Catching a Bus to Get to Utila, Honduras

Taking the Bus in Honduras to help get to and from Utila is an affordable, safe way to travel. There are 2 main options for bus types that you’ll want to look at- the local directo and the nice private busses, such as Hedman Alas. 

Local Directo Bus
They call these “first class” or “directo” local buses- they are the old greyhoud style (not the yellow school bus) and aren’t bad. Cost about 90 lempiras ($5usd) one way from La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula or back. No bathrooms, but they stop mid-way between La Ceiba and San Pedro Sula at a really nice rest stop. When they say directo for local buses, its “more or less” directo- they will stop on their way out of town at various spots to pick people up, so it add about 1 hour to your trip versus the private direct bus like Hedman Alas.

The local directo leaves from La Ceiba Terminal (different than the Hedman Alas Terminal) about hourly, starting about 5:30am. Off the Utila Princess morning ferry from Utila, you should be able to catch the 8:30 am directo local bus, getting you into SAP Terminal at about 1pm.

We’ve taken the local directo busses many times from La Cieba to SAP and back- its definately comfortable enough in non-summer months. However, be advised, there is no airconditioning (Hedman Alas has AC), so in the summer months, it really can get hot, hot, hot in the local bus!

Hedman Alas:
This direct private bus Hedman Alas from San Pedro Sula to La Ceiba is quick (3.5 hours) and an affordable option at $23 USD one way.  This is a reliable, secure bus company that services Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, the Copan Ruins, La Ceiba, and other parts of Honduras as well as Antigua, Guatemala.  Hedman Alas is very clean, accommodates lots of luggage below, shows movies and the seats recline nicely; not a bad way to travel!

We’ve taken the Hedman Alas many times from SAP Terminal to La Ceiba and return, and its always been a comfortable ride.  Service levels can be hit or miss (outstanding to surly), but it sure is a comfortable ride!

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Where the Bus Stops Are in La Ceiba and San Pedro Sula:

In La Ceiba:  For the Hedman Alas bus, you will need to take a taxi from ferry dock to “Hedman Alas” bus station, which is right near the Mall. If you are taking the public bus, to the Bus Station, you’ll ask for the “Terminal”. Its an outdoor bus station near the new Ace Hardware (Ferreteria Moderna) . All taxi drivers know where both are.  At the Bus Station, there are a couple stands for snacks and such, and a nice little restaurant inside. At Hedman Alas, there is a snack counter, but its just across from the Mall too, so you can leave your luggage and head off for a bit.  

In San Pedro Sula:  You will need to take a taxi to the Teminal. All taxi’s know where it is. Both the public directo busses and the Hedman Alas busses both leave from the Central Terminal.

Utila Guide Tip:Note that in San Pedro Sula, there is the main bus “Terminal” (same word in English and Spanish) and the “bus station”. These are NOT the same things.  The SAP bus station is an outdoor stop, with some food stands, etc. Its where you get on/off for the center of San Pedro Sula. The Terminal is a HUGE concrete sprawling center- its like a mall, complete with food courts, clothing stores, etc. The TERMINAL is the one you usually want, and is where Hedman Alas is. The Directo buses stop at both.

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Taking a bus to/from SAP Airport

There is a Hedman Alas Terminal at the airport.  From there, you can connect to the San Pedro Sula Terminal, and then to all points from there (La Ceiba, etc).  To see schedules for taking the bus from La Ceiba to the SAP Airport, or reverse, look below. 

We’ve found that the airport schedules don’t really connect so great with flight times coming into or out of  San Pedro Sula, so we don’t really push this airport connection option so much. But still its nice to know about.

 As you’ll see on our Travel Planning  page, most people will either fly into San Pedro Sula (SAP) and then fly to Utila on Mon, Wed, Friday or Saturday.  But due to timing, costs, etc, many folks ask about the bus and either stay the night in SAP and then bus to LCE and ferry, or bus directly to La Ceiba and stay the night and ferry.  Personally, we frequently get a late flight into SAP, stay at La Posada BandB, and then get a free ride to the Bus Terminal the next day to bus to La Ceiba.

