The largest, most modern Honduran port city on the Caribbean, Puerto Cortes handles more than half of the country's export shipping trade. (Most of the country's bananas and other crops are shipped from this port.) For some cruise ships, the port is the jumping-off point for shore excursions to the Copan ruins, which are about 110 mi/175 km inland.
Located about 15 mi/24 km to the southwest, Omoa is a somnolent Caribbean village and home to Fuerte San Fernando de Omoa, an imposing 18th-century fortress built by the Spanish to protect the coast of Honduras from marauding pirates and Indians. There is also a museum documenting local history and the fort's construction. Omoa has some good seafood restaurants and rustic hotels catering to backpackers and budget travelers.
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