A cloud forest is different from a regular rainforest because it sits in the clouds. Clouds blow through the treetops every day, leaving a fine mist on every leaf. The moisture drips down through the mosses and ferns into streams that flow all the way down to the city below - La Tigra actually helps supply fresh drinking water to Tegucigalpa.
Because of all that moisture, La Tigra's trees are draped in thick green moss, enormous ferns, and bromeliads (funnel-shaped plants that collect rainwater in their leaves, creating tiny ponds for frogs and insects). The whole forest looks like something from a fairy tale.
La Tigra is one of the best places in Honduras to spot the resplendent quetzal, a spectacularly beautiful bird with bright green feathers and a tail that can be longer than your arm. The quetzal was sacred to ancient Mesoamerican cultures and is now a symbol of the region.
Pumas, coyotes, white-tailed deer, and more than 200 bird species live in La Tigra. The park also has some of the most important butterfly diversity in Central America - you might spot 50 different species in a single morning walk.
Because La Tigra is so close to the capital, schoolchildren from Tegucigalpa visit regularly for nature walks. It is one of the most accessible cloud forests in Central America - you can go from a busy city to misty, bird-filled forest in less than an hour.