Puerto Cortes Facts

As its name implies, Puerto Cortes is a "Port", and considered the best most modern, and largest port, in Central America on the Caribbean side.

Thanks to the magnitude of the activity, and modern operations of the port, and the highway that connects it to the Golfo de Fonseca Port located in San Lorenzo, Honduras is an "alternate" Panama Canal for many enterprises who wish to transport cargo between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. This was part of the attraction for the Russians during the cold war, the strategic possibilities they saw in being able to avoid the Panama Canal and be closer to Cuba and Fidel Castro's revolution. The desire to have its own "Panama Canal" was one of the various factors which led to the famous "Soccer War" between Honduras and El Salvador back in 1969. El Salvador claimed that the eastern border area, including Copan, all the way to the Caribbean Sea, fairly close to Puerto Cortes and its "deep water" benefits, was intended to be theirs based on very old maps. They eventually produced these maps to the World Court, which upheld the existing Honduras borders after many years of proceedings.

Half of Honduras trade comes and goes through Puerto Cortes, and has generated an abundance of industrial businesses, largely in the manufacturing and assembly of apparel. This has facilitated the growth of the area all the way to the industrial capital of Honduras, San Pedro Sula, which is located one hour away.

Near the port, the "Coca Cola beach" is very popular to locals and tourists. The beach becomes crowded on weekends and holidays, as it is customary for Honduran workers to gather up their families and head to the rivers and oceans to relax after a long work week. If you wish to avoid these crowds, nearby Omoa, as well as various rivers along the way east towards Guatemala and Belize provides nice alternatives.

An interesting attraction for foreign tourists, as well as Expats and volunteers who do not have permanent residency in Honduras, is the fact that there is a cost effective ferry operating weekly between Honduras and Belize, providing a close place for a brief respite for those who do not wish to leave when their tourist visa is up. The widely disliked law requires expired tourist visa holders to exit the country for a minimum of 72 hours to a non-adjacent country. In order to accomplish the renewal, many opt to take the Belize Ferry - "D" Ferry from Puerto Cortes to Big Creek / Mango Creek and Placencia, Belize which leaves every Monday and returns on Wednesdays.

Puerto Cortes Hotels

Puerto Cortes Restaurants

(If you have a restaurant in Puerto Cortes Honduras, add yourself to the directory for Free! Honduras Directory / Directorio de Honduras allows a complete listing, including links to your website, as well as logos and photos.)

Puerto Cortes Forum

The Puerto Cortes forum is a part of the main Honduras Forum for Catrachos, and is a very active place to exchange ideas, photos, travel and other tips, plus general information and questions about Honduras.

Pictures of Puerto Cortes Honduras

Videos of Puerto Cortes Honduras

For general information about travel and tips in Honduras, and to see what others who have visited Puerto Cortes have to say, and/or to tell us your own experiences, visit the Puerto Cortes Blog

Going to Honduras? Your Spanish dictionary needs to include "Honduras Slang"!

Tourist Destinations in Honduras - Destinos Turisticos en Honduras:

Amapala Choluteca Comayagua Copan Ruins Cayos Cochinos / Hog Islands Islas del Cisne / Swan Islands El Progreso Gracias Lempira Guanaja La Esperanza La Moskitia / La Mosquitia La Ceiba Lago de Yojoa / Lake Yojoa Ocotepeque Olancho Omoa Puerto Cortes Roatan San Lorenzo San Pedro Sula Santa Barbara Santa Rosa de Copan Siguatepeque Tegucigalpa Tela Trujillo Utila Valle de Angeles

Be sure to visit Honduras.com and Go Beyond the Guide Book for your most complete resource on the country of Honduras.

Para mas información sobre el país de Honduras visite Honduras en Español