Cusuco National Park
By JÖRG MAUELSHAGEN
Special to Honduras This Week
 Looking west from any part of
San Pedro Sula you will have a
view of the green foothills of the
Merendon mountain range.
Invisible from the city, however,
are the highest peaks of the range,
which form Cusuco National Park.
To reach the park, visitors must go
around the foothills and take a
spectacular dirt road up to
Cusuco's refreshing heights.
The climb through the pine forest
shows how stripped most
unprotected areas have been of
their trees. After about 90 minutes, you'll the last village before the
park. Nestled in the steep hillsides, Buenos Aires is a small
settlement where coffee farming is the main source of income.
From here, a Jeep trail leads to the park's visitor and research
center at a height of 1,680 meters. At this altitude the forest
consists mainly of pine and maple trees with an undergrowth of
ferns, bamboo and other shrubs. Getting closer to creeks or
streams, the flora changes dramatically. Broadleaf trees covered
with vines and bromeliads, palm trees, ferns and orchids form a
lush tropical mountain jungle. Everything seems to be covered
with moss and lichen.
The main aim of the 1987 decree that established Cusuco
National Park was to protect this rare ecosystem, the Central
American cloud forest.
In these dense mountain forests, humidity is condensed out of the
clouds brought by the trade winds rather than provided by rain.
This secures an even distribution of the life-giving liquid among the
plants that grow under the closed canopy. The water flowing off
the park is essential for the surrounding communities, as well as
San Pedro Sula.
The H.R. Pastor Fasquel Ecological Foundation is in charge of
the park and promotes its protection. President Reina personally
handed over the management of the park to the Foundation's
dynamic activists on his last visit to Cusuco. Today, the
Foundation members work to maintain the park's trails, to
promote sustainable development and to scientifically categorize
the park's plants and animals.
Visitors often encounter scientific teams on their trips through the
forest. Last year, two German students completed Honduras' first
research project on the quetzal. Several years ago, a Mexican
scientist found a beetle species that had long been through to be
extinct. The insect was renamed for the park.
A hike through Cusuco National Park gives visitors an
opportunity to observe the rare plants and animals. If you're lucky
you'll spot a quetzal, a jaguar, a tapir or any other species of
unusual animal. You may even see an armadillo, after which the
park was named. These animals are so shy, however, that their
presence in the park has been confirmed only through the
existence of their tracks.
The park also offers fresh streams and rushing waterfalls. It's the
perfect place to escape San Pedro Sula's tropical heat and to
refresh your body and soul admiring an endangered piece of
nature worthy of protection.
Jörg Mauelshagen is a guide at the Cambio C.A. eco-tourism
company.
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