How To Go to The Mayan Ruins In Honduras

The traditional metropolis of Copan was one of the vital cities for the Maya civilization in Central America, and at this time ‘Copan Ruinas’ is likely one of the greatest Mayan ruins you’ll be able to see in Honduras!

On a go to to Copan, you’ll be able to see the intricate carvings, temples, and ruins surrounded by jungle, and there are even colourful parrots flying round within the bushes! This place was dwelling to the Mayans for greater than a thousand years, and it was solely rediscovered within the sixteenth century.

The archaeological website of Copan Ruinas sits subsequent to a quaint however trendy city of the identical title, and you’ll go there on a day journey (or longer) from San Pedro Sula in Honduras, in addition to from different locations in Central America, together with Guatemala or El Salvador.

This journey information will clarify how you can get to Copan Ruinas by bus or tour, what to anticipate when visiting the Mayan ruins, how you can see the parrots, and all the pieces else you should know earlier than you go!

The place Is Copan Positioned?

Copan Ruinas is a city positioned in western Honduras, close to the border of Guatemala. The Mayan ruins of the identical title are positioned simply exterior of city.

The space to Copan Ruinas city from San Pedro Sula is simply about 180 kilometers (110 mi) because the crow flies, however the drive takes at the least 4 hours due to the winding, bumpy roads.
 

How To Get To Copan Ruinas Honduras

One of the best ways to get to the city of Copan Ruinas is by bus, automobile, or tour.

Sadly, there’s no airport to fly on to Copan Ruinas. The Honduran authorities constructed an airport there in 2015, nevertheless it was by no means opened.

The closest place you’ll be able to fly in Honduras is San Pedro Sula (code: SAP), in any other case it’s additionally attainable to go to Copan Ruinas overland from Guatemala or El Salvador. You’ll be able to store for flights in Central America on Skyscanner.

From Tegucigalpa or San Pedro Sula, you’ll be able to take the Hedman Alas bus to Copan Ruinas. It’s continuous and air-conditioned. Evaluations are combined about their service high quality, so don’t anticipate luxurious, nevertheless it’s the most affordable technique to get to Copan Ruinas, and at the least it appears to be secure.

You should buy bus tickets on the Hedman Alas web site.

Copan Ruinas Honduras — Mayan ruins

The opposite choice for attending to Copan Ruinas is to lease a automobile and drive your self, or rent a non-public driver to take you there.

I wouldn’t suggest self driving except you’re already acquainted with driving in Central America. The roads to Copan Ruinas are tough, with numerous potholes and fewer than stellar drivers.

Trifinio Excursions can present a technique transfers to the city of Copan Ruinas from San Pedro Sula, in addition to from locations in Guatemala or El Salvador, though this solely is sensible if you happen to plan to remain within the city for greater than a day or two.

In any other case, a day tour package deal will be one of many best and most effective methods to go to Copan Ruinas, as a result of it consists of all the transport and all the pieces else you should go see the ruins after which get in your means. I’ll checklist some good tour choices under.

Irrespective of the way you select to get to Copan Ruinas, it’s additionally a good suggestion to rent an area information to point out you across the Mayan ruins and clarify all the pieces you’re . The entire expertise is extra useful that means!

Copan Ruinas is legendary for its intricate carvings

Finest Copan Ruinas Excursions

Listed below are some good choices if you wish to go to Copan Ruinas with a tour package deal:

We’ve used Viator and GetYourGuide for plenty of excursions and actions world wide, and so they’re nice. Extremely really useful!

How To Get To The Mayan Ruins At Copan

When you arrive within the city of Copan Ruinas, it’s simple to get to the Mayan ruins. They’re only a quick distance exterior of city, roughly one kilometer from the Copan Ruinas city heart.

You’ll be able to stroll to the ruins from city in about quarter-hour, or you’ll be able to rent a tuk-tuk taxi to drop you off there for a pair US {Dollars}. I believe the tuk-tuk is one of the simplest ways to go as a result of it’s so low-cost and straightforward.

Alternatively, if you happen to booked a tour for Copan Ruinas, they’ll take you straight to the ruins so you may get began sightseeing straight away.
 

Copan Mayan Ruins: What To Anticipate

The ruins of Copan are unfold over a reasonably large space within the archaeological park, with temples, statues, staircases, tunnels, residential areas, a ball court docket, and even a cemetery and museum.

You’ll be able to see the principle highlights of the park in about 2 hours or so, though if you happen to actually take pleasure in Mayan historical past and take the time to see the museum and tunnels at Copan, then I’m positive you possibly can spend for much longer.

The entire space is definitely walkable. More often than not, you’ll be strolling on grass or flat rock. Simply watch your step if you happen to climb the steps, as a result of a few of them are tough and uneven.

Whereas different Mayan ruins like Tikal and Chichen Itza are primarily recognized for his or her spectacular buildings, the Copan ruins are filled with fantastic carvings and historical hieroglyphics!

