Montaña de Yoro National Park

Montaña de Yoro National Park is a Honduras national park in the Caribbean region of northern Honduras.

Understand

The park is known for a curious phenomenon called the fish rain (luvia de pescados) which is associated with thurnderstorms between May and July, causing fish to rain down on local villages.

History

The park was created in 1987 with an area of almost 155 square kilometers.

Landscape

The park is mountainous terrain with elevations ranging from 1800 meters to 2245 meters. Cloud forests cover the park with dense foliage, trees up to 40 meters in height. The forests comprise three types of ecosystem providing habitat for a wide range of plant and animals species. The ecosystems include conifer (pine) forests, mostly at upper elevations, and latifoliate forests, which comprise plants with broad, thick leaves; these are found at lower elevations. Latifoliate forests are the predominate landscape, making up about 12,000 of the parks 15,000 total hectares. Conifers make up less than 1,000 hectares, with the remaining area being a mixed ecosystem.

A highlight of the park is the Black Eyes Lagoon (Laguna Negros Ojos). Named for the unique color and reflectivity of its waters, which are crystal clear but so deep that it appears dark, giving the impression of "black eyes". The lagoon is a reward for the intrepid hiker who treks miles through the dense forest to reach the lagoon.

Flora and fauna

Animals in the park include apex hunters like the jaguar, puma, and ocelot, as well as hundreds of species of birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

Get in

You can either rent a car (or taxi) to get to the park, or take a local bus (Chicken buses). The park is 14 kilometers south of the town of Yoro.

By bus

From San Pedro Sula, Transportes COTUC operates buses every 4 hours that go to Yoro. The 3-1/2 hour trip will cost about 12 Lempira (US$5).

Sleep

The town of Yoro has several hotels and restaurants.

Camping is allowed in Parque Nacional Montaña de Yoro.

Go next

• Pico Bonito National Park
• San Pedro Sula
• Trujillo