Guanaja National Marine Park
The island was declared a Forest Reserve since 1961. It is larger than Utila and has a maximum elevation of 415 meters, surrounded by few Caribbean pine stands, and isolated humid tropical forests grow in small hollows.
The Park consists of 90% of the island including the reefs around it. The Guanaja population lives concentrated in two keys and in two communities on the island, Mangrove Bight and Savanna Bight.
The island is rich in diverse coral reefs and they grow in an almost continuous band on its north shore. In its southern band, the reefs surround a chain of 13 small keys. As in the other two Islands, archaeological sites are also frequent.
The island is historically known as the first Honduran territory (after the Swan Islands) that Columbus visited on his fourth trip on July 30, 1502 when he named it “Island of the Pines”. The beach where he landed is supposedly identified and is included within the limits of the Park. The island can be reached by plane from La Ceiba and Roatán.