Lizard face within the Mayan ruins

The ball court docket at Copan

• Finest Issues To See At Copan Ruinas

• Monument Plaza. This grassy open plaza is likely one of the first stuff you’ll see once you enter the archaeological park. It has a bunch of fantastic Mayan statues unfold out across the space, and there’s a pyramid formed platform you’ll be able to climb for higher views of Copan.
• Ball Court docket. Mesoamericans beloved their ball video games, so naturally there’s a ball court docket at Copan. This is likely one of the greatest ball courts ever constructed by the Mayans. Afterward, don’t neglect to look down on the ball court docket from above on the acropolis. It’s one of the iconic images of Copan Ruinas!
• Hieroglyphic Stairway. This stone staircase has 63 steps and 1,800 glyphs, making it the longest recognized hieroglyphic textual content of the Mayan civilization. The textual content continues to be being reconstructed at this time.
• Acropolis. The acropolis was the guts of Copan. It’s divided into an east and west court docket with numerous stone carvings, statues, and severed heads from statues which have fallen. A few of these figures usually are not very apparent at first, so take your time otherwise you would possibly miss them!

Statue of an historical Maya ruler at Copan Ruinas

• Parrots At Copan Ruinas

You’ll be able to see numerous wonderful purple parrots at Copan Ruinas! These are scarlet macaws, the nationwide fowl of Honduras, and so they like to hang around within the bushes close to the doorway of the archaeological park.

The birds are wild, so please bear in mind to not contact or feed them. They’ve sharp beaks and I’m positive they might do some harm in the event that they wished. Additionally they want a particular weight loss program to remain wholesome like within the wild.

So long as you don’t hassle them, the parrots at Copan Ruinas are very relaxed, and it’s simple to rise up near them and take some nice photos. They are often seen wherever within the ruins, however close to the doorway is usually the very best place to identify them.

If you wish to see much more parrots in Honduras, you’ll be able to take a look at the Macaw Mountain Hen Park, which is only a quick distance north of Copan Ruinas city.

You’ll be able to see numerous parrots at Copan Ruinas

Scarlet macaw within the treetops

• Entrance Charges

• Archaeological Web site: $15 USD (370 Honduran lempira)
• Tunnels (Elective): $15 USD
• Museum (Elective): $7 USD
• Information (Elective): $30 – $40 USD per group

These days, you’ll be able to pay the Copan Ruinas entrance payment with money or bank card. I used a overseas Visa bank card with no points.
 

• Opening Hours

The Mayan ruins are open seven days every week, each day of the yr, from 8 AM to five PM. This consists of the museum and tunnels.

Jungle coated ruins

Finest Time To Go to Copan Ruinas Honduras

Morning is the very best time of day to go to Copan Ruinas as a result of you’ll be able to keep away from a few of the warmth and crowds.

In the course of the daytime, temperatures can attain 32° Celcius (90° Fahrenheit), so it’s rather more nice to tour the ruins within the morning when it’s nonetheless comparatively cool. After I began touring the ruins at about 9 AM, there weren’t too many vacationers in any respect, however leaving later within the day was a really totally different story!

Any month is okay for visiting Copan Ruinas. The moist season on this a part of Honduras runs from Could to October, so that you’re extra more likely to encounter rain in these months. Nonetheless, it offers the ruins a pleasant inexperienced background of jungle foliage, in order that’s a plus, particularly if you happen to plan to take photos.

The dry season in Copan Ruinas runs from November to April, so these months have the very best probability of good, sunny climate. The temperatures are additionally a bit cooler and extra manageable from November to January, with daytime highs of lower than 26° Celcius (80° Fahrenheit).

Wall element close to the ball court docket

Historical past Of Copan Ruinas Honduras

Historic Copán was inhabited by Central American folks for greater than 2,000 years, and it was a strong capital metropolis of the Mayans from the fifth to ninth centuries AD.

Throughout this time, Copan thrived and have become a cultural hotspot with advances in math, astronomy, and hieroglyphic writing. At its peak, greater than 20,000 folks lived within the Copan space, and their kingdom coated an space of over 250 sq. kilometers (100 sq mi).

For unknown causes, Copan’s inhabitants declined majorly within the eighth and ninth centuries, and the dominion regularly weakened and collapsed. Earthquakes and nature additionally took a toll on what was left of the buildings.

By the point the Spanish arrived within the sixteenth century, Copan had already been lengthy deserted. The ruins had been re-discovered in 1570 by Diego García de Palacio, however Copan wasn’t excavated till the nineteenth century.

Since 1980, Copan is acknowledged as a UNESCO World Heritage Web site for its excellent artwork, structure, and historic significance. At the moment, it’s among the finest locations to go to if you happen to’re touring in Honduras!

Is Copan Ruinas Secure?

Honduras doesn’t have an incredible repute for security, however the Copan Ruinas space is called one of many most secure elements of the mainland. That goes for the quaint little city of Copan Ruinas, in addition to the precise Mayan ruins simply exterior of city.

Individuals who go to Copan will let you know it’s a fairly secure place to go to, and I must agree based mostly by myself expertise as a solo traveler. I carried my Fuji digicam and took numerous photos on the Mayan ruins, however I saved it hidden discreetly in my bag once I was strolling round city or on the ruins.

