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Thinking green on Guanaha

Honduras
honduras
Roland’s Garden Guesthouse on Guanaha Island is a model of green self-sufficiency.

Guanaha Island, off the north coast of Honduras, is still known for its sweet water, despite the commercialization of nearby Roatan Island. The water drains out of the uninhabited pine-dominated mountains, their pristine, yet accessible slopes providing stunning 360 degree views of the surrounding blue green Caribbean and the two island towns (one an oddly jam-packed group of simple homes on a tiny spit).

We stayed at Roland’s Garden Guesthouse where Roland’s wife Julia, one-year-old son Santiago, and German expatriated parents welcome visitors with a unique warmth and connection to the land. The restaurant on site, run by Roland’s parents, Klaus and Annette, beckons Caribbean sailors and local characters with its famously hearty food and, for this traveller at least, German beer selection. Through word of mouth and local reputation alone, Manati attracts an intriguing fusion of international guests each afternoon and evening. Jimmy Carter has been there, and local celebrity John A. Smith, the last of the Caribbean pirates, often fills the bar with his rum-fuelled tales of the sea.

One evening, the island’s power kicked out – a monthly event that never lasts more than 12 hours. Klaus and Annette were unfazed, Annette adding a battery-powered lamp to the electric one above our table, while the fireflies continued to sparkle in the garden between us and the ocean. Meanwhile, Roland and family, just up the hill, were unaware, as their home and bed and breakfast are entirely solar powered (do not come here unless you think green). This reliable power source is an especially important feature for their guests because, without it, we might not be able to count on Julia’s delicious fresh baked bread or their ever-changing breakfast buffet, including fresh juice from local watermelons or pineapples.

For me, though, it’s Roland’s connection to the natural world that sets this holiday destination apart. Because of his expertise, Guanaha is considered an important destination for any serious birder. On a short walk, he listened to and identified over 40 species of bird, many, like the mangrove warbler, undiscovered on the mainland. And Roland’s knowledge runs much deeper than birds. The nearby coral reef is another world he guides his visitors through. There, fish sporting blues and greens and reds weave through the brain-shaped coral, a resident barracuda seemingly unperturbed by our presence. And, yes, if you look up from the water, Roland will likely spot something – in our case, a peregrine falcon was soaring just above us.

Back on land, Roland continued to celebrate his natural world with us: he discovered a large, intense looking bat in its self-made leaf tent; identified the various lizards, iguanas and snakes (harmless) we encountered; illuminated creeping tarantulas (also harmless – Roland even had one fully up his pant leg in the past with no repercussions); wondered about burrowing holes that I would have never noticed; and informed me of the role of the cacao bean on the island when Columbus first set foot in the new world, this island itself (!) over 500 years ago.

Roland has set up an island paradise with his extended family, and staying in his home is as intimate an experience as any traveller could hope for. Their boy, Santiago, glows with the tropical sun, open to sharing his budding bird imitations with their guests. I don’t know how he can do it: learn all the different languages around him, as well as the language of birds. It must be the water.