Roatan offers a wide variety of interesting adventures, some of which can be self-directed on an individual basis. 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. 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.
Soon after arrival, you will want to explore the island of Roatan. When it comes to exploring, Roatan offers a wide diversity. One could follow the trail of the many pirates and buccaneers who lived in Port Royal in the early 1600s, or visit the local communities to see how they live and sample their delicious food and take pictures from the many viewpoints on the island. Experiencing the mountains, pastures, lush forest and stretches of white sandy beaches is easy. The main road, and several small ones that run through the island, will take you wherever you wish to go - the best way to explore the island is by car, so let us know if you would like us to find a good price for vehicle rentals, and we'll be more than happy to help.
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, makes Roatan and the Bay Islands one of the most desirable diving destinations in the world.
Barefoot Divers is located at Barefoot Cay 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, including adventure dive trips on a 58-foot Hatteras long range crusing yacht. 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. Dive Package rates are listed on the “RATES” page.
Deep water swimming and snorkeling is 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.
There are two air-conditioned, glass-bottom boats that will take you on a tour where you can peer out at the coral reef from seven feet under the water. The Underwater Paradise leaves from Half Moon Bay Cabins at Half Moon Bay, just east of West End . The Coral Reef Explorer operates from West Bay Beach . Barefoot Cay has a clear-bottom boat with electric motor for guest enjoyment.
There are a number of good sailing charters which operate from Roatan. These charter companies offer island-hopping tours, overnight trips, sunset and dinner trips as well as sailing instruction.
Kayaking companies on Roatan offer a different way to experience the beautiful Roatan coastline. From half-day rentals to one, two or six-day tours, sea kayaks offer the most adventurous way to get around to the island's best snorkeling spots. Kayaks are available for guest use at Barefoot Cay.
For years, Anthony's Key Resort has been developing a dolphin program through their Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences located on their property. Trained dolphins perform daily shows of acrobatic leaps and spins. In another beachside enclosure on nearby Baily's Key, the Dolphin Encounter offers the chance for you to wade into the water and play with the dolphins. The Dolphin Swim and Dive are available for those who want a more intimate experience with these intelligent marine mammals.
Through a special arrangement with Anthony’s Key and Gumbalimba Park, Barefoot Cay is able to offer its guests special pricing on the Dolphin Experience and Gumbalimba Park. There is also package pricing for the addition of the Canopy Tour at Gumbalimba.
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.
Through a special arrangement with Anthony’s Key and Gumbalimba Park, Barefoot Cay is able to offer its guests special pricing on the Dolphin Experience and Gumbalimba Park. There is also a package pricing for the addition of the Canopy Tour at Gumbalimba.
Three canopy rides are available on Roatan, one at Gumbalimba Park, one off the Palmetto Road , which is near Barefoot Cay, and the third 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.
Through a special arrangement with Anthony’s Key and Gumbalimba Park, Barrefoot Cay is able to offer its guests special pricing on the Dolphin Experience and Gumbalimba Park. There is also a package pricing for the addition of the Canopy Tour at Gumbalimba.
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 web site 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.
The Garifuna community of Punta Gorda is the only true Garifuna community on Roatan. Punta Gorda was actually the first Garifuna settlement in Central America . The Black Caribs or Garifunas were marooned in Roatan by the British in 1796 and first settled in Punta Gorda. To commemorate their arrival to Roatan, the Garifunas at this community have a carnival every year on the 12th of April. If you happen to be in the Island on this date, it is well worth your while to visit and enjoy the carnival.
Located in the western part of mainland Honduras , Copan is the archeological site where the great Mayan Civilization developed and flourished. The valley was inhabited by the Maya for around two thousand years prior to the year 1200, and the aura of timeless peace fills the air. Guides are available to explain the ruins.
