How does one travel to Utila?

Honduras' Bay Islands, north of the mainland in the Caribbean, are made up of 3 principal islands. Lying alongside the 1,000-km Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, they're renowned snorkeling and scuba-diving destinations. Utila is famed for its beaches and dive sites with volcanic crevices. Massive whale sharks frequent the waters off Utila during select months. Mountainous terrain distinguishes Guanaja.

Traveling to Utila is simple. When booking flights, look for either La Ceiba or RTB - Roatan airport. We prefer the Roatan journey; it's beautiful and you stay off the mainland. Once in Roatan, you will need to take a 50 minute ferry from Roatan that leaves at 2pm each day. Cost is approx $35 per person, one way. We recommend you look for flights that give you time to fly in to Roatan, get through customs, gather any luggage, and taxi to the Ferry dock, approx 5 min drive away. If you cannot find a flight that arrives with enough time before the ferry, there are several options:

1. stay the night in Roatan at a place near the airport and enjoy a dinner and sunset. Airbnbs run about $100

2. charter a private small plane; airplane charters are here.

3. charter a boat, often with a group. Boat charters are here.

When you arrive at the ferry dock, you will see this:

If you have luggage, you'll carry it on the boat or check it, similar to a plane.

On the other end of the journey, when you arrive in Utila, this is what you will see:

The attendants will load and unload at both departure and arrival if needed. The people of the Bay Islands are kind and many speak English. The little buggies, known as Tuk-tuks, are the closest thing to a car on the island of Utila. They are 3 wheeled and cost about $1 to get about anywhere on the island, $3 if you have luggage. Tell them you need to go to the bridge and they'll have you there in 5 minutes. And they'll load and unload your luggage for you if desired. Most locals on Utila also speak English.

Depending on the time of year and where you are departing from, a round trip flight is approx $400-$600 USD. We always recommend a strategic travel points card move with sign on bonus (find our favorite bonus card here); we fly for $60 often. In our experience, you'll want to stay as long as you can and at least 3 days. Truly though, if you can, stay for 2 weeks and you will still wish you could stay longer.

Once you get on the island, you'll descend into small island slow time. The island is only 7 miles wide and one can bike most of it. Speaking of bikes, guests that stay with us have options for affordable rental gear, including bikes, kayaks, and snorkel sets. Check out the gear here.

Visit Utila, one of the most affordable and beautiful places to learn to SCUBA dive.

You'll love Utila. See you soon.