According to travelationary, Roatán is an island in the Caribbean Sea (North America) that together with Guanaja, Utila and several smaller islets form the Bay Islands. This group of islands is part of Honduras. The capital of Roatan is Coxen Hole. Some major cities on Roatan are: West End, Sandy Bay, French Harbor and Punta Gorda.
The island of Roatan is Honduras’ most visited place by tourists. This is mainly due to the beautiful extensive beaches and the good diving and snorkeling opportunities. For divers, the waters around the island are known for the good visibility, the wide variety of fish species and the many coral species. In addition, the diving schools are known for their low prices. Many tropical plant species can also be found on the island. See watchtutorials for America continent overview.
Where is Roatan?
Travel information of Roatan
Official name: Roatán
Continent: North America
Area: 250 km²
Capital: Coxen Hole
Population: 30,000 inhabitants (2016)
Form of government: Republic
Highest point: 275 m
Distance (Amsterdam – Coxen Hole): 8,682 km
Flight time: approximately 12 hours
Travel Advisory
Current Status: All non-essential travel to Roatan is discouraged.
Current color code: Orange.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), there may be (temporary) measures in place on Roatán that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs of Roatan, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
At the moment there are no travel organizations that offer travel to Roatan. If you want to put together your own trip or are looking for separate travel components such as hotels, airline tickets and a rental car, please visit our travel offer page.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Roatan?
Weather and climate
Roatan has a tropical climate. In the higher areas the temperatures are between 25 and 35 degrees. Roatan is regularly hit by hurricanes.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Roatan can be found on our extensive weather page.
Best time
March and April are the best months to travel to Roatan. This avoids the hot summer period and the rainy season.
Language
Spanish is the official language on Roatan. Because Roatán has long been owned by the British and the island attracts many tourists, the official language is English.
Would you like to translate from or into Spanish for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 3 months upon arrival on Roatan.
A visa is not necessary if you stay on Roatan for less than 3 months.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in Costa Rica (also for Roatán):
netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Dutch consulate in Honduras (also for Roatán): netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Embassy of Honduras in Belgium (also for the Netherlands): embassyofhonduras.eu.
Honduras Consulate in the Netherlands: rijksoverheid.nl.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
Before visiting Roatán, it is advisable to get one or more vaccinations.
For extensive vaccination advice and to make a vaccination appointment at home, please visit Thuisvaccinatie.nl. You can also see here whether your health insurance reimburses the vaccination(s).
Malaria
There is malaria on Roatan. Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by malaria mosquitoes. This infectious disease can lead to death if not treated in time and/or incorrectly.
For prevention and control of malaria, please visit our malaria page.
Money and Currency
On Roatán, payment is made with the Honduran lempira (HNL).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs on Roatan can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
The prices on Roatán are a lot lower than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is -34% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (61% cheaper), food (33% cheaper), imported beer in catering (40% cheaper), cigarettes (70% cheaper) and public transport (72% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
It is customary to tip on Roatan. If no ‘servicio incluído’ is stated on the bill, the tip is approximately 10%.
Time difference
During our summer time, it is 8 hours earlier on Roatan.
During our winter time, it is 7 hours earlier on Roatan.
Roatan has no difference between winter time and summer time.
The local time, date and time zone for Roatan can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
On Roatán you must drive on the right.
You do not need an international driver’s license to drive and/or rent a motor vehicle on Roatan.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Roatan.
Electricity
On Roatan you need a travel plug. In addition, in some cases you need an inverter.
More information about common plugs and sockets on Roatan can be found on our electricity page (look under Honduras).
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 199
– Fire: 198
– Ambulance: 195
Tap water
It is not recommended to drink water from the tap.
If you are unable to buy bottled water, use a water purifier to purify the water or boil the water for 5 minutes. After this you can safely use it as drinking water and for things like brushing teeth, cleaning lenses and washing vegetables and / or fruit. More information about drinking water and/or the purchase of water purification products can be found on our drinking water page.
News and newspapers
The latest news related to Roatan can be found on Google news.
A list of Roatan newspapers can be found at Abyznewslinks and Bayislandsvoice.
Internet
Websites from Roatan end in.hn.
Official Roatan websites: tourismroatan.com and honduras.travel.
Telephony
The country code (international prefix) to call someone on Roatan is 00504 or +504.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Roatan? Then use the Dutch country code 0031 or +31.
(If using a country code, omit the leading 0 of the number to be called.)
Photos and Videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos of Roatan.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Roatan.
Holidays
An overview of all public holidays in Honduras (Roatán) can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations on Roatan, supplemented with photos, videos and points of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about Roatan?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited Roatán. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) on Roatán can be found on Protected Planet.
Roatan is not on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Roatan? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol, money and perfume, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. You will also find the laws and regulations regarding the entry of pets on this website.
Relevant Laws
Below are relevant laws and regulations that you may encounter while visiting Roatan.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking from the age of 18.
– Alcohol and traffic: The maximum permitted alcohol content is 0.7.
– Tobacco: Buy from the age of 21, smoking at all ages.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Allowed
Did you know…
…Roatan is only 5 miles wide at its widest point?
…Buildings on Roatan should not exceed 3 stories?
…There once lived 5,000 pirates on Roatan?
…Roatan receives nearly 1 million cruise tourists annually?
