Bird Watching: 

This country has some of the finest and most varied avian life of any county of similar size. In this compact nation you can view tropical, cloud forest, coastal and mountain species all during one visit. Needless to say this is fine for those who wish to register the maximum number of sightings, though by the end of your stay you may hardly remember what you saw at the start! We organise trips beginning with the birds of the Western Highlands, passing through Coastal Forest, Dry and Thorny Forests, Cloud Forests and finishing with Humid and Very Humid Forests, all together offering the opportunity to spot more than 660 species. Guatemala is an ecological corridor, where many species from North and South America have their meeting point with the local species. Although other countries may have more species, Guatemala probably has the highest variety in the smallest area, all with relatively easy access.

Nevertheless, what most ornithologists come here to experience are the world’s two most beautiful birds, the resplendent quetzal and the festive scarlet macaw.

There are more quetzals in Guatemala than in any other country, and hence more chances of viewing this extremely elusive bird. We work with a group of Guatemalan environmentalists and local Q’eqchi indians in the Quetzal and Cloud Forest Rescue Project, so you can be sure that your visit will benefit the local communities and help to preserve the quetzal and its environment.

The search for the scarlet macaw takes us to the jungle lowlands, where the species is in danger of extinction by poachers. A scarlet macaw can fetch as much as US$ 2,500 in the illegal pets trade. Our group is working with the local communities to protect the macaw, so they can earn a steady income from visitors for the foreseeable future, rather than profiting in the short term with its resultant extinction in Mesoamerica.

Both the Quetzal and the scarlet macaw were sacred birds in the eyes of the Maya, with your visit you will be helping both of these exceptional genus survive, as well as benefiting the local communities who are learning to profit from their protection.

Following are some of the areas which will interest you:

Pacific Coast: mangrove reserves only accessible by water (Monterrico), fast flowing rivers cloaked with Tropical Dry Forest. (Patrocinio, Tarrales Reserves)

Western Highlands: High mountain tundra and lakes, dry mountain river valleys. (Los Tarrales, Los Andes Reserves)

Cloud Forest: The most extensive cloud forest reserves in Central America. (Alta Verapaz, Los Andes Reserve)

Tropical Humid Rain Forest: Heavily forested Caribbean Coast (Cerro San Gil, considered the best bird spotting location on the entire Caribbean Coastline).

Sub Tropical Humid Rain Forest (Peten Area) Observe birds and at the same time discover Maya remains. This area is in many places remarkably similar to the Amazon Rain Forest .

 Our trips are always guided by local bilingual English/Spanish-speaking ornithologists with profound knowledge of local species, especially the quetzal and scarlet macaw. French and German translators are available if required.

You do not need pitons to climb a volcano, just a lot of stamina and strong desire to get to the top of everything. Because volcanoes tend to be lonely peaks, not all clustered together blocking each other out, the views from the top are sweeping and impressive. Guatemala’s highest mountain is a volcano, Tajumulco in the north near the Mexican border. It’s a tough two-day hike, but the views over the line of volcanoes down past Quetzaltenango, Lake Atitlán and Antigua are stunning and unique. The most popular volcanoes to climb are Tajumulco (4,210 Mts.), Santa Maria near Quetzaltenango (3,768 Mts.), San Pedro beside Lake Atitlán – one of the most spectacular for the sweeping views over lake and Pacific Ocean (3,055 Mts.), Agua above Antigua (3,752 Mts.), and Pacaya, close to Guatemala City – the only active volcano on the list (2,552 Mts.). You can ascend Agua on foot, on horseback, mountain bike, or dirt bike. The others can only be done on foot. Pacaya is the easiest, as you can get to within a two-hour hike to the summit by motor road. Volcano climbs are usually included in adventure packages. http://www.mayaparadise.com/volcanos/volguatee.htm

 Link to Volcano Tour