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North of Comayagua, the Carretera del Norte (CA-5) climbs across the pine-forested expanse of the Sierra de Montecillos before reaching Siguatepeque , about halfway between Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, after 30km or so. Beyond Siguatepeque, the highway begins to descend from the mountains and the air becomes appreciably warmer. Some 35km north of Siguatepeque is the spectacular, sparkling blue Lago de Yojoa , a natural lake around 17km long and 9km wide. Its reed-fringed waters, sloping away to a gentle patchwork of woods, pastures and coffee plantations, are overlooked by the mountains of Cerro Azul Meambar to the east and Santa Barbara to the north and west. Both of these contain small but pristine stretches of cloudforest and are protected as national parks. An ornithologist's dream, the waters and marshes of the lake attract over 350 species of bird , the highest concentration in the country. In a previous incarnation in the 1960s, the lake was a magnet for sports fishermen from all over Central America, who came here to fish for the predatory black bass , introduced into the lake in 1954. Stocks of these depleted rapidly, due to overfishing during the 1970s; recent judicious management has succeeded in encouraging regrowth and obtaining a fragile equilibrium between humans and nature. The lake is a favourite with middle-class Hondurenos at the weekends, when its peace and quiet is shattered by the buzz of jetskis; during the week, however, the waters - and surrounding hotels - are virtually empty, and Yojoa makes a supremely relaxing base for a couple of days rowing on the lake, observing the bird life and exploring the surrounding countryside. Ecolago, in Edificio Midence Soto, by the Parque Central in Tegucigalpa (tel 237 9659), is an independent organization set up to monitor the health of Lago de Yojoa, and can provide information on the lake and its environs.
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