A quetzal for a knave
My second stop in Honduras was at Lake Yojoa, in the heart of the country, and I was staying at a microbrewery. If you think that sounds pretty idyllic you’d be right. The baby of Bobby, an American ex-pat who has slowly been racking up visitors over the last few years, D&D Brewery and Lodge is more drunk and disorderly than Dungeons and Dragons. Except it was naturally very civilised and, thinking about it, the place has waterfalls, cloud forest and caves nearby, not to mention the lake itself, offering boundless opportunity for adventure and exploration. Plus the oldest RPG cliché in the book: ‘you all meet in a tavern’.
Having left the forgotten realms of the Maya behind, I was now in ‘the real Honduras’: isolated, wild and beautiful. So naturally I seized the opportunity for another first and spent my first day there... birdwatching. It might not be rock and roll but I was keen to give it a try, especially as the main aim was to see Central America’s poster bird, the resplendent quetzal. These birds are a big deal here, with the Guatemalan currency even named for them, and they’re far from easy to find. Our tour boasts a 75% success rate, so while nobody has a birthright to see them, the odds were at least decent. So with our guide Walter, our local pathfinder Leonel, and companions Sue and Joe, we set off to Santa Barbara National Park on our quest for a quetzal.
Spoiler alert: we were very successful. We saw three in total, including a male and female in the same tree, which we were informed was incredibly uncommon. They’re as photogenic as they are credited and it was undeniably cool to see them. And they were just the icing on the cake. Walter and Leo were very knowledgeable and had a real knack of finding the right places to be and actually spotting our feathered friends, which was no mean feat. We also saw emerald toucanets, a ferrous pygmy owl, black-vented orioles, a cinnamon hummingbird, yellow-bellied sap suckers and a whole lot more. It was a long day and required a healthy amount of patience but once I got the hang of my binoculars, I enjoyed my first experience as a twitcher and the rewards were worth it.
I also took the opportunity to get a different physical activity in and went kayaking on the lake. It was both serene and picturesque, with the dark sun beating down heavily and the blues and greens of water, forests and mountains forming a stunning and ever-changing panorama as I worked my way round a tiny corner of it. There were plenty of birds to see here too, even without a guide, including black herons, white egrets and a grey hawk, though I confess I don’t know the exact species.
I also talk a walk round the nearby biological park, which was also blissfully quiet and featured a boardwalk for a stretch around the lake’s shore. This was also followed by a hike up to Cerro Las Nalgas (translation: ‘butt cheek peak’). The name made sense given the twin peaks at the top, one offering a very different view of the lake to that from water-level and the other showcasing the village and surrounding area. I know I walk quickly but following my guide up was like chasing a mountain goat and I was very glad of a rest at the top to take it all in.
All of this on offer, not to mention the various other adventures I didn’t have chance to pursue, and I haven’t even mentioned the beer yet. After all, it was this which first caught the eye. It just turned out that there was far more on offer than simply that. Obviously I worked my way through their offerings, giving each brew a sample, all in the name of research. I mean, you’d be disappointed in me if I hadn’t, right? So not only did I not disappoint you, Honduras definitely did not disappoint me. A widely misunderstood place, it has loads to offer travellers and I completed bit number five in high spirits that were only partially alcohol-related.
Having left the forgotten realms of the Maya behind, I was now in ‘the real Honduras’: isolated, wild and beautiful. So naturally I seized the opportunity for another first and spent my first day there... birdwatching. It might not be rock and roll but I was keen to give it a try, especially as the main aim was to see Central America’s poster bird, the resplendent quetzal. These birds are a big deal here, with the Guatemalan currency even named for them, and they’re far from easy to find. Our tour boasts a 75% success rate, so while nobody has a birthright to see them, the odds were at least decent. So with our guide Walter, our local pathfinder Leonel, and companions Sue and Joe, we set off to Santa Barbara National Park on our quest for a quetzal.
Spoiler alert: we were very successful. We saw three in total, including a male and female in the same tree, which we were informed was incredibly uncommon. They’re as photogenic as they are credited and it was undeniably cool to see them. And they were just the icing on the cake. Walter and Leo were very knowledgeable and had a real knack of finding the right places to be and actually spotting our feathered friends, which was no mean feat. We also saw emerald toucanets, a ferrous pygmy owl, black-vented orioles, a cinnamon hummingbird, yellow-bellied sap suckers and a whole lot more. It was a long day and required a healthy amount of patience but once I got the hang of my binoculars, I enjoyed my first experience as a twitcher and the rewards were worth it.
I also took the opportunity to get a different physical activity in and went kayaking on the lake. It was both serene and picturesque, with the dark sun beating down heavily and the blues and greens of water, forests and mountains forming a stunning and ever-changing panorama as I worked my way round a tiny corner of it. There were plenty of birds to see here too, even without a guide, including black herons, white egrets and a grey hawk, though I confess I don’t know the exact species.
I also talk a walk round the nearby biological park, which was also blissfully quiet and featured a boardwalk for a stretch around the lake’s shore. This was also followed by a hike up to Cerro Las Nalgas (translation: ‘butt cheek peak’). The name made sense given the twin peaks at the top, one offering a very different view of the lake to that from water-level and the other showcasing the village and surrounding area. I know I walk quickly but following my guide up was like chasing a mountain goat and I was very glad of a rest at the top to take it all in.
All of this on offer, not to mention the various other adventures I didn’t have chance to pursue, and I haven’t even mentioned the beer yet. After all, it was this which first caught the eye. It just turned out that there was far more on offer than simply that. Obviously I worked my way through their offerings, giving each brew a sample, all in the name of research. I mean, you’d be disappointed in me if I hadn’t, right? So not only did I not disappoint you, Honduras definitely did not disappoint me. A widely misunderstood place, it has loads to offer travellers and I completed bit number five in high spirits that were only partially alcohol-related.
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