Roatán, Honduras

I haven’t sailed into Roatán yet, so this guide is built the way I’d want one built for me: from the cruise lines’ own port pages, the US and UK government travel advice, and the news on two big changes, a new name for Carnival’s port and a ban on holding the sloths. Every price has a date on it, and I’ve said plainly where nobody publishes one.

Roatán at a glance

Map of the island

Which port you'll use

Roatán has two cruise ports about two miles apart on the south coast, and they're very different days out. The cruise line chooses, not you, so check your itinerary.

Isla Tropicale (formerly Mahogany Bay)

This is Carnival's own port, and Carnival's sister lines such as Princess and Holland America use it too. Carnival announced the new name in April 2025. On 20 May 2026 it opened a new pool area, Mangrove Bay, about 48,000 square feet with a swim-up bar, a splash pad, cabanas and daybeds. The port says it has 52 shops, three restaurants and four bars, and a two-ship pier that takes Carnival's biggest ships.

The beach is for cruise guests only. You get there by a chairlift that runs about 1,200 feet over the water (around six minutes, boarding at the Welcome Center), or by a paved walkway that Princess points wheelchair users and small children toward. Cunard lists the chairlift at $14. Carnival's “Relax on the Beach Package for Two” is $70.99 for two people, with two all-day chairlift passes, two chairs, two floats and a clamshell shade (checked 26 October 2026).

Port of Roatán, Coxen Hole

This is the older port, built with Royal Caribbean in 2008, and most other lines (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian and others) tie up here. There's a shopping village at the pier, and Coxen Hole, the island's main town, is right beside it. Celebrity says parts of town are walkable from the terminal and that a shuttle runs. There's no beach within walking distance, though, so for a swim you'll need a taxi or a tour. MSC says its ships may anchor offshore and bring guests in by tender.

Leaving the port: at either port you can head out the gate on your own with a taxi. Take a photo ID and cash, because you can't charge anything outside to your cabin.

How I'd spend the day

If walking is hard

If you're at Isla Tropicale, this is one of the easiest port days in the Caribbean. Take the paved walkway (or the chairlift if you can manage the boarding) to the beach, rent a clamshell for shade, and stay put. The new pool area is right by the port. If you're at Coxen Hole, I'd book a beach tour that includes the transport rather than haggling for a taxi.

Beach day

At Isla Tropicale, the beach is right there. From Coxen Hole, take a taxi or a beach-break tour west to West Bay, agree the price and pickup time first, and leave plenty of time to get back. see Roatan West Bay beach day from cruise port on Viator

See the island

Book a small-group island tour that takes in West End village, a viewpoint and Gumbalimba Park. Just know that the animal encounters are look-don't-touch now. Snorkeling on the reef off West End and West Bay is the real treasure here. see Roatan island tour and snorkel on Viator

Getting around

Taxis

Taxis wait outside both ports. I couldn't find an official fare sheet published online. Guidebooks say colectivo taxis pick up other passengers on fixed routes and cost less, while private cabs cost more and go up after dark. Before the car moves, settle three things: the price, whether it's per person or per car, and the return pickup time. Britain's travel advice suggests radio-dispatched or hotel taxis for short trips and a reputable tour company for longer ones.

Water taxis

Small boats shuttle between West End and West Bay along the shore. They're handy if you're already out west, but stepping on and off is awkward if your balance isn't good.

Buses and car rental

Minibuses run along the main road in daylight. Car rentals are available at the ports. The State Department notes that Honduras accepts valid US driver's licenses but warns that roads are often poorly lit and poorly marked.

What to see

West End village

A laid-back seaside strip of dive shops, cafés and docks near the island's west tip, and the jumping-off point for water taxis to West Bay.

Gumbalimba Park

A jungle park with gardens, monkeys, parrots, iguanas and sloths, near West Bay. Since the 2025 ban, guests watch and photograph the animals but can't hold them. The park doesn't publish its prices online.

Little French Key

A small private island a short boat ride away, with wildlife and snorkeling. It usually comes as a package.

Roatán Chocolate Factory

Cunard lists tours and tastings of chocolate made from local cacao. It's a gentle, mostly indoor stop.

The reef

Roatán sits on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, and snorkeling is the island's best feature. Go with a licensed operator, and remember that Britain's advice calls emergency medical care on the Bay Islands extremely limited. Roatán does have a hyperbaric chamber for divers.

