Discover Guanaja…. this stunning tropical paradise that is one of the best kept secrets of the Caribbean.
Guanaja, pronounced Gwa-nah-ha. Where the heck is it, you ask? Well, as you can see from the NASA satellite, Guanaja is a small island in Central America, located about forty miles off the northern Honduran coast in the Caribbean Sea. Honduras shares its borders with Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador. Hop on a plane in Miami and in 1 hour 55 minutes you will be in Honduras!
Located at latitude 16.29 N and longitude 85.54 W, Guanaja is a very unique island. It was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1502 and named Pine Island because it was covered in Caribbean pine. At that time it was inhabited by the Paya Indians.
Guanaja, which is the tallest of the three Bay Islands, has its own fresh water source from the mountain streams. It is the least developed of the Bay Islands and is truly an island for someone looking to get away from the beaten path. It has a wonderful climate with cool trade winds, sugar sand beaches along with pristine clear waters and it is one of the last remaining unspoiled islands of the Caribbean.
There are no roads, no cars, no traffic, no miles of hotels along the beaches and no crowds. Islanders get around on foot paths that meander about the island or by boat. Most of the hotels are smaller, family run operations which lend a more intimate experience with the island itself.
You can stroll miles of unspoiled beaches and lush mountains covered with jungle plants, hike up to clear waterfalls, scuba dive or snorkel on the world’s second largest barrier reef, kayak or try your hand at deep sea fishing…maybe even pull a record blue marlin!
The official language is Spanish, but many of the locals speak English and there are several American and European expatriates that currently live there. The islanders are warm, friendly and welcome visitors with open arms.
If you are looking for natural beauty, an affordable place to relocate or just to vacation briefly, you can't go wrong .....Discover Guanaja!