The botanical gardens are situated about a 10-minute moped ride outside West End on the right-hand side along the route towards Sandy Bay. They're well-known on the island for their lush jungle and wide-range of flowers and trees, and the rather elusive crested lizards. The highlight is the 30-minute climb—along well-laid tracks at the bottom but with increasingly steep slopes where you are aided by ropes along the way, which are particularly helpful when it's wet and slippery underfoot—up Monte Carambola for the top-point of the island and the marvellous view across the forest greenery, and down to the coast from which you can see how very clear the Caribbean truly is.
There's a little shaded car park and reception, which is only sporadically manned, for you to pay your $5 per person entry fee, so you may have to holler or wait. Once inside, you can wander around at will, seeing exotic butterflies and colourful birds, spiders and insects. There are many Honduran specimens, including fine examples of the "tourist tree" (locals will explain that its perpetually-peeling, reddish, wafer-thin bark reminds them of sun-burnt visitors!).
As you arrive and leave, you'll pass through a nice little shop, selling calendars, pictures, postcards if you want a memorial and the lizards don't oblige you with a sighting.