Cerro Verde National Park

Cerro Verde National Park

Cerro Verde National Park is a wonderful park with pleasant temperatures and beautiful trails shaded by a wide variety of plants and trees. The park covers 4500 hectares, including public, municipal and private lands. The altitude ranges from 500 meters to a maximum of 2381 meters. The Cerro Verde offers a magnificent orchid garden, and stunning viewpoints from which to contemplate the majestic Izalco and Santa Ana volcanoes, along with Lake Coatepeque, and towns such as Juayúa, Nahuizalco and historic Acajutla with its gorgeous port. The park, at an altitude of 2030 meters above sea level, is a great place for birdwatching, as well as for walking along the trails and picnicking. There are three hiking trails to follow, led by a guide: one to the Santa Ana volcano, one to the Izalco volcano and one through the park. The flora of the area is identified as cloud forest or cold zone vegetation. The vegetation is lush and always green, thanks to the high humidity of the soil and air, which results from the constant fog and frequent rainfall. The reserve is home to many animals, with around 127 species of birds. One of them, the Guardabarranco, is one of the top five songbirds in the world. There are also Short-Tailed Hawks, Mountain Hawks and Black Eagles. Coyote, fox, deer and ocelot also live in the park. This is one of the few natural areas where bird, mammal, amphibian and reptile watching is conducted.