by Ron Mader
La Mosquitia Guide to La Mosquitia: A Guide to the Land of Savannas, Rain Forests and Turtle Hunters
We are fortunate to be witnessing the start of a golden age in ecotourism publishing. No longer are readers seeking just the where-to-eat and where-to-sleep info. Travelers are demanding specific information on biosphere reserves and national parks. Canad ian authors are finding a special niche in this industry with the publication of two fabulous books on ecotourism in the Americas.
La Mosquitia: A Guide to the Land of Savannas, Rain Forests and Turtle Hunters by Derek Parent, Intrepid Traveler Publications, 1995, $14.95
La Mosquitia provides the detailed information that is otherwise nowhere to be found in mainstream guidebooks on Central America. This beautiful region is also one of the most inaccessible in Honduras. That notwithstanding, tourism is shooting upwa rds, providing trekers and river enthusiasts with a destination beyond their wildest dreams.
Parent has spent the last three years on this project and intends on continuing to document the natural resources and indigenous peoples of the area. His commitment to locally-controlled ecotourism and the protection of both land and people illuminate an often-mentioned but rarely described region in this exemplary book.
Detailed maps provide travelers with information again found nowhere else. Printed in large scale, they are second to none. Suggested itineraries provide an array of routes into the region. Want to go by cargo boat? You might have to wait three weeks. Your options include hiking along the beach or arranging to fly into Palacios, where local Miskito Indians can arrange a tour into the famed Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve.
Ready to go? La Mosquitia lists specialized companies providing ecotourism into the region as well as environmental contacts and suggested reading materials. The boundaries of the Honduras Mosquitia surround some of the largest, most undisturbed an d biologically rich broadleaf rain forests, savannas and mangrove swamps in Central America. (p. 5) The Commite Vigilante Tierra is also assuring a place for Miskito and Paya in the participation of the development of tourism in the Mosquitia, including m onitoring the proceeds from ecotourism, making sure that a fair share of the money goes into the pockets of local indigenous people. (p. 6) The trail melts away into the jungle in certain sections reappearing ten meters further along and at one point in the trail, there is a man-sized hole in the ground which you may fall into if you don't know where it is. The hole is a deep subterranean cavern you will need climbing rop es to get into and out of. (p. 51)
The author maintains the La Mosquitia website and can be reached via email at derekp@cam.org. La Mosquitia is available from your local bookstore or directly from the publisher:
Intrepid Traveler Publications (ITP) 116 Consumer Square, Suite 387 Plattsburgh NY, 12901 Phone: 514-698-2288; Fax: 514-366-3636 - End -
Copywrite 1996. LatinWorld Magazine Content Is Produced By Netpoint Communications, producers of the LatinWorld Directory. All original articles and photographs published in LatinWorld Magazine are protected by international copyright law. Reproduction, in whole or in part without prior written permission, is strictly prohibited. Miami, Florida, USA. 
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