Beaches, ranked for a cruise day

1. Isla Tropicale beach, if you're docked there. Free to cruise guests, reached by chairlift (Cunard lists it at $14) or the paved walkway. Chairs, floats and shade cost extra: $70.99 for two on Carnival's beach package. It's the easiest beach on the island, but it's also cruise-only, so you won't see much of Roatán.
2. West Bay Beach, at the far west tip. White sand and calm, reef-protected water that Cunard calls good for swimming and snorkeling. The beach is public, while chairs and day passes belong to the resorts and vendors along it. Nobody publishes official prices, so ask before you sit down. It's the longest drive from either port.
3. West End, just north of West Bay. More of a village waterfront than a long beach, with good snorkeling off the shore and water taxis to West Bay.

Wear water shoes on any reef beach, and never stand on the coral.

Where to eat and what to try

• Baleadas: a flour tortilla folded over refried beans, cheese and cream, the everyday Honduran snack.
• Fresh fish and conch, fried or in coconut-based island dishes, in West End and West Bay.
• At Isla Tropicale: the port's own three restaurants and four bars, plus the swim-up bar at the new pool. Expect cruise-port prices.
• The State Department suggests drinking only sealed bottled drinks, skipping ice, and avoiding raw fruit and vegetables that haven't been peeled.

Money, language and local rules

• Money: the Honduran lempira is the official currency. US dollars are widely accepted, and cards are taken on Roatán. ATMs can be out of order or charge high fees, so bring small US bills.
• Wildlife: since 1 March 2025, Honduras has banned holding and handling wild animals for exhibition and photos. Parks on Roatán ended the sloth hugs that month, and Carnival's animal tours became look-only.
• Camouflage clothing: several Caribbean countries ban civilians from wearing camo, and Carnival tells guests not to wear it ashore in some ports. I couldn't confirm that Honduras is one of them. Honduras has, though, legislated against civilians using police and military uniforms. Leave the camo at home and you won't have to find out.
• Don't pack firearms, ammunition, or cannabis and CBD products. The State Department says all of them are illegal to bring in.
• Minors: under Honduran law anyone under 21 is a minor. If one parent or grandparent is traveling alone with a child, check the consent-letter rules with your cruise line.
• Ship time: Honduras never changes its clocks. In summer you're two hours behind Eastern, and in winter one hour. Go by the ship.

What the videos don't show you

• The sloth-hug videos are old. Holding the animals has been banned since March 2025. Anyone still offering it is breaking the rules.
• Isla Tropicale is a bubble. It's easy and pretty, but it's a cruise-only compound, and you see very little of the island unless you leave.
• West Bay is a long way off. It's at the far end of the island from both ports, with traffic on the one main road, so leave a big cushion before all aboard.
• Taxi prices aren't posted officially. Settle the fare and say "per car or per person?" before you go.
• Limited medical care. Britain calls emergency care on the Bay Islands extremely limited, and US insurance often doesn't apply. Take extra care in the water.
• The country advisory. The State Department rates Honduras overall Level 3, reconsider travel, mainly for crime on the mainland. It gives the Bay Islands no separate rating but notes petty theft there.

With a cane, walker or wheelchair

Roatán can be one of the easiest port days or one of the harder ones, depending on the port. At Isla Tropicale the ship docks, and Princess says plainly that the chairlift is not wheelchair accessible. You board and step off a moving chair, the minimum height is 32 inches, and Carnival lists a 300-pound maximum on its chairlift packages. A paved walkway runs to the beach instead. Carnival also says its new beach cabanas are wheelchair-accessible.

At Coxen Hole you're usually docked too, but MSC says its ships may anchor and tender. Once you're ashore, any beach means a vehicle. The ports don't publish any accessible-taxi service. Holland America lists an accessible animal-park tour, but its own page says the wheelchair details aren't available yet, so ask before you book.

See Mobility & Health Needs for tenders and special-needs forms, and check with your cruise line which port and berth you're getting.

The biggest mistake

Booking a “hold a sloth” tour because of a video from a few years ago. That's over, and it should be. The second mistake is grabbing a taxi to West Bay from Coxen Hole without settling the price, the pickup time and the drive back. West Bay is at the far end of the island, so build in a big cushion and be back by ship time.

Roatán FAQs