Birdwatching Antigua
Get ready to spot some colorful birds during this full-day bird watching tour in Antigua. The tour explores the El Pilar Nature Reserve, which is set just 2 miles (3.5 km) from Antigua’s central park.
- Duration:
- 6 hrs
- Available Days:
- Every day
- Schedule:
- 5:00 AM, 5:30 AM, 6:00 AM, 6:30 AM
- Hotel Transport Included
- Mobile Ticket Included
- Offered in English, Spanish
Guatemala is becoming increasingly well known for its awesome birding—over 700 species live here, including spectacular birds. The El Pilar Nature Reserve protects important habitat, including dry forest and cloud forest, for birds and other species. The reserve ranges from 5,250 to 7,870 feet (1,600 to 2,400 m) in elevation.
This tour begins at 6:00 AM. The tour starts with a picnic or box breakfast in a lovely outdoor area at the El Pilar Nature Reserve—while eating your breakfast, you’ll enjoy beautiful views of Antigua and the surrounding mountains. After finishing breakfast, you’ll go for for an easy hike and enjoy some birding. Naturalist guides lead the way and will help you spot birds and other animals that you come across.
After your initial outing, you’ll head back to Antigua for lunch. You can choose where to eat lunch and will then meet back up with the group and head to El Pilar. In the early afternoon you’ll visit the hummingbird feeders and see a fantastic array of fast-flying birds. After this you’ll return to your hotel. The tour ends around 4 PM.
Attractions Visited
Guatemala’s Acatenango Volcano is set just outside the city of La Antigua. Rising to about 13,000 feet (3,976 m), this volcano is a popular climb with travelers staying in Antigua.
Read more:Acatenango Volcano
The Fuego Volcano is one of Central America’s most active volcanoes. Set some 10 miles (16 km) outside La Antigua and adjoining the Acatenango Volcano, Fuego is a large stratovolcano that at times produces intense lava fountains, huge ash plumes, and pyroclastic flows.
Read more:Fuego Volcano
What to Bring
Binoculars, sunscreen, camera, insect repellent, comfortable shoes, long sleeve shirt, and hat. Bring or buy a pocket bird guide.
What's included
Guide, box breakfast, entrance fee, transfers to/from Antigua.
Transportation
Many of our tours and activities offer transportation pick up & drop off options from several locations and destinations. Options vary by tour, see “BOOKING REQUEST” for full details.
Similar things to do
Acatenango is a twin-peaked stratovolcano. The volcano erupted between 1924 and 1927 and again in 1972. Volcanic ash from these explosions traveled as far as 15 miles away. Larger eruptions also occurred some 2,000 and 5,000 years ago.
Finca Filadelfia has had the same purpose for several generations – growing and selling high-quality coffee. Here you’ll get to see over a hundred different species of birds that live throughout the 535.5 acres of the reserve.
Fincal El Pilar’s gardens hum with the tiny, whirring wings of its resident hummingbirds. This farm does not produce agriculture, but rather exists to help conserve some of the rare and endangered species of plants and animals in Antigua.
