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Celaque National Park contains the largest, highest and best
preserved cloud forest in Honduras.
It has been isolated for thousands of years, producing unique
ecosystems with endemic species. At elevations below 1800 meters,
the park consists mainly of pine-oak forests. At higher elevations,
a transition mixed broadleaf/pine montane forest is found. Above
2200 meters, the true cloud forest begins often shrouded in
clouds and acting as a veritable water sponge.
The wet season is from May to October followed by a marked
dry season. The 34 villages located within the park's boundaries
total some 2800 inhabitants mostly of Lenca origin, a Mesoamerican
indigenous group that has inhabited the region for thousands
of years (Celaque means "box of water" in the Lenca
language). The people living in Celaque practice subsistence
agriculture growing primarily corn and beans, but also sugar
cane, and high elevation crops such as coffee, wheat, and potatoes.
Because of the Lenca practice of maintaining patches of forest
adjacent to their fields, some areas of Celaque consist of a
patchwork of forest and agriculture.
FOREST COVER
Deforestation in Celaque is mainly due to the presence of subsistence
farmers that have been pushed into this remote area. However,
the good news are that according to my research -- I wrote my
PhD dissertation in Geography on forest change in the park --
between 1987 and 1998 there was a net increase in forest cover
in the park. The area of mature forest cover, that is, dense
forest at least twenty years old, increased from 35% to 57%
in 1998. Apparently, the most remote and steep sections of the
park were abandoned by the subsistence farmers that had been
using them.
My research did not specifically look into the reasons for
this change; but according to another study there has been a
forest regeneration trend in the larger region outside the park
as well. It appears that agriculture in the La Campa district
(where part of Celaque is located) has been concentrated and
intensified with the use of chemical inputs in land apt for
farming. The higher yields obtained this way obviate the need
for marginal land such as the steep slopes of Celaque. Also,
La Campa has instituted a logging ban to keep illegal wood mills
(mainly owned by outsiders) from ravaging the forests, many
of which are communally owned.
RETURN TO CELAQUE
I returned to Celaque in July 2004 and noticed that many things
had changed little since my last visit (August 2000). Specifically,
there has been little development of tourist infrastructure
and park staff remains minimal. The German-funded Proyecto Celaque
has ended and very little institutional presence and funding
remains for the park.
The main (eastern) entrance to the park is near the town of
Gracias. This way is the best preserved and the shortest to
the top of the mountain. From Gracias you can hire a private
pickup truck (email Frony
in the Guancasco's hotel/restaurant for information) to take
you the 14 km (8.8 mi) to the park's entrance for about $6 a
person.
Visitors are greeted by one of Doña Alejandrina's sons
who charges the entrance and lodging fee (about $10 for non-Hondurans).
Two more of her sons work as guides. They charge about $18/day
per group and will even carry your backup up the mountain for
an additional fee. The visitor center is still very rustic and
has no interpretive material. Its main function is as lodging
for visitors. You'll find a few bunk beds with no bedding. Clean
running water has been added to the two outdoor toilets, as
well as a shower (cold water!), and a sink for laundry. Doña
Alejandrina makes delicious and wholesome meals for $1.50. Before
heading down, make sure to grab a couple of one-pound bags of
whole bean shade-grown coffee from her small farm ($1.20 each).
On your way up the mountain, it's worthwhile to take a detour
to the waterfall lookout. It's about a 30-45 minute steep hike,
but you'll be rewarded by a breath-taking view of an enormous
amphitheater-like wooded canyon with a high waterfall in the
distance. As a bonus, in my latest hike, we ran into an armadillo
and a family of pizotes (white-nosed coatimundi) along this
trail. At 2050 meters and about a four-hour hike from the visitors
center, your reach the Don Tomás campground. This campsite
now has new mud hut and an outhouse. It will come in handy for
those without a tent as downpours are common in the rainy season.
However, if you bring a tent or if it's the dry season you might
prefer to sleep outside since it can get rather musty inside
the hut which has little ventilation. A steep and arduous ascent
will take you to the second campsite (El Naranjo-2500 m) located
in a wide plateau punctuated by several peaks.
CLOUD FOREST
Here you will find the most beautiful example of the cloud
forest. The air is cool, the ground and foliage very moist.
Trees and rocks are covered with moss, orchids, bromeliads and
vines. The sound of tropical birds fills the air. The whole
hike is under a closed canopy. Most trees are thin and tall
as they compete for sunlight. The diversity of vegetation is
nothing short of amazing. After easy hiking through this beautiful
plateau, a final straightforward ascent will put you on the
top of Cerro Las Minas, Honduras' highest point at 2849 meters.
If you have time, you may consider entering the park through
the southern entrance (the town of San Manuel Colohete) or the
western entrance (the town Belén Gualcho). These are
very good options if you're interested in a more cultural tour
of the park. In these towns you can still hire official Celaque
guides (again, ask Frony for information).
Because the terrain in the southern and western sections of
the park is gentler and the paths are wider, guides can take
you and your gear in horse and/or mule back giving you the feel
of an old-time explorer. You can cross the park from one end
to the other or do a circuit. Along the way you'll see
small subsistence farming villages and share in their stories.
Don't miss the abandoned village of El Cedro close to the
park's center. In 1999 following widespread crop destruction
and fatalities in the wake of hurricane Mitch, three entire
villages (approximately 700 people) were relocated outside the
park. This is one of them. Here you'll see the remains
of a school building, houses, and good examples of vigorously
growing young forests in the abandoned fields.
Even though forest cover has increased in the park, and many
people have voluntarily abandoned it or been resettled outside
of it, it's still not safe from human encroachment. While
there, I saw a couple of illegal coffee farms within the park's
boundaries. One of them was a new one with recently planted
coffee seedlings. I was told by people in Gracias that they
belong to influential people and the government turns a blind
eye to their presence.
Still, Celaque remains a beautiful and peaceful place where
to commune with nature and with people who amidst their poverty
are generous, upbeat, and curious about their world and the
world outside. They hold a special reverence for "The Mountain"
and are the park's main protectors.
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