The La Mosquitia area along the northeastern coast of Honduras, 175 mi/280 km northeast of Tegucigalpa, is everybody's vision of jungle: heavily forested, swampy and remote, with few roads. It's the largest continuous rain forest in Central America. Isolated groups of tribespeople—the Miskito (for whom the region is named), the Pech and the Tawahka—still live in the area and have retained their distinct cultures. The forests support many species of wildlife, especially birds: herons, parrots and egrets. Caiman are present in the rivers.
Although some travelers go to Raista and Belen, Brus Laguna or Puerto Lempira on their own, most people go to La Mosquitia with a tour company. Travel is by dugout canoe, bush plane, pack animals or four-wheel-drive vehicle. There are several areas that tours frequently visit. The Tawahka Anthropological Reserve gives you a chance to visit the Tawahkas and see their vulture dance. The Rio Platano region is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. And Patuca National Park is a more primitive area that opened only after the Nicaraguan Contras who were based there disbanded.
Plan on a long visit if you go to La Mosquitia—seven days minimum—and expect a lot of rain. Conditions for travel are worst during November and December. Drug trafficking is a major concern in the region, though tourists are rarely affected.
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