The attractive departmental capital of Baja Verapaz is a good place to buy souvenirs handcrafted from silver, clay and leather. The nearby town of Purulhá is the location for the Mario Dary Rivera Nature Reserve, which was set up to protect the quetzal, Guatemala’s national bird and a symbol of liberty. Two walking trails cut through the cloudforest, where visitors can see about 50 different types of trees and a variety of tropical birds such as toucans, hummingbirds and macaws.