Is the Butterfly Gardens within walking distance of the port?

[IPlayWithString]

Trying to figure out if the Roatan Butterfly Gardens are in walking distance of the port. I read somewhere that there are also minibusses that run throughout the city which are free, but when I checked what I assume was the official website, I couldn't tell if they were free or not.

[crewsweeper]

If you're on a Carnival ship the answer is NO. You're not in walking distance of anything except the taxis out side the port gates. Mini buses do run along the main road. No set time but there are stops. They are not free. You are not in the city of Coxen Hole on Carnival, you are in Mahogany Bay cruise center, which is about 3 miles past the airport.

 

This link will give you some details and information on the routes.

 

http://www.roatanisland.net/cruiseship.htm

Edited May 22, 2015 by crewsweeper

[IPlayWithString]

No offense but I found the website kind of...hard to read and I guess I was getting a bit confused because I wasn't able to tell if there is somewhere to change your money in the Mahogany Bay cruise terminal to lempiras if you want to take a minibus.

[crewsweeper]

Best place to change money is on the ship at guest services.

 

As most places cruisers go, and transportation vendors commonly used, including private guides and taxis, will accept US$. most cruisers have no need to exchange currency in any port of call. You can look at the listing of retail vendors on the mahogany Bay Cruise Center website, http://www.mahoganybaycc.com/. Assuming you can either zoom up the picture or your webbrowser's page.

 

But here's the thing to consider...getting to a mini bus stop. It's probably close to a mile walk from the cruise center gates to the main road and then a short distance down. To get to the Butterfly Garden, which is in West End, you'll need to take the minibus from the road near Mahogany Bay to Coxen Hole and then change to another mini bus to get to the West End. I believe the route between French harbor and Coxen Hole that goes past Mahogany Bay is Route (RUTA) 3.

 

The site I originally posted offered the following information on catching a minibus in Coxen Hole and where to exchange $ for lempiras in Coxen Hole.

 

Mini Buses and Taxis Update January 2014

There is a mini bus system (routes 1, 2, and 3) that operates daily from Coxen Hole to various locations throughout the island. Look for the small dark blue, red, or white mini vans. The mini buses stop by waving at them. You can get the mini bus from the center of Coxen Hole at a staging area next the Super Mercado (Municipal Market). To get to the Mercado, turn right at the port gates and walk about a quarter mile. Turn left before Warrens grocery (see the picture above where taxi 211 is located) store opposite the Hotel Coral and pass the Hotel Plaza Santa Maria on the right. The minibus Ruta Dos "2" to West End begins from outside the market on the right and runs every 10 minutes or so. The fare is 40 lempiras each and you pay when you leave the minibus. HSBC (just past Elodons grocery store) in town will exchange USD. Some mini bus drivers will accept US dollars but you must ask if they will accept them and how much for your destination. Alternatively, why not go into the market and buy some snack food such as plantain chips or a water bottle and pay in dollars and you will get lempiras in change. Use 5 dollars and you will have plenty of lempiras for the bus. This is a short walk from the Roatan cruise ship dock. You have to pay in lempiras! The Ruta 2 bus will take you via the side streets in Coxen Hole to the main road and the short trip to West End.

All-in all, I think you might be better off, hiring a guide for the day. Rony's Tours or Victor Bodden Tours will both take you around the island. Information on how to contact either of them is on several threads on this board.

[IPlayWithString]

So basically you're saying (I guess) is that there is NOTHING worth doing if I get off the ship unless I want to spend a lot of money on busses or taxis. :(

 

Well...better to know that now than when we get there, I suppose.

[evandbob]

Crewsweeper, are there two butterfly sanctuaries on Roatan? We went to one 2 weeks ago that was up and behind Eldon's. There were hummingbirds in the butterfly enclosure as well as deer, goats, macaws, and various monkeys in other enclosures.

[evandbob]

So basically you're saying (I guess) is that there is NOTHING worth doing if I get off the ship unless I want to spend a lot of money on busses or taxis. :(

 

Well...better to know that now than when we get there, I suppose.

 

IMO, there's nothing worth doing in Mahogany Bay, so it's best to go on a tour, which I didn't find all that expensive.

 

BTW, the exchange rate is 22 lempiras to a USD, so each lempira is just less than anickel.

[Guest 2000]

The mini bus may cost you a total of $4 from Mahogany Bay to West End

 

BUT

 

The mini bus system makes no sense from a cruise ship perspective due to time. The bus stop anywhere someone flags them, so express is not what you will encounter. Back in the day when the only market was in French Harbor, getting from West Bay to French Harbor for supplies was an all day affair. speed is not what mini bus do. :0)

 

Mahogany Bay has a free beach, I believe there is a zip line and all kinds of shopping.

 

http://www.mahoganybaycc.com/

 

 

Hmm Maybe the butterfly garden moved, it was just outside of West End for ages.

 

No need to change money, everyone on the island is more than happy to take US

Edited May 22, 2015 by Guest 2000

[crewsweeper]

Crewsweeper, are there two butterfly sanctuaries on Roatan? We went to one 2 weeks ago that was up and behind Eldon's. There were hummingbirds in the butterfly enclosure as well as deer, goats, macaws, and various monkeys in other enclosures.

 

 

Eldon's in Coxen Hole? Wonder if that's a different/newer one?

[evandbob]

Eldon's in Coxen Hole? Wonder if that's a different/newer one?

 

Probably 2 different locations, possibly affiliated? It was about a 5 minute drive past Eldon's in Coxen Hole, up a paved road before we turned onto a few dirt roads to get there......we went with Garcia Adventures, it was our 1st stop of the day.

