The Beaches at Suchitepequez: Unexploited Potential

Thanks to several river mouths along the coastal line, Suchitepequez is probably the department with more beautiful beaches in Guatemala. The tide is less impetuous and the sand is finer and lighter.

I would like to be able to share with you interesting and valuable information about other regions in Suchitepequez, but this time, I found myself without so much to say. 

Since the whole area has not been developed yet in terms of tourism, and while living in Guatemala, most of the time I only passed through Mazatenango on my way to some other places, my personal experiences there, are limited. So,instead of writing, today, I invite you to take a look at these images. I hope they  motivate us enough for all of us to visit this pristine region real soon.

 

The Mountainous Side of Suchitepequez: Santa Barbara and Los Andes Reserve

This is the municipality of Santa Barbara and I don't exaggerate when I say that what we are going to discover today is a hidden treasure.

Los Andes, a Private Nature Reserve, located on the western chain of Guatemala’s volcanoes, is among the first cloud forests dedicated to the protection of the Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), whose courtship and nesting activities attract birdwatchers from around the world to the Reserve.

Los Andes is also home to the rare cabanis tanager (Tangara cabanisi). This small, blue, exquisite bird’s habitat is shared by hundreds of local and migrating species, including a host of hummingbirds, orioles, flycatchers, trogons and motmots.

The Reserve works closely with the residents to promote self sufficiency, health and education and the most important accomplishment is that they are being successful with a method that goes from the traditional education of repetition to an education of understanding, which is clearly reflected in the school’s slogan “Learn, achieve and share”.

The unique biodiversity of the Reserve, including wildlife, has tremendous potential for Eco-tourism and local residents are being trained as guides to provide them with an alternate source of income, and that is why at Los Andes we can enjoy a variety of activities including bird-watching, explorations through the coffee and tea certified sustainable plantations, the botanical garden, and through the cloud forest to admire more than 50 species of exquisite orchids. For the adventurous, Los Andes Reserve also offers a river adventure and hikes to the top of the beautiful Volcano Atitlan.

The core of Los Andes, of course, is The Quetzal Project, an initiative started by Dr. Anne LaBastille back in 1968, when she first visited Los Andes and worked on a Quetzal research project. The result of this was an article published in the January 1969 edition of National Geographic. She also created, in 1972, the first Association in Guatemala dedicated to the conservation of this magnificent bird, making Los Andes the first protected area officially declared in Guatemala for the protection of the Quetzal.
Artificial nest boxes were designed by Dr. LaBastille in an attempt to reduce the mortality of nesting quetzals, whose nest trees and stumps often fall down. The boxes were placed in the cloud forest in safe locations and eventually were accepted and used by a few birds,  a method that is still in use today! This elusive bird can be better observed during  two distinctive seasons,  from November to January and from April to June, which is the nesting season.
Los Andes Nature Reserve certainly is an area in which agricultural production, human development and environmental conservation are carried out in a harmonious and sustainable manner, for the well being of present and future generations.

Recommended Reading:

Assignment: Wildlife 

A detail of Dr. LaBastille work in Guatemala and other parts of Central and South America.

Along the Coastal Road CA-2: Suchitepequez

As you may have noticed, our journey through the coastal plains is taking us from West to East, in a big loop that eventually will take us back to Guatemala City. Our first encounter with the Pacific Ocean was at the Manchon Guamuchal biological reserve, which defined the end of the Highlands and the starting point of the Lowlands.

During the past days, we explored some of the Retalhuleu's attractions and today, we are going to start our journey through the department of Suchitepequez, an indigenous voice that translates as Flowers Hill (I couldn't find the true origin of the name because in addition to Spanish, the Maya origin languages K'iche, Tz'utujil, and Cak'chikel are spoken in this department).

The capital city of this department is Mazatenango, which represents the general conditions of the area: prosperous, modern, self sufficient, and joyful, is better known among Guatemalans for the celebration of Carnaval (Mardi Grass-like celebration), one whole week before the lent season. 

To be honest, the commercial activities are so important for the inhabitants that they have shown very little interest in the natural wealthiness of this department, which by the way, is extraordinarily rich: from tranquil rivers and ponds to the impetuous Pacific Ocean.

For instance, the municipalities of Patulul and San Juan Bautista have abundant creeks and pools along the Madre Vieja River basin, while the municipalities of Santa Barbara, Chicacao, and San Miguel Panan have similar attractions along the Nahualate River.

Almost every one of the Suchitepequez municipalities have natural attractions, and with a few exceptions, most of them don't have the appropriate infrastructure to be considered tourist places, especially for the foreign visitor.Nevertheless, during the next days we will explore the surroundings to discover some of these pristine spots through small towns, rivers, mountains and along the 18 kilometers of fine gray sand beaches. I hope you will join us in this new adventure.

In case you didn't notice, our good friend Maynor Mijangos from galasdeguatemala.com is back. Thank you Maynor for the beautiful images.