Copan Ruinas With Kids – Best Things To Do
Copan Ruinas, Honduras is a tragically overlooked destination for those looking for great spots to visit with kids. Though it isn’t very large, it is filled the brim with charm and with things to do. Whether you’re walking its namesake ruins, soaking in the nearby hot springs, or just hanging out in town, you’ll always be able to find something to explore.
Mayan Ruins
The best place to start is probably the ruins that give the town its name. Before the Spanish conquest of the New World, Copan was the location of a Mayan city. Today, the ruins still stand, much like in other Mayan cities across Central America, but there are several features that make Copan special.
The Carvings
Copan Ruinas is filled with spectacular carvings that have survived the weathering effects of time remarkably intact. My kids loved walking around the ruins and admiring the different stelas and statues scattered around the site.
Be sure to check out the Hieroglyphic Stairway!
Rosalila Temple
It was common practice for Mayans to build their newer pyramids over the ruins of older ones like was done at Chichen Itza. But typically, the temple at the top of the older pyramid was destroyed before being built over. That is not the case with Rosalila Temple, which is located underneath one of the larger pyramids at Copan. Instead, the entire temple was entombed, never to see the light of day again.
If you hire a guide to go with you, it is possible to enter the tunnels dug into the sides of the pyramid and see the temple that was buried.
Mayan Village Ruins
The Mayan temples often get all the attention. After all, since they are grand structures that reach into the sky, they sort of pull the eye. But just to the north of Copan’s temple structures are the ruins of a small Mayan village where people would have been living during the time period that the temple was being used. My kids loved looking through these smaller ruins just as much as they did the large pyramids!
Before heading back to town, be sure to visit the Museum near the entrance of the ruins. It was closed when we went, but inside is a scale model of the Rosalila Temple that you can walk through to get a sense of the temple’s size!
Hikes and Trails
One of the best parts about being in a small town hidden away in the jungle is getting to be in the jungle! There are a number of different hiking trails in the area that we loved doing with our kids.
The Copan Ruinas Loop Trail
This trail is located near the ruins themselves, but outside the fenced-in portion where the pyramids are located. It’s an easy, but beautiful trail through the forest and features large La Ceiba trees, and the ruins of a small Mayan ball game court thought to have been used as a practice field.
Los Sapos Trail
This trail is close to the Hacienda de San Lucas restaurant and hotel outside of Copan Ruinas. The area is beautiful, with wild Macaws and plenty of greenery to be seen. Along the trail, there are also a handful of stones carved to look like toads! The San Lucas restaurant is also a convenient place to grab some really tasty food before or after your hike, but do note that it was both some of the most expensive food we ate in the area and some of the slowest service. We were glad to have brought some cards with us to pass the time.
Horseback Trails
We ended up not making time to do any of the horseback trails in the area, but horseback trips were offered to us no fewer than 5 times during our month in Copan Ruinas. My kids love horseback riding, and it would have been a great opportunity, but we just didn’t get to it this time around.
Must-See Places
Macaw Mountain
Macaw Mountain is a Macaw rescue center just outside of town where you can find all sorts of birds, from scarlet macaws to toucanets. It’s a great facility with a focus on rehabilitating the macaws and getting them back into the wild.
While we were there, we had the chance to watch the release of 10 young macaws that had been raised from their breeding programs! It was amazing getting to see them living up to their promise to get macaws back into the wild. I highly recommend bringing your kids!
Mayan Hills Resort and Butterfly Garden
The main attraction here is the butterfly garden. My kids loved learning about and holding the caterpillars before moving outside to see the butterflies! The gardens themselves were beautiful, and if you walk a bit deeper into the resort, there’s a small playground where kids can burn some excess energy.
Sunflowers
One of the newer attractions in the area, there is a small sunflower farm not far outside of town. There’s not much there other than the flowers themselves, but if you’re looking for a beautiful place to take some pictures, the sunflowers make for a great outing.
Luna Jaguar Hot Springs
The Luna Jaguar Hot Springs is a beautiful set of springs and pools located about 45 minutes outside of town. They have a ton of different pools to soak in, each at different temperatures. And if that weren’t relaxing enough, the entire place is surrounded by lush jungle greenery.
Shopping
There is a ton of great artisan shopping located just off the main plaza in town. On Saturdays, there is also a small farmer’s market where you can buy locally grown fruits and vegetables, including fresh cacao!
Artisan shopping is always a good time, and it helps put money into the hands of local people, so definitely make time in your schedule to check it out!
Restaurants
We didn’t manage to make it to every restaurant in town during our month there, but we did visit a few. Here are some of my kid’s favorites
Cafe Welchez
Cafe Welchez is located just off the main plaza and has a great upstairs patio dining area for eating outside. They had a wide variety of great-tasting food, as well. I loved the Copan Blue, which is a chicken cordon bleu sandwich. My kids preferred the Amor Amor, which was Nutella-filled french toast. Not exactly local fare, but really tasty.
Carnitas Nia Lola
A super enjoyable restaurant with a great view from the upstairs balcony. They serve a variety of tasty local foods with a bit of flair thrown in for fun. The waitresses will carry drinks and food to your table by balancing them on their heads, which is super fun for the kids!
Local Museums
I would have loved to explore the local museums with my kids, but all of them were closed due to COVID during our trip. Still, they’re likely to reopen at some point so they’re worth mentioning here.
Museo Casa K’inich
This is a small children’s museum that teaches about Mayan culture. It looks like it would have been a ton of fun if it had been open, and I’m disappointed to have missed out! Though the museum itself is closed, there is a playground located outside where the kids can let out some energy. Just make sure to take a Moto-taxi to get there, as it’s located at the top of a pretty steep hill.
Museo de Arqueología Maya
This is a small museum located just off the main plaza. It’s supposed to have some excellent examples of the carvings found in the ruins. If you’re interested in Mayan archaeology, it’s definitely worth a look.
Museo Digital de Copán
This one is also located off the main plaza and was put together with the help of some Japanese researchers who studied the local ruins. It’s not a large museum as museums go, but then again it’s not all that expensive to visit either.
I’ve been told that it’s a great place to visit before heading to the ruins, in order to get an overview of the history.
Really, it’s hard to go wrong in a place like this. There’s more than enough to see and do, and the scenery, history, and culture easily combine to make this small town an excellent spot to add to any itinerary!