Vicky took a group of us to the Pico Bonito National Forest for a hike. We drove out of La Ceiba, past the airport. We were just going down the road when she stopped and turned into a pineapple field. Then I looked and saw a beat up sign, barely readable. After about a mile we came to a forested area and a gate. We paid $6 US (evidently it is sometimes $8) and drove to a parking area with picnic tables and toilets.
Following the trail, we started uphill through the rain forest. Vines hung down from trees and flowers bloomed here and there. Mostly it was ferns and other tropical species growing between large trees. There were signs every once in a while with information about the plants and animals. The sign about the snakes indicated that if you go past the sign you would be in an area of snakes, some venomous. We wondered how the snakes knew to stay behind the sign? After an hour or so of uphill we arrived at a waterfall and pools. Some of up dipped in the pool but only Lana jumped off of the rock.
After a while we started downhill. Near the bottom we met a group of middle aged people who asked how far up it was...we said they were about a quarter of the way up. Then they asked if it was better than the waterfall at the bottom...we said we hadn't seen the waterfall at the bottom. A few minutes later we came out at the picnic area and Vicky had the best spread laid out and we were making peanut butter sandwiches.
Then she took us to the waterfall at the bottom! After a hike of 200 meters we came to a beautiful pool, at the end of which was a nice waterfall flowing down in a round vestibule. If we had known it was there, we wouldn't have hiked up!
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