Sites & Hotspots

The Highlands of La Sierra Madre 

Antigua

A small city surrounded by volcanoes in the southern part of Guatemala, Antigua is about 25 miles from the La Aurora International Airport (GUA). A UNESCO World Heritage site, renowned for its Spanish Baroque architecture, nestled among volcanoes with centuries-old cobblestone streets, Antigua provides a relaxing introduction to the country and is a nice place for our group to gather before we jump off for the Sierra Madre.

Tarrales Natural Reserve

A working plantation and a private reserve and one of the nation’s best known birding hotspots, Tarrales sits astride the southern slopes of Volcan Atitlan, offering a combo of forest and plantation habitats across its 3200 acres. With an good network of trails, a good fruit feeding station, and a very comfortable lodge, our base here offers not only award winning coffee but also chances at a couple of the country’s most desired avian jewels. From here we stand a decent or better opportunity at finding Horned Guan and Azure-rumped Tanager here, both tricky regional endemics, but also birds like Blue Seedeater, White-bellied Chachalaca, Rufous-backed Wren, Guatemalan Flicker and more.

Lake Atitlán

Nestled into an enormous volcanic crater in Guatemala’s southwestern highlands, and surrounded by precipitous, lush hills, and volcanoes, Lake Atitlan is rimmed with Mayan villages, and one of the most scenic spots in the whole country. Some of the special birds we will look for during our time here include Blue-throated Motmot, Bar-winged Oriole, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Band-backed Wren, and the localized Slender Sheartail.

Rey Tepepul Reserve

Situated on the southern slopes of the Lake Atitlán region, this 8600 acre reserve spans altitudes between 4,300 - 6,600 feet above sea level. A combination of cloud forest and subtropical humid forest, it is an excellent site for one of the trip’s most sought-after birds: the magnificent Resplendent Quetzal. This highland forest also hosts Blue-crowned Chlorophonia, Emerald-chinned Hummingbird, Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo, White-faced Quail-Dove, and Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge.

Fuentes Georginas
Sitting on the slopes of the Zunil Volcano, this high-altitude cloud forest reserve rests at just over 8,300 feet in Guatemala. Well known as a site for Pinabete Trees, the Guatemalan fir (Abies guatemalensis), an endangered conifer of this part of the Sierra Madre, we may also see giant ferns, as we seek birds such as Pink-headed Warbler, Golden-browed Warbler, Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush, Black-capped Siskin, and Wine-throated Hummingbird. Here is also our best chance for Horned Guan, one of Mesoamerica’s rarest and most spectacular highland birds restricted to undisturbed humid evergreen forest on a few high mountains in Guatemala and adjacent southern Chiapas, Mexico. If the weather is good at night there may be an option to try for Fulvous Owl.

Volcán Chicabal

A sacred crater lake surrounded by lush montane forest, there are some sweet, special birds we might find here. We’ll be alert and focused and hope to find Mountain Trogon, Highland Guan, Singing Quail, Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer, Black-throated Jay, Yellow-backed Oriole, Blue-and-white Mockingbird, White-naped Brushfinch, and with some real luck we might even find the elusive Maroon-chested Ground Dove. A nocturnal outing here offers chances for the rare Unspotted Saw-whet Owl. Some high quality if rarely seen birds are possible here. We’ll keep fingers crossed and hope the Birding Gods smile on us.

San Marcos Cloud Forest

Exploring the rich cloud forests around San Marcos, including the Resplendent Quetzal Reserve and surrounding montane habitats. This region provides some of the best opportunities in Guatemala for observing highland specialties in mature forest. Our main target is the iconic Resplendent Quetzal, the national bird! As we explore we might also locate other sought-after species such as Azure-rumped Tanager, Blue-crowned Chlorophonia, Hooded Grosbeak, Yellow-throated Nightingale-Thrush, Barred Parakeet, or Golden-browed Warbler.

A nearby visit to private feeding station could offer views of Violet Sabrewing, Rufous Sabrewing, Green-throated Mountain-gem, Blue-tailed Hummingbird, Rivoli’s Hummingbird, and White-eared Hummingbird. Not too far from here there is some higher elevation forest where possibilities include Garnet-throated Hummingbird and Black-capped Siskin.

Huehuetenango

Well known as one of the best coffee-growing spots in the country, the name of this town is “place of the ancients”. Its history is deep, and many of the coffee producers here are Mam, indigenous Maya. For birders it is also known for its proximity to the dramatic Sierra de los Cuchumatanes mountains. The highest non-volcanic mountain range in Central America, this plateau of pine-oak forest and alpine grasslands hosts some of Guatemala’s most sought-after highland specialties. Target species include Ocellated Quail, Pink-headed Warbler, Guatemalan Flicker, Olive Warbler, White-eared Hummingbird, Rufous-browed Wren, Black-capped Siskin, and Amethyst-throated Mountain-gem.

Guatemala City: Feeders & Wetlands

Our final morning of the main tour, we take a domestic flight back to Guatemala City. There we can visit hummingbird feeders and the Laguna del Pino for wetland species. Key species we’ll look for as we wrap up include Azure-crowned Hummingbird, Violet Sabrewing, Green-throated Mountain-gem, Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird, Azure-crowned Hummingbird, Streak-backed Oriole, Least Grebe, Northern Jacana, and Snail Kite.