EL IMPOSIBLE

El Imposible National Park is part of one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world, el Bosque Tropical de Montaa of the Mesoamerican Pacific slope, and the last refuge of many endangered animal and plant species which are in danger of extinction in El Salvador. Established in March 1989, the Park of 3,800 hectares is recognized as a gem of biodiversity and culture.

Why the name?

The altitude range (from 300 to 1,450 meters) and rugged topography have endowed El Imposible with an exceptional beauty. At the beginning of the 20th century, coffee farmers transported their coffee by mule-train from the farms north of the park to the port of Acajutla, using a trail that traversed the Hacienda El Imposible. At El Imposible Pass, there was a steep and narrow gorge between two mountains that impeded their route: there, the mule drivers constructed precarious bridges that on

several occasions did not support their weight and collapsed, carrying beasts and men down the precipice. In 1968, the government constructed a bridge at El Imposible Pass, opening up transportation from Tacuba to Cara Sucia. To celebrate the event, they left a plaque which says, "The year 1968, no longer is it impossible."

Flora and fauna

With more than 1,000 species of plants, 500 of diurnal butterfiles, 282 of birds, 103 of mammals, and 53 species of amphibians and reptiles, El Imposible boasts the largest biodiversity in the country. The park is home to species which are only found in El Salvador, like the "guaquito de tierra"...