Jeannette Kawas National Park Park

Address: Parque Nacional Jeannette Kawas (formerly Punta Sal), Atlántida Department, Honduras

Jeannette Kawas National Park is a protected coastal park on Honduras’s Caribbean shore in Atlántida Department, established to conserve coastal lagoons, mangroves and adjacent tropical forests. The park covers a series of wetlands, barrier beaches and lowland forest that provide habitat for waterbirds, marine species and coastal flora. It is named for Honduran environmentalist Jeannette Kawas and is managed to protect both terrestrial and marine-coastal ecosystems. The park lies near the town of Tela and includes accessible shoreline and lagoon areas used for wildlife watching and low-impact recreation.

• Location and habitats: Located on Honduras’s northern Caribbean coast near the town of Tela and the Bay of Tela, the park protects coastal lagoons, mangrove forests and lowland tropical forest.
• Visitor notes: Good for birding and coastal wildlife viewing; access is by road from Tela and by boat along some lagoon systems.

The park is reached by road along Honduras’s northern coast; local towns such as La Ceiba serve as access points for boats and guides. Boat trips and guided nature tours are the usual way to explore the park’s marine and mangrove areas.

• The park has both marine and coastal habitats - boat tours to see mangroves and birdlife are the best way to experience its biodiversity.
• Arrange guides through local community cooperatives; many areas are accessible only by small boat.