Montana de Comayagua National Park

The Montaña de Comayagua rises on the eastern side of the Comayagua valley and catches enough moisture to hold cloud forest above around fifteen hundred metres, over pine and oak lower down. The escarpment is cut by streams that drop off it in a series of falls, and those streams supply Comayagua city. Trails run up from the villages on the western side, and the forest is quiet enough that mammals are seen more often than in the parks closer to the highways.

What you actually see

• The cloud forest - wet montane forest above the pine belt on the escarpment.
• The waterfalls - streams dropping off the western edge in several stages.
• The pine and oak zone - the drier forest on the approach slopes.
• The valley view - Comayagua and its valley from the western ridge.

When to go

November to April is the drier season for the trails. Rain is possible year-round in the upper forest. Mornings are best before cloud fills the escarpment.

Honest expectations

Access roads to both entrances are rough and need a high-clearance vehicle. Trails are unmarked in places and a guide from the villages is the sensible arrangement. There are no facilities inside the park.

Nearby

Comayagua city is in the valley below, and Taulabe caves are north towards Lake Yojoa.