Laguna Lachuá National Park Voyage Tips and guide

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Laguna Lachuá National Park is a Guatemala national park in the country's Central Highlands region. The park features a large, crystal clear lake where you can swim, camp, hike, and observe nature. It is a designated Ramsar wetland.

The terrain is mostly flat and covered in tropical rainforest jungles. The park covers an area of more than 45 square kilometers.

You're likely to see dozens of different kinds of birds in the jungle. As you walk the trails spotting birds, you're also likely to see lizards, snakes, small mammals and a variety of butterflies. If you're lucky, you'll also spot toucans, hummingbirds, macaws, and monkeys.

The park includes 120 species of mammal including big jungle cats like jaguars and pumas as well as tapirs, peccaries, coatis and more. Some 40 species of reptile are found in the thick jungles including some unusual snakes like the orange belly swamp snake. Many kinds of bats thrive in the jungles, including the disk-winged bat. Guatemalan howler monkeys are an endangered species.

The lake is home to a number of aquatic species including dozens of different kinds of waterbirds. The lake is also home to crocodiles, so be aware of them before deciding to take a swim. The waterbirds include wood stork, blue-winged teal, Muscovy duck, brown pelican, snowy egret, bare-throated tiger heron, green heron and more.

It is a 4-hour drive to Laguna Lachuá from Coban using AV-9 toward Chisec, then heading west on the Franje Transversal. The park access road is to the left of the highway. The road into the park is in poor condition with pot holes, a dirt surface, and deep potholes during the rainy season that are best navigated with a 4WD truck.

From Cobán, use a Chicken bus toward Semuc Champey but tell the driver you want to get off at Chisec. From there, take another chicken bus going toward Playa Grande but tell the driver to let you off at Laguna Lachua, which is about 2-1/2 hours from Chisec. The trip will take about 4 to 5 hours total. When leaving the park, verify the bus schedule. The last bus usually passes by the park between 4pm and 5pm.

Park entry is Q25 per adult. There are additional fees for camping.

Once you're in the park, you'll probably walk everywhere you want to go. From the park entrance, a well maintained, well-marked trail leads through the jungle for 2.4 km until you reach the lake and a long pier. The camping areas about 2 km further. Informative signs on the trails are in both Spanish and English.

• Swim - the lake's waters are cool and refreshing. The park prohibits swimming while using insect repellants or introducing soap into the water. The lake is up to 200 meters deep, and the clear waters often make it seem superficially shallow. No lifeguards are on duty, so swim at your own risk. Also be aware that alligators live in the lake, so signs that say "No swimming" are to be respected.

At the park entrance is a small store selling drinks, snacks, and non-perishable grocery items like bags of pasta or cans of beans. This is the only store anywhere near the park, so if you forgot any necessities, this is your last chance before hiking into the camping areas.

There are no restaurants or food vendors in the park. Bring food for all your meals.

Bottled water is recommended. Although water sources are available in the park, use of a filtration device, purification chemicals, or at least boiling is recommended.

The park has a number of small cabins for rent in the camping areas. Cabins include cooking facilities.

Camping is allowed in several areas near the lake. Sites are unimproved so you'll need to bring water and everything you're going to need. There is a large palapa style meeting shelter where you can set up your tent in the event of bad weather. The camping areas includes showers and toilets.

• Candelaria Caves National Park
• Semuc Champey
• Cobán