks in season, Caribbean reef sharks, enormous grouper and an untouched coral ecosystem.
Helicopter — North Coast Aerial Tour
Private helicopter along Honduras's North Caribbean coast from La Ceiba — Punta Sal National Park, the Garífuna villages of Tela, the Cuero y Salado manatee refuge and the dramatic barrier reef from above.
Offshore Caribbean Fishing — La Ceiba
Offshore sport fishing from La Ceiba — wahoo, dorado and sailfish in the blue Caribbean water beyond the Bay Islands, with species diversity that rivals Panama's Pacific coast.
When to fly
When to fly
Caribbean north coast: wet, with the heaviest rain from October through January. The more reliable windows are broadly March to May and around September. Hurricane season runs June to November with peak risk August to October; this coast has taken direct strikes.
FAQ
Golosón International Airport — Frequently asked questions
What is the runway length at La Ceiba (LCE)?
2,950 by 45 metres of asphalt at 15 m elevation — the second longest runway in Honduras. ICAO: MHLC.
Is Golosón an international airport?
Yes, principally on the strength of its Cayman Airways service to Grand Cayman, alongside a substantial domestic network.
How do I get to Roatán and Útila from La Ceiba?
By air in 20 and 15 minutes respectively, or by ferry in roughly 90–120 and 60 minutes. Ferries are rough during the December–February norther season.
What is Pico Bonito?
A national park rising from sea level to 2,435 metres immediately behind La Ceiba, with one of the steepest elevation gradients in Central America and over 400 bird species.
What are Cayos Cochinos?
A marine protected area 30 km offshore, with two forested islands, thirteen cays, and a Garífuna community living on the sand cay at Chachahuate.
When is La Ceiba's carnival?
The Feria de San Isidro in May — the largest carnival in Honduras, ending with a night parade on the Avenida San Isidro.