The Cayos Cochinos or Cochinos Cays consist of two small islands (''Cayo Menor'' and ''Cayo Grande'') and 13 smaller coral cays situated northeast of

La Ceiba La Ceiba () is a municipality, the capital of the Honduran department of Atlántida and a port city on the northern coast of Honduras in Central America. It is located on the southern edge of the Caribbean, forming part of the south eastern bo ...

on the northern shores of

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

. Although geographically separate, they belong to the

Bay Islands department The Bay Islands ( es, Islas de la Bahía; ) is a group of islands off the coast of Honduras. Collectively, the islands form one of the 18 departments of Honduras. The departmental capital is Coxen Hole, on the island of Roatán. Geography ...

and are part of

Roatán Roatán () is an island in the Caribbean, about off the northern coast of Honduras. It is located between the islands of Utila and Guanaja, and is the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras. The island was formerly known in English as Ruatan ...

municipality. The population numbered 108 at the 2001

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

. The total land area measures about . The islands are a Marine Protected Area and are managed by the Honduras Coral Reef Foundation. The

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of Colony (biology), colonies of coral polyp (zoology), polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, wh ...

here is part of the world's second largest

system known as the Meso-American Barrier Reef. There is a scientific research station on Cayo Menor, the smaller of the two main islands in the system. National Geographic writes, "The waters around this collection of coral cays are a marine biologist's dream: protected by the government, off-limits to commercial divers and fishermen, and busy with creatures that may not yet have names."

Tourism

The Cayos Cochinos archipelago has no roads, cars or bikes. There is a hiking trail that connects residences and beaches on Cayo Grande. There is a lighthouse on the highest point of the island which can be hiked to through scenic jungles which are home to the only pink Boa Constrictors in the world. The only inhabitants of the islands are

Garifuna The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and indigenous American ancestry that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and speak Garifuna, an Arawakan language, and Vincentian Cr ...

fishing villages (Chachahuete and East End), 9 private homes on Cayo Grande, and 6 homes on the 13 smaller keys. The islands are accessible by boat from La Ceiba or by sailboat charter departing from Utila or Roatan. The actions taken in preserving the underwater environment has left the Cayos Cochinos waters as the healthiest and most pristine marine life in the

Bay Islands Bay Islands may refer to: * Bay Islands Department, Honduras * Southern Moreton Bay Islands, Queensland, Australia See also * Bay of Islands * Bay of Isles * Island Bay, Wellington * Little Bay Islands Little Bay Islands is a vacant town in ...

. The Honduras Coral Reef Fund is responsible for upholding the environmental restrictions and protecting the marine park, and collect a park entrance fee from all those who enter. Both

villages offer cheap lodging for backpackers who wish to stay in either East End or Chachahuete in hammocks or hostel-like huts.

Transport

Cayos Cochinos is accessible from Roatan via charter company. Smaller boats also leave from La Ceiba, Sambo Creek, Nueva Armenia and from dive shops in Utila. There are daily trips from La Ceiba as well as Cayos Cochinos Divers / Pirate Islands Divers which also offers Scuba Diving day and overnight trips.

Conservation

Established as a key area of the

Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS), also popularly known as the Great Mayan Reef or Great Maya Reef, is a marine region that stretches over along the coasts of four countries – Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras – from Isla ...

, the ''Cayos'' and surrounding waters were declared a marine reserve in 1994, with the help of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...

, in order to protect all marine and terrestrial flora and fauna within a . The reserve extends eight kilometers in all directions. Laws prohibit all commercial fishing, netting, and trapping within the marine park. Local

are permitted to fish with hand lines, but prohibited from netting and spearfishing. In designated areas, there is a lobster diving season for qualified Garifuna fishermen. Since 1994, the

, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Honduras Coral Reef Fund, Operation Wallacea and other non-profit organizations have helped preserve the natural beauty of the area.

References

External links

Operation Wallacea is a charitable biological research group working in various areas of Honduras, including Cayo Menor
Garifuna of Honduras/Cayos Cochinos

Cayos Cochinos Divers/Cayos Cochinos

Pirate Islands Divers/Cayos Cochinos
{{Authority control Caribbean islands of Honduras Bay Islands Department