Guatemala has an interesting history, in line with its interesting natural resources. This Central American nation has a land area of 108,889 square kilometers (26.9 million acres) occupied by over 17 million people. It is the most populated country in Central America, which is a sub-region of North America.
Guatemala is part of the core countries of the Mayan civilization. Over 40% of the population in Guatemala is the Maya people. The past two centuries have not been peaceful in the nation, which experienced civil instability in the 19th century and dictatorship in the 20th century. A United Nations-led peace accord finally brought peace in this country.
Despite a couple of centuries in relative unrest, the nation’s natural resources have thankfully been protected from various forms of exploitation. Guatemala is Nahuatl (historically Aztec) for “place of many trees.” It is also an apt description for Guatemala, which is characterized by mountainous landscapes, hilly valleys, vast northern lowlands with some desert and dunes. These landscapes are populated by trees, a lot of which are endemic to Guatemala.
One very important species of tree abundant in Guatemala gave the world the gift of chocolate. That tree is called cacao. Coffee plants are also abundant in this country, which is why it is the 10th largest producer of coffee in the world. Cacao and coffee are simply an introduction to the abundant flora in this nation, rich in natural resources.
The country has over 30 national parks and preserved areas. Here are the top 10 unexplored national parks in the country:
Candelaria Caves National Park
This cave system in the department of Alta Verapaz is famous not only for its karst phenomena but also because of its historic and cultural significance among Mayan people.
First of all, the park is a geological marvel with imposing karst caverns. Tourists will be in awe of the stunning speleothems or cave formations caused by the natural mineral deposits of caves. Among the formations are the common stalactites and stalagmites—but they look majestic inside the Candelaria caves. There are also some stalagnate or columnar cave formations and flowstones or sheet-like calcites. There are also some pit caves in the cave system, which provides natural lighting for tourists. The main cave is about 22 kilometers long, half of which follows the underground passage to the Candelaria River. The entire length of the cave is estimated to be around 80 kilometers.
Some significant artifacts have been inside the Candelaria caves, which provide evidence that these were inhabited by the Mayans. There were pottery artifacts as well as paintings on the walls of the caves. These indicate that special Mayan ceremonies were happening in the caves. The documentary writings called Popol Vuh of the K’iche’ people, one of the communities of the Maya people, consider Candelaria Caves the entrance to the underworld. Some Mayans still use the caves for their special celebrations.
To preserve the cave system and keep its cultural significance intact, the Q’eqchi people, another one of the communities under the Maya people, manage the park's tourism activities.
Cerro El Baul National Park
Guatemala is home to dozens of volcanoes. One such volcano, a lava dome, is in this park. The dome is covered in forests and overlooks the valley of Quetzaltenango. It is also considered one of the last green areas in Quetzaltenango, a mountain valley at an elevation of over 2,300 meters.
The park is under serious threat, though, as authorities could not keep up with the illegal logging in the area. This is terrible considering that it is the city's last green zone. Declaring the area as a national park as early as 1955 was not enough to keep the unscrupulous people at bay. It is worth saving for its ecological and as well as recreational value.
Cerro El Baul is popular among hikers. The hill is scalable in less than an hour, depending on the hikers' pace. There is a huge white cross at the top, which is also a great viewpoint for the city below and the imposing mountains behind. The park also has a playground noted for the steep slope that some use as a natural slide with the help of cardboard.
Cerro El Reformador National Park
At only 0.6 square kilometers or 148 acres, this small park in El Progreso is not defined by its size. It is beautiful in its own right. The hill is covered with dry shrubland, which makes the trek to its top more enjoyable. The shrubs and grasses in the hills are all from natural growth. A smattering of trees can also be found in the park.
The hill’s top gives an impressive panoramic view of the surrounding area. The park is a perfect small representation of the country known for its hilly valleys. This park also has a wide variety of wildlife in its territory. This is why it is among the protected areas under the radar of the Guatemala Wild Animal Rescue Center as well as the wildlife conservation society.
Cuevas del Silvino National Park
This is a limestone cave system in the Izabel Department. The cave is undeveloped, which provides tourists with unadulterated caving adventures. This means that the cave system is not tainted with physical structures, built to make it easier for the tourists to navigate. The park was declared a national park in 1972.
Limestone caves are formed naturally underneath the earth’s surface. There are no limits to its length and depth, it all depends on the natural formations. Acidic groundwater washes away the limestone leaving cavities that grow over the years. Some caves have been formed over billions of years. Also during the process of washing away the limestone, various cave formations emerge. The most popular of these formations are the stalactites and stalagmites.
Like most caves, Cuevas del Silvino is a structure that is both strange and amazing. Tourists have to be careful while navigating the cave. However, the park's grounds are also worth checking out. It is a great place to just walk around and unwind.
