Honduran Mainland Welcomes First Big Ship

Banana Coast, Honduras received the country’s first mainland visit from a large cruise ship this month as the Norwegian Jewel came to port. The privately-owned Trujillo port on the Banana Coast, located on the north east coast of the country, has been opened to support the established port on the island of Roatan.

Popular with Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruises passengers, Roatan is a luxury island in the Caribbean which is only 5 miles across at its widest point.

The Norwegian Jewel will visit the new port on the Banana Coast throughout October and November and will be joined by Holland American Ryndam, Silversea’s Silver Shadow and the P&O Adonia. It is anticipated the new port will accommodate 50,000 cruise passengers throughout its first season and tourism officials hope this will double next year.

A Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson revealed: “Our guests are looking forward to enjoying this authentic, untouched Caribbean port and experiencing the true beauty and culture of this new destination.”

Trujillo was selected to host the mainland’s port due to its natural structure and positioning. A naturally deep water harbour, picturesque Trujillo sits at the peak of a two mile stretch of beautiful white beach.

Passengers have the opportunity to channel their inner explorer docking at the site where Christopher Columbus first landed in the Americas.

Travel Dynamics’ out-of-service Yorktown cruise ship was the first ship to dock in the port earlier this year. The small-size ship docked in the Banana Coast in February, before being taken out of service by its operator.

Visitors to the Banana Coast will initially have 15 different shore excursions options to choose from including nature trails, historical trails, snorkelling sessions, orphanage visits, white water rafting and more. Zip-lining will be offered from November and river-tubing from January.

Images sourced via Wikipedia Creative Commons and Flickr Creative Commons. Credits: Rene Mayorga