Showing 1-4 of 4 results
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Quetzals the Hard Way – Chelemhá Cloud Forest Reserve, Guatemala
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 8 February 2012
Spotting quetzals during our time at Ranchito del Quetzal was eerily easy. All we had to do was get out of bed at first light and stumble down to the restaurant where as many as 10 quetzals at a time dutifully came out to greet us. However, our next attempt to see these technicolor birds, at Chelemhá Cloud Forest Reserve, was much harder work right from the get-go. Getting to Chelemhá First there was the matter of getting to the privately owned and run Chelemhá Cloud Forest Reserve, a 400 acre (172 hectare) chunk of land in the Yalijux Mountains in the Alta Verapaz region of Guatemala.
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Quetzals the Easy Way – Biotopo de Quetzal, Guatemala
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 6 February 2012
The quetzal is Guatemala’s national bird and their money is named after it. It’s also one of the most impossible looking species on the planet. The bird has iridescent feathers that change from bright green to dark blue to nearly black as the light shifts. Its overall color scheme includes an eye-popping mix of neon green, red, blue, yellow and white. The feathers on its tiny head are like a fluffy mohawk. Strange finger-like feathers seem to wrap around from its back toward the front of its chest as if to hug the bird.
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Photo of the Day: Resplendent Quetzal – Chelemhá Cloud Forest Reserve, Guatemala
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 23 May 2011
We’ve been very lucky to see an amazing variety of animals in the wild so far on our Journey. High on our wish list was seeing a resplendent quetzal. As the name indicates this is one of the most spectacular birds in the world. The quetzal’s tail feathers (which only the males grow) were worn in the headresses of the Mayan and Aztec Kings. The quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala and is featured on all of the country’s paper money which happens to be called (you guessed it) the quetzal.
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Biotopo Del Quetzal, a natural sanctuary
Blog: Nono in Guatemala - 22 November 2010
The humidity and greenness greet the tourists at the Biotopo Del Quetzal, where the breeze, the sound of waterfalls and streams become your eternal companions. The uphill paths in zigzag require any visitor to stop frequently. Some for taking gulps of oxygen to allow them to continue the climb. Others, to look at the sky and the big trees that stand over their heads. The remote hope of seeing the flight of the green bird does not abandon the walkers, even if it is only an illusion.
Showing 1-4 of 4 results
