At one point in the trail there was a very old tree-sized cactus that was apparently one of the oldest cactus plants on the island. Truly spectacular.
Near the outer reaches of the trail there were a number of caves which had been used by humans in the past. I learned later that the caves were also home to a few species of bats and a large constrictor snake that feeds on bats. I didn’t venture very far into the caves so didn’t see any bats or snakes but it would have been an interesting thing to do if I had brought along my headlamp. I’m not a fan of venturing into dark spots without the benefit of some form of light.
 
 
 
 
The terrain of the Preserve is not completely dry but coming upon a series of lagoons surrounded by mangroves is still a bit of a surprise.
I could have stayed out on the trail a lot longer but we still had another 4km walk to get back to the resort and the temperature was now higher so we left the unseen critters behind and headed home.
 
As we walked along the crest of the hill and looked back down over the wall-to-wall resort complexes with their manicured lawns and nicely place coconut palms I wondered how long the ecological preserve might continue to survive against the pressure of modern development and the need for hard currency and job creation.
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