Panajachel Nature Reserve

Just outside of Panajachel is a Nature Reserve with trails, ziplining, and a butterfly sanctuary and research station. As I was leaving my place in the morning to catch a tuk tuk to visit the reserve, our host, Cirilo, was standing by the outside door. I told him where I was going and he immediately flagged down a tuk tuk and asked him to take me there. The driver already had a passenger, a teacher, but I climbed in beside him and after dropping him off at his school, we proceeded out of town to the reserve. (The photo is looking down from the road to the area where the Nature Reserve is)

Entrance to the reserve was 80 Q, about 12 CAD. I couldn't quite tell from their map what all of my options were for hiking, so I asked the woman at the ticket booth where I should go. She said to go up to the reception area and take the trail to the left. The trail wound back and forth across an almost dry creekbed to a trickling waterfall and back down. It's the dry season, so there is very little water flowing in the creek and the undergrowth in the forest looks like fall to me. On my climb through the forest, I stopped to sit on a bench to see if I could spot some birds. Even with using the Merlin app, I wasn't able to see much, but this is what the Merlin app in listening mode heard: Golden-fronted woodpecker, Rose-throated Becard, Tenessee Warbler, Social Flycatcher, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Great-tailed Grackle (of course - they're everywhere), Wilson's Warbler, Rufous-capped Warbler, Flame-coloured Tanager, Great Kiskadee, Summer Tanager.

As I was crossing one of the suspension bridges, I could see a lot of people with helmets on their heads approaching. I was glad they waited for me to finish crossing as I didn't want to see what the actual maximum number of people that the bridge could support might be. I must have passed about 30 people, making their way up to the start of the zipline.

Along the trail, I also chatted with a man from China who presently lives in Washington DC; a couple from the UK who came here because their daughter, who had travelled here last year, told them they should come; and a couple from Poland. I don't know if I've ever travelled anywhere where the tourists come from such a diverse number of countries. So far, I've met very few Canadians.

To reach the butterfly sanctuary, one passes through two sets of hanging plastic strips designed to keep the butterlies inside the dome. It was a lovely, quiet place to sit, something that is quite rare around here, interrupted mainly by the shrieks of the zipliners.

I decided to walk back to Panajachel - about a 20-minute walk to the edge of town. I passed by a lovely campsite along the lake. There were several units there that looked like they were doing a major trip through rough terrain, outfitted with everything you would need for travelling through remote areas. I like to watch the videos that YouTubers post of their camping adventures through Mexico, Central and South America and wonder if I were a few decades younger if I would have the nerve to do that!