Swimming, Snorkelling and Walking
The best swimming near town is at the Blue Bayou , a twenty-minute walk west of the centre, where you can bathe in chest-deep water and snorkel further out; there's a US$1 charge to use the area, which also boasts a small sandy beach and rickety wooden pier where you can sunbathe in peace away from the sandflies, and a food stand selling snacks and beers. Hammocks are slung in the shade of coconut trees and there's snorkelling gear available for rent (US$1.50 per hour). Blue Bayou is also the site of the Utila Sea Turtle Conservation Project , a privately run scheme set up with support from BICA, where hawksbill and loggerhead turtle eggs are incubated, and the hatchlings fed and then released; visitors are welcome. East of town, Airport Beach , at the end of the dirt airstrip, offers good snorkelling just offshore (though access is more difficult), as does the little reef beyond the lighthouse . The path from the end of the airstrip up the east coast of the island leads to a couple of small coves - the second is good for swimming and sunbathing. Five minutes beyond the coves, you'll come to the Ironshores , a mile-long stretch of low volcanic cliffs with lava tunnels cutting down to the water. Another pleasant five-kilometre walk or cycle ride is along the Cola de Mico Road across the northern tip of the island to Pumpkin Hill and beach, passing the site of the new airport. The 82-metre hill, the eroded crest of an extinct volcano, gives good views over the island and across to the mainland and the dark bulk of Pico Bonito. Down on the beach, lava rocks cascade into the sea, forming underwater caves - there's good snorkelling here when the water is calm, though it's not safe to free dive down into the caves.
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