Tegucigalpa, Honduras: Must See’s, Do’s, and Eats
Tegucigalpa will always have a place in my heart. I spent almost five-ish weeks here. I was working but I used by weekends to explore and eat out almost every night. I decided to make a compilation of what to do/see and what to eat. Here are my highlights.
Table of Contents
Destinations
1. La Tigra National Park
La Tigra National Park is the first National Park in Honduras and is located just 20km from the capital of Tegucigalpa. I have seen wonderful photos of this place and knew that this was the first thing I wanted to do but I was under-prepared. The hike here is considered difficult.
While La Tigra is only 20km away, it is extremely challenging to get to. The roads are rocky and it requires a 4×4 vehicle. My team and I booked a private tour through Viator for 70 a person. The tour also includes a visit to El Picacho Park but due to inclement, we opted out of it.
Once we arrived at the park, our driver paid for our entrance fee, which was 10L. He showed us a map and told us our trail. He told us that the hike would be intermediate. Once we hit the half point the road will be a straight incline and become difficult. Our driver was also our guide. He was great.
It had rained the day before and the ground was muddy. The entire hike was an incline. Intermediate was enough for me. I was the first one on my team to fall. And one by one, we were falling. By the time we hit the half point, our driver/guide reminded us that it would be difficult to get to the waterfall. I was struggling already and could not imagine what difficult meant. I decided to stay behind and not do the rest of the hike. I met my team at the bottom where there was a cafe.
Half of my team made it to the top. When they came back, they were disheveled. All but one had fallen and they were all covered in mud. One of them chimed in and claimed that this was the most challenging hike that he had ever done. I am utterly proud of them. The team was so exhausted that we did not do anything for the rest of the weekend.
2. Soccer Game
We are in luck! There was a Mexico vs Honduras soccer game happening at the Estadio Nacional Chelato. While Honduras is the underdog and expected to lose by a mile, we wanted to be there. We purchased our tickets at a nearby pharmacy. You will need your ID to purchase. One ID will allow you to purchase up to 4 tickets. This is to prevent scalping. We purchased the best section possible for $65. The tickets were sold out so be sure to get your tickets early.
The day of the game, it is recommended to get there early for seats. We did not know that and showed up just shortly before the game was supposed to start. There are no assigned seats and they sell more tickets than there are seats available. We asked a man and his child how long he had been here, he said 3 hours before the game and yet, he still did not get a seat. We ended up sitting on the stairs. We were trying to stand to prevent blocking the walkway, but we got yelled at to sit down. So we sat until the game got exciting.
Outside the venue, there were vendors selling shirts, scarves, and food. I bought a Honduras jersey for memory. Inside the venue, there were food and drinks for sale. There are also people running around selling to those who do not want to leave their seats. Honestly, there was a lot going on. But I was all in for the excitement.
The game was amazing. There was a tiny section of people rooting for Mexico. I heard that games can become violent and did not want to root for Mexico in any way. The game was exciting with Honduras kicking some @$$. The final score was 3-0. Incredible. Everybody was shocked. Everybody was celebrating.
When we left the venue, news anchors were waiting to interview the fans. People were screaming and crying. It was a great time to be here. Fans were coming up to us and thanking us for supporting Honduras.
The road out of the stadium was chaotic. We were dropped off by our driver and he had told us to meet at the same spot. Traffic was jam-packed and we did not find our driver until 45 minutes later. Overall, this experience was amazing, and glad that I got to enjoy it with the people of Honduras.
3. Christ of the Picacho
As you know, we missed Christ of the Picacho weeks earlier. But no trip to Tegucigalpa is complete without visiting this famous landmark. Christ of the Picacho is located inside a beautiful park. You can locate the Christ by following the signs. For parking, it was 35L and to see the Christ, it is an additional 10L. The Christ is located on top of a hill that overlooks the city. The view from is just breathtaking.
4. Santa Lucia
On the same trip to see the Christ, we visited Santa Lucia and Valle de Angeles. Santa Lucia is such a charming town and is known to be the most romantic city in Honduras. The cobblestone and buildings reminded me a little bit of Spain. There is also a lovely lake in the middle of the city. We had lunch at one of the nearby restaurants that overlooked the lake.
5. Valle de Angeles
We ended our tour in Valle de Angeles, a mining town. When we arrived in Valle de Angeles, it was vibrant. There was a fair happening with live performances, crowds, and great food. We walked around admiring all the vendors and spent some time enjoying the show.
Shopping
1. Multiplaza
The Multiplaza is located across from the Intercontinental Hotel. This mall is about three stories high and you can find about everything that you need here.
