Copán Area
Lodging, Tours, and Mayan Ruins

Popular lodgings:

• Hotel Madrugada- Converted tobacco plantation house, bed and breakfast.
• Hotel Marina- Colonial style and family operated, air conditioned, pool, bar, full restaurant, the Marina is one of the finest little hotels in Central America.
• Casa de Cafe - Spanish colonial style bed and breakfast, with garden overlooking the Copan River Valley.
• Camino Maya - Swimming pool, restaurant, bar, playground
• Hacienda San Lucas - The family ranch is hosting guests, complete with stables and friendly accommodations. 

Copán area attractions:

• The archeological park- Plan at least a full day and multiple trips from your nearby hotel in order to see it all. There are acres of ruins, temples, sacrificial stones, ball courts, stellae, and aqueducts in various stages of restoration or study. A separate tour through the archaeological tunnels, if available, should not be missed.

• Las Sepalturas- The homes of the higher classes of scribes and priests give us a rare insight into the daily lives of the ancients.

• Sculpture Museum- While closed for renovation at this writing, the museum was designed and built by archeologists that excavated Copán. It protects and expertly exhibits the most valuable of the original stellae. Descend into the Mayan underworld through a serpentine cavern and emerge to the brilliant colors of  temple Rosalila bathed in the natural light and shadow of the passing sun.

• The Copan Museum- Located in the main square of Copán Ruinas displays jewels and artifacts artifacts found at the site. See the tomb of a scribe and the sculptured bench of a house excavated at "Las Sepulturas".

• El Sapo - The Mayan fertility site is most often, and delightfully, reached by horseback.

• Copán Ruinas- We highly recommend staying overnight in the local town of Copán Ruinas. With it's cobbled streets, friendly locals, archaeologists both domestic and foreign, great tipico restaurants and bars, and some of the best shops in the country, the town is itself an attraction. Plaza Central often hosts community entertainment and events. The walk to the archeological park is an education in itself as you pass local neighborhoods and numerous Mayan sculptures and stellae along the path.

• Macaw Mountain Bird Park is devoted to saving the habitat and native bird populations, the nine acre preserve is located in an old growth forest close to Copan.

• Hacienda San Lucas - The family ranch is not only a great lunch stop enroute to El Sapo, but is a testament to local tradition and culture as well as quaint guest house.

• Canopy Tour de los Sapos - an exhilarating zip line hogh over the jungle canopy, the Copan river, and Mayan ruins.

Popular Copán Itineraries

Copán Overnight - This two night tour should be the minimum stay for anyone interested in the Maya world - It won't take long to become a Copán aficionado. Staying the night at the pretty Hotel Marina or equivalent ( swimming pool, boutique, restaurant and bar ) in the quaint cobbled village of Copán Ruinas, you have time to wander and photograph at your leisure, plus another morning to spend back at the ruins or take a side trip to El Sapo on horseback or Macaw Mountain Bird Park. There is still time to make friends among the "Copanicos" and rub elbows with the archaeologists and international travelers.

• Day 1: Iincludes pickup at San Pedro Sula airport, 2 1/2 hour scenic drive to up the Copán river valley with a stop for refreshments enroute. After check in at the hotel, we spend the afternoon at the archaeological park with our English speaking guide. Evening free to sample any of dozens of local and International restaurants.
• Day 2: After breakfast, we visit the local museum with our guide and have the afternoon at leisure. Optional tours include nearby Mayan sites of Las Sepulturas or try El Sapo fertility site by horseback. Or choose an exciting zip line through the canopy, Macaw Mountain Bird Park, coffee plantation tour, or a romantic tipico dinner at Hacienda San Lucas. Overnight Hotel Marina.
• Day 3: After breakfast, we transfer back to San Pedro for your connecting flight or continuing adventure. Note: Itinerary changes according air schedules, conditions, and guides. Early flight departures will spend night 2 in San Pedro Sula.
  

Copán Day Tour - For those who can't take more time, we offer a one day tour of the ruins with lunch and a late afternoon return to San Pedro Sula, overnight lodgings, and airport transfer the following morning. Includes round trip transfers from San Pedro Sula, tour of the ruins and museum with English speaking guide, lunch, and 1 Night Gran Hotel Sula.

Optional Day Tours - Plan them as part of your itinerary, or play it by ear, there's plenty to keep you busy for days in Copán and the surrounding area.

El Sápo by Horseback A very popular option for those staying overnight at the ruins. Spectacular scenery and river crossings as you leave the valley and head into the mountains to El Sápo, a Mayan fertility site. Return trail takes you to Las Sepulturas, a beautifully restored Mayan residential area.

 

Agua Caliente Hot Springs Take an extra day to explore the rural countryside dotted with rustic villages and coffee farms. A short hike takes you to steaming mineral waters cascading into a cold mountain stream. Bring a picnic - cool the wine on one side, boil eggs on the other!

 

Macaw Mountain Bird Park - Devoted to saving the habitat and native bird populations, the nine acre preserve is located in an old growth forest close to Copan. Elevated wooden trails and decks offer spectacular viewing of the park’s pristine river, year-round freshwater springs, huge boulders, sloping canyon walls, tropical gardens, and a small working coffee plantation.

 

Hacienda San Lucas - In the hills overlooking the Copán valley, near the sacred Mayan fertility site of Los Sapos, you will discover the true serenity and simplicity of rural Honduras. Hike the trails to the ruins, ride a horse down to the river at your leisure, or lay back in a hammock with a cold cerveza.  The hacienda is  a great day trip, but after stopping in for refreshments many tourists return with their luggage.

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There's a whole country more!
For popular itineraries that include Copán attractions, go to Activities & Tours

Rates are subject to change without notice. Rates quoted in these pages are for quotation purposes only. While we attempt to keep rates up to date and error free, your final rate is determined by hotel or tour operator at the time of reservation confirmation. Roatan Charter is not responsible for errors or omissions that may appear in this site or in printed material. July 27,2011/te