Miraflor Natural Reserve

We took 5:45am bus from Esteli for our trip to the Miraflor Natural Reserve. The reserve, established in 1996, contains over 14,000 acres ranging in altitude from 2640 feet to almost 5000 feet covering a range of habitats from tropical savannah to dry forest to cloud forest. The reserve is managed by the Miraflor Union of Agricultural Cooperatives (UCA). The organization promotes sustainable agriculture (e.g. coffee, vegetables, flowers, livestock) and ecotourism. The coffee-related work is connected with CECOCAFEN (which we talked about in an earlier post). The ride to the reserve was an amazing journey (about 2 hours to go less than 40 km) up winding roads climbing over passes to vast expanses of undulating landscape and farmland. After arriving in the La Pita community and having a hearty breakfast in the simple house of one of the UCA guides, our guide Edwin led us quickly to the summit above the house and we spent the rest of the morning walking along the ridge through changing settings including pastures, several different kinds of forests, and small rural villages. Some of the forests seemed similar to those we have in the midwestern or northwestern US but then we would notice a coconut palm or orchid plant. It wasn't orchid season but the Miraflor reserve has 250 species and we were able to see a couple blooming on the trees. We also saw a mature ficus tree. This was not the mild-mannered houseplant we are familiar with in the states. Here the ficus, also called "the strangler", grows as a parasite over another tree feeding off of and eventually killing/strangling it. When the original tree is dead, the ficus tree/vines remain around the hollow core where the tree used to be. The three of us were able to stand inside the ficus (and there was room for a couple more!) and Edwin climbed up to the top from the inside. We tried to follow him but our weak arms and knowledge of the constraints of our health insurance coverage prevented us from getting very far. He finished by descending tarzan-like on the outside of the ficus.

Edwin on his way up


We stopped for lunch in the home of a local family and enjoyed a bit of a siesta hanging in a hammock. Aftwards, we descended into the middle zone of the reserve on little paths through farms that serve as pedestrian roads until we reached the community of La Rampla to catch our bus home.

Our lunch spot


A farm we passed through