 

To Guest 2000: if you like man made beaches, and I don't, or penned fenced in shopping corrals, and I don't, then Mahogany Bay might be okay for you.

 

The $$$ collected here in Mahogany mainly go right back to Carnival, and very little is left for islanders. All the locals I spoke to in my 14 days on Roatan said Mahogany Bay is a drain on the island and wished it would just go away. I happen to concur with them.

 

Mahogany Bay wasn't built when I first came to Roatan in 2003. In fact it wasn't even Coral Cay yet. At least in that incarnation, the site contributed to Roatan's economy.

[Guest 2000]

Probably 2 different locations, possibly affiliated? It was about a 5 minute drive past Eldon's in Coxen Hole, up a paved road before we turned onto a few dirt roads to get there......we went with Garcia Adventures, it was our 1st stop of the day.

 

To Guest 2000: if you like man made beaches, and I don't, or penned fenced in shopping corrals, and I don't, then Mahogany Bay might be okay for you.

 

The $$$ collected here in Mahogany mainly go right back to Carnival, and very little is left for islanders. All the locals I spoke to in my 14 days on Roatan said Mahogany Bay is a drain on the island and wished it would just go away. I happen to concur with them.

 

Mahogany Bay wasn't built when I first came to Roatan in 2003. In fact it wasn't even Coral Cay yet. At least in that incarnation, the site contributed to Roatan's economy.

 

I completely understand your views, yet the OP was asking for something inexpensive to do..so I offered info about the port the ship was docking.

 

My first land vacation on the island was in 2000, there were no cruise ships in the ten days I was there. I have been down almost annually since, staying up to three months. :0)

[IPlayWithString]

Man made beaches are better than no beaches at all.:D

[gkkapp]

We were there in April and did an all day tour with Channin Bodden (Victor is his cousin, I believe). When I set up the tour I told him what I wanted to do and he arranged everything. There were 8 of us total.

 

You could contact him at:channin@channinboddentours.com and I'm sure you could arrange with him to be taken to the Butterfly Gardens. You may want to include an island tour as well. He was great and we all learned so much from him. At the end we felt like we were part of his family. To the basic tour I added a visited with the monkeys and a stop at the botanical gardens, both very nice.

 

<<<Karen>>>

[evandbob]

Man made beaches are better than no beaches at all.:D

 

Your statement makes perfect sense when the only option is a man made beach.

 

However, that is not the case on Roatan, as there are several natural beaches in all their Caribbean glory on this isle. West Bay Beach, which includes Tabyana, was recently cited as a top ten beach in the WORLD.

[crewsweeper]

Your statement makes perfect sense when the only option is a man made beach.

 

However, that is not the case on Roatan, as there are several natural beaches in all their Caribbean glory on this isle. West Bay Beach, which includes Tabyana, was recently cited as a top ten beach in the WORLD.

While I agree with you, remember than Roatan stops often come as the last or next to the last port stop on a cruise and the attraction to a ready made walk-to beach without hassling for a taxi (which can be hard to get a return ride) or booking an excursion, it appealing to money conscious travelers, especially larger families. Personally, I'd rather spend less in say Cozumel or even skip a nice boat snorkel in Belize to enjoy the West Bay, West End or Sandy Bay beaches. But I'm not everyone.

[Guest 2000]

Your statement makes perfect sense when the only option is a man made beach.

 

However, that is not the case on Roatan, as there are several natural beaches in all their Caribbean glory on this isle. West Bay Beach, which includes Tabyana, was recently cited as a top ten beach in the WORLD.

 

 

 

Communication is a challenge on the best of days.

 

The OP was looking for something inexpensive, didn't sound they wanted to pay for transport. From my perspective when the OP says man made is better than none it meant he was willing to stay at Mahogany Bay because the beach was better than no beach due to not wanting to pay for transport.

 

I understand those saying they would rather any beach other than Mahogany BUT that is no reason to suggest other peoples choices are poor.

 

People need to accept and respect each others choices.

 

While I agree West Bay Beach, where Tabyana is, is a lovely beach..one need to take in to consideration who, what and why is was put in a worlds best list. Lists are subjective.

 

One other thing I would like to point out, there are those who believe West Bay Beach has an element of man made, from what I understand heaps of mangrove were taken out.

[IPlayWithString]

My main concern is that we don't want to pay for an excursion through the ship if we don't have to and I'm worried that we wouldn't be able to get a taxi or whatever back in time to get back on the ship in a timely manner.

 

So if there is a man made beach right there within a short walk of the cruise port? It's pretty much a done deal. Man made or natural, a beach is a beach to me.

[Guest 2000]

My main concern is that we don't want to pay for an excursion through the ship if we don't have to and I'm worried that we wouldn't be able to get a taxi or whatever back in time to get back on the ship in a timely manner.

 

So if there is a man made beach right there within a short walk of the cruise port? It's pretty much a done deal. Man made or natural, a beach is a beach to me.

 

If in fact those are your only concerns AND you wish to experience West Bay, we can sort your worries. There is no need to take a ship excursion, both Victor Bodden and Rony's tours understand time. For that matter you can tell them what time you want to be back at the ship, presto bingo it is done.

 

BUT

 

If cost is a worry and if sea and sand it all you need Mahogany will fit the bill.

[johnnywas]

I would give Blue Harbor Tropical Arboretum a go, never been to the butterfly gardens but this place is the second highest rated attraction in Roatan on Trip Advisor and is amazing:

http://blueharbortropicalarboretum.com/