Hiking Los Quetzales Trail

Los Quetzales Trail was a truly spectacular hike. It led us 7 miles through one of Central America's most trekkable cloud forest, known for its birdsighting and mysterious mist. The students had a blast, experiened a type of forest no one had seen before, and got a great workout too!

First, we drove uphill from our home near Dolega across a beautiful landscape where the mountains meet the sunny coastal plains. After an hour of driving, we arrived at Cerro Punta, a mountain village which serves as a agricultural haven to Panama and the starting starting point for our adventure.

The term "cloud forest" was certainly accurate and led to some stunning pictures. The mountain elevation combined with the low level cloud cover makes much of the trail literally through the clouds. This type of microsystem is also known as a "mossy forest" because of their abundant vegetation and the moss which covers the ground. 

After we hiked from the bottom of mountain, we arrived at the trail head - where the real fun began. Trekking through mud and crossing several streams, we kept a look out for the elusive quetzal bird which can be encountered in this region. Although weren't able to spy one, we listened to numerous bird sounds that we'd never before heard. 

This was one of the interesting plants we saw along the trail. It appears to be a type of orchid.

Our group at the end of the hike - happy, hungry, and with many pictures and positive memories to take from the experience.