Roatan Introduction

If you haven’t heard of Roatan yet, then odds are you will soon. Roatan is the largest island in an archipelago known as the Honduras Bay Islands, and is a part of the Meso-American Barrier Reef system, the second largest in the world. Some brief highlights of the Bay Islands include:

• Widely considered one of the 5 best places on earth for snorkeling, diving, and also THE best for Whale Shark observation
• Scenic beauty with a combination of beaches and natural parks simply teeming with rich biological diversity both on land and in the sea
• One of the most popular second home and retirement destinations in Central America
• Home to a myriad of cultures with friendly English-speaking bases and ethnic diversity

During Christopher Columbus’ fourth voyage to the new world, he came to the Honduras Bay Islands, of which Roatan is the largest. The islands were largely populated when he arrived.

Roatan’s history is bloody and colorful; full of tales of native tribes, and plenty of pirate’s tales! Roatan was constantly being fought over by the English and Spanish monarchies, as well as British, French, Spanish and Dutch pirates. Some of the more famous characters were Henry Morgan, John Coxen and Black Bart Roberts.

Modern Roatan can trace its roots back to the deportation of the Black Caribs from St. Vincent, who are the basis of the Garifuna people today. Most other settlers were from the Cayman Islands or the Honduran mainland, who are mestizo or a mixture of European settlers and the various indigenous tribes of Central America.

Roatan is made up of two municipalities, Roatan and Santos Guardiola.

The island is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) long and about 8 kilometers (5 miles) wide.

Roatan and the Bay Islands are located on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, which is the second largest barrier reef system in the world. This has made Roatan a very important dive center and cruise destination.