A small national park on the northwestern edge of Cobán, Las Victorias is a patch of cloud forest within easy walking distance of the town centre. It is more urban park than wilderness reserve, but the trails through the trees are pleasant and the forest is genuine — mossy, damp, and busy with birds. It is a good place to acclimatise to the cloud forest environment before heading further afield.
The park has a small orchid collection, appropriate for a region that produces an exceptional variety of these flowers — Alta Verapaz claims more native orchid species than almost anywhere else in Guatemala. Entry is by a small admission fee paid at the gate. The paths are short enough that most visitors cover the whole park in an hour or two.
For serious birdwatchers, the forest around Cobán and the Verapaces is excellent territory for quetzals, although you are more likely to find them on the higher slopes outside town than in the park itself.