Tela Travel Guide

 calcaf38 Says:  The building is used today as a community center of sorts, but it is deserted. I was fortunate that, when I arrived, the building was illuminated with cheap strings of lights for the parade, making it all the more charged with vibes. One inebriated man was whiling the hours... 

 calcaf38 Says:  The Garifuna are an ethnic group of mixed ancestry who live on the Caribbean coast from Belize to Nicaragua. They descend from Caribbean people, and from African slaves, the latter possibly shipwrecked. The Garifuna villages have acquired, of late, a reputation as places to... 

 calcaf38 Says:  All Garifuna Tours include a lunch in one of the Garifuna villages which are close to the natural reserves (the lunch is not included in the price, however). Your guide will stop at the restaurant before the nature activities, so that you can order your lunch in advance.I... 

 calcaf38 Says:  Tela is surrounded by three renowned natural reserves: Punta Sal, Jardín Botánico Lancetilla, and Punta Izopo. I chose to go to Punta Izopo because I'm crazy about the mangrove environment. There is something about braided roots and branches, murky waters and animal noises... 

 calcaf38 Says:  Tela is bisected by a small river with attractive banks and pleasant views. Uncharacteristically, there are no streets along the river: you enjoy the views by walking up to dead ends. Two bridges cross the river, the old and the new bridge. The whole town can be walked... 

 calcaf38 Says:  Almost facing the former headquarters of the Tela Railroad Company, you will find the dilapidated stump of what was once the all-important Tela pier. This is where bananas were unloaded from railroad cars and loaded unto waiting ships.The book which I recommend on my intro... 

 calcaf38 Says:  To tell the truth, I visited Tela in order to see for myself an ugly hulk of a building. It fulfilled all my expectations, and I spent much time lurking around and in it, taking pictures, and impregnating myself with history. From 1912 to 1976, Tela was a huge banana... 

 calcaf38 Says:  The beauty of travel is when you end up having the time of your life in some joint that sounds more like a garage than a food stand.I had spent a while taking photos of the Tela Pier under increasingly menacing skies. By the time I was back "in town," a downpour had started,... 

 calcaf38 Says:  One block from the beach, this is a very inviting indoor-outdoor place with powerful fans. The service is slow, but I had good tipico breakfast (desanuyo) there. Early in the morning, the place was quiet, but it looked much busier at dinner time.Luces del Norte must cater to... 

 calcaf38 Says:  This restaurant is part of a fancy (for Tela) beach hotel. I went there to sample the most famous North coast dish: Sopa de Caracol (conch soup). It was a good curried bisque with plentiful and pleasantly chewy bits of conch meat. Service was fine, in a laidback way, and the... 

 Pieter11 Says:  The taxi's around Tela normally are shared taxi's. Advantage is that they don't cost much: for a trip of 20 to 30 minutes you pay around 2 dollars. Disadvantage is that they only do standard routes. You have to know (or ask) where taxi's depart for a particular destination,... 

 staindesign Says:  I found this great picture of the father of my friend. I saw many people relaxing in Tela. It is so hot that you have to spend a good amount of time recovering. In his case, he likes to party and this was him recovering from too much beer! 

 Pieter11 Says:  In the 19th century Tela became famous for being an important banana producing city. The American companies Standard Fruit Company and United Fruit Company established large plantations and also invested in the railroads along the coastline. After 1930 most of these...