Some 190km east along the coast from San Pedro Sula, steamy LA CEIBA , the lively capital of the department of Atlántida, is one of the more approachable Honduran cities. Though the town is completely bereft of architectural interest and its sandy beaches are strewn with garbage, it does at least enjoy a stunning setting beneath the steep, green slopes of the Cordillera Nombre de Dios. The city is bustling and self-assured by day, with a cosmopolitan mix of inhabitants including the large Garífuna community, but it's the night that's really celebrated in La Ceiba, when visitors and locals gather to sample the city's vibrant dance scene. Things really come to a head during La Ceiba's Carnaval in May, when 200,000 revellers descend on the town.

Ceiba, as it's generally known, owes its existence to the banana industry: the Vaccaro Bros (later Standard Fruit and now Dole) first laid plantations in the area in 1899 and set up their company headquarters in town in 1905. Although fruit is no longer shipped out through La Ceiba, the plantations are still important to the local economy, with crops of pineapple and African palm now as significant as bananas.

Though for many travellers Ceiba is no more than a stop-off en route to the Bay Islands, there are some good beaches just 10km or so outside town. Alternatively, with more time and a little planning - or the services of a tour operator - you can explore the cloudforest of the nearby Parque Nacional Pico Bonito or the mangrove swamps of the Refugio Vida Silvestre .