Lancetilla, Punta Sal and Punta Izopo: Tela’s Nature Next Door
Few beach towns have this much green this close. Around Tela Bay there are three protected areas, and you can reach all of them in a morning. For anyone thinking about Tela real estate, that matters: it’s part of why the town still feels like itself.
Lancetilla Botanical Garden
Just outside town, Lancetilla was started by the fruit company in the mid-1920s to test tropical plants from around the world. Today it’s one of the largest tropical botanical gardens in the Americas, with long avenues of palms, an arboretum, a lot of birds and a river where local families swim on weekends.
Jeannette Kawas National Park (Punta Sal)
West of Tela, past Tornabé and Miami, the coast turns into a point of jungle, rocks and small coves. The park is named after Jeannette Kawas, a local environmentalist who fought to protect it. Boats leave from Tela and the Garífuna villages; expect monkeys, snorkeling on calm days and very good fried fish at the end. The park also includes the Los Micos lagoon.
Punta Izopo National Park
East of town, Punta Izopo is wetlands, mangroves and canals, best seen by kayak early in the morning. It’s quieter than Punta Sal and great for birds.
What it means if you live here
Protected areas limit building around them, which keeps the coast open. It also means some land that looks like a bargain is inside a park or on its edge. If a lot is near Punta Sal, Punta Izopo or the lagoons, ask your lawyer to check it carefully. See our Tela buyer’s guide.
Want to be close to all this? Browse our Tela real estate listings, or read about living in Tela.