Sea Kayaking, Snorkeling, and Private Island Week
~Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras~
NEW: MULTI SPORT WEEKS: Kayaking, Stand up Paddleboarding, Snorkeling, Yoga, and Marine Ecology! Descriptions coming soon~
Come join us on an as we explore the Caribbean island of Utila, located in the beautiful Bay Islands of 
Honduras. With our partners, Uncommon Adventures, we are the first and only group to bring this type of kayaking to Utila island and the Utila Cays.
Beautiful paddling, turquoise waters, easy access to snorkeling and fishing. Utila is often referred to as “what the Caribbean used to be”. No high rises or fancy restaurants here. This is a safe, small, friendly island that is known for its laid back attitude and beautiful waters
To bring you this trip, Kayak Utila has partnered with Uncommon Adventures, a USA based company which specializes in Coastal seakayaking and kayaking instruction, and has been leading sea kayaking trips in Roatan and the Cayos Cochinos for over 10 years. Uncommon Adventures has an excellent reputation for its personable certified instructors, quality equipment, and ability to create customized trips for all levels.
This is combination trip of sea kayaking, snorkeling and marine biology based in Utila and the Utila Cays. The highlight of this trip is basing out of our own private island (cay) surrounded by gorgeous coral reefs, which offers us great access to snorkeling and paddling. This trip operates on island time and works in harmony with the local economy and culture. Lodging will be local inns or homes for 2 nights and a private island just for us for 4 nights. Our front yard is a coral reef – literally! Food will be a combination of locally provided fare and recipes from one of your trip leader’s own new cookbook!
With quality trip leadership from the Uncommon Adventures director, Michael Gray (ACA Level 4 instructor), along with Andi Shluker Ryon, a marine naturalist and a 5+ year resident of Utila, this is going to be one great trip!
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Skill Level: Beginner through advanced
Kayaking and Snorkeling: We will be paddling in expedition style, sit in boats (not sit on tops) from Current Designs, Valley, and Dagger. Experience is helpful, but not mandatory. You can develop your kayaking skills with a ACA certified open water instructor throughout the week as you learn to handle a sea kayak in wind and waves. Being on a tropical island in the tradewinds does present some great opportunities for gentle paddling as well as rough water paddling without the dangers of cold water. You can also learn how to snorkel right out of your kayak on a fantastic living coral reef! For more advanced snorkelers, there are excellent opportunities to hone your free diving skills and marine ecology knowledge.
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Itinerary:
Day 1) Flight arrival day. Most people will choose to fly into San Pedro Sula and then transfer to the 2:30 pm SOSA flight to Utila. (We can assist you with booking of your flights.) Once on Utila, we’ll bring you to the your lodging, the Oyster Lagoon House, which is a pleasant home just across the street from the beach and has a dock onto the back lagoon. A special family style local dinner will be prepared for us by our friend and owner of a hotel a few doors down, by the gracious Mrs. Tania. We’ll have an orientation that night and then sit out on the deck watching the stars.
Day 2) We’ll start with a morning stretch by the sea and then a nice breakfast cooked by our 
trip leader Michael, and then get acquainted with our boats. After paddle introduction and review of basic strokes, we’ll ensure folks are comfortable with wet exits and then enjoy a leisurely paddle through the lower lagoon heading into an extensive mangrove channel, learning about the mangrove ecosystems along the way. This channel connects to the North Side, opening up to the fantastic bay of Rock Harbor. This is a gorgeous bay that few tend to visit due to access being either power boat or through the channel. Total paddle time is about 1.5 hour one way, though of course we can stop 
along the way for photos, bird sightings, and exploring about the mangrove environment. Once at Rock Harbor, we can anchor up the kayaks in the shallow sand and give a snorkeling introduction before we start exploring the shallow coral reefs- and our in water naturalist/guide will be with you to point out the fish and critters you’ll see.
After a nice snorkel, we’ll load back into our boats and 
paddle just a few minutes more to a nice sandy stretch of white sand beach for lunch and rest break and enjoying the calm warm waters. Once everyone has had their fill, we’ll paddle back through the bay and mangrove channel and return to our hotel. Tonight we’ll have a marine life identification presentation and enjoy a nice dinner and our second night’s stay.
Day 3) After a morning stretch and full breakfast, we’ll say goodbye to our home and paddle West, along the South Shore of Utila to our private Cay where we’ll base for the next few days. This will be about a 2 hour paddle along the coral reef wall, and we will have boat support to shuttle our gear and food. We’ll arrive at our private island and enjoy a leisurely lunch as we unpack and familiarize ourselves with our new home for next few days. In the afternoon, there will be the choice to do a snorkel or an afternoon paddle. Lodging at the Cay is in a 4 bedroom home- we 
can accommodate b
edding to fit your needs. The Cay is solar powered, but we’ll have running water and lights as well as a full kitchen and comfortable beds.
Day 4,5,6) Basing out of our home on Little Cay, we’ll enjoy a variety of activities including:
- Morning stretching/yoga by the sea
- Exploring the reefs by snorkel out our front door
- Going on longer kayaking excursions, exploring the uninhabited Western Shoreline
- Paddling to a water-access-only restaurant, Purple Pelican, for great dockside dining
- Paddling to the Pigeon Cays- which are 2 islands that make up a densely populated but very small fishing village. We’ll have time to stroll around, enjoy some ice cream, take in the sights and talk to the locals.
- Going night snorkeling (we’ll have 
underwater lights)
- Marine life presentations (fish, coral, other invertebrates)
- Strokes, braces, and rescue workshops
You can count on learning a host of new paddle skills, lots of snorkeling and learning about the coral reef, plenty of time for relaxation, and spectacular backdrop.
Day 7) We’ll say good bye to our Cay and start to paddle back to Utila town. Weather dependent, we will aim to do a ½ circumnavigation of the island, going up the West side, then around the North side, and back through the channel we started in the first day. We’ll stay at a comfortable hotel in town and enjoy a nice farewell meal at a dockside restaurant
Day 8) Taxi to the airport for return flights or trip extensions of your choice
Registration Information:
A $300 registration is required to hold your reservation and is refundable until 30 days of departure. Balance is due 30 days before departure. When we receive your deposit, you will receive a personal equipment list, a participant profile (so that we may tailor your trip to your interests and tastes in food), and any other pertinent info we can find.
(See photos of 2011 Trip HERE)
2012 Dates:
- March 4-10, April 14th – May 15 (choose your dates)
Cost: $1695 including transfers from Roatan; all inclusive except for alcohol
Contact us now or call USA toll free: 1-866-882-5525 to find out more about this trip, as we are early enough in the planning to customize it to your groups needs!
