Tela Travel Guide

Introduction

By 2010, you probably won't be able to recognize Tela, a beachside town 87km (54 miles) east of San Pedro Sula. A major government tourism initiative, with help from the World Bank, is sure to turn Tela Bay into one of the most important beach destinations in Central America. Rumors have it that within a couple of years there will be several four- and five-star megaresorts, an 18-hole designer golf course, and a marina operating in the area. Controversy has been swirling around the project, though, as opposition groups are claiming that a Cancun-like resort would completely wipe out the already fragile ecosystem at the city's Laguna de los Micos and do little for the Garífuna communities there. These groups may have run out of luck, though. Ground has already been broken for one of the resorts, roads are now being expanded, and 20 new bilingual tourist police have already been trained and hired.

The conquistador Cristobal de Olid founded this city on May 3, 1524, the day...