Showing 1-5 of 5 results
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Way Out Water – Semuc Champey & Lanquín, Guatemala
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 15 February 2012
You’ve got to endure a slow, bumpy, curvy road to get to the serenity of the famous natural pools of Semuc Champey. First we passed through the grotty, congested city of Coban before turning off the pavement. From there it took 45 minutes to drive seven miles (11 km) to reach the dusty town of Lanquín. From there it took another half hour to drive a steep, windy, narrow and rocky road another six miles (9 km) down to the Cahabón River where the pools form. You could say we were ready for a soak.
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Hungry Hummingbirds Photo Essay – Chelemhá Lodge, Guatemala
Blog: Trans-Americas Journey - 13 February 2012
We had a lot of fun watching an impossibly colorful male quetzal emerge from its nest in the privately-run Chelemhá Cloud Forest Reserve in the Yalijax Mountains of the Alta Verapaz region of Guatemala. However, the color, diversity and sheer appetite of the hummingbirds drawn to the feeders on the wrap-around decks at Chelemhá Lodge were thrilling as well. See what we mean with this photo essay highlighting the hummingbird species that happily call Chelemhá home.
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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.
Showing 1-5 of 5 results
