Utila is a wonderful paradise in the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System of Honduras and the second-largest island in the world. It has been documented in history since Columbus’ fourth voyage, and currently enjoys growing tourism with emphasis on recreational diving. More than sixty diving sites are located around the island among its extensive reefs teeming with marine life, including the elusive whale shark. Unique local cuisine includes white bread made with coconut milk, mango jam, conch meat, and crab. Utila is also home to the yearly party known as Sunjam. Sunjam has a set date every year, the first Saturday in August. Sunjam was the brainchild of Alun Gordon, who brought DJs in from around the world to play house music on the paradise desert island of Water Cay. The first parties were charity events, with any monies raised being put towards Utila’s garbage truck.
Moreover, Utila is legendary for its macro creatures. Utila rewards the diver that perfects their buoyancy and is willing to slow down and spend time to find the hidden little creatures of the reef. While Utila is not known for its beaches, there is some excellent snorkeling available right offshore- especially towards the Blue Bayou area. It is possible to snorkel either right off the few small beaches, or with most of the dive boats. Snorkel equipment rental ranges from $5-$15 USD Utila also has fantastic waters for kayaking and stand up paddleboarding. The island is split east/west by a canal that you can kayak through; kayaks can be rented from Coral View Hotel near the southern canal entrance or from several dive shops. Guided kayaking trips (see Kayak Utila to the North Shore through the Mangrove Channel and down to the Cays are a great option to safely explore these waters as well.
On the land, as a tourist you will also have a variety of things to do like spending a day of hiking to. A crashed drug runner airplane in the jungle north of the airport is an interesting sight. Freshwater caves on the eastern shore can make for good swimming or exploring, but be very careful if you plan to go deep into them as people have gotten lost and died inside (take 2 waterproof flashlights). The view from the top of pumpkin hill is not to be missed. Similarly panoramic is the view from the top of the water tower.
The island has a wide variety of fruit, seafood meals, pasta, vegetarian and breakfast fitting for a king with fresh and full-bodied coffee. Many establishments offer a discount for larger groups, so be sure to round up a posse at your hostel before you go out to eat. There are also many small grocery stores and corner stores to buy food for cooking. Almost all the hotels have shared public kitchens. Bush’s is the largest grocery store, similar to a north american supermarket, but is considerably more expensive than everywhere else. At time of writing, the cheapest grocery stores were Mermaids and Tiende del Pueblo. However, sometimes goods do not arrive every day, so not everything will be available all the time. The ATMs sometimes run out of money, produce not grown locally is often only available for a couple days after it has arrived, etc. Internet costs 30-50 lps ($1.50-$2.50 USD) per hour. There are several internet cafes, such as Annie’s (right when you get off the ferry) and Mermaids (east of the ferry dock and just before the cinema). Lots of dive shops and restaurants have free wi-fi, and some dive shops have a computer that guests can use.
