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Visit La Ceiba!!
From
its early days La Ceiba has charmed its visitors with its natural
enchantments, its name is due to a giant ceiba tree that grew stunningly
at the shores of the Caribbean Sea, where today the principal avenue
and the first street converge. It was so big that the first settlers
who were the Garifunas (immigrant slaves from the Island of Saint
Vincent) said that it was "The Ladder God used when he came
down from Heaven to visit Earth". The port city of La Ceiba
started to develop in 1872, when Mr. Manuel Hernandez built a hut
under the enormous tree and then around it other neighbors started
to settle, seduced by the boom of the the banana plantations. The
commerce of this fruit was so prosperous that it brought the attention
of big international companies that started to establish in La Ceiba.
The city started to grow with national migrants and foreigners.
With the years the infrastructure has been enhanced, always keeping
our own frame of the Caribbean architecture with its large streets.
La Ceiba was declared a town August 23, 1877, being the center of
the banana emporium and main point of the regional economy. After
this, the biggest industrial and financial companies of Honduras
emerged in La Ceiba.
Nowadays, it is the third most important city and the second most
important port of the country. It exceeds the 200,000-population
in more than 170 suburbs and settlements over a surface of approximately
6,000 hectares. La Ceiba has the highest literacy rate in Honduras
and a big part of its population is bilingual.
Due to its natural beauties
La Ceiba has been declared by the Honduran Goverment "The Capital
of Ecotourism". Among its natural attractives the imposing
Pico Bonito (2,435 meters high) stands out which also is a national
park. In this tropical rain forest there are beautiful waterfalls
and spectacular landscapes. We also find the Cangrejal River, one
of the few rivers in Central America preferred by people who enjoy
extreme sports like white water rafting and canoeing.
La Ceiba is known
in all Central America for its Feria Isidra, that takes place during
the last days of May and ends with a big carnival called "Gran
Carnaval de la Amistad" where the first avenue turns into a
huge dance floor with local musical bands and colorful floats. Not
only for this date the party environment takes over the city, the
happy spirit of the people prevails all year long in the first street
or "Zona Viva" with all its clubs and bars which offers
a specialty for everyone. That's why for many reasons you should
visit this tropical paradise where the adventure, fun and natural
environment will make you have a wonderful time.
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