Situated 18 miles off the northern coast of Honduras, it's a good thing for travellers that Utila is relatively challenging to access.
With no direct international flights to the tiny Caribbean Island and only a few daily ferries from mainland Honduras, it's helped to keep the island pristine and special; a haven for divers and those looking to become one!
Whether you're starting off from Central America or North America, a budget backpacker or on a short scuba holiday with money to burn, it's going to involve a ferry, a flight, or combination of the two alongside a bus journey.
In this routes post, we've provided a clear overview and breakdown of your main options of transport to Utila from elsewhere in Honduras and internationally.
This is how to get to Utila.
The Utila Ferry | Routes + Schedules
You can reach Utila by ferry from two locations within Honduras, the northern costal town of La Ceiba (Google Maps) or the neighbouring island of Roatan (maps).
The La Ceiba to Utila Ferry
La Ceiba is the principal access point for Utila and is really only used by travellers as a transit point or one-night stop over on their way to or from the Bay Islands.
Most of you reading this post will take this route.
It's easy enough to reach by bus or shuttle in mainland Honduras, but can be a bit of a mission from elsewhere in Central America. From León in Nicaragua, for example, it's an $80 USD x 16-hour shuttle journey or two days of independent travel.
Utila Dream Ferry is currently the only company operating the ferry route from La Ceiba to Utila, with daily departures at 9am and 4.30pm. Journeys last around 45 minutes, and adult tickets cost 750 lempiras (one-way, roughly $30 USD) or 1,500L (round-trip, roughly $60 USD).
The ferry is large and modern, with capacity for 240 seated passengers.
Buy tickets online in advance here.
The ferry terminal is a 15-minute taxi ride from the centre of town (maps), and it's recommended that you arrive at least 30 minutes before departure.You will also have to pay 25 Lps. port tax upon entry.
Sidenote | La Ceiba is the town where all the hostel shuttle buses from Copan, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador will drop you off in the late afternoon or early evening , and we've written a much more in-depth guide on getting to La Ceiba with public transport or shuttles buses, the ferry crossing, and other tips in this post (published soon).
If you’re staying overnight in La Ceiba, Guacamayos Hostel is the basic but convenient and most likely option. We stayed there, and it was fine for just one night after the long shuttle from Nicaragua. A better option may be this Airbnb, which friends we made on the island spoke very highly of.
The Roatan to Utila Ferry
Although the larger, neighbouring island of Roatan is a popular diving and holiday destination in its own right, lots of travellers simply use it as a jump-off point to reach Utila due to its international airport and increased flight connections (more on this in the next section).
Indeed, everyone we met who flew into + ferried from Roatan were only doing it in order to get to Utila, rather than pairing up the islands as destinations. As we explain further in ‘17 Things To Know Before You Visit Utila’, this is principally due to the two islands having very different reputations amongst travellers.
At present, the Utila Dream Ferry is the only company offering island transfers, with a daily service from Roatan to Utila at 2 pm. Journeys last 60 mins, 750L one-way, 1,500L return.
It's the same boat as above, and you can buy tickets in advance here.
Note that there is also the The Galaxy Wave ferry company operating from La Ceiba and Roatan, but it only travels directly between those two destinations: it does not include a stop on Utila.
Utila Ferry Tips
· We recommend buying your ticket in advance online via the official website to guarantee your place - services do sell out in high season (December to February and during easter). It can also work out a little cheaper too as they often offer a discount.
· You can carry on a backpack, but large luggage is collected before departure and distributed after docking. You'll receive a numbered ticket for your bag, so don't lose it.
· Seats on the ferry are unreserved and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Sitting on the open-sided upper deck is lovely, but the lower-deck is enclosed if you prefer. There's also a small air-conditioned VIP section on the upper deck, but tickets cost more.
· From the Utila ferry dock, you're a flat 5-10 minute walk to all of the dive schools. If you've got a lot of luggage, you're feeling lazy, or staying further afield you can always take one of the waiting tuk-tuks.
· The ferry runs an increased schedule during peak local holiday travel month, and there are rare cancellations due to inclement weather or maintenance.
Flights To Utila
Utila's airport (UII) is tiny and primarily for cargo rather than passenger flights, and there are no direct international flights to Utila.
