Roatan offers a wide variety of adventures, from ziplining to swimming with dolphins, horsebackriding to sunset sails, there's something to appeal to everyone. Reservations are suggested for some of the organized venues and the staff at Barefoot Cay will be pleased to assist with your planning and scheduling. Click here for an A-Z guide of activities around Roatan, including pricing information. Some of the activities can be charged on your Barefoot Cay lodging bill or can be paid in advance by transfer of funds to the Barefoot Cay U.S. bank account. Below are a few of the great activities available right at Barefoot Cay.
Deep Sea Fishing
Head out on our fishing boat Chalupa for a full or 1/2 day of fun. Deep sea fishing charters are available any day of the week at the time of your choosing (early starts are usually best to get a few bites). Charter trips are for up to four people. Bait, tackle, and rods provided. Our experienced captain Tex has a winning combination of skill and luck. Fish for wahoo, tuna, mahi mahi, barricuda and more. Catch a big one? Take it to the resort kitchen and have the staff prepare it for you! 1/2 day fishing- $450 Full day fishing- $750
Diving and Snorkeling
Diving and the treasures to be found below the surface of the clear blue Caribbean Sea have been Roatan's main attraction for a long time. Caves and crevices, thousand-foot walls, wrecks, an airplane, abundant sea life, dolphins, sharks, whale sharks and the largest number of sponges in the Caribbean, make Roatan and the Bay Islands one of the most desirable diving destinations in the world.
Barefoot Divers is a PADI Certified 5-Star Dive Resort located at Barefoot Cay Resort and offers guests good accessibility to Roatan's premiere dive and snorkel sites. Barefoot Divers offers a full range of diving and training experiences and will take guests for dive trips to any of the superb dive sites surrounding Roatan or those bordering the other Bay Islands. Dive gear can be rented and all levels of instruction are available from Discover Scuba to Dive Master. Open Water Diver Certification can be completed in less than a week and all advanced PADI courses and dives are available. For information about dive sites, classes, and other underwater experiences, visit our "designed for divers" website at www.BarefootDiversRoatan.com.
Deep water swimming and snorkeling are right in Barefoot Cay's “front yard”. The 260' dock leads to a 30' octagonal thatched palapa that has hammocks, Adirondack chairs, snorkel equipment and a landing for kayaks. The sea off the palapa is approximately 13 feet deep and nearby there are two sunken boats that are becoming habitat for the many varieties of fish that surround Barefoot Cay. The reef in this protected area inside the breaking waves has an incredible amount of sea-life.
The reef in front of Barefoot Cay features a wall that can be enjoyed either by Scuba or by snorkeling. Roatan's most famous dive site, Mary's Place, is just outside the reef at Barefoot Cay. Mary's Place encompasses a vast crevice in the reef wall and has breathtaking caverns to explore. John's Spot, another of Roatan's most popular dive sites, is also right at the reef at Barefoot Cay.
Roatan has beautiful beaches. The beaches from Sandy Bay to West Bay are excellent, with numerous places to stop and relax or have a refreshing island cocktail. Our longest and most deserted beach, Camp Bay, is located on the east end of the island. There is almost nothing to buy there, so you might consider your trip to Camp Bay a picnic, and take food and drink with you. Another choice is Palmetto Point, on the northern side of the island - the long beach is semi-deserted and offers a white sandy beach. West Bay Beach is a long, deep beach with excellent snorkeling. Since this is Roatan’s most popular beach with hotels and condominiums, it may be crowded. Barefoot Cay's entire south shore is a shallow-water sand beach.
Spa
A full range of decadent spa services are available right at the resort. Or, for the ultimate in relaxation, ask guest services about arranging for a massage right in the privacy of your room. For more information and pricing on spa services, see the spa page.
Sea Kayaks
Single and double sea kayaks are available at no additional fee for our resort guests. The protected waters of the channel running from Brick Bay to French Harbour are ideal for exploring by kayak, paddling between the small cays that are scattered along this area. Take along your mask and fins and hop in for a snorkel to cool off.
