Honduras » Tegucigalpa

Unlike most Honduran cities, Tegucigalpa has never been devastated by floods, fires, or earthquakes, so it has never had to rebuild. This makes the city a jumble of old adobe and 1960s-era concrete buildings, with an erratic street pattern.

Located in a mountain valley 1000m above sea level, Tegucigalpa is one of the more pleasurable Central American capitals. The Choluteca River separates Tegucigalpa from its sister city Comayagua, but the two have grown into one metropolitan area, sharing a mayor and many services provided by the local authority.

Local sites include La Leona Park, Los Dolores Church, Morzan Plaza, and the National Museum of Anthropology, the Republic Museum, and the National Palace of Congress.

The city highlights might keep you full of activity for a day or two, but it's worth scheduling a longer stay in the capital in order to venture out into the pine forests and mountain ranges that surround the city. To the east, the colonial mining villages of Santa Lucía and Valle de Angeles, both easily reached by local buses.