This is an unforgettable adventure through Central America. From the gently rolling mountains and wide tobacco valleys of Jamastrán to the Mayan sites with the nearby Caribbean coast, this is our cigar correspondent’s insider guide on where to smoke cigars in Honduras.
Touchdown in the tobacco capital of Honduras
The ideal airport for a stay in Honduras is the capital Tegucigalpa. Just 95 kilometres southeast of the mega-metropolis lies the country's tobacco capital. The most comfortable way to get around from the airport is by private car transfer to Danlí (about two hours, if there are no traffic jams).
This is recommended due to the very different security situations across the various regions in this Central American country. Cigar aficionado José Eduardo Medel, with his premium transport company VIP Club in Motion, offers tailor-made travels for cigar lovers to all the highlights of the tobacco paradise of Honduras – including exquisite gastronomic venues.
Discovering Danlí: a dream for cigar lounges and bars
Señor Medel organises a tour for me to what is perhaps the most beautiful cigar shop in all of Honduras with an inviting lounge. It is located in Danlí in the department of El Paraíso on the Carretera Panamericana – America's legendary traffic artery. It is considered a worldwide dream road, as it connects Alaska with Tierra del Fuego in South America on adventurous routes. This is where the young, successful Honduran cigar producer Oscar Valladares runs his Tobacco & Co Cigar Shop – right next to the Granada Congress Hotel.
When I first step into the well-stocked tobacco shop (Plasencia Cigars & Oscar Valladares Cigars) opposite the imposing monument Monumento a la Madre, I am overwhelmed by the lavish size of the walk-in humidor, as well as the chic lounge. The design is very creative with cigar paintings in pop art style. Even a Honduran cigar club has settled here.
In Danlí's newest shopping mall, Centro Comercial Ciudad Casa Blanca, I discover an address of the finest calibre called Cava – Wine Coffee & Cigars. Quite by chance, I meet the legendary tobacco grower Nestor Plasencia Senior with friends over a cosy after-dinner smoke. His factory – open to tours – is not far away. Just a few steps away, I'm standing in Lua House, whose cosmopolitan bar ambience trumps with the finest rum selection. There, I am surprised by Paulaner beer from my adopted home of Munich.
On the chic terrace area, I enjoy the excellent Flor de Selva 30th Anniversary Salomón Limited Edition in extravagant figurado format, which producer Maya Selva recommended to me during the tour of her Fábrica de Puros MSC. In and around the city of Danlí, the most famous cigar manufacturers are lined up like pearls on a string. In the Association of Domestic Tobacco Producers alone, 14 of the largest factories are organised.
Insider tip from our cigar correspondent
Before travelling to Honduras, you should definitely reserve your desired visits. The manufactories offer a private cigar lounge. This is because Honduras has very strict anti-smoking laws, and smoking is generally only allowed on terraces of restaurants and the outdoor areas of hotels. Furthermore, aficionados should be prepared for the fact that in many factories only freshly rolled cigars are available for private consumption.
The three addresses for aficionados to know
Danlí has adapted to the needs of aficionados with several small hotels. If you like the colonial style, you are spoilt for choice between three attractive addresses. To experience a touch of Miami chic, Hotel Clementina is the place to be. A magnificent white column signals that elegant comfort is cultivated here, which is also reflected in the luxurious furniture. The garden terrace is reminiscent of the legendary Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana.
Right next to the pretty Plat of the Cathedral of Danlí is boutique hotel La Catedral, which is run by a young Honduran couple with a lot of passion. I feel particularly comfortable in the patio with the antique rocking chairs and am happy to taste an Eiroa Classic Robusto with its fine spice, which Christian Eiroa recommended to me in his C.L.E Factory during a personal tour.
Just a few minutes from the picturesque district of the cathedral, Casa Encantada has taken up residence. This atmospheric hostel is particularly popular with aficionados. In the picturesque courtyard I test the much-praised Oscar Valladares The Leaf Barber Pole from my factory tour in the morning.
Mayan sites, smoke, and Santa Rosa de Copán
The next day, a day trip to the west of the country awaits me, where legendary Mayan sites in the highlands near the border with Guatemala beckon. There is also an excellent tobacco growing area here. Interestingly, the name cigar (Siyar and Cikar) has its origin in the Mayan settlement area, which once stretched from Mexico to Honduras.
In the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Copán, red macaw parrots pose for me high in the trees and monkeys screech to their heart's content. I intuitively grasp why these fascinating Mayan ruins were once considered the Paris of the indigenous people and are now the great national pride of Honduras – right in the middle of the Central American Acropolis with its partly well-preserved temples, palaces, and stelae.
