Honduras is a land of sugarcane and spices, mysterious pre-Columbian ruins, beaches to-die-for, thick, thick jungles and tweeting tropical birds so bright they seem almost fantastical. In the last century the nation has been a banana republic, ravaged by hurricanes, descended into bloody cross-border wars, made a de facto hub of American interventionism against the Communist militias of Mesoamerica, and endured astronomical murder and crime rates. Thankfully, the signs are that the tumult is all but over, and as Honduras emerges back from the shadows, so too do its wonders. Expect to find wild pumas and the carapaces of armadillos in La Tigra National Park. There are ziplines and white water rafting amidst the misty mountain courses of the Rio Cangrejal and unparalleled diving encounters lurking in the Bay Island reefs. Roatan Island and Tela crack out the pearly Carib beaches, while Honduras tour guides happily recommend Creole-Arawak-Spanish eateries that serve healthy broths of legumes and chilli. San Pedro Sula, meanwhile, beats to salsa in the evenings, and the capital of Tegucigalpa showcases interesting museums that help make sense of the otherworldly ruins at Mayan Copan in the east.