Guatemala Birding Tours

Introduction to Guatemala

Guatemala is the finest birding destination in northern Central America, and it is an easy country to travel in, making Guatemala birding tours a particularly exciting prospect. Perhaps due to exaggerated negative press, Guatemala has often been overlooked as a birding destination in Latin America, but certainly Guatemala can provide a great experience for birdwatchers. The large diversity of habitats, such as steep cloud forest mountains (with 30 active volcanoes), deciduous forests, the Pacific shore, and lush humid rainforest, allows Guatemala to host an amazing set of bird species.

Our Guatemala birding tour starts at Guatemala City’s international airport, but we are rather staying in the beautiful town of La Antigua, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then the tour will pass along a route of spectacular scenery, including the beautiful Lake Atitlan in the highlands of Guatemala – formerly home of the extinct Atitlan Grebe – and views of the active Volcán de Fuego (Volcano of Fire). Coffee is a cornerstone of Guatemala’s economy, and its beans are renowned worldwide for exceptional quality, so coffee lovers will enjoy Guatemala’s exquisite coffee taste as well as some of the finest chocolates in this part of the world.

Our Guatemala birding tours are of course focused on birds but also provide the opportunity to travel through a country with an incredible history from the Mayan civilization through to the Spanish colonial times. We will have the chance to visit the amazing Tikal National Park in Petén, one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centers of the Maya civilization and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – not to forget that the Tikal archaeological site is also famous for having been featured in the original 1977 “Star Wars Episode IV – A New Hope” movie.

This magical site located near the borders with Belize provides several unique sets of birds shared with Mexico and Belize and known as Yucatan specials, including the most-wanted Ocellated Turkey. We will spend several days exploring Tikal’s jungles and pyramids, searching for diverse birdlife. Highlights include the recently split Mayan Antthrush, Gray-throated Chat, and Orange-breasted Falcon. Wildlife is not uncommon around Tikal, with Central American Spider Monkey and White-nosed Coati among the more-frequently-encountered species.

We will stay in several old fincas (farms) now transformed into lodges, and places like Finca La Nube will give the tour a special touch for those who prefer small but charming and quiet places. Our birding tour to Guatemala also includes an optional long hike to look for Horned Guan above the famous Finca Los Tarrales, which is one of the very few places in the world to see this sought-after species, but our local guides are always looking for new accessible sites for this bird to avoid the strenuous but rewarding hike above Los Tarrales. We invite you to join our Guatemala birding tour and experience a great birding trip in a country with a lively culture, fabulous scenery, interesting history, excellent gastronomy, and nice people. Please do read our blog about how, when and where to visit this splendid country!

Guatemala birding highlights

Some of the highlights (many of which we should see on our Guatemala birding tours) include the fabulous Resplendent Quetzal, Horned Guan, Pink-headed Warbler, Red-faced Warbler, Belted Flycatcher, Fulvous Owl, Long-tailed Manakin, Tody Motmot, Blue-diademed Motmot, Keel-billed Motmot, Prevost’s Ground Sparrow, Highland Guan, White-bellied Chachalaca, Pheasant Cuckoo, Keel-billed Toucan, Blue-crowned Chlorophonia, Buffy-browed Partridge, and Rufous Sabrewing.