Port guides, tour notes and booking answers, written by the people who meet you at the terminal gate.
Carnival, Princess and Holland America dock at Mahogany Bay. Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, MSC and Virgin Voyages dock at Coxen Hole. The two terminals sit about 8 kilometres apart on the southwest coast, and both let you walk straight off the pier.
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Ships in Roatán usually give six to eight hours alongside. After disembarkation and the walk back to the gangway, most passengers have four to six usable hours ashore. Every tour we run is built backwards from that number.
Our representative waits just outside the port exit holding a sign that reads MONKEYLALA TOURS. This works the same way at Coxen Hole and at Mahogany Bay. You do not need to arrange transport or find a shuttle at either terminal.
Yes, and there is a number behind it. A study by the travel insurance provider InsureMyTrip ranked Roatán third out of 52 cruise ports worldwide for safety, weighing law enforcement, a dedicated tourist police force, emergency response and camera coverage.
West Bay Beach is about a 30 minute drive from the Port of Roatán. There is also a water taxi from West End that costs roughly 2 to 3 US dollars per person and takes 10 to 15 minutes. Reef snorkelling at West Bay starts from the sand, with no boat needed.
You can reserve with PayPal and get an immediate confirmation, or hold your spot and pay cash when you meet the guide. Both options hold the same booking. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the tour either way.
Roatán's reef sits close to shore, so you can be in the water within an hour of walking off the ship. Shore entry at West Bay is the simplest option and pairs with beach time. A boat trip reaches quieter coral but adds loading and travel to the day.
West Bay is farther from Coxen Hole and Mahogany Bay than the nearest beaches, and that drive is what buys you the turquoise water and the reef within swimming distance. The six options below range from a plain beach day to a beach paired with wildlife, sightseeing, or ziplining.
Pick the beach if your group is happiest near water and you want one unhurried place. Pick the island tour if you may not come back and want wildlife, viewpoints and local food. A combined day does both and is what most cruise groups end up booking.
Punta Gorda on the eastern end is recognised as the first Garifuna settlement in Honduras. Closer to the ports you can eat baleadas, taste chocolate and rum with the history attached, and drive through Coxen Hole and French Harbour with a guide who can explain what you are looking at.
A tour built for someone staying a week is a bad fit for someone with an all aboard time. What you need is a named meeting point outside the terminal, a driver who knows how port traffic behaves, and a return that leaves a real cushion rather than cutting it close.
Confirm whether your ship docks at Coxen Hole or Mahogany Bay first, because they are not interchangeable pickup points. Then pick one headline activity, wildlife, snorkelling, beach, or something more active, and add one or two stops around it rather than booking four separate things.
Two big experiences beat five small ones. The combination most families settle on is the animal sanctuary, island sightseeing, and West Bay Beach. Ask about car seats, minimum ages for adventure activities, and accessibility before you book, not on the day.
Plenty of places on the island use the word sanctuary, and they differ a lot in size and animal care. Look for knowledgeable staff, clean enclosures, shade, fresh water, and clear rules. A guide who says look but do not touch today is a good sign, not a disappointment.
A sightseeing tour gives you the coast, hillside views, local communities, and a couple of signature stops in one outing. It suits first time visitors and mixed groups because it does not commit the whole day to one activity. The route and the pacing are what separate a good one from a bus ride.
Two tours can advertise the same animals and run completely differently. What to compare is the pickup, the group size, the pacing, and whether the return plan is stated. The wildlife stop is short on its own, so most passengers pair it with West Bay, snorkelling, or a tasting.
Most people do not, because the reef sits inside a barrier that keeps the water flat and the boat rides are short: eight to twenty minutes to any of the snorkel sites we use. If you are prone to motion sickness, take the tablet an hour before boarding rather than when you feel it starting.
Yes, and often within the hour. Message us on WhatsApp at +504 8993 6198 while you are still on the ship or walking off it, tell us your ship and how many people, and we confirm whether there is space. Same-day bookings are paid in cash to the guide at the port.
For a closed loop cruise that starts and ends at the same US port, you almost never need to carry your passport ashore in Roatán. Your ship's key card is what the terminal and the gangway check. Honduras clears the ship as a group, so passengers do not go through individual immigration.
For a shore excursion, 10 to 20 US dollars per person for a half day and 15 to 25 for a full day is the range most cruise passengers use, given directly to the guide at the end. Restaurants add 10% service to the bill already, so anything on top is optional.
Two versions exist. The Treetop Zipline Adventure runs three hours for 78 dollars and gets you back early. The Extreme Zipline with jungle walk and West Bay Beach runs six hours for 84 dollars. Both include pickup at the cruise port, all the gear, and instructors on every platform.
It is worth it if you want to see the parts of the island that are not the shopping street, and you do not mind getting dusty. Five hours with a beach stop costs 95 dollars. Six hours with the monkey and sloth park and West Bay costs 105. Both include port pickup, the ATV, helmet and goggles, and a guide.
Still deciding how to spend your port day?
Send us your ship and date. We answer from the island, usually within minutes.