BIOTOPO DEL QUETZAL

Biotopo del Quetzal, located in Purulha this conservation unit with a size of 1175 hectares is dominated by cloudy jungle and its mountains reaching an altitude of 2300 m. It is the best example of a managed
system out of all natural communities of sub-tropical mountain climates in the country. The Biotopo has more than 50 different tree species that reach up to 120 feet high, including some specimens that are more than 450 years old. Its mountains function as a natural barrier against the storm currents that drain onto the gulf and Caribbean basins.
The most notable species of vegetation include the pines, oak trees, cypress, eucalyptus, rubber, chipe or “shut” bark trees (giant ferns), lichens, mosses, orchids, bromeliads, algae and other arboreal plants and ferns. In the animal kingdom, the most common species are the squirrels, wild rabbits, foxes, monkeys, apes, poisonous and non-poisonous snakes (both arboreal and terrestrial) salamanders, etc. A very
special place is reserved for the Quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala. It is one of the only places it can be seen, especially early in the morning.