Roatan Magic Hidden Jewel of the Western Caribbean

White sandy beaches dotted with conch shells under leaning palms may be lost in other places, but they still exist just around the bend in the road on Roatan. With much of the Caribbean becoming increasingly homogenized and unoriginal, Roatan is more than just another Caribbean island. Lush, emerald hills roll into savanna valleys, tropical forests, mangroves and idyllic beaches. Surrounded by one of the most vibrant reefs in the Western hemisphere, Roatan is the largest of the seven islands that comprise the Bay Islands archipelago. The waters around the islands team with life. There are whale sharks, pods of wild dolphin and solitary blue marlin break the ocean's surface. Roatan's diverse environment is not only home to exotic flora and fauna, but to a distinctive and gregarious people. Over the centuries, Paya Indians, Spanish, English, Garifuna and Afro-Antilleans have created an ever evolving mosaic of cultures and traditions on Roatan that today is as much part of the Caribbean as it is a part of Central America.