Is Roatan Safe?

Jet ski in West Bay on Roatan Island
Jet ski in West Bay on Roatan Island

Is Roatan Safe?

There are some scary headlines out there about Honduras, but when wondering if Roatan Honduras is safe, you have to differentiate between the mainland and the island of Roatan.

Roatan is one of the bay islands off the coast of the mainland Honduras that attracts visitors from all around the world for its beautiful beaches and gigantic coral reef that provides some of the best snorkeling and SCUBA on earth!

Yes, Roatan is part of Honduras, but it is significantly different.

Crime in Honduras

Honduras is a beautiful country with a lot of phenomenal people, but it has significant ongoing problems with crime.

Unfortunately, the crime on the mainland even extends to international visitors and safety precautions have to be taken when visiting. At various times Honduras has been dubbed the “Murder Capital of the World.” 

With such an awful moniker you can understand why people would hesitate ahead of planning a trip to Roatan wondering, “is Roatan safe to travel to?” You can’t help but wonder if the difficulties extend out to the island. 

The short answer is that the island of Roatan is way safer than the mainland and a place you should likely feel comfortable visiting.

I traveled there as a solo female traveler and felt totally safe, which I would not be willing to say about the mainland, no matter how many friendly and amazing Hondurans I’ve met.

To Help Alleviate Stress Read Reviews

If you want to get a quick idea of how other people have felt just read reviews on tripadvisor.com while searching for the key word safety, and then to the same thing with the mainland cities of Honduras. Unfortunately, that alone will highlight the difference.

Beware of How You Get To The Island

There are a few different ways that you can get to the island of Roatan. There are ferries that go from the mainland, but the process of getting from the airport to the ferry terminals can be nerve-racking for a number of visitors. You can help offset risk by booking a quality transportation company, but the easiest way is just to bypass the island altogether. 

Cruise Stop On The Island

Most visitors to Roatan arrive by cruise ship. If you are worried about getting off of the boat you shouldn’t! The cruise companies have gone to great lengths to offset and criminal risk. They’ve even built their own beaches, restaurants, bars, and excursions.

Plenty of Security Guards

To help ensure safety you will see numerous security guards positioned all around the island. They are friendly and not carrying gigantic guns!

Fly To The Island Instead

The island of Roatan has its own international airport with regular flights from the mainland. If you are interested in spending more than a day on a cruise pit stop you should fly directly into the island!

Conclusion: Is Roatan Honduras Safe?

Every places carries some risk, but aside from petty crime the island of Roatan does not share the burden that mainland Honduras does.

Just as there are parts of the United States that you don’t want to be late at night while there are others that are fine, the same is true of Honduras with the island of Roatan generally being one of the safest!

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Hey there! I'm Claire, the founder of avenlylane.com & avenlylanetravel.com. While spending 4 years completely bedridden and miserable from an unexpected illness I decided to begin writing about my past travel adventures and now the rest is history. Thank you so much for visiting the website. I hope you enjoy it!

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