It’s true that Honduras has one of many highest homicide charges on this planet, however apparently the majority of that is from drug gangs preventing one another, and different violence within the large cities. Vacationers are usually not the goal. That doesn’t imply we’re proof against it, however the principle place to watch out is in large cities like Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula.

A lot of worldwide vacationers come to Copan Ruinas yearly, and I haven’t heard of any latest studies of crime, robberies, or violence towards vacationers. I’ll replace this journey information if something adjustments. General, I believe it’s fairly secure.

If you would like some further peace of thoughts, you possibly can additionally deliver a hidden journey belt (like this one on Amazon) and put a few of your valuables in it. That’s what I did with my telephone, money, and bank cards on my first go to to Honduras.

A pleasant macaw strolling the grounds at Copan

Different Suggestions For Copan Ruinas Honduras

• The place To Keep: There are many secure and comfy lodges in Copan Ruinas city. I stayed at Lodge La Escalinata, which has a pleasant proprietor, free breakfast, and jungle views from the terrace. Two different good choices are Hostel Iguana Azul or Terramaya Boutique Lodge.
• The place To Eat: There are many good eating places to select from in Copan city. My favourite was Los Asados close to the city heart, which has nice meals and big parts! I obtained combined meat with rooster, beef, and sausages, plus a aspect of plantains and refried beans. Another good locations to eat are Sol de Copán, Cafe By way of By way of, and Mayan Harvest cafe.
• What To Put on: Gown for the tropics! Temperatures will be scorching and humid right here within the daytime, so that you’ll need to have light-weight summer season clothes. I wore shorts and flip flops. Simply bear in mind to decorate modestly since Copan is a vital place for the locals.
• Foreign money: Some locations settle for bank cards, together with the Mayan ruins, the place you need to use your card to pay the doorway payment. Nonetheless, loads of locations on the town are money solely, together with most of the lodges and eating places. Convey some money in case you want it. You’ll be able to pay in Honduran lempira or US {dollars}.
• ATMs: In the event you run out of money, there are banks with working ATMs in Copan Ruinas city.

Extra carvings within the Copan acropolis

• Tour Guides: There are all the time native guides for rent standing round on the entrance to the Copan archaeological park. Anticipate to pay round $30 – $40 USD per group, however the costs could differ relying on the scale of your group.
• Loos: There are public bogs on the entrance to the park, however no bogs when you get to the ruins, so that you’ll need to handle enterprise earlier than you begin touring the ruins.
• Snacks & Drinks: There are little outlets on the entrance to the park the place you should purchase snacks and drinks. I obtained some bottled water right here after a protracted day of touring the ruins.
• Cell Service: There’s cell service on the Copan park if you should make a telephone name or ship a textual content message. That is useful if you happen to’re anticipating a driver to choose you up after touring the ruins.
• Drones: They don’t permit drones on the Mayan ruins. They’re fairly strict about this, so I wouldn’t suggest bringing a drone in any respect.
• Bug Spray: I didn’t discover any bugs or mosquitoes at Copan through the dry season, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a good suggestion to use bug spray simply in case. That is very true if you happen to go to within the moist season, when there are more likely to be extra bugs. Malaria just isn’t a difficulty at Copan. I might not take anti-malarials.
• Wildlife: Clearly there are the parrots (scarlet macaws) at Copan Ruinas, and you’ll see many other forms of colourful birds within the treetops as effectively. In the event you’re fortunate, you may additionally see monkeys or different animals within the space.

Hieroglyphic stairway

Is Copan Ruinas Price It?

I loved Copan Ruinas though the drive was a bit lengthy and tedious. I in all probability wouldn’t rank these Mayan ruins up there with one thing actually epic like Tikal Guatemala, however I’ve already seen Tikal earlier than, and this was one thing new.

One of many good issues in regards to the considerably distant location of Copan is that it’s saved it from getting too touristy or crowded. I imply positive, there are many snug lodges and eating places, and also you’ll in all probability see different worldwide vacationers once you go to, however the entire space continues to be quaint and it feels such as you’re off the overwhelmed path, which I favored.

General, if you happen to take pleasure in archaeological websites, tradition, historical past, and wildlife, then I believe Copan Ruinas is certainly value a go to!

Monument plaza

Extra Issues To Do In Copan Ruinas

In the event you’re in search of extra issues to do within the Copan Ruinas space, listed below are some concepts:

• Macaw Mountain Hen Park. A pleasant conservation park the place you will be near some colourful birds! They’ve parrots, toucans, and different unique birds.
• Lunar Jaguar Sizzling Spring. Stress-free scorching springs designed with a enjoyable Mayan theme, and a scenic jungle setting.
• The Tea & Chocolate Place. An academic place on the sting of city the place you’ll be able to pattern and purchase tea, chocolate, and scorching sauce made in Honduras.
• Museo de Arqueología Maya. An archaeological museum within the heart of city with numerous Mayan objects, together with statues, skeletons, pots and plates, and different artwork items.

Extra Central America Journey Suggestions

Thanks for trying! I hope you loved this journey information for the Mayan ruins of Copan Ruinas in Honduras.

Don’t neglect to take a look at my different journey weblog posts for Central America and South America earlier than you go!

Completely satisfied travels!