EXTREME OVERLANDING IN HONDURAS
ROCO 4X4 ADVENTURE WEEK 2018
In late November, I found myself standing along a muddy rocky path with my cameras at the ready. I was in a remote corner of Honduras, high in the mountains, surrounded by thick jungle. Rain fell with authority as mosquitos took advantage of fresh blood. Local villagers gazed upon the odd scene unfolding before them with machetes in one hand and hand-rolled cigarettes in the other, eager to help when they could.
Along this remote path, fully built off-road vehicles were climbing massive boulders, crossing long sections of thigh-deep mud and sliding down slippery slopes. The day had started at the Caribbean Sea, but wouldn’t end until well after darkness had fallen on Honduras’s capital, San Pedro Sula. This was just the first full day of RAW 2018, and the adventure had just begun!
RAW 2018
Roco 4x4’s Adventure Week (RAW) 2018 was a combination of overlanding, rock crawling and general adventure travel. Honduras hosted the event’s fourth installment, which consisted of 10 vehicles, 26 people and over 500 miles of adventure over 10 days. RAW is put on by the team at Roco 4x4, an international off-road specialty shop based in Miami. A few off-road journalists, some off-road industry professionals, a handful of important customers and the core of the Roco 4x4 team assembled in Miami for a flight to Honduras. Roco 4x4 had shipped the vehicles from Miami a few weeks before, which met the group at the airport in Honduras.
The route and schedule were kept secret, both for security and so it could continually evolve as time constraints, terrain, weather and breakdowns occurred. Not knowing much at all about each day’s plans was both frustrating and exciting, but it did give the Roco 4x4 team the latitude they needed to make the event a success.
Rebeca Olavarrieta, co-owner at Roco 4x4, sums up the reason for RAW succinctly: “To make you feel alive!”
Off-Road Adventuremobile
Of course, what all the locals stared at the whole trip was the fleet of truly burly and diverse off-road vehicles that were part of RAW 2018. There were ten rigs in total: seven from the U.S., one from Spain and two from Honduras. All were impressively set up with aggressive tires, big lifts, quality suspension, full armor and lots of recovery equipment. The almighty Jeep was the vehicle of choice for many, with a lone TJ, two JK, two JKU, one brand new JLU and even a crazy orange XJ in attendance. While Jeeps were popular, my favorites had to be the odd ducklings of the group. There was a well-designed long-travel fifth-gen 4Runner and even a bright green exoskeleton caged rockcrawler based on an Xterra, known as the ‘Iguana.’ Even with all that impressive off-road vehicle madness in the group, many hearts in the group, including mine, lie with a very minimally modified diesel manual transmission 70-Series Land Cruiser double-cab pickup. It was one of the local Honduran vehicles, and did everything that was asked of it, without a single issue.
A few of the vehicles, like the blue Roco JKU and ‘Iguana,’ only had half doors. This meant that passengers got to experience the sights, sounds and smells of Honduras up close and personal. Heat, dust, rain, mud and bugs were all part of the experience, a stark contrast to the enclosed vehicles with AC, cabin air filters and dry seats. I was able to ride in both types
of vehicles throughout the week, and while my camera gear appreciated the less dusty enclosed environments, I truly relished the more rugged options.
Human Connections
The people on this adventure have wide and diverse backgrounds. We had a Jeep journalist from Australia, a rally raid enthusiast from Germany, a pilot, a doctor, a car salesman, a mechanic, a few off-road industry sales reps, a few local Honduran business men and a variety of others. What tied everyone together was a deep passion for off-road travel and adventure.
While we were able to meet a wide variety of local Hondurans, a major highlight of the trip was visiting a school for special needs children. We got to meet the children, tour their school, hear about their programs and make a donation to help them improve their facilities and take care of the kids. Seeing the kids’ smiles as we showed them our off-road rigs had to be the highlight, though, as they just lit up with excitement.
Honduras
Honduras is a wild and diverse place. From steep rolling hills, to thick jungles and Caribbean islands, the country has a lot to offer adventurers of all types. On RAW 2018 we got to sample a wide swath of the country and push the vehicles to their limits along the way.
While getting the tires dirty, and exploring by vehicle was the primary motivator for many, Roco 4x4 made sure that everyone got the opportunity to experience Honduras’s many adventure opportunities. The trip included hot springs, ziplining, climbing behind waterfalls, cliff jumping into rivers, exploring coffee plantations, snorkeling in the ocean and so much more. We even got to explore the Mayan ruins at Copan, a non-vehicle highlight for many of us.
Hospitality
Honduras, local Hondurans and Roco 4x4 combined resources to offer top-notch hospitality to the diverse group of adventurers on RAW 2018. It all started by receiving a truly impressive personalized survival welcome kit from the Minister of Tourism himself.
“HONDURAS IS A WILD AND DIVERSE PLACE. FROM STEEP ROLLING HILLS, TO THICK JUNGLES AND CARIBBEAN ISLANDS, THE COUNTRY HAS A LOT TO OFFER ADVENTURERS OF ALL TYPES.”
From there, we were treated to amazing local food each day in some truly breathtaking locations. One morning we even had breakfast on a boat, as we toured Honduras’s largest lake. Lodging ranged from the Intercontinental Hotel in the capital to small local hotels in rural towns. Many nights were spent in basic accommodations, but that is just because much of Honduras is only set up for local tourism. All of the lodging was leaps and bounds more comfortable, and much appreciated, over the alternative of camping in a muddy jungle along the way.
Surprises were a big part of the adventure, and two really stood out. One was a full Thanksgiving dinner, not something you’d traditionally find in Honduras. Roco 4x4 went out of their way to make the entire group feel like part of their family, and a proper turkey dinner on Thanksgiving was one such way. The second big surprise was leaving the vehicles
for a two-night stay on the island of Roatan. This was the conclusion of the week, and offered up time for the group to reminisce, relax on the beach and play in the ocean.
More RAW
Roco 4x4 has really just begun with the event-hosting segment of their business. It is highly unlikely that they made money on RAW 2018, as everything on offer was top notch and entry fees were minimal. What they did make was amazing memories and close connections with their customers, industry partners and a few lucky media professionals.
I know that the Roco 4x4 team is already hard at work scheming up new crazy ideas for future RAW events around the globe. Honduras was an amazing host, has a ton more to offer, and the Roco 4x4 team has close connections there, so you can’t count it out as a possible future location. It will be hard for the Roco 4x4 team to top RAW 2018, but they’re sure to try!
To learn more about Roco 4x4’s events, visit: roco4x4.com/events.