Balfate

Balfate is a municipality in the Honduran department of Colón.

Balfate itself is a town of about 2500 but the municipality includes the towns of Lucinda (600) Lis Lis (1200) and several others. The main paved highway from La Ceiba (250,000) to Trujillo bypasses Balfate so the road from Jutiapa to Balfate is gravel and in need of improvement. The road ends about 20 km east of Balfate where the mountains reach the ocean. One of the long range plans of the Government is to extend the road to Trujillo, which has one of the best natural harbours in the world. Travel on this road would save about 40 km to Trujillo and open up the coastline to development. Balfate was the first port in Honduras from which banana shipments left to the United States, however the rail lines were dismantled in the mid 1950's and the pier demolished. the possibility exists for the new highway to use the old right of way left by the railroad.