Private birding day trips from Tikal, Flores, El Remate, and Yaxhá with CAYAYA BIRDING

Ornate Hawk-Eagle, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá

Northern Petén combines vast forests, wetlands, Yucatan scrub and open habitat. The area is well worth several days of birding, but if you have limited time, also a one day tour can be very productive. Staying in Flores, El Remate, Tikal or Yaxhá, good birding sites are accessible right outside the door, or by drives between 15 min and 1.5 hours.

White-collared Manakin, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
White-collared Manakin Manacus candei.

Tall broadleaf forest harbors forest specialists from the tiny Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher to the huge Crested Eagle. More than 100 species may be seen in a single day. Yucatan endemics such as Yucatan Flycatcher or Gray-throated Chat can be found in scrub areas. Small and extensive, open and wooded wetlands are home to birds such as Agami Heron, Boat-billed Heron, Limpkin, Ruddy Crake, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, and Anhinga. Open, savannah-like agricultural landscape is home to Vermilion Flycatcher, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, and Eastern Meadowlark. Get in touch to organize your full or half-day birding adventure in Petén.


CAYAYA BIRDING offers half and full day tours in Petén in northern Guatemala:

  • Full day birding tour in Tikal: birding in Tikal from sunrise to sunset, with lunch break and with optional nocturnal birding.
  • Half day birding tour in Tikal: morning birding from sunrise to noon, or afternoon birding including some nocturnal observations.
  • Full day birding tour in Yaxhá: birding at the archaeological site of Yaxhá and at Laguna Yaxhá from sunrise to sunset, with lunch break and with optional nocturnal birding.
  • Half day birding birding in Yaxhá: morning or afternoon birding at the archaeological site of Yaxhá or at Laguna Yaxhá.
  • Half day birding tour in El Remate: morning birding in forest fragments and wetlands near El Remate.

CAYAYA BIRDING half and full day birding trips include:

  • Expert birding guide.
  • Entrance fees to protected areas.
  • Private transport from and to your hotel in El Remate or Flores to Tikal or Yaxhá (in case you are not staying in a hotel at the sites).
  • Bird checklist

Schedule: sunrise (05:00-06:00, depending on season) to 17:00 with lunch break, with optional nocturnal birding

Start and end point: your hotel in Tikal, Flores, El Remate, or Yaxhá.

We accommodate different trail difficulties according to your requirements.

What birders say about CAYAYA BIRDING day trips

How to book your CAYAYA BIRDING day trip.


Birds seen on CAYAYA BIRDING day trips in Tikal, Yaxhá, and El Remate

Great Tinamou, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Great Tinamou Tinamus major in old-growth forest of Tikal National Park.
Gray-headed Tanager, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Gray-headed Tanager Eucometis penicillata in the understory of the rainforest on Petén.
Orange-breasted Falcon, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Orange-breasted Falcon Falco deiroleucus in Tikal.
Tikal, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips in northern Guatemala
Tikal: ancient Mayan temples I and II among the rainforest.
Tody Motmot, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Tody Motmot Hylomanes momotula in the forest understory.
Red-lored Parrot, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Red-lored Parrot Amazona autumnalis belongs to the commonly seen parrots in Tikal and Yaxhá.
Northern Schiffornis, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Northern Schiffornis Schiffornis veraepacis in the understory of the rainforest on Petén.
Gray-throated-Chat, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Gray-throated-Chat Granatellus sallei in Yucatán scrub.
Ornate Hawk-Eagle, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Adult Ornate Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus ornatus perched in the forest canopy.
Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Wedge-tailed Sabrewing Campylopterus curvipennis, endemic to southern Mexico and northern Central America.
Black-throated Shrike-Tanager, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
A female Black-throated Shrike-Tanager Lanio aurantius, endemic to southern Mexico and northern Central America.
Yaxhá, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Yaxhá: view over Laguna Yaxhá from the top of Temple 216.
Slaty-tailed Trogon, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Male Slaty-tailed Trogon Trogon massena in the forest canopy.
White-whiskered Puffbird, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
A male White-whiskered Puffbird Malacoptila panamensis in the rainforest midstory.
Green Jays, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Allopreening Green Jays Cyanocorax yncas.
Mayan Antthrush,CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Mayan Antthrush Formicarius moniliger, endemic to northern Central America and southern Mexico.
Ocellated Turkey, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Ocellated Turkey Meleagris ocellata is endemic to the Yucatán peninsula.
Ruddy Quail-Dove, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Male Ruddy Quail-Dove Geotrygon montana on the forest floor.
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Adult Bare-throated Tiger-Heron Tigrisoma mexicanum.
Ridgway's Rough-winged Swallow, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Ridgway's Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis ridgwayi is a form of the Northern Rough-winged Swallow complex and endemic to the Yucatán peninsula and southern Mexico.
Red-capped Manakin, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Red-capped Manakin Ceratopipra mentalis.
Russet-naped Wood-Rail, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Adult and chick of Russet-naped Wood-Rail Aramides albiventris.
Boat-billed Herons, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Juvenile Boat-billed Herons Cochlearius chochlearius.
Keel-billed Toucan, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus in the forest canopy.
Great Curassow, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
A female Great Curassow Crax rubra.
Strong-billed Woodcreeper, CAYAYA BIRDING day trips to Tikal and Yaxhá
Strong-billed Woodcreeper Xiphocolaptes promeropirhynchus.


