Guatemala
Birds and Mayan culture
The Central American country of Guatemala is blessed with a wide variety of natural habitats, from the "jungles" of the east, up over the highland region and down to the Pacific coastal plains. During our holiday we will visit a sample of each of these habitats and, although birdwatching will be the focus, we will also expect to see some of the mammals such as Agoutis, Howler Monkeys and maybe even Jaguar.
The Mesoamerican Maya civilization is noted for its spectacular art, monumental architecture and sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems. At its peak, it was one of the most densely populated and culturally dynamic societies in the world. Throughout Guatemala are the remains of this civilisation but one of the finest examples is at Tikal. This area is also a superb forest with many birds and mammals - and it's where we'll begin our holiday, enjoying the the Mayan site as well as birds such as Collared Aracaris, Montezuma's Oropendola and the endangered Orange-breasted Falcon. We then take the short flight back to Guatemala City and travel by coach to Antigua to spend a day looking around the old capital with its colonial buildings. We continue across the highland region, stopping at two nature reserves to find jewels like Pink-headed Warbler, Mountain Trogon, Painted Redstart and Azure-capped Hummingbird before arriving on the shores of Lake Atitlan. It's a short boat ride to the town of Santiago where our hotel overlooks the extinct volcanos of San Pedro, Atitlan and Toliman.
After two days exploring this beautiful area and its birds, we will drop down to the Pacific coastal plain where we stay in two coffee farms run as private nature reserves. The first of these, Los Andes, also grows tea and macadamia nuts and benefits not only the wildlife but also the local community. The same is true of Los Tarrales where birds such as Resplendent Quetzal, Azure-rumped Tanager and Turquoise-browed Motmot are just stunning. There is much of interest here, not least in the way the whole system is run for the benefit of the people who live and work there.
Guatamala is a very modern country which is proud of its rich and varied past. The colours and light are simply astonishing at times, the scale of the Mayan cities will leave you breathless, and the wildlife is stunning.
