Cost of island tours

[Greenapple]

I am curious as to why Victor Bodden charges $25 per person (I was recently quoted that by him), and I read on these forums that you can hire a driver for $15-20. Perhaps Victor is 'better'? Just curious what others have paid, and whether Victor is 'worth' the extra money!

[Lisa0719]

We have used Victor twice now. Victor is a very soft-spoken gentleman who can speak English very well. He will give you a tour of the entire island, telling you stories/history along the way. Depending on your preference, you can spend some time at beaches at West End or West Bay. Victor knows the area and the people. He will treat you well and show you the best of Roatan and probably even some of the native ways. The first time we were there, Victor took us to his home and shared some mangos right from the trees. Victor is dependable and you can book him directly prior to your trip. Once you see how poor Roatan and its people are, $25 for an entire day per person is the best excursion money you will ever spend. Book him, and tell him Lisa and Joe think about him and his family often and hope they are well.

[SeaPA]

I've never done a tour with Victor but have met him (I go to the island regularly on dive trips). I'm guessing he is able to charge more (and IMHO it would be well worth it) for a couple of reasons:

1. He speaks English very clearly; many of the other drivers, especially the cabbies, are from mainland Honduras & speak little to no English. If you habla espanol, this might not be an issue to you.
2. He is from the island and knows very well its' history, its' pluses, its' minuses. Most of the cabbies from the mainland came to the island after Hurricane Mitch (1998) devastated the mainland. They don't know the background of the various areas & communities of the island as well as the native islanders.
3. He has a nice vehicle with a/c. Some of the others do also; but many of them drive very ragged vehicles with no a/c, no seatbelts, etc. So you'll likely be more comfortable & safe with Victor than you might be with a "hire on the spot" cabbie.

[Greenapple]

Sounds great. Thanks everyone!

[drawoh]

Hi,
I have used a tour guide named George 4 times already and he will take you just about anywhere you want to go in Roatan for $18/person for the day or $50/Max for 4 people. He speaks perfect English and has a jeep that holds 4 people plus room for some diving gear. His wheels are almost brand new so it's a nice ride. I believe he posts on that new Roatan Forums board at [url="http://www.roatanforums.com"]www.roatanforums.com[/url]. Check out the Roatan Scuba Diving or Roatan Transportation sections and make a post that you are looking for George. When he contacts you please tell him Richard told you about the $18 price with the $50 max for the day:) . I assume it is the same price because I used his services around 3 weeks ago.

Richard