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Tropical Island Sea Kayaking

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Bay Islands of Honduras
Tropical Island Sea Kayaking
Activities Sea Kayaking - Snorkeling - Rainforest Hiking Trip Level 1-3

Group size 4-10 Length 7 days

Date (2009)
March 14- March 21
(select date to reserve your spot)

Price
$1995 per person
(double occupancy pricing)

Arrival/ Departure
Roaton, Honduras
 

For more on Kayak Instruction and Clinics with our very own Kayaking School, please visit EMSKayak.com!

 

(Trip Application Form)

It's always summer somewhere! There's no reason to toss aside kayaking just because of the cold waters in New England. Why not join our head Kayaking School Director and Kayaking Pro, Peter Casson for a warm water adventure kayaking the Bay Islands off Honduras this coming March 2009. Nestled just thirty miles off the Caribbean Coast of Honduras, the Bay Islands offer beautiful paddling, diverse local culture and world class snorkeling and fishing. This is a big experience combining kayaking, snorkeling and tropical biology all with a twist of the rich cultural soup of this island group. This trip operates on island time and works in harmony with the local economy and culture. We don't insulate you from the local people, but instead work with them for a lot of our daily needs like seafood, bread, local transport and general sharing because they are as interested in you as you are them. The people of Honduras are every bit as appealing as the water and mountain scapes, they live in.

Day 1- Flight arrival on Roatan
We'll pick you up and transport you via Minibus to our base at Punta Blanca. A special seafood dinner will be prepared for us by our friend Don at Windsong.

Days 2 to 7- Your Tropical Paddling Adventure Begins!
We’ll be doing a variety of day trips out of our comfortable lodge location, beginning with day paddles in each direction to discover mangrove tunnels, local culture and a part of the island where the water is the road. Once you've gotten acclimated a bit, we'll start venturing further afield to explore reefs, secret channels, BIG BLUE water and the Pigeon Cayes (best snorkeling in the Bay Islands). You can even learn to brace, roll and surf in 80 degree water or just hang in the hammock and watch the hummingbirds. Enjoy terrific seafood feasts each night and sleep in the comfort of simple bedrooms in our comfortable cluster of casitas at the edge of the sea...how bad can that be?

Day 8- Departure
After breakfast, taxi to the airport for return flights or trip extensions of your choice.

Lodging standards are very high and include comfortably appointed tropical forest cabanas with all the comforts of home. Running water, AC, hardwood floors, ocean views, stone floored showers all combine to help guests feel comfortable under a canopy of tropical oaks.

Island food is typically small red beans and rice (not at all spicy), corn tortillas, coconut bread, plantains, chicken stewed with peppers and saffron and seafood. I cook some island style and mix it with some other Caribe flavors. You may enjoy vanilla banana pancakes, pinto gallo (a Costa Rican breakfast), lobster paella, coconut grouper, conch stew, spicy shrimp pasta, snapper in fresh fruit sauce or traditional stewed chicken. Healthy fresh foods prepared this way take a little time, but there's always time for good food. We only patronize restaurants we trust and your food is carefully prepared to western standards by your guides. Vegetarian or non-seafood tastes are easily accommodated.

Lodging is included (double occupancy)
All meals from the time of arival to departure, prepared by local peoples
All equipment needed for snorkeling to kayaking
Guided by Eastern Mountain Sports Kayak Director and professional instructor, Peter Casson
Island transportation
Local cultural immersion
Time to relax and explore on your own!

International flight to Honduras
Airport shuttles
Personal clothing
Alcoholic beverages
Gratuities
Travel insurance (medical, cancellation or evacuation insurance)
Airport departure taxes

Pace
Generally we travel in two-hour blocks with breaks to relax, stretch and graze. We would consider 5 hours/12miles of paddling a fairly ambitious day. If a crossing looks risky, we go for a walk instead…the hiking on the island is great!

Alcohol
For liability reasons we don't supply this in any quantity. We can make a stop enroute to our base to let you pick out a few supplies. Local beer and rum is pretty good and inexpensive. Please leave any illegal drugs at home...it puts everyone at risk.

Kayaking
Experience in helpful, but not mandatory. You can develop your skills with our ACA certified open water instructors throughout the week as you learn to handle a sea kayak in wind and waves. Being on a tropical island in the trade winds does present some great opportunities for gentle paddling as well as rough water paddling without the dangers of cold water. You can also learn how to snorkel right out of your kayak on a fantastic living coral reef!

Skill level and pacing
We make every attempt to group people into particular weeks by skill level, so you are most likely to be balanced with a group with similar skills. Sometimes we may make two short trips in a day to give people options, some days we may be paddling for four or five hours. By utilizing two guides, singles and tandems and having a flexible schedule we can accommodate a variety of skill levels and paces. Want to read by the water one day? No problem. Spend the morning snorkeling? Me too! Go diving? Bring your card and we'll set it up with some of the best instructors in the Bay Islands. Go out and work on surf skills on a day when the wind is up? Count me in, its all possible.

