Lodging in Honduras and amazing Garifuna culture – So, who are the Garifuna? One of the most vibrant and interesting cultures within the Caribbean area and also one of the least known. Residing primarily in Belize and the northern coast of Honduras, the Garífuna culture has had very low levels of publicity, but this does not reflect its wealth.
A slow and steady recognition of what Garífuna culture has to offer has been occurring since 2001 when UNESCO celebrated Garífuna music as one of the masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity. This resurgence has perhaps been most notable in Belize, where the government has provided support to the Garífuna population to help increase awareness of Garífuna culture among visiting tourists.
The same type of publicity has not been present on the north coast of Honduras, probably due to its status as one of the undiscovered gems of the Caribbean. While the Garífuna have received training focused on tourism, the Garífuna enclaves around sleepy towns like Trujillo offer a much more organic and authentic experience.
The Garífuna people are wisely proud of their cultural achievements, they celebrate their own language, their specific craft skills and, above all, their music and dance. Probably coming from their West African heritage, Garífuna music and dance is lively, loud, vibrant and very, very communal. The music is very different from the other cultures within the Central American area and is based on recall-based drums.
The best known dance within the Garífuna culture is the punta. The dance requires practitioners to move their hips, usually in a circular motion, while keeping their arms relatively still. My wife and I were lucky enough to see a fantastic example of Garifuna dance while staying at Banana Beach near the coastal city of Trujillo. Banana Beach is a charming resort, primed for romance, located near the Garifuna towns of Santa Fe and San Antonio.
Their proximity means that many locals visit the bar and they were generous enough to educate my wife and I on many aspects of Garifuna culture. Apparently punta is not the only dance form, but it tends to be the one performed on holidays and parties, so this is the one we all see! The dancers were fantastic, every woman in the bar got in on the action! The five percussionists began to play and the women, one by one or sometimes in pairs, jumped into the center of the makeshift dance floor and gave it their all.
I have some fantastic pictures of the dance. The drummers loved it and the women gave it their all. It was a very competitive process, but all in a good mood. Everyone surrounded and cheered all the dancers, even the few gringos, who dared to try. We will definitely visit this part of the world again. If you are looking for accommodation in Honduras, try the north coast and Banana Beach.