‘Look at Butz'Chan, the ruler with the title of fire-eating serpent,’ remarks tourist guide Douglas, looking at a gigantic sculpture. ‘During ritual celebrations, holy tobacco smoke rose from his mouth towards the sky. The rulers of the Maya adorned themselves with parrot feathers, and jade was an important trade commodity along with tobacco.’
For shamans, smoke was the medium to establish contact with the spiritual world. At over 80 years old, Imix, the ‘Smoke Jaguar King’ (628–695) became the Methuselah of the Maya. With his smoking ceremonies, he made himself immortal during his lifetime.
Guide Douglas, always equipped with neat parrot feathers, tells of the nearby Copán River, to which the Mayans owe the fertility of their fields even today. The best tobacco is cultivated in this region – especially for the globally coveted brand La Flor de Copán Honduras S.A.
To visit the manufactory in Santa Rosa de Copán, you should plan half a day. In addition, the historic small town offers colonial flair. The Mass Bar in the picturesque Barrio el Calvario district is ideal as a cigar location. In the picturesque Plaza Mayor of Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras' first tobacco factory stood in the 18th century. Today, the Real Factoría de Tabacos is home to the cultural authority of the tourist region.
Calling at a century-old coffee finca
If you stay in Santa Rosa de Copán in the colonial Hotel Elvir, you should not miss a visit to the nearby coffee finca Hacienda Montecristo. It looks back on a history of over a hundred years. Today, coffee bushes are planted here that meet the certified practices of the Rainforest Alliance. Attractive outdoor activities should not be missed here, which open up wonderful nature experiences in the subtropical mountain landscape at over 1250 metres.
The tour of the hacienda also leads to the former stately residential building of the Medina family. This company is the fifth generation to grow coffee. On the coffee tour, I celebrate the slightly nutty Flor de Copán Rothschild with its characteristic sweetness on a terrace.
Tela’s tobacco fields, flora, and fauna
Then I set off with my chauffeur to the coastal town of Tela, a four-hour drive away. As a quiet location a little off the beaten track, the Indura Beach & Golf Resort Curio Collection By Hilton is recommended. Here, you can enjoy the Caribbean to the fullest. Outside, there are numerous comfortable retreats for aficionados.
If you prefer to stay in a family-run property, you will find your El Dorado in the Maya Vista hotel. Run by a Canadian cigar lover, the hotel is picturesquely situated above the coast with numerous terraces. With a magnificent view, I enjoy a Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 with its wonderful Broadleaf wrapper – only 200 meters from the beach.
Around Tela, the fascinating flora and fauna in the hinterland of the tropical coast beckons: the Lancetilla botanical garden – the largest tropical garden in Latin America – is a good place to start. I plan a day trip for the Parque Nacional Jeannette Kawas and even discover dolphins in the protected nature park on the boat trip. If you then take it very leisurely through the mangrove forests, you should make a detour into the adventurous jungle.
Back at home, while enjoying a finely spicy Honduras cigar as an unforgettable souvenir, I have the onomatopoeic tussle of the howler monkeys in my ears, as well as all the exotic bird calls – the unforgettable accompanying melody from the Central American natural paradise with its endless tobacco fields.
Travel guide
Hotels with bar & smoking terraces
Clementina
Calle Bella Vista, Calle Circunvalación, 13201 El Paraíso
La Catedral
1A calle SE, avenida Sur Este, 13201 Danlí, El Paraíso
Casa Encantada
N-53, Danlí, El Paraíso, Honduras
Elvir
Calle 2 S, 41101 Santa Rosa de Copán, Copán
Indura Beach & Golf Resort Curio Collection By Hilton
Desarollo Turistico Bahia de, 31301 Tela, Atlántida
Maya Vista
Entrance de Barrio Lempira, 00504 Tela
Tobacco shops and cigar lounges
Oscar Valladares Tobacco & Co.
Salida a El Paraíso, frente al edificio de INA. Danlí, El Paraíso, Honduras
Cava – Wine Coffee & Cigars and Lua House
Centro Comercial Ciudad Casa Blanca, El Zarzal, 03003 Danlí
Mass Bar & Restaurant
Era Calle, Segunda Avenida Suroeste 1 Barrio el Calvario, Santa Rosa de Copan CP3100
Transport
VIP Club in Motion
Torre Centro Morazán, nivel 14 Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán
Reservation: [email protected]
Cigar factories
Reservation by email required
Maya Selva Cigars
XCJM+CC6, Danli, El Paraíso
[email protected]
Oscar Valladares Tobacco Adventure
ovtadventure.com
[email protected]
Rocky Patel Farmtour
rockypatel.com
[email protected]
La Flor de Copán Honduras S.A.
41101, Santa Rosa de Copán, Copán
Hacienda Montecristo
www.haciendamontecristo.hn
