Getting to Santa Rosa de Copán
Santa Rosa de Copán is located in the heart of mountainous western Honduras, nearly equidistant between the cities of San Pedro Sula and Guatemala City. Honduras straddles the Central American isthmus between North and South America, sharing borders with Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.
If arriving by air, the nearest international airport is at nearby San Pedro Sula. See the San Pedro Sula section below for information on how to travel from the airport to Santa Rosa de Copán. Once in Santa Rosa, local travel agents can confirm your return or onward flight. Other international airports in Honduras are at Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba.
Traveling to Santa Rosa de Copán is easy. From San Pedro Sula it's a 2½ hour drive on the Western Highway. Copanecos, Toritos, and Congolón bus lines all offer hourly service. From Tegucigalpa, you can travel via San Pedro Sula or enjoy one of Central America's most scenic roads through the beautiful Opalaca Range (mostly paved between La Esperanza and Gracias). There are also buses from El Salvador and Guatemala.
To reach the historic downtown district once at Santa Rosa, stay on the highway until cresting the ridge bisecting the town, then take the second right -- or hire a taxi (US$0.75/person) to take you to the central plaza. Elsewhere on this website you will find information about transportation within Santa Rosa, and a map of town.
If you wish to rent a car while in Honduras, this can be done at the above airports. I normally recommend that travelers use public transportation rather than rental cars, however:
- You avoid possible legal problems. It is standard procedure in any traffic accident to impound all vehicles and jail all drivers until responsibility is sorted out, which might take longer than your vacation lasts.
- Motorists do not drive gently here. Your nerves will thank you if you leave the driving to someone else.
- Taking the bus gives you a slice of life experience that you will never get from driving a car. Some people drive because they do not relish mixing with the lower classes, but that sort of tourist will not enjoy Honduras in any case.
- Random stop-and-search police checkpoints are legal and common. Let the bus driver deal with them.
- Renting a car makes it more difficult to cross borders. Auto rental companies in Central America generally prohibit their cars from crossing national borders.
Some people prefer to drive their own vehicles to Honduras from the U.S. or Canada. I did so in 1994. That was so long ago that my experiences are probably of only historical interest, but for what it's worth, here is what I learned along the way:
All drivers should speak passable Spanish and not be short tempered. You will have stupid problems with petty officials, and not speaking the language or losing one's temper are excellent ways to turn a small problem into a large one.
Spend your nights in tiny towns not listed in the tourist guide. Skip the big cities. Hang out in the central plaza, make friends with the locals, swap jokes. You will feel like you're in a Latin Lake Wobegon.
Use the tramitadores (middlemen) at border crossings instead of doing the paperwork yourself. The border officials are sick to death of explaining the procedures to dim tourists. Use the middlemen who already know the ropes, and you will get through faster and cheaper. Yes, cheaper, even including the middleman's cut. Try to force a petty official to explain for the umteenth time today what to do and your wallet will be sorry.
Want to go to jail in Mexico? Carry a gun on board. Can't stand the thought of driving unarmed? Then fly, don't drive.
Often the purpose of driving to Honduras is to sell the vehicle upon departure. When I sold the car I drove here, I was asked to show proof of Honduran residency and my Honduran taxpayer identification card as part of the title exchange process, so it may be difficult for a nonresident to sell a vehicle here. Be aware that a 2002 law prohibits the importation of vehicles more than seven years old, and a 2008 law prohibits the importation of any vehicle not in "perfect condition", a subjective term that obviously lends itself to interpretation to the importer's detriment. Toyota diesel pickups and SUVs with all the extras are especially popular. Do not expect to sell in less than three months; impatient sellers lose money. I used the Martínez customs broker firm in San Pedro Sula with very good results.
Public transportation in Honduras normally works well. During Easter Week, however, the bus system is overwhelmed, and the wise traveler will be prepared for this. Demand for buses starts to outstrip supply the Monday before Easter and gets progressively worse. By Thursday it is nearly impossible to squeeze on board even standing, and the problem peaks on Good Friday, when no buses are running at all. The next day, Saturday, things slowly improve. By the day after Easter, buses are back to normal.
