Heading north from Valle de Ángeles, a dirt road curves round the mountains, eventually linking up with the highway to Olancho - the tortuously slow progress of buses along this bumpy, winding route allows you plenty of time to gaze at the raw beauty of the mountain scenery. SAN JUANCITO , 10km from Valle de Ángeles and set about 1km below the road, down an unmetalled turn-off, is a charming, shabby village of wooden houses, set in the narrow Río Chiquito valley. Most visitors pass through quickly on their way to the cloudforest of Parque Nacional la Tigra, but this friendly little place makes for a pleasant stopover before returning to Tegucigalpa. The only accommodation is the Hotelito San Juan (up to US$5), with an attached café, close to where Tegucigalpa buses stop; the affable owner also runs the nearby pulpería . There's good home cooking at the Mesa del Minero comedor, just above the village on the road to the park, and its veranda offers great views across the valley and village.

Direct buses to San Juancito (2hr) leave from the Mercado San Pablo, Col Reparto in Tegucigalpa every morning at 8am. It's also possible to reach the village from Valle de Ángeles: take any bus or pick-up heading for Cantarranas, all of which pass the turn-off road, from where it's a ten-minute walk. Returning to Tegucigalpa there's a bus daily at 8am, with a second supposedly departing at 1pm on Saturdays.