Coming from LCE, the connections to airport aren’t great for departing flights, but you can take the bus from La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula Terminal, and then a taxi ($12usd per car) to the airport from the Terminal.

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Schedules:

Public Bus Schedule for Directo Busses:
Busses leave about hourly, or even on the 1/2 hour from La Ceiba Terminal to SAP Terminal and back.  They start about 5:30am and run into the evening. We suggest NOT travelling at night.

 Updated Bus Schedule for Hedman Alas as of July 2010:

~Be sure to also check the Hedman Alas site directly and email them to confirm!!~

Departing La Ceiba to SAP Terminal and SAP Airport 
 Departs at 5:15am, expected arrival at airport 11 am 
 Departs at 10:00 am, expected arrival at airport 3:50pm
 Departs at  2:20 pm, expected arrival at airport 7:00 pm
 Departs at 6:50 pm

Price is $20.29 usd one way, and the bus departing La Ceiba stops at the Terminal of San Pedro Sula before heading to to San Pedro Sula airport. Plan for 3.5-4 hours to San Pedro Sula Terminal, and about 5 hours to the SAP Terminal.
 
Departing from Airport San Pedro Sula to La Ceiba (with a stop first at San Pedro Sula Terminal)
 Departs 9:30 AM To SAP  Terminal, Arriving LCE   1:20pm
 Departs 2:15 PM To  SAP  Terminal, Arriving LCE  6:10pm
 Departs 3:55 PM To SAP Terminal, Arriving LCE  8pm
 Departs 5:00 PM To SAP  Terminal, Arriving LCE  at 9:00 pm

Price is $20.29 usd one way, and the bus departing SAP Airport, stops at the SAP Terminal before heading to La Ceiba

Departing from San Pedro Sula Terminal to La Ceiba and Airport
 Departs 6:00 AM  To La Ceiba
 Departs 8:40 AM  To SAP Airport
 Departs 10:25 AM To SAP Airport
 Departs 10:30 AM To La Ceiba
 Departs 12:30 PM To SAP Airport
 Departs 2:50 PM To SAP Airport
 Departs 3:20 PM To La Ceiba
 Departs 6:20 PM To La Ceiba
 Departs 6:30 PM To SAP Airport
The bus departing from from the airport in San Pedro Sula stops at the terminal of San Pedro Sula before heading to La Ceiba.

UtilaGuide Tip:For Hedman Alas, you will want to be a the station a minimum of 30 minutes before depature, but the earlier the better to pick your seat. Note: You can buy tickets online or through email, but we’ve heard reports of people buying in advance and their reservation not being there. Best to print out confirmation, and arrive early to be sure.

UtilaGuide Tip: Hedman Alas buses are COLD.  I mean really cold, as in you may want a long sleeve or jacket.

Utila Guide Tip:With Hedman Alas, there is also “Executive Plus” service on some buses, which is well worth the extra $4usd- Much larger seats, foot rests, and better snacks.  Its essentially like first class in a plane, but $4 usd instead of $400 usd!

Utila Guide Tip:With Hedman Alas, the carry on they allow you is teeny-tiny small.  Like a bookbag backpack that is not stuffed. Plan ahead and get the bigger items out of your carry-on into your luggage so you don’t have hassles. Also, no knives, or other implements  of destruction in your carry on for the Hedman Alas.

Contacts for Hedman Alas Bus Service:
San Pedro Sula number is 504-557-3477   We’ve also communicated directly with their customer service representatives (English and Spanish speaking) at info02@hedmanalas.com or info01@hedmanalas.com. 

Website: http://www.hedmanalas.com. It’s a fairly easy site to navigate and in English.

For More On The Island of Utila, look at www.UtilaGuide.com!