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Nestling in a mountain valley 1000m above sea level, Tegucigalpa is one of the more enjoyable Central American capitals, thanks to a combination of faded colonial charm and a refreshing climate. This is a city built on a human rather than a monumental scale: from the small colonial core, home to many museums and churches, wealthy residential and embassy districts spread out to the south and east, while across the Rio Choluteca to the west lies Comayaguela , Tegucigalpa's shabbier, more industrial twin - together the two comprise the administrative Distrito Central . Although the nation's economic focus has long since shifted to San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa continues to function as the political and governmental centre of Honduras. The city sights might keep you busy for a day or two, but it's worth planning a longer stay in the capital in order to venture out into the pine forests and mountain ranges that encircle the city. To the east, the colonial mining villages of Santa Lucia and Valle de Angeles , both easily reached by local buses, evoke a time when this was a rough frontier, and rich seams of silver provided the wealth on which Tegucigalpa was built. Just a short distance further north is one of the country's most accessible cloudforest reserves, the Parque Nacional La Tigra ; though commonly visited on a day-trip from the capital, an overnight stay allows time to see more of the forest. South of Tegucigalpa stretches the stark, sun-baked coastal plain of the Pacific. Tourists are few and far between in this region, whose only real attraction is Isla El Tigre , a little-visited volcanic island set in the calm waters of the Golfo de Fonseca. The most likely reason for travelling here is to cross the border into Nicaragua or El Salvador; heading east into Nicaragua, you may well have to change buses in the regional capital, Choluteca , whose well-preserved colonial centre makes it an appealing stopover.
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