The eastern part of the department is covered with rainforests, though the influx of impoverished, farmers and intense timber extraction have increased deforestation rates in the area.

A portion of the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve, a tropical rainforest with diverse wildlife and declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO, straddles the border of Olancho and the neighboring departments of Gracias a Dios and Colón.

It was used as a burial site by the native peoples, and over time, the bones left there were covered by the calcite dripping from the ceiling, giving them an eerie, sparkling appearance.

[citation needed] Old independent sentiments persist among Olanchanos, although the department's role as an agricultural producer has made it an integral part of the Honduran economy.

[5] Many multinational corporations as well as charitable and religious organizations with personnel in Honduras actively discourage their members from visiting Olancho or suggest caution, as do the governments of the US,[6][7] Canada,[8] France,[9] New Zealand[10] and the UK,[11] among others.

The logline of the film is as follows:[citation needed]Manuel, a farmer from Olancho, Honduras, seeks fame by making music for the region’s drug cartels.

When some of his song lyrics get him in trouble, Manuel must make the most difficult decision of his life: continue the quest for fame, or flee.Olancho premiered at the 2017 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula, Montana.