Easter week is also a bad time to be driving. The highways are packed, and alcohol related traffic accidents are at their highest those days.
My advice: pick where you want to be during, say, Tuesday through Easter Sunday, and do not even try to travel during those days, be it by bus or rental car.
Below you will find specific information for traveling to Santa Rosa via public transportation from the following places:
- Agua Caliente (border with Guatemala)
- Comayagua
- Copán Ruinas
- Gracias
- Guatemala City, Guatemala
- La Ceiba
- La Esperanza
- Nueva Ocotopeque
- San Pedro Sula
- San Salvador, El Salvador
- Soto Cano
- Tegucigalpa
- Tela
- Trujillo
Limited stop express buses, called directos, are recommended where available. They are marked in red. Prices are subject to change, and given current trends, may well be higher than shown.
Agua Caliente (Guatemala border crossing)to Santa Rosa de Copán via Nueva Ocotopeque
From Honduran side of customs and immigration checkpoint:
- Six departures/day, US$3.30, travel time 3 hours
- Two express departures/day, US$5.50, travel time 2 hours
to San Pedro Sula with connections to Santa Rosa de Copán
From Transportes Rivera terminal, Barrio Torondón, Comayagua:
- Express departures every hour, US$2.50, travel time 2 hours
See the San Pedro Sula section for onward connections.
Copán Ruinasto Santa Rosa de Copán via La Entrada
From Hotel Posada Honduras:
- Two departures/day, US$2, travel time 3 hours
to Santa Rosa de Copán
From central plaza:
- Departures every 45 minutes, US$1, travel time 45 minutes
to Santa Rosa de Copán via Agua Caliente and Nueva Ocotopeque
From Rutas Orientales terminal, 21 C. 11-60, Zona 1:
- Two express departures/day, US$18.75, travel time 7 hours
La Ceibato San Pedro Sula with connections to Santa Rosa de Copán
From municipal bus terminal:
- Express departures every hour, US$2.50, travel time 3 hours
See the San Pedro Sula section for onward connections.
La Esperanzato Gracias with connections to Santa Rosa de Copán
From municipal bus terminal:
- Three morning departures/day, US$2.65, travel time 3 hours
See the Gracias section for onward connections.
Nueva Ocotopequeto Santa Rosa de Copán
From Congolón terminal:
- Six departures/day, US$2, travel time 2½ hours
From bus stop on highway:
- Two express departures/day, US$3, travel time 1½ hours
San Pedro Sulato Santa Rosa de Copán
From municipal bus terminal, 6 Avenida 6-7 Calle S.O.:
- Hourly express departures, US$5.75, travel time 2¼ hours
If you are flying into the San Pedro Sula International Airport, you should know that there are no airport shuttle buses, only taxis. A taxi to the bus terminal costs about US$10 per vehicle; negotiate. If you are spending the night in San Pedro Sula, your hotel may have a courtesy shuttle from the airport and/or to the bus station; ask when you make your reservation.
San Salvador, El Salvadorto Santa Rosa de Copán via Nueva Ocotopeque
From the King Quality gate at the Puertobus terminal, Alameda Juan Pablo II y 19 Av. Norte:
- One express departure/day (6:30 a.m.), US$23, travel time 5½ hours
From Sultana de Occidente terminal, Alameda Juan Pablo II #516:
- One express departure/day (3:00 p.m.), US$8.50, travel time 4½ hours
Tegucigalpato San Pedro Sula with connections to Santa Rosa de Copán
From El Rey Express terminal, ½ block west of Banco Central annex, Comayagüela:
- Express departures every 30 minutes, US$4.50, travel time 3 hours
See the San Pedro Sula section for onward connections.
Telato San Pedro Sula with connections to Santa Rosa de Copán
From bus stop on highway:
- Express departures every hour, US$2, travel time 2 hours
See the San Pedro Sula section for onward connections.
Trujilloto San Pedro Sula with connections to Santa Rosa de Copán
From central plaza:
- Five morning express departures/day, US$6, travel time 5 hours
See the San Pedro Sula section for onward connections.