Roatan: A Scuba Diver's Dream

Wedged between Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, Honduras is Central America's crooked elbow, jutting into the Caribbean with 400 miles of banana- and palm-lined seashore. Many Americans associate this steamy land, once known as the Banana Republic, with political instability, voodoo and malarial swamps.

But adventurous travelers willing to look beyond the stereotypes and Honduras' checkered past will find many tropical wonders ripe for exploration. Some of the finest treasures lurk in the warm aquamarine waters just offshore. The tranquil island of Roatan is a scuba-diver's dream, an endearing hodgepodge of Caribbean culture and a getaway that's increasingly easy to access.

A couple of centuries ago, Roatan and the surrounding smattering of Bay Islands were the bastion of pirates, shipwrecked African slaves and colonizers from England, Spain and France. These days, locals simply call themselves islanders, and most of the 40-mile-long mountainous strip is an uninhabited jungle, peppered with fishing villages full of shrimp boats nestled inside their small, tranquil harbors. The potential promise of cruise ships, real estate speculation and development is undeniable; however, for now, a visit to Roatan is still an intimate, unhurried adventure. ...