Guatemala | Birding Guatemala’s Highlands and Lake Atitlán

Arrive at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City. *Please schedule your flight to arrive no later than 2:00 pm. After you clear immigration and customs, our local representative will meet you outside the airport and take you to the colonial town of Antigua, about an hour away depending on traffic. This evening, enjoy a welcome talk on your upcoming journey.

Start the day with a visit to Cerro Alux, located between Guatemala City and Antigua. This mountainous area is part of the Central American pine-oak forest ecoregion and is home to several highland endemics. It is also the wintering habitat for at least 25 species of wood-warblers, along with other migratory species. This afternoon, travel to Finca El Pilar, a private reserve with pine-oak forest and excellent trails for birding. Walk the trails to look for species such as Blue-throated Motmot, Bushy-crested Jay, and Blue-and-white Mockingbird, and visit the hummingbird feeders. Return to Antigua in the evening.

This morning, enjoy birding at Finca San Cayetano, a coffee farm and estate located in the hills surrounding Antigua. The estate's trails lead you through a mix of highland forests and open landscapes, where motmots, hummingbirds, and tanagers are commonly seen. After lunch, drive approximately 3.5 hours to Finca Los Andes on the southern slopes of Atitlán Volcano. Los Andes is home to the elusive Resplendent Quetzal as well as the rare and exquisite Cabanis's Tanager, also known as the Azure-rumped Tanager. This small bird's highly localized habitat is shared by hundreds of local and migrating species, including a host of hummingbirds, orioles, flycatchers, trogons, and motmots. Los Andes was declared a private nature reserve in 2001, and it is a founding member of Guatemala's Association of Private Nature Reserves. The reserve works closely with local residents to promote self-sufficiency, health, and education. Some residents are also enrolled in a guide-training program to provide them with an alternate source of income. Hunting is prohibited in the reserve, and present programs for conservation include building artificial nests for the quetzals. The reserve also has a reforestation program approved by INAB (The National Forestry Institute), as well as eucalyptus forests planted for firewood. Financial and technical assistance are provided to buy and install efficient wood-burning stoves in the workers' houses. Los Andes has its own hydroelectric plant, which generates all power used on the estate.

Continue birding in the reserve today. Hummingbird feeders at the lodge may attract the Blue-tailed Hummingbird as well as Violet and Rufous Sabrewings. The rarer Wine-throated Hummingbird may also appear. Head up to the higher forest above the tea plantations via pick-up truck, then embark on a set of trails that may lead to a Resplendent Quetzal. Also present are Tody Motmots, Northern Emerald-Toucanets, and other deep-forest species such as Singing Quail, Yellow-throated Nightingale-Thrush, and Scaled Antpitta. Tonight after dinner, there will be an optional walk for owling.

Enjoy early morning birding around the lodge. After breakfast, depart for Finca Los Tarrales, located on the flanks of the same mountain as Finca Los Andes. However, the elevation and humidity profile differ, and so does the bird life. Los Tarrales ranges in altitude from 2,300 to 11,500 feet, with good access to various types of forest, and 340-plus species of birds from lowland to highland habitats. The reserve is part of the Atitlán Important Bird Area, and harbors 21 regional endemic bird species, including Horned and Highland Guans, Azure-rumped Tanager, and Blue-tailed Hummingbird. There is also an impressive abundance of migratory birds here, including Swainson's Thrush, Tennessee, Magnolia, and Black-and-white Warblers, Western Tanager, and Orchard Oriole. It's a good place for raptors as well, including the Black Hawk-Eagle, and sometimes the gorgeous Black-and-white Owl. Morning and evening are great for commuting parrots, with four species of parakeets and parrots typically seen. During lunch, take some time to enjoy the feeders, where Orchard, Altamira, Spot-breasted, and Baltimore Orioles come to feed along with Rufous-backed Wrens and Yellow-throated Euphonias.

Continue birding the reserve's lower and upper trails in search of a diversity of birds, including displaying Long-tailed Manakins. Los Tarrales is private and self-sustaining; costs are covered from income selling coffee, ornamental plants, and honey, and through tourism services. Sixty Maya Kaqchikel families live within the protected area, working in agricultural production, as forest rangers, and in tourism. Los Tarrales also has a private primary school for children living on the reserve, offering classes in nature, science, and conservation in addition to the standard disciplines. (Note: School visits must be arranged for a weekday, when school is in session.)

After birding in the morning, make your way toward Lake Atitlán. Arrive to Santiago de Atitlán, a picturesque lakeshore town and hub of Maya culture, in time for lunch. In the afternoon, there are a few chances to see some new species. If lucky, you may find the uncommon Slender Sheartail hummingbird or White-faced Ground-Sparrow. Along with your main birding guide, each location will have a local guide involved in Asociación Vivamos Mejor (AVM), a private nonprofit development organization committed to improving the quality of life for rural communities surrounding Lake Atitlán. AVM focuses on sustainable watersheds and resiliency to climate change as a strategy for promoting sustainable development.

This morning, enjoy birding at Parque Mirador del Rey Tepepul, an 8,600-acre forest park with a wide altitudinal range. This park has great birds, including the Yellow-naped Amazon, Blue-crowned Chlorophonia, and Azure-rumped Tanager. In the afternoon, head to San Juan La Laguna on the western shore of Lake Atitlán. Seek out the rare and gorgeous Belted Flycatcher along the lower slopes of Volcán San Pedro. You may also come across the Lesser Roadrunner and other dry forest species such as White-faced Ground-Sparrow. Participants in excellent shape can try the hike to the volcano to find the Horned Guan. Note this hike is very difficult, strenuous, and not for everyone - it is also not a guarantee to see the rare guan.

Take a boat ride across Lake Atitlán to Panajachel on the northeast shore. From here, visit the Semetabaj archaeological site for a chance to find the Inca Dove, Guatemalan Flicker, Southern House Wren, Great-tailed Grackle, Bronzed Cowbird, Melodious Blackbird, Yellow-winged Tanager, and Vaux's Swift. Spend the morning birding at the reserve, and then have lunch in town. Later, visit the Atitlán Reserve for additional opportunities to spot target species. To follow is free time to enjoy some shopping or relax and take in views of Lake Atitlán from the hotel. Before dinner, meet with a representative of Asociación Vivamos Mejor and learn more about their work with communities surrounding Lake Atitlán.

This morning, visit Corazón del Bosque, a reserve located higher up in the pine-oak forest zone. The star bird here is the gorgeous and uncommon Pink-headed Warbler. While looking for the warbler, you may catch a glimpse of Mountain Trogon, Spotted Woodcreeper, Yellowish Flycatcher, Rufous-browed Wren, Olive Warbler, Crescent-chested Warbler, White-naped Brushfinch, and the local form of the Yellow-eyed Junco, the "Guatemalan Junco," which many consider a separate species. After the visit, return to Guatemala City, stopping for lunch at a local restaurant en route. Arrive in Guatemala City in the late afternoon with time to freshen up before tonight's farewell dinner at the hotel.

Depart for the Guatemala City airport for your flight home. Breakfast will be available depending on your flight time.