El Rosario National Park
Named after the small lake in the area, this park is located in El Peten, the northernmost department in Guatemala. It is also the largest province in terms of land area. The centerpiece of the park is El Rosario Lake, which is around four hectares during the dry season but considerably increases in size during the rainy season. The lake is great for swimming and paddling. It is also a nice place to observe aquatic birds. Other tourists prefer to just have a picnic on the banks of the lake and take in the beautiful waters lined with trees and plants.
Laguna El Pino National Park
Named after its famous lake, the park was established in 1955. Only part of Laguna El Pino’s shores, though, is owned by the government—only 20% in fact. The majority of it is owned by a private entity. What is unique about this lake is that the nearby residents of the park help manage it.
It is an important park mainly because of its vegetation. The floating beds in the lake are the habitat of water hyacinths while the submerged beds have some waterweed. The marsh is populated with spike rushes and giant bulrush. Common shorebirds in the park are the American coot, egret, northern jacana, pied-billed grebe and waterhen.
Las Victorias National Park
Also known as the Green Heart of Guatemala, this park is in Alta Verapaz. This was originally a ranch, which means it has not maintained the original growth. The area was formerly owned by coffee grower Jules Rossignon. He grew coffee in the Finca, sometime in the middle of the 19th century when he acquired this hillside property. Coffee is one of the most popular products, out of Guatemala. Coffee production in the country started around the 1850s, just about the time Rossignon started his coffee farm. The mountainous landscape of Guatemala makes it the perfect place to grow coffee plants, which thrive at a temperature of 16 to 32 degrees Celsius, common in the country's higher elevations.
Eventually, the government got hold of Rossignon’s property, especially after his passing. It wasn’t until 1980 that the former Finca became a national park. Now, the park is more than just land where coffee plants abound. The park has a rich ecosystem with thriving plant and animal life. The park's natural beauty makes it the perfect place to hike. Adventurers will never get tired trekking amidst the park's lush vegetation. Getting to the top is even more amazing as tourists get a panoramic view of Alta Verapaz.
There is also a small lake in the park aptly called La Laguneta. Prawns and various species of fish thrive in the lake, which is also home to some tortoises. Other animals in the park include various lizard species and other exotic reptiles.
Los Aposentos National Park
The park is characterized by beautiful bodies of water with a gallery of forests. There are several springs in Los Aposentos along with two small lakes in the Chimaltenango Department. The park, which was formerly named Finca la Alameda, was established in 1955.
In the late 1920s, the area was of vital importance to the surrounding households. People from neighboring towns would visit the area’s lagoon to wash their clothes because there are natural stones that are great for rubbing the dirt off clothes. That was how the park got its name because Los Aposentos translates to 'the rooms' or 'the apartments' in English. After that, though, the area became a popular destination for swimming and even for spa activities, using its springs.
By 1955, even the president of Guatemala has enjoyed the park’s natural spa. A private bathroom, known as the Presidential Private Bath, was installed for the president's bathing privacy in the area. That same year, it was named as a national park. The bodies of water in the park are also popular among aquatic birds like swans.
Riscos de Momostenango National Park
This is a great park for those who want to see a different view of Guatemala, which is generally characterized by its forested mountains and surrounding lakes and streams. This park is home to some uniquely shaped sandstone formations. These natural structures in Totonicapan are picturesque and unique, eventually, they were immortalized in photographs. These sandstone formations were also the reason for the park's establishment in 1955.
Aside from the imposing natural structures, the park is also surrounded by forests, a blanket of green grasses and various species of trees.
Sierra del Lacandon National Park
The park is named after the low karstic mountain range that traverses Guatemala and Mexico. The Sierra del Lacandon mountain range has folded ridges of cretaceous limestone and dolomite. As far as the park goes, it is located within a tropical rainforest of the mountain range.
The park forms part of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, which is generally a dense tropical rainforest. As expected, the majority of the park is blanketed by trees and shrubs, which make it attractive to a wide range of wildlife. Among the known residents of the reserve are ocellated turkey and Morelet’s crocodile. The park provides a unique component to the reserve, as it connects the protected areas of Guatemala with those of Mexico through the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor.
There is another component to this park aside from natural resources. The area is also home to some ancient Mayan archeological sites. Among them are the El Ceibo, El Hormiguero, El Porvenir, La Pasadita, Macabilero, and Piedras Negras. The El Porvenir, for example, is purportedly a ruined city in the pre-Colombian Maya Civilization. This was the place that the Maya used to carry their boats and avoid the harsh waters of the Usumacinta River. Piedras Negras, on the other hand, was the ruined city on the north bank of the Usumacinta River. It was supposed to be the most powerful among the Mayan urban centers.