Roatan and San Pedro Sula are the best airports for those of you flying in from North America or Central America as they offer several direct international flight routes, and are very well situated for onward travel by ferry or domestic flight to Utila.
Both are better choices for your flight into Honduras than Tegucigalpa, the capital city, if Utila is your ultimate destination. La Ceiba's Golosón International airport (LCE) is currently only served by domestic flight routes, including Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula.
If really struggling for options suitable for your dates or budget, then look into flights via El Salvador then connecting to a Honduras flight.
There are also several direct domestic flights to Utila from La Ceiba, San Pedro Sula, and Roatan with which international travellers can connect with; routes, connections, availability, and baggage allowances are however very limited, and travellers often talk about delays, cancellations, and the unreliability of connections.
Connecting international and domestic flights in Honduras often need to be booked separately and will be self-transfer.
Private charters from the mainland or Roatan are also available.
From a sustainability and slow travel point of view, we think it's unnecessary to take a short domestic flight to the island when the large ferry from La Ceiba or Roatan is an enjoyable, affordable, and convenient option. Instead of flying, please consider taking a bus or taxi from San Pedro Sula across to La Ceiba (3-4 hours) or taking the 1-hour ferry over from Roatan.
We've included more details on every option below, but note that whichever route you take, it is often necessary to stay overnight before taking the flight or ferry to Utila the next morning due to schedules not syncing up.
Direct Flights to Utila
Two carriers current operate these routes:
CM Airlines | Offers direct morning flights from La Ceiba to Utila (15 mins, from 39 USD), direct afternoon flights from San Pedro Sula to Utila (40 mins, from $140), and flights from Roatan to Utila (20 minutes, $99).
Their flights from Teguicgalpa currently involve a connection in Roatan.
Note that these are very small planes, mostly with capacity for only 18 or so passengers. Due to this, there are stricter limits on total weight, and luggage is limited to a small piece of hand luggage under 5kgs, and 1 larger piece of luggage from 15-22 kgs depending on fare and flight route. Excess weight or bags may be possible, but not guaranteed and will be charged.
Visit their website here for schedules and reservations.
Aerolineas SOSA | Historically they operated direct flights and/or stop-offs in Utila, but its website currently doesn't list these and offers no option for flight bookings to the island.
At present, they only offer the following routes: La Ceiba - Roatan, La Ceiba - Tegucigalpa, Roatan - La Ceiba, and San Pedro Sula - La Ceiba.
Feel free to check though and let us know if this changes.
It's worth noting as well that SOSA has overwhelmingly poor reviews from passengers and often delays or cancels with no/short notice.
Fly Into Roatan (RTB)
An alternative to the La Ceiba ferry, especially for international arrivals, is to fly into Roatan and take the ferry from there.
Roatan's Juan Manuel Galvez International Airport (RTB) is served internationally by a number of flights from the US, including Miami, Atlanta, Houston, and Newark. There's also a relatively new direct route from Toronto to Roatan from WestJet, and a direct flight from Belize City.
These international flights do not operate daily however, so you need to plan ahead and around them; seasonality means capacity or services will also increase or end at certain times of year (i.e. WestJet’s service only operates from mid-December to the end of April)
Airlines to look into are Delta, Avianca, WestJet, American Airlines, and United Airlines.
As mentioned, there are also flights from Roatan to Utila but it's best to take the daily ferry to transfer between the two Bay Islands.
Do note that if you fly into Roatan in order to travel onward to Utila, you'll usually have to spend one night on the larger island before catching the ferry the following day.
Personally, we think flying to Roatan from mainland Honduras in order to connect to the ferry or take the island-hopper flight across to Utila is a waste of time.
Fly Into San Pedro Sula (SAP)
San Pedro Sula's La Mesa International Airport / Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport (SAP) is also served by direct flights from the US, Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala City, and is a pretty convenient arrival point for the ferry to Utila.
The city is not however one to be lingered in unnecessarily.
From San Pedro Sula, you can connect to one of the direct flights to Utila, hop on several daily buses to La Ceiba (4 hours) or commandeer a taxi driver ($60-80 USD).
How To Get To Utila | An Overview of the Best Options
1. Travel to La Ceiba + take the ferry
2. Fly to Roatan + take the ferry
3. Fly to San Pedro Sula + fly to fly to Utila
4. Travel to San Pedro Sula + bus to La Ceiba + take the ferry
