Overview
Celaque National Park is a mountainous jungle region in the western highlands of Honduras. The park is the site of Cerro de las Minas, the highest mountain in Honduras with an elevation of 2870 meters. The park is a popular destination for naturalists and extreme sports due to its spectacular landscapes that include dense jungles, towering mountain peaks, and roaring waterfalls. Birdwatchers can find more than 300 species of migrant and native birds.
Understand
History Celaque, officially Parque Nacional Montaña de Celaque, was established as a national park in 1987. In 2015, the park and thousands of hectares of nearby wilderness were declared part of a new UNESCO Biosphere Reserve called Cacique Lempira, Senor de las Montanas.
The park covers an area of more than 260 square kilometers, most of it steep mountainous terrain that includes the highest mountain in Honduras, Cerro las Minas (with an elevation of 2870 meters). The park is a rainforest with wet conditions, particularly at the higher elevations, which receive 2,400 mm of precipitation in a typical year. Nine rivers run through the park, several with areas of rushing white water, and some with spectacular waterfalls. Celaque Falls (Cascada de Celaque) is located close to the park entrance, but other waterfalls that reward the avid hiker are San Juan Waterfall, El Estado Waterfall, and El Cielo Waterfall.
A number of colorful tropical birds can be seen in the park, and Birdwatching is an excellent way to explore the park's varied landscapes and spot various flora and fauna. The park is home to more than 300 bird species. Birdwatchers might spot Red-lored Parrots, White-collared Manakins, and Black-headed Saltators, among many others.
Celaque is home to numerous mammals, reptiles, and amphibians including pumas, monkeys, and ocelots. The park is home to a lungless salamander, Bolitoglossa celaque, an endangered salamander that is endemic to the park, found only in the mountains of Celaque.
Get in
By moto-taxi From the town of Gracias, take a tuk-tuk (moto-taxi) to the park visitor center.
By bus There is not a single, direct bus to Celaque, but it's still pretty easy to get to the park without driving a car.
From Tegucigalpa, take the Transportes Congolón bus from the main bus station to Santa Rosa de Copán. Once you arrive in Santa Rosa de Copan, there are combis from the bus station to the park that leave whenever enough passengers are ready to go to make it worth the driver's time and expense. (You could also take a taxi to the park: it's about a 30-minute ride).
See
Waterfalls Cascada de Celaque Cascada San Juan Cascada El Estado Waterfall Cascada El Cielo
Caves Cueva de los Murcielagos Cueva de los Indios Cueva del Tigres
Do
Hiking: the park has marked, well cleared trails for hikers of all skill levels, from easy, flat, short trails to long trails through challengine terrain. Hiking is the best way to get into the park's backcountry and see its many types of terrain.
Birdwatching: Bring the binoculars because you'll find birds everywhere, including colorful tropical birds like parrots, toucans, and maybe even a quetzal.
Caving: several caves are scattered throughout the park, some quite deep and risky to explore without a knowledgable local guide. The Cueva de los Murcielagos has a large bat population and you can sit near the cave entrance at sunset and watch the bat population fly out in their nightly ritual to eat as many flying insects as they can consume. Other caves in the park are Cueva de los Indios (which has some cool petroglyphs) and Cueva del Tigres (which has an underground river).
Thermal springs: Honduras lies within a geologically active area that includes volcanoes. There's no active volcano in the park but there are several springs where hot mineral water flows to the surface, creating pools that can be soothing places to rest, soak, and enjoy the health benefits of a natural mineral bath. El Estado is a hot spring near the park entrance, while other hot springs include San Juan and El Cielo.
White water rafting: Tour operators in towns near the park sometimes offer whitewater rafting trips on some of the larger rivers in the park.
Buy
There are no stores in the park. Buy what you need ahead of time and remember to pack out anything that you bring in.
Eat
There are no restaurants in the park. Bring anything you plan to eat, but take your trash out with you (leave no trace).
Drink
Water is available at the park entrance and at the 3 campgrounds, but most foreign travelers do not trust local tap water. Bottled water is safer and can help you avoid an incident of uncomfortable diarrhea. Experienced outdoors enthusiasts often have other solutions such as micro-fine filtration, chemical sanitizers, or boiling the water to kill microorganisms.
Sleep
Lodging The closest town with hotel rooms available is Gracias (about 9 km from the park). There are also a couple of small, independent lodges within the park. Villa de Ada has rooms in the main lodge and also rents cabanas (which might be better for a family traveling together).
Camping The park has 3 designated camping areas, each with water, shelters, and toilets.
Make Celaque National Park your own.
Before committing, pick one main reason for this visit and two nearby experiences that support it. Check the guide’s transport sections against current operator information. A convenient base can save more time than adding another attraction.
- Choose your arrival point and one base. Write down the real transfer time, not just the map distance.
- Build a first-day plan with room to settle in. Cluster the places you want to see rather than crossing the city repeatedly.
- Use actual accommodation and transport quotes in your budget. Add fees to the quote before comparing it.
- Keep one uncommitted block. Weather, energy and a good local recommendation can all change your plan.
Source transparency
This guide adapts licensed text by Wikivoyage contributors. It is not a claim that Lakhou has visited or independently verified every listing. We converted the source to plain text, selected practical sections and removed price sentences and private contact information. The planning framework and any related-business booking recommendations above are Lakhou editorial additions.
Original revision 5290590 · Contributor history · CC BY-SA 4.0. Reused text and adaptations on this page are available under that license. Source revision date: 2026-06-11. This is not a date of field verification.
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