Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge

Cuero y Salado protects the wetland where two rivers reach the Caribbean west of La Ceiba: mangrove channels, lagoons, swamp forest and beach. Getting there is half the experience, because the last nine kilometres are covered on a burra, a small flat railcar running on the old banana-plantation narrow gauge, either motorised or pushed. Once there, boats go up the channels, and the refuge is one of the few places in Honduras where West Indian manatees are still regularly recorded.

What you actually see

• The burra railcar - the nine-kilometre run in on the old plantation narrow gauge.
• The channels - mangrove and swamp waterways worked by boat.
• The manatees - West Indian manatees resident in the system, seen with luck and patience.
• The birds and monkeys - herons, kingfishers, howlers and white-faced capuchins along the banks.

When to go

February to May is the driest and best for the boats. Manatee sightings are never guaranteed and are most likely in calm water early in the morning. The wet season from September raises the rivers and muddies the channels.

Honest expectations

Manatees are shy and most visitors do not see one; the refuge is honest about this and so should any operator be. Facilities are basic and the accommodation on site is very simple. Mosquitoes are severe.

Nearby

La Ceiba is east along the coast, and Pico Bonito rises inland behind it.