It is located in the middle of a national park covered with tropical rain forest, northwest of Cobán, near the border between the departments of Alta Verapaz and El Quiché.

[2][4][5] According to officials responsible for the protection of the park border, there have been incidents of intrusion by individuals and families as well as severe cases of illegal wood chopping since 2005.

[citation needed] In 1976 an area of 145 km² around the lake (15°55′09″N 90°40′23″W / 15.919074°N 90.673084°W / 15.919074; -90.673084 (Laguna Lachuá)) was designated a national park.

These include fish like the diadromous tarpon (Megalops atlanticus), an ample variety of biogegraphically endemic Cichlid species,[5] reptiles like Morelet's Crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii), Orangebelly Swamp Snake (Tretanorhinus nigroluteus); and mammals, like the Jaguar (Panthera onca), Cougar (Puma concolor), Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii), the White-lipped Peccary (Tayassu pecari), Spotted Paca (Agouti paca), Red Brocket (Mazama americana), and Spix's Disk-winged Bat (Thyroptera tricolor), and various monkeys species including the endangered Guatemalan Black Howler (Alouatta pigra).

[2][8][9] Waterbirds found in the park include the Wood Stork (Mycteria americana), Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors), Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis), Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata), Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), Bare-throated Tiger-heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor), Green Heron (Butorides virescens), Sungrebe (Heliornis fulica), Limpkin (Aramus guarauna), and Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), [2][7]