by Hilary Gibbs on Sun Jul 10, 2005 8:56 pm
We just returned from a week at Crystal Paradise. Yes, it's okay. Yes, they're trying, but it needs a little more work on details. We plan to send some suggestions, because we'd like to see it become a really good resort. There is an excellent Birding Guide/ Naturalist you can meet through C.P. or independently, Miguel Choco. We enjoyed our slow-paced canoe trip downt he Macal River, and day trips to El Pilar, Caracol, and Tikal. Other guests enjoyed visits to local caves. We love the jungle. We saw the rare Orange-breasted Falcon at Tikal. Tom's 900th. bird for his list was the Wedge-billed Woodcreeper at Caracol. Laguna Aguacate is a wonderful forest preserve shaped in parts as parkland, with an open, so HOT, water area - we missed the Jabiru nesting season but other good birds - raptors, wood storks. There are three or four excellent artery roads, but the rest are ROUGH. Hard on the bones, but perhaps a deterrent to settlers and habitat loss.