A former coffee plantation being retaken by natural vegetation, this reserve is 200m past the Hotel Atitlán on the northern outskirts of town. It makes a good outing on foot or bicycle. You can leisurely walk the main trail in an hour: it leads up over swing bridges to a waterfall, then down to a platform for viewing local spider monkeys.
You should also see pisotes (coatis), relatives of the raccoon with long snouts and long, upright, furry tails. The reserve includes a butterfly enclosure and herb garden, an interpretive center, a small shade coffee plantation and an aviary. For more extreme thrills, there are various ziplines spanning canyons and forest, the longest of which extends nearly a kilometer. For longer stays, there are some excellent rooms with private decks, and camping.
