The Cayos Cochinos Islands, also known as the Hog Cays, is a small archipelago and is located just 19 kilometers off the northern coast of Honduras.
The two larger islands are covered with thick tropical forest and are ringed by white sand beaches. The Cayos and surrounding waters were declared a marine reserve in 1994, with the help of the Smithsonian Institute, protecting all marine and terrestrial flora and fauna within a 460-square-km area from fishing, development or any other harmful activity. The reserve extends eight kilometers in all directions.
Because of the reserve, and more importantly because only a few people live on the islands, the surrounding reef is in fantastic shape and is teeming with colorful marine life. All in all, the Cayos are one of the most spectacular collections of islands, beaches, and reefs in the western Caribbean.
The archipelago currently has only two small, up
scale resorts, and so its reefs are little used though maany resorts on Utila, Roatan and Guanaja like to make occasional day trips to these tropical island jewels. The Cayos Cochinos reef system is particularly prized for its lush macro life, the Caribbean's most diverse.
Budget travelers often make trips out to these islands by way of an early morning boat from the mainland Garifuna village of Nueva Armenia, an hour's drive east of La Ceiba. They stay in small huts or in hammocks on tiny Chachauate Key where there is a semi-permanent Garifuna fishing settlement.
The two larger islands are covered with thick tropical forest and are ringed by white sand beaches. The Cayos and surrounding waters were declared a marine reserve in 1994, with the help of the Smithsonian Institute, protecting all marine and terrestrial flora and fauna within a 460-square-km area from fishing, development or any other harmful activity. The reserve extends eight kilometers in all directions.
Because of the reserve, and more importantly because only a few people live on the islands, the surrounding reef is in fantastic shape and is teeming with colorful marine life. All in all, the Cayos are one of the most spectacular collections of islands, beaches, and reefs in the western Caribbean.
The archipelago currently has only two small, up
scale resorts, and so its reefs are little used though maany resorts on Utila, Roatan and Guanaja like to make occasional day trips to these tropical island jewels. The Cayos Cochinos reef system is particularly prized for its lush macro life, the Caribbean's most diverse.Budget travelers often make trips out to these islands by way of an early morning boat from the mainland Garifuna village of Nueva Armenia, an hour's drive east of La Ceiba. They stay in small huts or in hammocks on tiny Chachauate Key where there is a semi-permanent Garifuna fishing settlement.
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