Lake Yojoa (October 4 - 8, 2023)
Written before we left:
We made arrangements to come to Lake Yojoa for a 5 day/ 4 night adventure. We are staying at the recommended D&D Brewery Lodge and Restaurant. Not only do they have inexpensive lodging and freshly brewed beer, they also are the center of things to do at Lake Yojoa with many guided services and lots of ways to make a stay enjoyable. With 4 days, we had the following list:
-
Hike or guided
tour to Pulhapanzak Waterfall
-
Guided birding
tour
-
Kayak & swim
on the lake
-
Drink a free beer
(perk of being a volunteer)
-
Coffee tour
-
Meet some
interesting people
-
Couples massage
(with Allen)
We were able to
take the NPH bus into Tegucigalpa and arranged private transport through
D&D for the rest of the trip (3.5 hrs each way) which cost more than we are
used to paying ($160 each way), but was worth it for the peace of mind.
Written Sunday after return:
Here is what actually happened: The transport on Wednesday to Lake Yojoa went off pretty much without a hitch. Two other volunteers (Iris and Sanne) came with us to share in the fun. We had arranged to meet with our driver at the Intercontinental Hotel in Tegucigalpa at 2PM, but were about a half hour late due to the difficulty in getting an Uber at the location we chose to get off from the employee bus. No worries, the driver waited patiently and had a very large van for the four of us! We were able to stretch out on the drive and even lay down for a bit. We asked the driver about places to eat and he took us to a beautiful scenic restaurant.The only downside was the mosquitos as we were there at dusk and they were looking for fresh blood!
It was only
another half hour after dinner to D&Ds where we got our lodging, had a
drink around their fire pit, and retired for the night. Our room was pretty
basic with a comfortable bed, fan, single bench, and shared bathroom. It was
clean and private and only $22 per night. Sanne and Iris were able to get a
private room that night also, but had bunks in the dorm room for the rest of
the stay.
One of the first
things on our list was the Pulhapanzak Waterfall so Thursday we took a bus that
goes most of the way and started walking the last mile or so. We shortly got a
ride in the back of a pickup that was
heading there. We spent the day enjoying the falls and surroundings. Allen and
Sanne went on the zip line and Allen got some great videos of the waterfalls
from zip line above. All of us joined the other visitors swimming in the river
upstream of the falls.
We stayed quite long and were a bit worried about catching a bus back, but did not have to wait long for a return bus. We had dinner at D&D and met Claudia, a traveler from Spain who we spent a lot of time with afterwards. D&Ds is a hostel as well as restaurant so the clientele are very friendly (as are the staff) and it is easy to meet others. It is also easy to meet others whenever Sanne is with us as she is very outgoing and quickly picks up new friends. Iris is also a natural friend-maker and much better at speaking Spanish than us, so very helpful and fun to have along. Not to mention that both girls are generally interested in the same adventures that we are!
On Friday the five of us rented kayaks in the nearby town and paddled about a mile down a canal to the lake. It was a hot sunny day so we paddled close to shore and enjoyed shade under the large beautiful Ceiba trees. We saw other paddlers and boaters, birds, bats roosting on a cliff rock, and some young men jumping off a cliff into the water. Allen and “the girls” went swimming for a bit, but I headed back to read and relax. Allen got back in time for his 4PM massage – we had decided not to do the couples’ massage as it looked like it was only offered in the morning.
Saturday morning Allen, Sanne, and I went birdwatching in the morning starting at 6AM. It is amazing how different the canal and lake are in the early morning compared to our afternoon in the kayaks. The water was calm and the peace and quiet were conducive to hearing and spotting the birds. We were in a small rowboat and our guide managed to keep us moving, afloat, and entertained for the 4-hour tour.
Afterwards we explored the Parque Los Naranjos which has early ruins, many trails, a boardwalk, and a museum. It is a large park and we discovered afterwards that if you walk from one entrance to the other, you are in a different town with a long walk back to D&D. We got snacks and were getting ready to go back through the park when a local gentleman who knew English struck up a conversation. He informed us of a better option back: catch a tuk tuk or taxi to a chocolate store next to the canal, then just wave to get ferried across the canal – with a cost of ~$2 each! We followed his advice and made our way back to D&Ds after tasting the fresh hot chocolate and with some extra purchases.
A few notes about D&D – It is a setting in the heavy foliage of the native flora with paths in and around the grounds. There are various buildings (lodging, dorm, cabins) scattered around the central area which is the check-in, bar and restaurant. D&D has a brewery and we had samples of different beers. They also have a variety of good dinner options and great breakfasts. As noted before, it was a great place to meet other people. In addition to Claudia who we spent a lot of time with, we shared meals with Leonardo who lives in Tegucigalpa and was vacationing at D&D. Daniel, the D&D manager, was super friendly and visited with us on a regular basis asking if we needed anything and helping us figure out what to do and how to get around. Both Daniel and Leonardo spoke English well (in addition to Claudia) so this was not an adventure that challenged our Spanish speaking skills 😊
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