The population of Honduras in 2006 was 7.3 million. The country covers an area of 112,000 square kilometers. Forested land amounts to 53.6% of the total area, which means that there is a significant amount of natural resources remaining.

Rain is most frequent in the Caribbean during the months of September through to January. The driest months in the Bay Islands are April and May and are very hot with temperatures exceeding 90 F/32 C.

Honduras has 70 natural reserves which it hopes will be developed as national parks. The park system has been in existence legally since 1987. Natural reserves continue to be established on the Caribbean coast and all support and interest is most welcome. Parks in existence include La Tigra, outside Tegucigalpa, the Biosphere of the Rio Platano River, Punta Sal and Pico Bonito outside La Ceiba. These parks have visitors centres,hiking trails and camping.

Over half of the population lives by the land; coffee, bananas and shrimp are the main export crops and Honduras is the world's forth largest exporter of bananas. Cotton, once important is now far less so. Tobacco, corn, beans, rice and sugar are grown mostly for domestic use but some small quantities are sometimes exported. Timber is a major export, controversy over the development of forestry reserves has laid the future expansion of the industry open to doubt.

Honduras' Caribbean coast has a mixture of banana-exporting ports, historic towns (in particular Trujillo) beach resorts and Garifuna villages. There is Pico Bonito National Park, other wildlife refuges and the overland 'Jungle Trail' to Guatemala.

Utila, Bay Islands

With such a diverse assortment of travelers from all around the world, as well as a sizable population of fun-loving locals, it's no surprise that Utila has a thriving nightlife.

While the favored location depends on one's mood during the week, Friday night offers live music at the Bundu Cafe and later regularly sees a large crowd at Utila's infamous nightclub, Bar in the Bush, located a ten-minute walk from the centre of town. This spacious nightclub with an attached volleyball court has an unusually loose festive atmosphere, with a mixed variety of people enjoying the grooving music. The rest of the week sees people at Coco Locos, Tranquila Bar and Treetanic the most popular bars in Utila. Tourists and locals alike meet here for sunset drinks after a hard day's diving in Utila, but as the sun goes down the tempo picks up at these bars.

When it comes to satisfying your hunger in Utila there is no shortage of options. From the baleada (Caribbean tortillas) stands on the street corner to a three course candle lit dinner in the secluded gardens of our Hotel Mango Inn, Utila caters for all tastes.

Café Mango, located at our Hotel Mango Inn, is a great place for breakfast, lunch or dinner offering a wide variety on the menu from Italian style pastas, brick oven baked pizzas to traditional Caribbean dishes. Meals at The Café Mango are included in our resort packages but the daily specials, superb cuisine and selection of excellent wines attract people from all over town.

The Bundu Café is popular for breakfast and it becomes somewhat of a social center for lunch. Fresh food, friendly staff and the best coffee in town make the Bundu Café one of the more popular cafes on the island, where you will find Utila Dive Centre's staff, students and fun divers all discussing their morning's diving and plans for the afternoon. Their book exchange provides a large selection of books in many different languages and Water Caye trips can also be organized from here. Most evenings of the week offers a different style of cuisine and entertainment making it a popular hang out for food and drinks.

Try out Dave's for great BBQ food. An assortment of chicken, pork and fish is available served with salad, potatoes and Daves famous sauces. Dave's is located in front of Coco Loco.

Other restaurants include RJ's, open for dinner on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays offering great barbecued food, famous for their huge T-bone steaks and a selection of fresh fish. Mermaids is a buffet style restaurant, quick and good value for money. Just because you're on a small paradise island in the middle of the tropical Caribbean it doesn't mean you can't keep up with the latest movies; The Reef Cinema is a well-designed movie theatre showing two or three of the latest movies each week and the Bundu Cinema shows a different movie every evening.

If you can't wait until you get home to tell your family and friends of your experiences in Utila then the Mango Inn can cater for all your needs offering on line e-mailing.

Utila Dive Center is the Premier PADI Career Development Center in Central America and the Caribbean. Their large dock and sundeck makes a great setting for the weekly barbecue parties renowned for great food and even better atmosphere. Instructors, Divemasters, Students and Fun Divers all look forward to our social events with great anticipation. Live music, delicious cuisine and a seemingly endless supply of Caribbean cocktails make these parties the best in Utila.