Biotopo Del Quetzal Travel Information and Travel Guide - Guatemala

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Introducing Biotopo Del Quetzal

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Along the main Cobán highway (Carretera a Cobán or Hwy 14), 34km beyond the La Cumbre turnoff for Salamá, you reach the Biotopo Mario Dary Rivera nature reserve, commonly called the Biotopo del Quetzal (admission US$2.50; 7am-4pm), at Km 161, just east of the village of Purulhá.

You need a fair bit of luck to see a quetzal – they’re rare and shy. For more about the quetzal, see the boxed text, above. You have the best chance of seeing them from March to June. If you’re really keen to see Guatemala’s national bird in the wild, contact Proyecto EcoQuetzal in Cobán.

It’s well worth stopping to explore and enjoy this lush high-altitude cloud-forest ecosystem that is the quetzal’s natural habitat at any time – and you may get lucky! Early morning or early evening when the quetzals feed on aguacatillo trees are the best times to watch out for them – try around the Hotel y Comedor Ranchito del Quetzal.

Trail guide maps in English and Spanish (US$0.70) are available at the visitors center. They contain a checklist of 87 birds commonly seen here. Other animals include spider monkeys and tigrillos, which are similar to ocelots. Good luck spotting either of these.

Two excellent, well-maintained nature trails wind through the reserve: the 1800m Sendero 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 biotopo’s humid atmosphere.

Both trails pass by waterfalls, most of which cascade into small pools where you can take a dip; innumerable streams have their headwaters here, and the Río Colorado pours through the forest along a geological fault. 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 visitors 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 Cecon (Centro de Estudios Conservacionistas de la Universidad de San Carlos) in Guatemala City, which administers this and other biotopos.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009