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.

"Cuero y Salado" Wild Life Refuge, a national park with dry and rainy canals is where you can appreciate wild animals and exotic birds, confused in the vegetation. If you're lucky you'll see beautiful manatees, endangered species found here a safe place to live.

La Ceiba´s beaches are another point of interest in the city, they border all the north part of it. A few minutes off city limits you'll find Peru and El Porvenir which are wonderful beaches, also you´ll find Corozal and Sambo Creek that are Garifuna villages that conserve their language and Afro Caribbean culture.

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.