Pico Bonito Mountain Biking

The Cangrejal River Valley, located just outside La Ceiba offers the perfect scenario for mountain biking.

An old “Banana Road” that used to connect La Ceiba with Olanchito is still operational between La Ceiba and the town of Yaruca. This is a dirt road with little motor vehicle traffic, winding curves and plenty of ups and downs offer the ideal Pico Bonito mountain biking option. The views of both the mountains as well as of the Cangrejal River rushing towards the Caribbean are stunning.

Tour Begins
The tour begins in the vicinity of El Naranjo, in the Cangrejal River Valley, with motorized transfers up the valley to the town of El Urraco, where you will get on your bike and begin the generally downhill trip back to your starting point. Because the route will be mostly downhill, you do not need to be in great shape to enjoy the trip. On the way down, you will pass by several communities, including Yaruca, Rio Viejo, El Pital, Las Mangas and finally El Naranjo.
Tour Lasts
The Pico Bonito mountain biking tour lasts approximately 5 hours from beginning to end. Depending on who you purchase the tour through, it might include lunch, but as a general rule, it is a good idea to bring some cash, so that you can stop in any of the communities to get a bite, buy a soda or water, or get some energy snack to keep you going.

About ¼ of the way down you will take a detour from the main road to visit “La Colorada”. There you will find some amazing petro glyphs on large rocks near the river bed. These were sculptured centuries ago by some unknown culture that lived in this beautiful valley. If lunch is included, this is probably where you will relax under a large tree and enjoy a picnic, if it is not included, but you have brought some food with you, this is the perfect place to enjoy it!

The two “Atlantida” tour operators that offer this tour are Omega Tours and Jungle River Tours. Omega tours includes lunch and Jungle River does not. The tours typically will begin in their Cangrejal River Valley headquarters. Please call in and reserve the tour in advance, as they need to schedule the guide and the use of their vehicle for the tour.

The Pico Bonito mountain biking tour is a great way to explore small rural communities in Honduras, take in great scenic views of nature, and discover the remnants of an old civilization. Since the road follows the Cangrejal River, you will be actually be biking in both Pico Bonito and Nombre de Dios National Parks.

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