Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Salto de Chaliscó
What's claimed to be Central America's highest
waterfall
(admission Q15)
lies 12km down a
dirt road from a turnoff at Km 145 on Hwy 14 to Cobán. At 130m and surrounded by
cloud forest, it's an impressive sight, especially if it's been raining and the fall is running
at full force. Another waterfall, the
Lomo de Macho
, lies 8km away - an enjoyable walk, or
you can hire a horse from the visitor center in town (about 5km from the falls). Previ-
ously, you could stay here as part of a
community tourism project
( 5301-8928; per person Q75)
, in
a rustic bunkhouse attached to the visitor center, but administrative problems saw the pro-
ject suspended at the time of writing. It may be running again by the time you read this.
Buses to Chaliscó leave every half hour from Salamá (Q15, 1½ hours), passing La
Cumbre Santa Elena (Q10, 45 minutes) on Hwy 14.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Biotopo del Quetzal
Along Hwy 14, 34km beyond the La Cumbre turnoff for Salamá, you reach the Biotopo
Mario Dary Rivera nature reserve, commonly called
Biotopo del Quetzal
(Hwy 14, Km 161; admis-
sion Q40; 7am-4pm)
, just east of the village of Purulhá.
You need a fair bit of luck to see a quetzal, as they're rare and shy, though you have the
best chance of seeing them from March to June. Even so, it's well worth stopping to ex-
plore and enjoy this lush high-altitude cloud-forest ecosystem that is the quetzal's natural
habitat - and you may happen to see one. Early morning or early evening are the best
times to watch out for them - they're actually more prevalent around the grounds of the
nearby hotels.
Two excellent, well-maintained
nature trails
wind through the reserve: the 1800m Sen-
dero los Helechos (Fern Trail) and the 3600m Sendero los Musgos (Moss Trail). As you
wander through the dense growth, treading on the rich, spongy humus and leaf-mold,
you'll see many varieties of epiphytes (air plants), which thrive in the reserve's humid at-
mosphere. Deep in the forest is
Xiu Gua Li Che
(Grandfather Tree), some 450 years old,
which germinated around the time the Spanish fought the Rabinal in these mountains.
The reserve has a visitor center, a little shop for drinks and snacks, and a camping and
barbecue area. The ruling on camping changes from time to time. Check by contacting
Ce-
con
(Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas de la Universidad de San Carlos;
2331-0904; biotoposce-
