7 Best Sights in Utila, Roatan and the Bay Islands

This private beach is a 10--15 minute walk east of the municipal dock. Entrance is L60 and gets you access to lounge chairs, shade, and a more secure setting than the nearby public beach. The sand here is much softer and cleaner than at the public beach, it's (usually) quieter, and the swimming area has less turtle grass. A palapa bar serves inexpensive cold drinks. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: swimming; partiers.

This cave is the largest among the dozens of caverns that puncture the mountainside. Legend has it that pirates hid their treasure here in the 16th and 17th centuries. To get there from Utila Town, head toward the airport on the paved road and turn left at the first dirt path after the horse stables.

Hop on a hammock or soak in the sun at this public space, which is a five-minute walk west of the municipal dock. There's not much to be found in the way of shade or chairs, but it's a great place to tan or hang out with friends. Abundant turtle grass means swimming is only for the brave. A few small restaurants and bar shacks surround the sand, and it can get rowdy late at night. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: partiers; sunset.

From Utila Town, a 4.8 km (3 mile) trail cuts through the muggy tropical forest up to Pumpkin Hill. Standing at 91 meters (300 feet) above sea level, the dormant volcano cone is the highest point on the island. Sweeping views of Utila and nearby Roatán can be viewed from the top.

On the paved road out of Utila Town, bear right at the airport runway and onto Pumpkin Hill Beach, a mosaic of fossilized coral and sand patches. From here you can walk about 45 minutes along the beach until connecting with the trail that leads up Pumpkin Hill.

The Utila Cays make for an interesting afternoon excursion. Jewel and Pigeon Cay (also the Upper and Lower Cay, respectively) are home to around 400 people, including local fishermen and the descendants of settlers who came from the Cayman Islands in 1836. The two cays are joined together by a short concrete bridge, and houses, churches, schools, restaurants, and docks are crammed together on these urban islands. Residents, or Cayons, learn Spanish in school but speak Caribbean English at home, and they distinguish themselves from the 2,500 people living on the main island of Utila. A few tasty seafood joints make for a relaxing escape from the Utila Town crowd.

Utila is widely known in the diving world as the Caribbean's whale shark capital. These massive creatures can measure as much as 12 meters (40 feet) long and weigh up to 20 tons, and they feast mostly on plankton, not humans. The sharks swim close to Utila's shores and can be spotted year-round, an exciting possibility that lures many divers to the reefs here. The Deep Blue Resort has an EcoOcean identification database used to track whale sharks around the globe. WSORC also has monitoring and research programs in Utila. Visitors can join a four-hour encounter trip, called the Ocean Safari, and try to get a glimpse of a whale shark.