Nightlife
1. The Pub by Beer Box
When one of the guys said that we were going to the Pub, we assumed that we would be throwing back a pint of Guinness, instead, we were surrounded by great music, people dancing and drinking. This place had great vibes but had limited seating. We found a table right by the DJ and danced and drank the night away.
2. Daquaris Bar
→ 3Q77+5C5, Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, Honduras
This place serves frozen blended drinks like the ones famous in Las Vegas. They also have assorted board games that you can play with your crew.
Where to Eat (Must Try)
Here is a list of my favorite restaurants starting with my most high-ranked eateries.
Lunch:
El Rincon de las Sopas
→ 4R26+9HF, Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, Honduras
This is a fantastic soup place. The restaurant is small and there is usually a line out the door on the weekends. Coming here feels like you had a great home-cooked meal. A must-try!
Dinners:
La Cumbre
→ Restaurante La Cumbre, 11101 El Hatillo, Francisco Morazán, Honduras
This is a high-end restaurant located on a hill. It is difficult to get to but the views are just phenomenal. My team and I came out here for Thanksgiving and it was just everything that we wanted and needed. Reservations required. Service and food was excellent. La Cumbre is similar to that of a steakhouse.
Siwichi
→ Lote B-03 & B-04, Comercial Los Proceres, Paseo Los Proceres Entre el Bulevar Morazan &, Avenida Los Proceres, 11101 Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, Honduras
This is one of my favorite restaurants while in Honduras. They serve amazing Peruvian food. I always ordered the steak saltaldo. As far as drinks, I highly recommend the passion fruit pisco sour. For non-alcoholic, try their Limonada Hierba Luisa (lemongrass lemonade).
Mc Allister’s Irish Pub
→ Av. José Maria Medina, Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, Honduras
I love a good Irish Pub and this place takes the cake. The walls are covered in Irish city representation. The food was delicious. I had the mince meat pie and I was shockingly surprised how delicious it was. There is also a nice list of beers and liquors. Great place!
Claudio’s Bistro
→ Colonia Castaño Sur, Avenida Los Naranjos, Ramón Ernesto Cruz, 11101 Tegucigalpa, Honduras
This bistro is just very charming. Fake flowers are hanging from the ceilings. It reminds me of local wine bars back at home. This place serves a little bit of everything. I ordered the lasagna here.
Vinalia Vinobar y Bistro
→ Paseo Los Proceres, Paseo Los Próceres Contiguo a Hotel Hyatt Place, Avenida la Paz, 11101 Tegucigalpa, Honduras
This place is a fusion of eclectic flavors. I ultimately come here for their sandwiches and soups. I highly recommend their passion fruit and ginger drink. It is a non-alcoholic drink. I never had anything like it and now, I think about it all the time.
Lena y Fuego
→ Esquina Calzada Uruguay y Avenida República de Ecuador, Colonia San Carlos, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Lena y Fuego serves pizzas and pasta. I love this place for its music and the fact that it can accommodate large parties. They have a large restaurant with outdoor seating.
Usami Japanese Restaurant
→ 3RW6+M8F, Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, Honduras
Usami is a Japanese restaurant that has fantastic deals throughout the week. My team ordered ramen and it came with a side of fried rice. They were shocked to see how large the portions were. I just ordered edamame and chicken teriyaki. Both had great flavor.
Punto y Sal
→ Centro Comercial, Avenida Los Proceres, 11101 Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, Honduras
This is the place to go just to relax and have burgers and wings. Their cocktail drinks are delicious and strong.
Finca La Cantadora
→ Carretera al parque nacional la tigra km 17, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
So you do not come here for the food. The food is subpar. You come here for the views and the raspberry wines. It was my first time trying raspberry wine. It tastes pretty similar to ice wine. It is sweet and bright in color.
Chinchilete
→ Plaza Santa segundo nivel Frente a, Santa Lucía, Honduras
This restaurant is located in Santa Lucia. It is on the 2nd floor and overlooks the lake if sitting outdoors. It is cash only. The food is mediocre but their micheladas are to die for!
Where to Eat (Must Avoid)
Arno Bistro Cafe Francais
→ 3RV9+P2Q, Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, Honduras
Our last meal in Honduras was Arno Bistro. It is a French restaurant but the flavor was lacking. We at outside but the aroma in the restaurant made me feel queasy. I do not recommend it.
Pok Pok at La Galeria
→ La Galería Centro Comercial Lomas del Guijarro Tegucigalpa FMO, 11101, Honduras
I really wanted to like Pok Pok. They serve Thai food and Sushi and I have been craving Thai food. I ordered the edamame which was good and their curry. The curry was not bad but everything else on the menu was a miss. My colleagues ordered the pad thai but it was too sweet. They also ordered the dan dan noodles but what they presented was not dan dan at all. The food was a miss but the ambiance was great.
