Punta Sal Pictures

Punta Sal is a so-called Marine National Park of Honduras. It's a long arc of land, streching out west of Tela (consult the map of Honduras to find the city of Tela). This peninsula contains several ecosystems, including mangrove forests and swamps, a small tropical forest, off shore reefs and steep rock. In Punta Sal, you can find more than a 100 different species of birds, howler monkeys (they actually scream at you), strange insects and plants, and even dolphins in the surrounding waters. A hiking trip there with guide costs $15 which is well worth the money.

On the picture below, we have just begun such a hiking trip, in the easter holidays, April '98. The boat (you cannot drive to Punta Sal, there's no roads) hits the beach, you jump off, and then you can snorkle for a while which we did.

On the beach of Punta Sal, from left to right: Rigoberto (Monica's brother), Wendy (Rigoberto's girlfriend), Sol (short for Solange), Marcela (Monica's sister), and Jimena (Monica's cousin). Natural, virgin vegetation is seen in the background.

The beach is really nice. Below, you can see a picture of me and Monica on a fallen palm. The water is bathtub temperature....

Enough bathing. Time for the actual excursion. It starts with a walk through a mangrove forest, full of roots sticking up the ground and holes made by crabs. Then, you get further inland and a little above see level, a small tropical jungle starts. This is where you find the weirdest plants, huge trees, and monkeys. The picture below shows the dense vegetation of the tropical rainforest.

The guides always take pride in showing how the different plants and trees have helped the daily lives of the locals. The coconut palm is good for making roofs, other palms are used as main pillars in the huts, some plants have everything you need to make cigarette (of unknown effect on your mind), and one plant is even used as mouth wash (!). It tastes like licorice.

Here, we're at the end of the excursion through Punta Sal, at the other side. The beach is called "Puerto Escondido" or "Hidden Harbor" because British pirates used it as a base a few hundred years ago. It really is complete hidden with very calm waters and a nice sand beach. The picture shows Rigoberto, Wendy, Sol, Jimena, Bo, Monica, and Marcela.