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Sister Birds, Sister Forests. The two-week trip that CCFC is offering next January is the same trip that members of our Arc of Appalachia took, which convinced us to designate CCVC as a sister organization. To say that the trip was transformational is an understatement. We left the States thinking we were going someplace “exotic” - someplace startlingly different from our forest homes in the Appalachian heartland. But what struck us the most, once we settled in, was the juxtaposition of strange next to the deeply familiar - like when below the heart-racing sight of a splendid quetzal, we saw a wood thrush hopping on the ground; when we looked up at a massive cloud forest tree covered with bromeliads only to realize we were beholding Quercus, kin to our oaks in the Appalachian ridgetops, or when we realized we were standing in the same karst landscape as found at the Arc’s headquarters, the Highlands Nature Sanctuary. It was moving to recognize the profound connections between two distant landscapes and feel deeply at home on both ends of our birds’ arc of migration.

Cloud Forest natural history. On this trip, nature discoveries and short hikes will fill your days and often, optionally, your nights. The cloud forests of the Mayan Highlands occupy only the highest, remote ridgetops in this mountainous region of Guatemala, towering above what is otherwise a highly populated and agrarian-domesticated landscape. Given the Cloud Forest’s tenuous future, it is remarkable that many of the Cloud Forests that still remain in Guatemala are intact old-growth forests, carpeted with dripping mosses and ferns and bedecked with orchids. The Cloud Forest supports a lush tapestry of wildlife, everything from frogs, forest salamanders, and butterflies to the much rarer howler monkeys and tapirs. And of course, birds…. so many incredible birds. Bird watching is optional but rich and frequent opportunities abound!

An immersion in the Mayan Q’eqchi’ Culture. This trip is for lifelong learners who enjoy meeting new cultures, expanding their worldviews, exploring new biomes, and finding new ways of being of service to the planet. Each day of this trip will introduce you to new and incredibly talented Mayan people who are proud to share their culture with you. Guatemala boasts the highest proportion of indigenous people in Central America, primarily because the Mayan peoples were so successful in defending their mountain homes from Spanish occupation. Of the 20 Mayan language associated with Guatemala, Q’eqchi’ (pronounce the Q’s like K’s) is the most widely spoken, second only to Spanish. It is the Q’eqchi’ people who will be welcoming you to their homeland on this trip.

The Campus. For most of the trip, you will be staying at CCFC’s campus at the elevation where the Cloud Forest first begins, and where their year-round education programs are offered to the community's youth. Here you will learn the basics of the same topics taught to the Mayan students: cloud forest ecology, reforestation practices, agro-forestry, sustainable lifestyles, and community health. Two large dormitories dominate the campus - one for the students and one for guests. Both of them are off the grid and supported by solar energy and hydroelectric power. You will be served healthy and bountiful food, some of which is grown right on the campus, with meals dominated by fresh vegetables, beans, and the Mayan staple - handmade corn tortillas.

Trip Itinerary. You will arrive in Guatemala on a Saturday. If flights are not delayed, your group will board a small bus and begin the trip north that same afternoon. Otherwise, you will spend your first night in Guatemala City and head out in the morning. A transport van will take you on the 4-5 hour drive north into the mountains. Your first overnight stop will be at a Quetzal birding reserve in the Cloud Forest - just an hour south of CCFC. Here you will spend your first two nights. The next stop will be the CCFC campus where you will stay for most of the trip. On your way back to Guatemala City, you will take the 5-6 hour trip (18 miles as the crow flies) further east along the same mountain range you’ve been residing in to Chelemha, a beautiful high-elevation lodge in the Cloud Forest. Here you will stay for three nights. On the morning of your final Friday, you will be driven from Chelemha to Guatemala City where you will spend your last night and have sufficient free time to explore the city’s marketplace. On Saturday morning you will be driven to the airport for your return flight home. In Guatemala, it is always possible there will be last-minute changes in the itinerary, but if such events happen, replacement plans are equal or superior in value and experiential richness.