Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
117km²
Area
167km
Coastline
223m
Highest point
41,831
People
30°C
Warmest sea
September
32km
To the mainland
When to go to Roatán
Best for the beach from February to April.
The sea is warmest in September (30 °C) and coolest in February (27 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Largest island of Honduras
Roatán is an island in Honduras. It covers 117 km², with 167 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 223 m. About 41,831 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 32 km away.
Getting there
- Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport (RTB)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at RTB airport (Coxen Hole)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesLa Ceiba - Coxen Hole, West Bay - West End Water Taxis
- 32 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From February to Aprilbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Roatán.
- 11beachesWest Bay Beach, Marbella Beach, Half Moon Bay Beach and 8 more
- 6viewpointsHalf Moon Bay and 5 more
- 4ferry terminalsGalaxy Wave, Dream Ferries and 2 more
- 2marinasBrooksy Point, Molo Czech Village
- 2named peaksPicacho Hill, Dixon Hill
- 19dive centresReef Gliders, Coconut Tree Divers, Roatan Freediving and 16 more
- 72hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 165restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Roatán in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Roatán, each with its own numbers.
3mountainsPeakyas
3 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Cerro Hendricks
- Cerro Jane Cooper
- Cerro Dixon Cove
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 42 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 67 %0–50 m
- 33 %50–200 m
- <1 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Coxen Hole7,514 people
- Sandy Bay1,072 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
| Night low (°C) | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 |
| Sea (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
| Rain (mm) | 176 | 104 | 74 | 46 | 104 | 186 | 182 | 176 | 192 | 331 | 321 | 200 |
| Wet days | 18 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 24 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 20 |
| Sun h/day | 6.0 | 7.8 | 8.8 | 9.2 | 8.6 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 8.6 | 8.4 | 5.9 | 5.3 | 5.8 |
| Wind (km/h) | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 |
| 2021 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.8 |
| 2022 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.8 |
| 2023 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +1.4 | +0.7 | +1.1 |
| 2024 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.4 |
| 2025 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +1.0 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Utila
Honduras41 km²68 m64 km awayBelize Barrier Reef
Belize963 km²200 km away
Ambergris CayeBelize127 km²11 m242 km away
Caye CaulkerBelize3.7 km²7 m230 km away
Tiger IslandHonduras23 km²783 m371 km away
Isla Conchagüita
El Salvador8.6 km²341 m379 km away
Conejo IslandEl Salvador0.03 km²32 m366 km away
MeangueraEl Salvador16 km²493 m381 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q1419813) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Peakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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