Day 5
A driver met us at the ferry, then took us to a grocery store for breakfast supplies.
Then we drove inland
about 30 minutes along the Río Cangrejal to
Villas Pico Bonito.
We walked around the lush grounds, explored the river,
watched hummingbirds, and had dinner as it got dark.
Villas Pico Bonito was a wonderful place to stay. Our two bedroom casita included a kitchen and balcony
overlooking the river and waterfall. Lushly landscaped paths with colorful tropical foliage
led to a thatched-roof bar and restaurant area surrounded by busy hummingbird feeders and butterflies.
In the evening, a staff member kocked on our door to take our dinner order, once in pouring rain.
The baggage claim looked chaotic, but we collected our bags
shortly after we spotted them on the cart.
A taxi met us at the ferry. We stopped at a grocery store for
breakfast supplies, then drove inland along the river.
view of Cascada El Bejuco from our balcony
The river was high and muddy after recent heavy rains.
We followed beautifully landscaped paths from our room to the
bar and pool.
We walked down to check out the river.
walking back from the river toward the restaurant/bar area
A white-necked Jacobin resting on a branch
Lots of hummingbirds zoomed around the feeders hung from the bar
area. White-necked Jacobin were the most common.
Another way back to our room involved a stream crossing.
Our balcony overlooked the rushing Rio Cangrejal.
The restuarant looked magical as we arrived for dinner.
Wispy clouds floated through the steep valley while we waited
for dinner.
Day 6
We met our rafting guide at 10am, and drove a few minutes upstream to our launch spot.
We rafted a couple of hours down the river, surrounded by steep green mist-cloaked mountains.
Approaching a rapid, we paddled to line up our entry. Then the guide yelled "get down", and we bounced
through from a secure position in the middle of the raft.
Our guide showed us three spots where we jumped from rocks into the river; Evan did the last and highest
one twice.
After lunch, Kimberly walked up the road to Omega Jungle Lodge,
and hiked along their well-marked jungle trails.
The long-billed hermit was twice the size of the smaller hummingbirds.
The color of the violet sabrewings is unbelievable!
After the guide carried our raft down the river, he showed us a
spot where we could jump in.
We scrambled over the rocks to a second, higher jumping spot.
setting off downriver on the Rio Cangrejal
looking back upriver with the Cascada El Bejuco in the distance
looking back upriver with the Cascada El Bejuco in the distance
Evan fell over the side at a tricky spot where we re-entered the
current, but Paul pulled him back onboard quickly.
looking back at the Washing Machine rapid
Our guide showed us where to jump in, and said to swim hard left
to make it back to the eddy.
Our second guide threw a rope for Paul to grab and get back into
the eddy.
Evan jumped off the rock twice, and swam quickly out of the
current both times.
The owner at Villas Pico Bonito sent us a picture he took from
the road as we rafted by.
We saw these nests as we sped by in a rapid, and stopped along the road to get a better look.
a scarlet tanager along the road
A big German Shepherd lived at the resort, and showed us the way
to lunch.
A big blue butterfly visited us as we had lunch overlooking the
river.
Evan fording the stream on the way to our room.
Paul found a Central American Guulf Coast toad near the stream
on the way to the room.
The German Shepherd led the way for about a mile and a half when
Kimberly walked up the road to another resort.
a starry night cracker butterfly landed on Kimberly's pants at
Omega Jungle Lodge.
Two dogs from Omega Eco Jungle Lodge led the way on hiking trail
#3.
The trail went steeply uphill along a creek.
The trail was well marked, with painted numbers on trees and
rocks along the way.
After trying to get across the creek twice without stepping in
the water, Kimberly turned back and switched to trail #2.
veiw of El Bejuco from high up on a ridge
flowers along the road
We watched the rain from the balcony.
The dogs waited patiently for leftovers from our dinners.
Day 7
We met our hiking guide at 9am, and walked a few minutes up the road to the entrance to
Parque Nacional Pico Bonito. The resident dog followed
us, then trotted across the suspension bridge with another grroup and disappeared into the jungle.
Our guide called the resort to come fetch her, then we started up the trail to the waterfall.
We walked across the river on a suspension bridge, then up a steep trail past several smaller waterfalls.
After 2 hours and 1,600' of elevation, we arrived at the 200' tall Cascada El Bejuco.
We had lunch while watching beautiful rainbows created by the cool mist rising from the falls.
We went back a different way, with several stops for wildlife.
Back at Villas Pico Bonito, we went swimming in the infinity edge pool overlooking the river and waterfall.
a blue-crowned motmot on a fence along the road
The trail to the waterfall starts at the national park office.
view of the river and falls from the suspension bridge
looking upriver from the suspension bridge
We followed our guide into the tropical jungle.
We stopped at a small waterfall just visible through the trees.
A few steps later, we stopped at another waterfall cascading
through ferns.
Evan scrambled over slippery rocks to the base of the falls.
The sun was out, but the trail was mostly shaded by the dense
foliage.
We glimpsed a third waterfall through the trees.
Some sections of the trail were a cross between stairs and rock
scrambling.
view through the trees to the coast, with Roatán just visible in
the distance
the last section of the trail was almost straight down
The trail ended at small flat spot near the base of El Bejuco.
The mist from the 60m falls created multiple rainbows.
"El Bejuco Waterfall, the main attraction of the trail, is a
60-meter-high waterfall located at 450 meters above sea level. A
spring of crystal-clear water that highlights the scenic beauty
of the Cangrejal River and awakens your spirit of conquest and
adventure."
We had sandwiches and snacks while looking toward the falls.
everything was covered with growing things
Evan spotted this frog on the ground.
The leaves overhead looked like lace in the sun.
We took a different way down and stopped at another waterfall.
We saw moving bits of leaf, and then a trail of ants high up into the tree.
The ants crossed the trail carrying bits of leaf.
This Central American Gulf Coast toad was much bigger than the
others we'd seen.
walking back across the suspension bridge over the river
view of the suspension bridge into the park
the brown basilisk was probably 2' long including its tail
We went swimming in the Villas Pico Bonito pool after our hike.
Evan spotted this cool beetle on the way back to the room.
last afternoon on our balcony by the Rio Cangrejal
now-green river with the waterfall in the background
Day 8
Our last day was a long travel day. We left Villas Pico Bonito at 7:30am for the ferry from
La Ceiba to Roatán. A taxi picked us up at the ferry and dropped us at
an amazing over-the-water restaurant. An hour later, our driver returned and took us to the airport for our
flight back to Dallas, connecting to San Francisco.
dog leading the way through the tropical garden paths
waiting for our ferry back to Roatán
The waves were much calmer on our return trip to Roatán.
We arranged for a taxi to pick us up at the ferry and drop us
off at Smoky Grill for lunch.
We all tried the swings over the turquoise water.
