The Blue Trail. Directions and description of the Blue Trail

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "The Blue Trail. Directions and description of the Blue Trail"

Raymond Lester
5 years ago
Views:

Directions and description of the Blue Trail The Blue Trail is an easy to intermediate loop trail that features fantastic views over two sides of Guanaja.

On the first part it will feature great views over The Cay and Fruit Harbour Bight, while on the second part you will be looking down towards the town of Savannah Bight.

1 Directions and description of the Blue Trail The Blue Trail is an easy to intermediate loop trail that features fantastic views over two sides of Guanaja. It leaves from the vicinity of Roland s Garden Guesthouse and the Manati Bar & Restaurant. The hike will take you through Guanaja s very special Pine forest and tops out at 900ft (275m) of elevation. On the first part it will feature great views over The Cay and Fruit Harbour Bight, while on the second part you will be looking down towards the town of Savannah Bight. Difficulty: Easy to intermediate Length: 3.56 miles (5.73km) Total climb: 900ft (275m) Max. Elevation: 900ft (275m) Expected hiking time: 2 to 3 hours What to bring: Long Pants strongly recommended (razor grass), Water, Hat, Sun protection. GPS Track: Downloadable GPS Track from GPSies See at the end of the PDF for other interesting links! Roland s Garden Guesthouse, Guanaja Page 1

If you are leaving from the Manati, take the path that starts to the right side of the Manati when facing away from the ocean.

2 Directions If you are leaving from Roland s Garden Guesthouse, take the path towards the Manati, and the trail will start right after the bridge. If you are leaving from the Manati, take the path that starts to the right side of the Manati when facing away from the ocean. Follow that path to the fork seen in the picture below. Follow the blue arrow until you come up to the fence shown in the next picture. Go through the opening and carry on! Roland s Garden Guesthouse, Guanaja Page 2

At this point take a 90 turn to the right and

hike. But don t worry; it s only a short

3 At this point take a 90 turn to the right and follow the fence until you see the trail going up the mountain. This will be the steepest ascend for the whole hike. But don t worry; it s only a short section! Roland s Garden Guesthouse, Guanaja Page 3

Once you reach the part where it levels out, just follow the trail until you reach the little gate. Go through it, but don t forget to close it after you.

On the way there you will have your first nice views over our seemingly floating town, The Cay. The water reservoir is a great place to catch your breath and even to top up on some drinking water.

4 Once you reach the part where it levels out, just follow the trail until you reach the little gate. Go through it, but don t forget to close it after you. Gate After the gate you will be hiking up a ridgeline that takes you to one of the local water reservoirs. On the way there you will have your first nice views over our seemingly floating town, The Cay. The water reservoir is a great place to catch your breath and even to top up on some drinking water. At times the water has leaves and dust floating on its surface, but is in fact drinking quality. So please remember that, in case you have to relief your bladder. If you need to, please do so far away from the water. Don t be surprised if you find the basin empty. In the dry season the water will be almost completely used up. The Reservoir is at approximately 430ft (130m) of elevation. Roland s Garden Guesthouse, Guanaja Page 4

To get back on the trail, take a sharp left right at the wall from the reservoir as seen in the picture

5 From here you will enter the pine forest, where the hiking becomes extremely pleasant due to the nice breeze that you will encounter here for most of the year. To get back on the trail, take a sharp left right at the wall from the reservoir as seen in the picture below. Look out for the blue dots that will lead you from here on! Blue Dots Roland s Garden Guesthouse, Guanaja Page 5

A few years later the young trees that were trying to recover were once again eliminated by a large forest fire.

6 From time to time you might encounter some of the last remains of 1998 s Hurricane Mitch, in form of dead Pine trunks. The island was almost completely devastated by the category 5 Hurricane and lost most of its pine forest. A few years later the young trees that were trying to recover were once again eliminated by a large forest fire. Now almost 20 years after the storm, the island has fully recovered, and its vegetation is even lusher than before. The remains of Hurricane Mitch and a large wildfire. Right after passing this bizarre tree you will see a small cabin on your left. Make sure to go over there for some great views over town and Fruit Harbour Bight. Roland s Garden Guesthouse, Guanaja Page 6

7 The Cabin is located at 650ft (200m) of elevation. From here it is only a short walk till you reach the highest point of the hike. Lookout point! 900ft (275m) Roland s Garden Guesthouse, Guanaja Page 7

Once you leave the lookout point, make sure to take the right trail of the seemingly parallel

8 Once you reach the lookout point you will be encountered by a stiff breeze as the trade winds blow up the hill side. From here you start turning towards Savannah Bight. Once you leave the lookout point, make sure to take the right trail of the seemingly parallel running trails. Savannah Bight and East End! Roland s Garden Guesthouse, Guanaja Page 8

9 Young Pine forest! Once you start your descend, make sure to keep your eyes open for this bright green grass. This is razor grass, and it will give you small cuts that can be very painful. This is why long pants are strongly recommended. Roland s Garden Guesthouse, Guanaja Page 9

10 As you continue back down towards the water reservoir, you will leave the pine forest, and enter a short stretch of oak forest. The oaks are also native to Guanaja, and make a great habitat for overwintering migratory birds. Keep your eyes open for the birds on this hike. There is usually a pair of Gray Hawks in the vicinity, and even the Turkey Vultures will always put on a great flight show. Usually you will also hear and sometimes see our endemic sub-species of the Yellow-naped Parrot, and Yucatan Woodpecker. Throughout the winter months from October to April this trail is also a great place to see many migratory Warblers, Peregrine Falcons and Merlins. I hope you enjoyed yourself on this hike! If you have any questions, or if you are interested in one of our guided tours like the waterfall rappelling, just ask for Roland or Claus at any time, have a look on our website feel free to send me an to rolands.guesthouse@outlook.com. Links: Downloadable GPS Track for the "Blue Trail" Ebird Barcharts for Guanaja (For birders) Inaturalist Animals of Guanaja (excluding birds) Cheers, Roland Rumm (Freelance Birding Guide, Tour leader) Roland s Garden Guesthouse, Guanaja Page 10

What is a Bird of Prey?

2 Topic What is a Bird of Prey? beak talons Birds of prey are predators. Like all predators, they hunt and kill other animals for food. Birds of prey have specific adaptations to help them hunt, capture,