Birding & Quetzal Spotting

The resplendent quetzal is Guatemala's national symbol. It appears on the flag, it gives the currency its name, and it was sacred to the ancient Maya, who prized its iridescent tail feathers. Seeing one in the wild, its long green tail trailing behind it in the mist, is a highlight for any traveller, birder or not.

Guatemala records more than 700 bird species, from highland endemics to rainforest toucans and macaws. We focus on the best cloud-forest habitat: private reserves and fincas around the Biotopo del Quetzal in Baja Verapaz, the forested slopes above Lake Atitlán, and, for lowland species, the trails of Tikal.

Your guide is a specialist birder with a scope, sound recordings and good local contacts who know where the quetzals are feeding. Mornings start early, when the birds are most active. You spend the evenings at a cosy cloud-forest lodge with hummingbirds at the feeders.