Free things to Do in Roatan

I recently started a Pinterest account, and saw that another hostel had pinned a list of free things to do in their area.  I thought it was a great idea, so I did a search to find a list of free things to do in Roatan so that I could pin it, but couldn't find anything.  Since I couldn't find it, I thought I should create it!  If you've discovered a great free thing to do in Roatan, please feel free to post a comment to add to the list.

1.Chill on the beach.  All beaches are public, I think it's 30 feet from the high tide mark, as long as you can get to them without going through someone's private property.  West Bay is the most famous of beaches, and is really beautiful, though it gets pretty crowded on cruise ship days (most week days), so better to plan there on the weekend.  Camp Bay beach is gorgeous, but a bit far to get to, as it's the east end of the island.  Sandy Bay beach is just a 3 min walk from the hostel, and it's great to take long walks on- if you go to the right (east) when you get down on the beach, you can walk about 40 min (to Lawson Rock), and then you'd need to wade in the water a bit in order to keep on going.

2. Go snorkeling.  Roatan's reef is part of the Meso-American reef system, the 2nd largest barrier reef system in the world.  There's tons of beautiful stuff to see: incredible coral, an array of brightly coloured fish.  You can swim out to the reef from most spots around the island- from Sandy Bay, it's about a 200 meter swim out, and the water is very calm, so it's an easy swim (if my kids can do it, so can you!).  If you've got your own snorkel gear and you're going from shore, snorkeling is absolutely free!!  If you don't have snorkel gear, we have sets to rent at the hostel for $5/day, so it won't break the bank.

3. Get Educated.  There's a great marine ID presentation every Monday at 6pm at Tranquil Seas, which is just a 15 min walk from the hostel.  It's free (though you'd probably want to buy a drink or order a meal, as it's held in the restaurant area of this resort).  The presentation is done by Mickey Charteris, who wrote the marine ID guide book Caribbean Reef Life, including doing all the photography for the book.  He's a fantastic presenter, very entertaining and extremely knowledgeable, and learning more about the marine life will enhance your snorkeling or diving experience

4. Get Helping.  , There are tons of non-profits that can use your help, even if it's just for a day or two!  Read to some kids or organize books at the Sandcastle Library, play basketball with youth at the courts in the evenings by AKR, organized through the SOL Foundation, count pills (in air conditioning!) at Clinica Esperanza, stop by a school for a few days to see if you can help kids with reading, or grab a few trash bags and do a beach/community clean up.

5. Go on a nature walk.  Take a stroll through the little dirt road that runs along the beach in Sandy Bay and goes through some of the Sandy Bay community.  There's lots of different vegetation you might not have seen before.  Noni trees (their fruit is used for juice that supposedly has many health benefits, though it smells and tastes disgusting, and their leaves can be wrapped around feet and put on your head under a hat to take down a fever), mango trees galore, sea grape trees, cashew trees, hog plums, as well as coconut trees and more.  Talk to a few of the neighbours, play soccer with some kids on the beach, get a feel for island life.

6. Have hammock time with a book.  Another great activity that doesn't cost anything!  The hostel's got lots of hammocks- on the upper porch of the main building, up on the oceanview deck, back by the pergola, and if you're missing a book, we have a book exchange upstairs in the living room.  Or skip the book and take a nap instead :)

7.  Pool time!  If you feel like spending a little bit of money on this free activity, pick up a few drinks to enjoy while you're relaxing on one of the benches that line the pool.

8.  Go crabbing.  The best time for this is during the rainy season, or if outside of rainy season, when there's been some rain.  The land crabs live in holes in the ground, and will come out and walk along the road.  If you go on some of the dirt roads where there's not much traffic, the crabs are fine for eating, and you'll often see people out with big sacks or buckets to catch crabs.  Their large pincer can really hurt if they get you- my sons' technique is to pin down this pincer with a stick, and then grab the crab by the back shell and toss it in the bucket.

9. Go fishing.  If you're a fly fisher, you can bring down your rod- there are great flats several places around the island, including Sandy Bay, where you can fly fish for permit and bone fish.  You can also fish off the end of a dock or the beach with a line and hook.  As per marine park guidelines, fishing with a fishing line and hook is permitted within the marine park (if you catch something too small, throw it back so it has a chance to grow).  FYI: it is not permitted to take out conch, lobster, or any shells or coral, living or dead, from the marine park.  It is also not permitted to spearfish (except for lionfish with a permit from the marine park).

10. Go out dancing.  Okay, you might end up spending some money on this one, if you buy some drinks, but there are lots of fun spots for dancing in Roatan- Blue Marlin or El Boske in West End, or Island Saloon east of the airport.  Or, head to our backyard and get a party started!  We love an occasion to celebrate, so we have hostel parties for Christmas, Easter, birthdays, Canada Day, Halloween or just because there's lots of people around :)  Come and get your groove on!