As many of you may know, Honduras is currently in a chaotic state. What do visitors need to know?

What’s Going on?

In June, the Congress booted President Manuel Zelaya with the support of the army and Supreme Court, giving him a one-way ticket to Costa Rica on a military plane. He’s been trying to reclaim his office ever since.

Where is he now?

Ex-president Zelaya is holed up in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa. There are occasional protests of support outside the building, although the army breaks them up pretty quickly.

Are they going to let him be president again?

That’s the big question. He wants to reclaim his office. There are near-constant talks between his camp and the interim government, but they mostly seem to be going nowhere. The current government is promising to arrest him if he leaves the embassy.

What happens now?

Time is on the side of the interim government. There is a regularly scheduled election coming up in November. Although there are currently sanctions by the international community now for their clumsy removal of Zelaya, it will be hard to maintain those sanctions after an election. Expect the interim government to stall the talks until November. Maybe then they’ll let him back, once his power is severely limited by the presence of a new, incoming administration.

What does this mean for Honduras tourism?

If you’re sunning yourself on Roatan, very little. If you’re in Tegucigalpa, you’ll want to know that crime is up, as drug gangs are taking advantage of the chaos to increase trafficking to North America. Also, the police are busy keeping an eye on the protests, so street crime is up even higher than usual, if that’s possible in Tegucigalpa. Sanctions are hitting the poor hard.

Anything else I need to know if I’m in Honduras?

One of the places this conflict is playing out is in the media. The interim government has closed and re-opened oppositional radio and TV stations, and suspended some liberties. Be aware of curfews.

Between a national curfew and low-level skirmishing in the streets, Honduras (and Tegucigalpa in particular) is currently a risky place for travelers. Former President Manuel Zelaya, ousted in June in a questionable constitutional coup, returned recently to the country and has been holed up in the Embassy of Brazil. The government that replaced him has vowed to arrest him and probably will if he can be flushed out of the sanctuary of the embassy. Zelaya’s supporters have held demonstrations in support outside the embassy only to be driven off by police using batons and tear gas. The situation is unlikely to get much worse, but travelers in Honduras are urged to take care in the next few days and avoid the area near the Brazilian Embassy.

Talk about a wake-up call: Early Sunday, soldiers in Honduras marched into the home of president Jose Manuel Zelaya, arresting and exiling him to Costa Rica, marking the first successful military coup in Central America in over 16 years. Congress appointed Roberto Micheletti to serve the rest of Zelaya’s term, which ends in January. The coup took action after Zelaya disregarded the Supreme Court’s ruling and Congress’ vote against holding a referendum he was pushing that would allegedly extend his rule.

For many, this signifies both a disruption in democracy and hope, as sad memories resurface of military dictatorships that once dominated Central America. In Nicaragua Zelaya met with nine leftist nations who agreed to remove their ambassadors from Honduras until Zelaya’s return, and will reject all new diplomats from the replaced government. Government leaders all over North, Central and South America are reacting to the coup, with most siding with Zelaya.

Thousands of protestors surrounding the presidential palace in Tegucigalpa were met with tear gas and shields. Armed forces set up roadblocks to the capital city and the coup has temporarily shut down all media outlets. However, most of the city experienced a typical — albeit cautious and tense — Monday, with most businesses open and operating.

James Goller from Viaventure reported to V!VA Travel Guides that tours and tourist services have remained unaffected, but will notify us of any updates.