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The main reason for staying in Metapan is for access to the international reserve of Bosque Montecristo , jointly administered by the governments of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. The reserve rises through two climatic zones centred on the Cerro Montecristo (2418m), at whose summit the borders of the three countries converge. The higher reaches of Montecristo, beginning at around 2100m, are home to an expanse of virgin cloudforest , subject to an average annual rainfall of two metres and 100 percent humidity. Orchids and pinabetes thrive in these climatic conditions, while huge oaks, pines and cypresses, some towering to over 20m, swathed in creepers, lichens and mosses, form a dense canopy which prevents sunlight from reaching the forest floor. The numerous species of wildlife - which tend to be shy of humans - include mountain foxes, howler and spider monkeys and the occasional jaguar. The abundant birdlife includes quetzals, hummingbirds, striped owl and Elliot's colibri. The lower slopes of the reserve consist mainly of mixed pine and broadleaf forest cover, much of it secondary growth, replanted since the early 1970s - acute deforestation having provided the impetus for the creation of the reserve in the first place.
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