|
The Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve is the most significant reserve in Honduras, sheltering an estimated eighty percent of all the country's animal species. Visitors usually come here to experience the tropical rainforest; yet within its boundaries - from the Caribbean in the north to the Montanas de Punta Piedra in the west and the Rio Patuca in the south - the reserve also covers huge expanses of coastal wetlands and flat savanna grasslands. Sadly, even international recognition of the importance of this diverse ecosystem, signalled by its World Heritage status, hasn't prevented extensive destruction at the hands of settlers: up to sixty percent of forest cover on the outer edges of the reserve has disappeared in the last three decades. Getting to the heart of the Rio Platano reserve requires travelling up the Rio Platano, through savanna and secondary forest growth, to the small village of LAS MARIAS , a Pech and Miskito settlement about seven hours upstream from the coast. There are two basic hospedajes in the village (both US$4 per person), each serving meals, and plenty of prospective guides are available to help you explore the river and surrounding jungle for US$8-10 a day. The local guides have organized themselves a rotation system, co-ordinated by the leader Martin Herrera, so that everyone gets some work once in a while. Unfortunately this means that individuals cannot be recommended and it's pot luck whether you get a good or poor guide. Upstream from the village begins the primary forest cover, pressing in against both banks of the river. Few experiences can match the initial impression of entering the rainforest , as towering trees - mahogany, tamarind, oak - reaching up to 50m or more, break through the dense canopy to the sunlight. Smaller in size are the forest's palms, ceiba and avocados, hung with vines and epiphytic ferns, whilst still closer to ground level are sprays of brilliantly coloured magnolias and lush ferns. Periodically shattering the cathedral-like calm are the raucous screams of troops of howler and spider monkeys , while tapirs, white-faced coatis, pacas, anteaters and squirrels are also hidden among the trees - sightings of most animals, however, are frustratingly rare. Flashes of the brilliant plumage of macaws, parrots and toucans , a bright contrast against the dim light, are easier to come by.
Your Tip for Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve - visit the main Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve webguide section below! Thanks.
|