Yoga
The peaceful surroundings of the cay are the ideal setting for yoga and meditation. One-on-one and group instructions can be arranged, either out at the palapa, surrounded by the Caribbean, or on your porch or balcony. The resort is also perfect for yoga groups planning a yoga retreat.
Gumbalimba Park, located between West End and West Bay, is nature’s wonderland. You can play with monkeys and parrots, tour the history of the island, ride a zip-line through the jungle canopy, explore the wildlife while breathing underwater, take a horseback ride, kayak the picturesque reef, eat at a fine restaurant, or just hang out in a hammock or lounge chair on the beach!
* Animal preserve with jump-on-your-shoulders monkeys, free-flying exotic birds, friendly turkeys, iguanas and other exotic animals.
* Botanical gardens with over 200 colorful plant and tree species, numerous waterfalls and fountains, with a picturesque hanging bridge over the pond.
* Peaceful sandy beach with lounge chairs situated for the sun lovers and hammocks hung among the trees for shade lovers. Showers and bathrooms
* "Coxen's Cave" history tour and pirate's cave, with artwork and history painted on the cave walls, life-size pirates, treasure, weapons and maps.
* Restaurant with lobster buffet located on the beach. Excellent local shopping and authentic Honduran cooking.
* Convenient water activities cabana offering snorkeling, SNUBA, & kayaking.
For more information, please visit the Gumbalimba Park web site, www.Gumbalimbapark.com.
There are several canopy rides are available on Roatan, including one at Gumbalimba Park near West Bay, and Pirate's of the Caribbean, farther east just off Roatan’s main road. Take a ride high above the trees for breathtaking views of the sea, white sandy beaches and unspoiled jungle. Guests are provided with all necessary equipment, including heavy gloves, for a glide through treetops, landing on various different platforms in the canopy.
See beautiful Roatan from Bay Island Airways' unique twin engine, two passenger open-cockpit seaplane. From a 15 minute aerial tour to full-island tour or an escape to the Pigeon Keys at the east end of Roatan, this low and slow flying experience will be a thrill, as well as an opportunity for superb photography. This is a spectacular way to appreciate Roatan’s unique reef system, which is the second-largest in the world. Bay Island Airways will land at the dock of Barefoot Cay to take you on your adventure. Our staff will make all the arrangements. For more information visit the Bay Island Airways website www.bayislandairways.com.
If you're going to dive, go to the bottom. The world's deepest tourist submarine is the newest addition to Roatan's list of top adventures to pursue while on the islands. You will find the submarine at Half Moon Bay Cabins in West End.
There are a number of options for fishermen on Roatan. There are several deep sea trolling or bottom fishing charter operators, where you can go after barracuda, tuna, Wahoo, Dorado and other species. More-and-more popular on the Bay Islands is fly-fishing for bonefish. This activity has been little exploited on the island, so the bone fishing can be great. These fish can be caught from shore or out on the flats just inside of the reef.
The gardens provide a relaxing stroll through a diverse collection of flowering plants, ferns, spices, fruit trees, hardwood trees and orchids. Apart from the small, well-tended garden, trails lead up the pretty valley through the arid tropical forest, past the iguana wall, where iguanas and parrots breed, and up to the top of Carambola Mountain, where you can soak in the gorgeous colors of the coral reefs below and see all the way out to the island of Utila.
The owner of this quirky attraction has spent years protecting and raising the over-hunted green iguanas that laze about in the trees around his house in French Key, east of French Harbour. This out of the way site may not seem like much until the owners throw out a pile of vegetable leftovers on their driveway. Then suddenly dozens of iguanas descend from the trees to fight over the scraps. The farm has a number of the big, red males that are so rarely seen anymore. Then walk down to the dock platform and watch the tarpon.
There are a number of places that offer great horseback riding. You have the option of riding up into the hills, or riding along the sand and into the azure water of some of the island's best beaches.