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Nicole's
Travelogues and Budget Travel Tips..
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LA TIGRA CLOUD FOREST, HONDURAS
The La Tigra Cloud Forest was established as a reserve in 1952 and declared a national park in 1980. It was Honduras' first national park. It is 92.8 square miles and is the easiest cloud forest to access in Honduras. It is only about 12 miles from Tegucigalpa but still takes an hour by car.
We paid our favorite taxi driver, Nestor, to take us to/from and from the park in his minivan ($50 for all of us). The drive took an hour and was really pretty - with the last stretch being a dirt road which would be nearly inaccessible in the rainy season. We traveled to La Tigra through the Hatillo route - which is closest to Tegucigalpa. Near the Hatillo entrance, there is a mountain lodge you can stay overnight in called La Estancia.
Once you pay your fee, tell the center worker how long you want to hike and she'll show you which trail to take. The shortest trail is 30 minutes and the longest is 6 hours. One trail takes you to an abandoned silver mine, while another takes you to a small waterfall. The trails are clearly marked by yellow rope through the forest and by occasional signs to keep you on the right trail.
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La Tigra was really pretty but we were disappointed at the lack of wildlife. I mean we didn't even hear any animals or birds or insects. I take that back, we heard one bird for a few seconds and then it was silent. We started joking that maybe an earthquake was about to strike because it was so eerily quiet. We talked to some folks we ran into and they said that the afternoon is the worst time to go if you want to see wildlife. Early morning trips are recommended. Of course, we were there in the afternoon. I can't confirm it but La Tigra has over 200 species of birds, monkeys, tapirs, ocelots, and jaguars.
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The drive is beautiful, winding through the pine forest and coffee plantations. Children run to the car selling moras (blackberries) and carrots. You can get a bunch for 15 Lempiras (slightly over $1). 
When you enter La Tigra, you have to check into the visitor center and pay the entrance fee. We had to pay a whopping $10 - while other tourists paid $5 and still others paid $12.50. I guess the fee is left to the discretion of the center worker. 
