Los Naranjos Eco-Archaeological Park

Los Naranjos sits on the northern shore of Lake Yojoa and holds a set of earthen mounds and a defensive ditch built by a society that was here from around 800 BC, long before the Classic Maya centres to the west. The structures are earth rather than stone, so they read as wooded hillocks until you understand what you are looking at. What makes the visit work is that the park has been laid out with boardwalks through the lakeside forest and wetland, so the archaeology comes with good birding.

What to look for

• The earthen mounds - platform structures dating from around 800 BC onwards.
• The defensive ditch - a long earthwork cut across the site.
• The boardwalks - raised walkways through lakeside forest and wetland.
• The birdlife - a strong list along the trails, with the lake alongside.

When to go

November to April is the driest and best for the boardwalks. Early morning is best for birds. Water levels change the wetland sections through the year.

Practical notes

The mounds are earth and largely unexcavated, so there is little visually dramatic archaeology; the interpretation carries the visit. The site museum has been open intermittently. Mosquitoes near the water are persistent.

Nearby

Lake Yojoa is at the boundary, Pulhapanzak falls are north, and Cerro Azul Meambar is east.