Overview

Introducing Honduras’ first SP mountain, the diminutive but enchanting Carambola Mountain!

Located on the coastal island of Roatan on the north shore of this small Central American country, at 570 feet above sea level, Carambola is certainly not the country’s highest mountain. That title belongs to Celaque (9350 ft), which is located outside of the mainland town of Gracias.

In a country known for its beautiful beaches, pristine jungles, cloud forests, and ancient Mayan ruins, mountains are not likely the first thing one thinks of when pondering a visit to this tropical storm-ravaged country.

Named for a delicious fruit, Carambola Mountain appears to be the highest mountain on the island of Roatan. A hike to its summit is a steep but easy endeavor, and along the way, one can expect to encounter iguanas, beautiful flowers and exotic plants, and myriad species of birds, all while working one’s way along a rustic trail through a dark and humid jungle.

Views from the mountain’s summit include the nearby Bay Island of Utila, as well as a bird’s eye view of a beautiful coral reef in the Caribbean Sea below. This coral reef, and others like it in the Bay Islands, is known for some of the best diving in the world (funny how all Caribbean destinations like to claim “the best diving in the world”).

Roatan

A little about Roatan (since the mountain is not likely the only reason you’ll be visiting).

One of the three “major” Bay Islands of Honduras, the others being Utila (only 3 miles long - and known specifically for its world-class diving) and Guanaja, Roatan is less than 100 miles from the mainland town of La Ceiba.

Roatan is a thin, east-west trending island known for its beautiful forests, low tropical mountains, an awesome coral reef, and excellent fishing. Its people are friendly, apparently happy, and jaw-droppingly poor.

In disturbing contrast to the poverty seen in such towns (villages?) as the curiously-named Coxen Hole, many high-dollar resorts also litter the charming island.

For those who care, and I’m not one of them, episodes from “Temptation Island” were filmed on the island.

Getting to the Island

There are two common ways of getting to Roatan – by flight or by boat.

Several major airlines fly into the Honduran capital city of Tegucigalpa. From there, fly or buy your way to other communities that offer flight service directly to Roatan, such as San Pedro or La Ceiba. The short flights to Roatan from La Ceiba (while in La Ceiba, perhaps you can find time to hike up Honduras’ 3rd highest peak, Pico Bonito, which is 7992 ft above sea level), for example, cost about $30 each way. Believe it or not, Continental Airlines also offers once-weekly flight service directly to Roatan from Houston.

Boating options are also available. You can locally charter a boat from either the mainland or any of the nearby islands to get to Roatan, or much more commonly, arrive luxuriantly via cruise ship. Several major cruise lines, such as Norwegian, offer destinations to Roatan on some of their itineraries.

Whether arriving by plane or boat, you’ll likely come into Coxen Hole, which is on the southwest portion of the island and only a few miles from Carambola Mountain.

Getting to the Mountain

Carambola Mountain is located within Carambola Botanical Gardens at Sandy Bay, on the far northwestern portion of the island.

Though close to nearby Coxen Hole, the Botanical Gardens are too far (and potentially too dangerous) to walk to. Any of the numerous cabbies in Coxen Hole will bend over backward to sell you a ride to the Gardens, which are located along the main road in Sandy Bay, and directly across the street from Anthony’s Key Resort – all of the taxi drivers will know where it’s at.

Expect to pay no more than $15 to be driven to and from the Gardens from Coxen Hole, including having the driver wait for you at the entrance to the Gardens while you hike/explore/sightsee. For an extra few bucks, you can easily talk your way into a tour of the western portion of the island too (history lesson included!).

Once at the Gardens, you’ll see that it’s a fine place to visit. In addition to the exotic plants and flowers found at the entrance, you can check out the two nature trails the park offers. Both trails start at the entrance station.

The “jungle path” gives itself up as a nice tour of Carambola Botanical Gardens, including some of the park’s wildlife, such as parrots and iguanas.

The “mountain path” consists of a rustic trail, which climbs steeply and quickly to the summit of Carambola Mountain. The path is no more than ½ mile long, climbs maybe 500 feet, and takes all of 30 minutes to hike up. The trail is wet and subject to wash-outs, and dangling vines are occasionally used for hand lines while overcoming the various minor obstacles encountered along the way…this all adds up to a fun and enjoyable mini-jungle experience.

The summit views are pleasing. Sit down and enjoy them – I suppose you earned it.

Red Tape

A $5 entrance fee is charged to visit Carambola Botanical Gardens. Once this financial obstacle is surmounted, you can hike the mountain without further intrusion.

When To Climb

Certainly year-round, though the period from November to February is likely the best.

Being on the Caribbean Sea, the stormy months of June to September could certainly make a visit during that time interesting…

Camping

I don’t know of any camping opportunities on the island, but there are lots of resorts to stay in… Here’s one right across the street from Carambola Mountain.

Mountain Conditions

A Roatan weather link