Between the Americas
Honduras and Nicaragua
Here are the last unknown natural paradises in Central America. Remote from the mainstream tourism are the nations of Honduras and Nicaragua. This two-part series immerses viewers in spectacular landscapes, as we discover rainforests, white-water rivers, lakes, and tall mountains; the sleepy villages of the Indígenas, smoking volcanoes, canyons, the Caribbean and Pacific coastlines, mangrove swamps, the ruins of the high civilization of the Maya. The narration focuses on natural beauty and animal life – but also on the people who lead us through the local floor and fauna, people who take pride in their countries, which they call their homelands, and where they have deep roots. What are the true treasures of the miniature Central American natural paradises, about which so little is known? These two countries are among the poorest in Central America. They have often become pawns of the great powers, and their international reputations have suffered. Many inhabitants have fled for the United States in the hope of a better life. Gang warfare and drug cartels lurk in the background of our reportage. But they never detract from a deeper reality: the primordial beauty of these two countries, with their unique, diverse flora and fauna.
The series begins in Nicaragua, a country that lies between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, and is home to two of the largest freshwater lakes in Central America: the Lago de Managua, and the Lago de Nicaragua, the region’s largest inland body of water, which measures 800 square kilometers. At home here are bull sharks, cormorants, hummingbirds, and iguana. A few years ago, the Lago Managua was nearly dead, biologically speaking, filled with wastewater and refuse. Yet today, people swim in it once again. Honduras is home to the largest intact and contiguous rainforests in Central America. The tropical rainforests, home to broadleaf trees, are among the most endangered environments globally. The region stretches along the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and far into eastern Honduras, and serves as a refuge for numerous rare species, many threatened with extinction, including tapir, the Scarlet macaw, the King vulture, the Harpy eagle, and the Jaguar. The jungles, marshlands, savanna landscapes of La Mosquitia are simply unparalleled.
