Is like a large garden in the middle of the clouds, where the deer run and fly the quetzals, grow giant ferns and orchids are never hidden; It is a haven for flora and fauna.
Located in the northwestern region of the country, in the Department of Santa Ana, and just 7 kilometres from the city of Metapán, Montecristo takes its name from the old Hill 2418 meters and comprises in addition the Miramundo (2394 m) and Warlock (2410 m) hills, as well as the continuous upland region. Here converge the three borders, known as El Trifinio, point and cloud forest that covers an area of 1200 hectares is located above the 2100 meters above sea level.
With the creation, in 1974, the unit of national parks and Wildlife began to work on the recovery of the area and was until 1982 when it became national parks and Wildlife Service. Currently the Park works thanks to the effort of 11 tour guides, Ranger service is lacking and the few that are engaged in other tasks, like meet the entrance, administrative aspects, and guides.
The Park is one of the most beautiful places of our country and serves as a sanctuary for species such as the ocelot and the quetzal. In addition you receive a tourist population of 1,200 people per month and every weekend activity greatly increases the number of families and groups of young people who like camping.
It has areas or certain paths for those who practice the walk and offers one of the few opportunities that remain to ecological in the tropical forests of Latin America Highlands investigations, since most of them have been destroyed from Mexico to the Central Andes. It also has “The garden of the hundred-year”, a collection of ferns, mosses and bromeliads, where is the “tree of love”, a natural formation of two cypress trees showing a sexual act. The garden owes its name to an orchid which took a hundred years to qualify.
The House in the middle of the clouds
The cloud forest is the most humid of El Salvador; its rainfall exceeds 2000 mm. per year; In addition the frequent passage of clouds offers an almost continuous supply of moisture, which annually reaches an average of 100%. The temperature fluctuates between 10 ° and 15 ° C. The speed of the wind, coupled with fog, can produce a cooling similar to the freezing point, and there are internal areas where the water presents frost.
The soil comprises a complex of stems and leaves in decaying, fallen branches, mosses, small and giant trees tangled shrubs. The high humidity, as well as the winds and nutrients, have allowed the development of orchids, bromeliads, mosses, fungi, lichens, and ferns. Abundant moisture is caused by the Northwest winds that produce a dense fog that stays almost throughout the day, allowing most of its trees to keep its foliage throughout the year.
These conditions make it conducive to reproduction of all kinds of animal and plant species, so the Park is divided into two main forest formations:
1. the mountain forests of temperate land, which stretches from the 800-1000 to 2100 meters above sea level. This area consists of the Association OBS. – liquidambar that originally dominated the forest; However, the largest population includes Cypress, pino-ocote, cirin, oak, yellow flower or tizate, zapotillo, wild avocado, cedrillo, mezcal, liquidambar, bromeliads and palm trees.
2. the cloud forest or vegetation of cold area, which extends from the 1800-2000 to the 2418 meters above sea level, also known as Evergreen lowland or montane rain forest low. It is formed mainly by abundant oak, pine and cypress trees that reach heights of up to 20 and 30 meters with wide glasses that come together and not to allow the passage of sunlight.
The species that stand out in the rain forest are oak or oak, the tree fern, agave, papelillo, tizate, tatacamite, pepeto of mountain belt, Cypress, Guatemalan FIR, cherry, thanks to leon and pink, among others.
Among the mammals are the opossum, black shrew, the howler monkey, spider monkey, the Anteater’s two fingers, wild rabbit, Gray Squirrel, red squirrel, Porcupine, the cotuza, PACA, grey Fox, puma, uyo cacomistla, raccoon, the pezote, the micoleon, weasel, the tayra, the Skunk mottled, the hooded Skunk, the Skunk the mount cuche, the Red Deer and the white-tailed deer. In birds, the rare and in danger of disappearing as the Hummingbird of Elliot, the “metmot” of blue throat, ocotero Carpenter, the known and the quetzal; They also inhabit black chacha, quail’s face, striped owl, swift’s White-throated, Sparrow red Tanager, Northern chiltota, sensontle, yellow throat and grey guardabarranco.
Each of these species is under threat due to indiscriminate hunting that usually takes place in the evening hours. This is the biggest problem facing the Rangers in all the country’s reserves, and Montecristo is which is most affected by the absence of staff equipped.
Monte Cristo is one of the few shelters that still exist, but in this en esta ocasion occasion preservation and protection, as well as the destruction, only depends on the attention that the Government will give you.