Location
The Bay Islands of Honduras are just 90 miles south of Belize on the second largest barrier reef in the world. Many of the natural features that people visit Belize to see are actually much more abundant in Honduras without some of the negative aspects of tourism. Getting There: Flying directly to Roatan has never been easier. Continental, Delta and Taca all serve Roatan with DIRECT flights every Saturday from Houston, Miami and Atlanta. The direct flight takes less than 3 hours. It also looks as if there be a new Saturday direct flight coming in from Newark, NJ on Continental.

For those extending their stays (flying on other days than Saturday or doing one of our trips that originates on the mainland, Taca, American and Continental airlines provide daily service to San Pedro Sula from Houston and Miami. Costs vary a lot depending on fuel prices, but you should be able to fly round trip from most cities in the US for about $800 total round trip cost. If you are lucky enough to live near one of the gate cities, that figure is more like $550.

Other Costs
Airport Exit tax is about $30 (cash) when you leave and there may be a small baggage security fee. Gratuities for your host and local guides that are with you all week are a good investment. We'll suggest appropriate amounts. Tips for restaurant meals, local taxis and the like is included in your trip fee. We like to take good care of the people that take good care of you. 90% of your trip fees go to support local people and you do have a very positive impact on their community.

Scuba
Roatan is known the world over for it's diving and for those coming early or staying late, we can recommend good dive companies. Getting Open water dive certified with excellent instructors on Roatan is about $250 and we'd be happy to help arrange this before or after one of our trips.

Tropical Equipment
This is the stuff that you need to bring and that you are limited to during the duration of the trip. We recommend putting all your essentials in a carry-on bag to avoid trip delays. Take a minute to look over the optional items and the packing notes.

Equipment
Snorkeling gear: If you have a mask and snorkel, by all means bring it. You can get by without fins, but they are nice to have. Strap fins can be worn over booties to wade out to reef areas to dive. Choosing not to snorkel here would be a huge mistake. Gear Rental: We have a good selection of snorkeling gear available for rent for $20/week.

Personal toiletries
Biodegradable soap
Small thin towel (thick towels never dry)
TP

Clothing
Waterproof raincoat or paddle jacket.
Thin fleece jacket or sweater
Hat with wide brim for sun protection
Comfortable long sleeve shirt and long pants (quick drying if possible) for both sun and bug protection. Wrap around skirts or sarongs work well for around the hammock too.
2 or 3 short sleeve shirts or t-shirts: preferable non-cotton quick dry materials
2 pairs of comfortable quick drying loose shorts
Bathing suit
Neoprene booties, or an old pair of tennis shoes that can get wet--don't plan on paddling in sandals...they can and do get caught in footrests.
Comfortable shoes or sandals for hiking around the island trails looking for iguanas.
2 pairs socks (bug and sun protection)
For those sun sensitive souls--light gloves

Other Stuff
Passport; be sure to make a couple copies of the first two pages and stash in your bags.
At least SPF 15 waterproof/sweat proof sunscreen
A book you've been truly wanting to read
Small AA flashlight or headlamp
Daypack or waist pack to hold items that you access often

Misc. important items
Extra glasses or contacts, bandana, camera and film, a few zip lock bags, a disposable water-proof camera.
Sunglasses with full UV protection/polarized if you want to fish
Band aids, chap stick
Aloe gel
Water bottle -one liter:

Optional
Field guides, binoculars, camera, notebook or journal, small musical instruments, spouse, specific diet needs/snacks, kites and Prozac.

Fishing equipment:It deserves its own section!
Species available: Bonefish, Snapper, Barracuda, Jacks, Permit (yeah, right) and even Tarpon. We'll be staying near some very good sand flats and reefs, which are home to many swimming items that may be on the menu. There will be time to fish. You will need to bring any and all tackle with you, as there is none available on Roatan. A medium action 6'-8' spinning rod with 12-20 lb. test line is fun and useful. For fly rodders an 8wt is ideal with a disc drag reel and tropical floating line. Fly selection should include some bonefish bitters in green, clousers, crazy charlies and a couple of crab patterns…all tied very light. Have lots of leader material....these are toothy fish. E-mail me if you have more specific fishing questions or would like to arrange additional days with a flats guide.

Donations
Often people like to bring their old prescription eyeglasses down to be donated. This is a great idea and I'm happy to get them into hands that will distribute them wisely.

Packing
We will provide dry bags for day tripping out of our private hacienda and any sort of duffel or rugged bag will function well to get you to the islands and back. We rec- ommend casual travel clothing, a carry-on with your trip essentials (so that a lost bag will not halt everyone's trip), and a daypack to use as a daily personal bag for getting around.