Gulf of Fonseca

The Gulf of Fonseca is a large Pacific bay shared between Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, accessible from Choluteca by road to the small port of Coyolito or the beach of Cedeño. The gulf is dotted with volcanic islands, the most accessible of which is Isla del Tigre, with the colonial town of Amapala and beaches that see almost no tourists.

Boats to Isla del Tigre depart from Coyolito (about 40 km from Choluteca); the crossing takes 15–20 minutes. The island offers hiking to the volcanic summit, deserted beaches, and simple seafood restaurants with views across the bay to El Salvador and Nicaragua. The surrounding waters have mangrove forests and the Punta Ratón peninsula is an important nesting site for olive ridley sea turtles between July and December. The bay itself is excellent for fishing — local restaurants in Cedeño serve the freshest seafood in the region.

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The Gulf of Fonseca is one of the few places in the world where three countries share a single bay — Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua all have coastline here. This was a source of diplomatic tension for decades; the International Court of Justice made a ruling on territorial waters in 1992 that brought some resolution, though the fishing communities on all three shores had always shared the water more peacefully than their governments.

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