Gracias and Celaque

Gracias is a small colonial town in western Honduras with cobbled streets, three old churches and a hilltop fort, and it briefly served as the administrative capital of Spanish Central America in the sixteenth century. Above it rises Celaque, at nearly 2,900 metres the highest mountain in Honduras, protected as a national park of cloud forest where quetzals nest and the trees drip with moss and bromeliads. The summit hike is a demanding two-day trip with a basic hut partway. Below the mountain, thermal pools at Presidente hot springs make the standard evening reward.

What you actually see

• Celaque summit trek - the two-day climb through cloud forest.
• The cloud forest - moss, bromeliads and quetzals on the lower trails.
• Gracias old town - colonial churches and the San Cristobal fort.
• Aguas Termales - thermal pools in forest outside town.

When to go

The dry season from November to April gives the best hiking conditions; the mountain generates its own weather and rain is possible year round. Quetzal breeding runs roughly March to June. Nights on the mountain are cold, which surprises visitors.

Honest expectations

The summit trek is genuinely hard - steep, muddy and long, with a basic hut and no facilities at altitude. Guides are strongly recommended and required for some routes. Day walks on the lower trails are far more accessible and still deliver the cloud forest. Western Honduras sees few visitors and English is limited. Roads from San Pedro Sula are slow.

Nearby

La Esperanza, the Lenca villages of the western highlands and Copan to the north-west.