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Contact:
Gerardo Contreras
Gerente Administrativo
Km. 158 carretera a Cobán, Purulhá
Baja Verapaz, Guatemala
Tel: +502/5908-4066 or 2335-1805
Fax: +502/2335-1802
ramtzul@intelnet.net.gt; ramtzul@gmail.com; reservasdeguatemala@agriweb.net.
Certified by:
Green Deal, Guatemala (October, 2005).
www.greendeal.org
Type of accommodation:
Hotel, resort
Campsite
Features:
Conference rooms
Hot water
Private bathroom
Restaurant
Telephone
Year founded: 2000
Number of employees: 9
Percent of employees who are local residents:
100%
Number of rooms: 14, all with a panoramic view and surrounded by nature.
Type of destination:
Farm, ranch (rural)
Forest/rainforest
Mountain
River, lake, wetland
Able to accommodate:
Families
Seniors
Singles
Singles with children
Volunteers
Description of the area:
Ram Tzul or "Mountain Spirit" is the name of the god that protects nature and life and lives where there are waterfalls. We have a sanctuary in Sierra de las Minas – in the heart of the cloud forest on the route to Verapaz – a site where quetzals live. The sanctuary unites the Quetzal Biotope with Cerro Verde and the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve. Due to its geographic position it is part of a corridor for bird migration, a wondrous spectacle.
We have four waterfalls in virgin forest. For our clients we have trails to the Rubel Chaim waterfall (Lluvia de Estrellas or “Rain of Stars”) – very well known nationally and internationally for its beauty; it is 984 feet high and has natural pools; this trail goes through forests of pine, bamboo, encino pine, broadleaf forests, and coffee plantations, along the Cafetal River shores and its beautiful natural pools. Our concept is distinct in the area, offering direct contact with nature, relaxation, and comfort.
Ram Tzul is only 158 km (98 miles) from Guatemala City, strategically located between Alta and Baja Verapaz and accessible to places such as the Museo del Trapiche or Sugar Mill Museum with the first sugarcane mill of Central America, Rábinal with its famous folklore and pottery in Baja Verapaz, Cobán – the imperial city of Carlos V, Semuc Champey, the headlands of the Cahabón River, grottoes, and other tourist destinations.
Available activities:
Adventure, sports
Bird watching
Eco / nature / wildlife
Educational, research, volunteering
Horseback riding
Mountain climbing
Spiritual / religious
Walking / hiking
How to get there:
We are 48 km from the Salamá airport and 56 km from the Cobán airport. These distances can be traveled year-round
Making a difference:
The National Commission of Protected Areas (CONAP) declared Ram Tzul a Private Nature Reserve and we protect the region’s fauna and flora, conserving forests and river basins; we have reforested 59 acres with encino pine, coffee, and bamboo and we are protecting the river channel that passes through the reserve.
We are helping to create sources of jobs and use local materials and labor; we provide training on making handicrafts and bamboo furniture, and we also train other interested parties in tourism and hotel operation; we give talks on environmental conservation in the institutes of Purulhá.
We work with the tourism union of Baja Verapaz, the local community development councils and the Cloud Forest Association (Asociación del Bosque Nuboso) to strengthen community and tourism programs. To help create more job options we are working on a plan with the tourism union to create a tourism school for waiters, guides, and others.
With the National Commission of Protected Areas, we carry out efforts to protect water from contamination and with the local community development councils we are raising awareness in farmers about the dangers of using chemical fertilizers and fumigating with poisonous pesticides.
General rates:
$ 26 - $50
Additional information:
Information about the Ram Tzul Ecological Reserve is available on the Guatemalan tourism site www.senderonatural.com (in Spanish).
Brief description of the hotel on Guatemala en Vivo's Web site (in Spanish).
Date this information was provided: August, 2007.
