Utila
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Utila

Utila

Small Bay Islands dive base on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, known for affordable scuba courses.

Utila is the smallest and cheapest of the Bay Islands, 11 km long and sitting about 30 km off the north coast of Honduras. It has a well-earned reputation as one of the best-value places in the world to learn to scuba dive — prices for PADI open-water courses are lower here than almost anywhere comparable — and the diving itself is excellent.

The island sits on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef with over 50 dive sites, including walls, caves, and wrecks. Whale sharks move through the waters around Utila regularly, particularly from March to May, making it one of the more reliable places in the world to encounter them.

Above water, the highlights are short and sweet: a hike up Pumpkin Hill to the volcanic high point, a visit to the Iguana Research Station where the endemic swamper iguana is bred, and a boat trip out to Water Cay and the colourful stilt-house cays on the southern reef. Dinner runs to wood-fired pizza at the Mango Inn and drinks in the mosaic-covered Treetanic Bar.

The population is a distinctive mix: English-speaking Bay Islanders with British and Caribbean heritage, mainland Hondurans, and a steady stream of long-term expat residents. The atmosphere is relaxed and unpretentious — this is not a resort island. The main settlement, Utila Town (also called East Harbour), is the only town, and most of what you need is within easy walking distance.

The ferry from La Ceiba takes about an hour and runs several times a day.

Guide

Activities

Utila is where people come to learn. It has been the cheap place to get certified for decades, and the island runs on divemaster trainees who arrived for a week and stayed for four months. The shops are strung along the single road behind the dock, most with their own jetty.

The whale sharks are the other reason. They pass close to the north shore in two seasons — roughly February to April and again October to December — and boats go out looking for the churning "boils" of tuna that give them away. Nobody can promise you a sighting; the shops that say otherwise are selling something they don't control.

Guide

Bars and Cafes

The Utila nightlife is famously enthusiastic given the size of the island. Bars stretch along the main road and the dock area, and the crowd rotates between a handful of spots depending on the night of the week. The pattern is well-known to the dive crowd: Tuesdays at one bar, Fridays at another, and so on.

Guide

Eating Out

Utila eats well for a small island. The classic Bay Island plate is fish, beans and rice with coconut milk, and almost every casual place on the main road does a version. The diver crowd also keeps a steady demand for pizza, burritos and brunch food, so the choice is wider than you might expect.

Guide

Getting There

Most travellers arrive on the Utila Princess ferry from La Ceiba on the Honduran mainland. The crossing takes about an hour and runs twice daily in each direction. Tickets are bought at the dock in La Ceiba; the boat can be rough in winter when the trade winds blow.

There is a small airstrip with light aircraft connections to La Ceiba operated by CM Airlines. The flight is short and scenic but services are infrequent and prices have crept up.

Once on the island, walking covers most of town. For anything beyond the centre, bicycles, scooters and golf-cart taxis are easy to hire.

Guide

Things to Do

Utila is small, and almost everything to do here either involves the water or a short walk inland to a viewpoint or beach. Diving and snorkelling dominate, but there is enough above the surface to fill a few non-dive days.

Guide

When to Go

The dry season runs from February to May and is the most comfortable time to be on the island — warm, sunny, with the lightest winds and the calmest water. It is also peak whale shark season, particularly March and April.

June through October is the wet season. Rain comes in short heavy bursts rather than all-day downpours, and dive prices drop. Late September and October are also good for whale sharks. Hurricane season runs from June to November but Utila is rarely hit directly.

December and January are cooler and windier, with occasional norther winds that can shut down boats for a day or two.