Small and scruffy PUERTO CABEZAS is the most important town north of Bluefields and south of La Ceiba in Honduras. Everyone seems to have come to this town of 30,000 people in order to do some kind of business, whether it be a Miskito fisherman walking the streets with a day's catch of fish dangling from his hand, a lumber merchant selling planks to foreign mills, or the government surveyors working on the all-season paved road through the jungle that may one day link the town with Managua. The town also serves as the base for YATAMA (Yapti Tasba Masraka Nanih Aslatakanka - which translates roughly as Children of the Mother Earth), a political party which fights for the rights of the indigenous Atlantic coast peoples, and which is fiercely opposed to central government, whether conservative, liberal or Sandinista.

Most travellers arrive by plane . The daily La Costeña or Atlantic Airlines flight from Managua touches down at the airstrip 2km north of town, from where taxis will take you into the centre for about US$1. The town's few amenities are all scattered within a few blocks of the Parque Central, a few hundred metres west of the seafront. An Enitel office and a solitary bank are the only services in town - the latter will change dollars if they have enough córdobas.

There's not much accommodation , unless you are into sleeping with rows of drunken men. The best choice at the moment is Cayos Miskitos , 100m east and 100m north of the Parque Central; although a little pricey, it's safe and clean, and you can watch Mexican cable TV (US$10-25). Eating in Puerto Cabezas is very expensive, and a seafood dish will cost you up to US$5, even though fishing is one of the area's main activities. For fish, try the Restaurante Costa Brava , 200m from the Parque Central. For something more upmarket, Pizzeria Mercedita has passable pizzas, and the Cayos Miskitos hotel has a fairly good restaurant attached. Nightlife is downright scary; although the town's nightspots play good Caribeña music, they cater exclusively to men and the overall aim is to get aggressively drunk - some establishments have weapons checks at the door. If you're up for the macho atmosphere, try the salsa at Disco Scorpio or the reggae and soca rhythms at the Blue Beach .