What birders say about CAYAYA BIRDING days in Tikal, Yaxhá, and El Remate

December 2022, CAYAYA BIRDING day in Yaxhá
"Absolutely amazing trip, thanks to Luis. Yaxha is so beautiful and quiet relative to Tikal. Having such a good guide was an amazing unlock in terms of the sheer number of birds I saw and my appreciation for the flora and fauna more broadly. Thank you!"
Nadine Stares

July 2022, CAYAYA BIRDING half-day in Tikal
"Luis was amazing! He was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about not only the birds, but other flora and fauna, and about Mayan culture and archaeology! He was able to locate so many birds by hearing them and then helping us to find them in the binoculars. He was also attentive, caring, and flexible, to accommodate for my daughter not feeling well, so that we could all get the most out of the experience without overdoing it. I would absolutely recommend Luis and a Tikal CAYAYA BIRDING tour!"
Deborah Dymond, Canada

February 2022, CAYAYA BIRDING half-day in Tikal
"A must do for bird lovers. Luis is passionate and will make sure you've got the best opportunities to watch wildlife in Tikal. We were able to witness lots of different species including an amazing encounter with mating Orange-breasted Falcons. Luis was also very knowledgeable about Tikal's wildlife."
Lukasz Duda

February 2020, CAYAYA BIRDING day in Tikal
"We had an excellent full day's birding and Luis was a superbly knowledgeable guide and great on calls. I would thoroughly recommend the CAYAYA BIRDING and look forward to travelling around Guatemala more extensively with them one day."
David Raine, UK

January 2020, CAYAYA BIRDING half-day in Tikal
"Saw 51 birds in the park area focusing on the airstrip and spots around the museum and parking. Did not go into archeological site. Great knowledgeable guide with a good ear and a great eye. He got us into the park before anyone else. Would recommend. Good stop lakeside on the way back too."
Christian Ogilvie, MN, United States

December 2018, CAYAYA BIRDING three day tours in Tikal
"We had three fantastic days in Tikal with Luis as our guide. He really took good care of us, and managed to combine excellent birding for me and my son with archeological guiding for all four of us. I can really recommend CAYAYA BIRDING and Luis for arranging a trip to Tikal."

December 2018, CAYAYA BIRDING days in Tikal
"Guatemala: a great country for birding trips. Great birds and fantastic landscapes with volcanoes, some of them active. On this trip we saw 370+ birds including top birds such as Horned Guan, Fulvous Owl, Orange-breasted Falcon, and so on. Excellent guiding by Knut Eisermann. Final birding in the Mayan monumental historical site of Tikal, with more than 120 birds seen in that area."
Stefan Johansson, Sweden

November 2018, 10-day birding tour through Guatemala including Tikal for Atlanta Audubon Society
"I was able to organize a 10 day trip with Claudia Avendaño for an 11 person group I was leading for Atlanta Audubon. We had a spectacular time! We were able to visit the western highlands as well as the lowland forests at Tikal National Park. In addition to finding life birds and seeing amazing places, this trip had a special focus on shade grown coffee and the Wood Thrush. CAYAYA BIRDING did a great job helping us create a customized itinerary that balanced birding, culture, conservation, and educational opportunities. Claudia was skillful at noticing the needs and desires of each particular group member and adjusting accordingly. She was well prepared and researched and understood what our group desired. The lodging, transportation, and local guides all met or exceeded expectations. I cannot recommend CAYAYA BIRDING and Claudia Avendaño enough and absolutely plan on birding with them again in the future. We were able to see 275 species in 10 days and everyone left happy and healthy."
Adam Betuel, Atlanta Audubon Society.

November 2018, CAYAYA BIRDING day in Tikal
"Claudia Avendaño was an exceptional guide on our recent 8-day trip. We covered a wide variety of habitats and saw so many amazingly beautiful birds. Claudia's attention to detail made the trip go smoothly--even when we had unexpected delays. Tikal was special because of my long-time fascination with the Mayans so our time there was a great combination of birding and archeology. Luis was a very professional and knowledgeable guide at Tikal. I've described the trip to my friends as FANTASTIC! I'm still reliving the many and varied experiences we had. "
Karen Lindauer, Atlanta, Georgia.

November 2018, 1-week birding tour in the Guatemalan highlands and Tikal
"Knut Eisermann provided my son and I with a wonderful week of birdwatching in Guatemala. He is warm, friendly and fun! His birding skills are second to none. We had a wonderful time and I can't say enough good things about our time with him."
Michael Robinson, Washington, USA.

October 2018, CAYAYA BIRDING day tour in Tikal and in Antigua Guatemala
"My first time in Guatemala will be unforgettable thanks to Claudia and Luis of CAYAYA BIRDING. They both were professional, excellent guides and most of all great people. Everything went as planned and I had a great time."
Edwin French, Chile.

February 2018, CAYAYA BIRDING day tours in Tikal and Yaxhá
"Luis was a great guide - extremely knowledgeable about birds, natural history, as well as the cultural history of the area. His ability to detect and identify birds by call was extraordinary, and he helped us see an amazing variety of them. His energy was also remarkable - always willing to get out, from before dawn to late in the evening."
Peter Dunwiddie, Seattle, Washington, USA

March 2017, CAYAYA BIRDING half day tour in Tikal
"I just wanted to thank you and Luis for making our visit to Tikal such a memorable experience! I appreciated your prompt reply to my request for birding information and the ease in arranging our half day tour. It was a real plus to have a guide as knowledgable and personable as Luis who made the tour an unforgettable venture!"
Rita Garczynski

February 2005, Tikal and Yaxhá
"Claudia’s expertise and hospitality is a joy and I can only recommend bird-watching with her. You will not only see the birds but also improve your identifying the different calls. I shall definitely tour with them again!"
Eva Kiefer, Zurich, Switzerland.

More testimonials ...


Plan today your day trip in Petén!


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