Central America - (Page 12)

GUATEMALA calling... its exotic birds and tropical flora. Of interest also is Lake Izabal whose freshwater basin shelters the manatee. Near the lake is the Mario Dary Rivera Biotopo where the resplendent quetzal makes itself at home. Call of the sea (...and lakes) For action-oriented travelers, the welcome mat is out. Visitors go mountain biking and horseback riding around Lake Atitlan, rafting year-round along the Cahabon River in the Alta Verapaz region and kayaking on Lake Peten Itza. Hiking up, down and around the volcanoes surrounding Antigua, Lake Atitlan and Quetzaltenango is a favorite pastime, suited both to easy strolls and technical climbs. On flatter terrain (and in the dry season), trekking to remote Mayan sites is memorable. The cave systems of the Verapaz region draw ardent cavers, while anglers head for Pacific shores for top catches of sailfish, as well as blue, black and striped marlin. And the newest addition to the active scene is the canopy tour, a zipline that lets you glide through the treetops outside of Antigua. Culture Calling Epochs of grandeur—Mayan and colonial—top the list of cultural attractions in Guatemala, and the superstars of preserving past traditions are its creative and largely Indian citizens. The oldest Spanish colonial city is Antigua, with its fine examples of 16th and 17th century architecture, including San Francisco Church, with fine frescoes, and the richly decorated La Merced Church. With its colonial homes done up in a rainbow of color and housing fine boutique inns, lively cafes and good restaurants, Antigua is everyone’s favorite hangout. The star attraction of the Mayan legacy in Guatemala is Tikal, the grand city-state of the classic period (A.D. 250-900), reached via the airport near the lively island-town of Flores. From here, it’s 42 miles to Tikal where, at the heart of the 50-sq.-mile site, two mighty temples face each other across the Great Plaza, while the bird’seye view from temple-top reveals dozens more rising through the surrounding forest. Closest to Tikal are 4,000-year-old Uaxactun ruins and the lakeside Yaxha site, while access (4x4, on foot, or by helicopter) to the most exciting and enormous find, El Mirador, involves complicated arrangements. Traditions and ceremonies play such an important role in national traditions that it is well worth paying attention to weekly Indian market days and festivals. In Guatemala, the major crafts centers lie in or around the highland markets: Santiago Atitlan (market day Fridays: weavings, embroidery, huipiles [embroidered blouses] on Lake Atitlan); Chichicastenango (best on Thursdays and Sundays: weavings, masks and more in this most famous of markets); Momostenango (Sundays: wall hangings, blankets, bedspreads); and Totonicapan (Tuesdays: pottery and weavrecommend.com Guatemala creates some of Central America’s most sought-after handicrafts. Call of the Wild Attention birders: the jungles of El Peten were once the heartland of the Mayan civilization, and the wonders of antiquity go hand in hand with nature in the dense jungles of El Peten National Park, home to hundreds of bird species (sharing the treetops with myriad monkeys), including the scarlet macaw, keel-billed toucans, orange-breasted falcons, different types of oropendolas and ocellated turkeys. A few lucky visitors may also glimpse harpy eagles in remote parts of the park. Here also, Lake Peten Itza is a hotspot for water birds, and the highland area around Lake Atitlan is excellent birding territory. About an hour south of Coban is the Biotopo del Quetzal, a nature reserve dedicated to preserving Guatemala’s national bird. Here and in the surrounding Verapaz cloud forest, trogons, tanagers and toucanets make themselves at home. This area is also a flyway for both North and South American species. On the Caribbean coast at Livingston, nature lovers head for a river trip on the Rio Dulce, which flows through an area famous for C12 August 2010 http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Central America

Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama

Central America