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Macaw Mountain Bird Park & Nature Reserve

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Jose Kevo
Jose Kevo
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
4
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Editor Pick

Macaw Mountain Bird Park & Nature Reserve

  • February 12, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Jose Kevo from Middle-of-Nowhere, Missouri
Macaw Mountain Bird Park & Nature Reserve

With plenty of daylight remaining after scouring the ruins and town, Macaw Mountain Bird Park & Nature Reserve toyed with attention. The $10-admission fee was certainly pricey; especially if the place turned-out to be nothing more than a tourist trap. Well it wasn’t. In fact, it proved more than just a superb collection of tropical birds!


This nature reserve sprawls like a seventh heaven on side of a mountain north of town. Paths meander their way through a hardwood forest that feels more like an edenistic jungle. Vibrant explosions of blossoms were anything but subtle accents to the green canvas. For nature lovers, this would be more than enough reason to plan a visit, but the collection of birds was like nothing fathomed.

Large aviaries are scattered along the trails, isolated just enough to build anticipation for what waited around every bend. The park’s mission is to protect endangered species and befriend rescued birds from all over Latin America. Various assortments of playful parrots, toucans, owls and songbirds enlivened the forest with harmony; even silent birds of prey appeared congenial in idyllic settings. But magnificent macaws command center stage.

Mayas revered these birds of paradise as sacred; especially the scarlet variety which once thrived in this region, though green and blue species were just as dazzling. Guests have the chance to actually walk through an aviary where these self-aggrandizing birds all but fawned and posed for the camera. Tour ends with close-encounter opportunities. To stand with arms extended like a roosting post, while a pair of quite heavy macaws perch on each wrist and a parrot named "Kisses" does just that from your shoulder, was like nothing I’d ever experienced!

When first arriving, I wasn’t thrilled about the mandatory guide. Not sure what rapid-fire bird vocabulary there would be, an English-speaking escort was requested. ‘Fito’ was the perfect host, and more than indulgent with frequent pauses for photos. Guides are sufficiently trained in hospitality, ornithology, and natural facts applied to the park. Our rolling-bilingual conversations were as mentally stimulating as the flourishing visuals he explained.


I left quite satisfied but would like to have stayed longer. Plan your schedules accordingly because the pass is good for three days and there’s more to be had than just birds and gardens! Macaw Mountain could certainly rate a full-day of leisure thanks to a picturesque swimming hole complete with lounging decks and changing facilities. For the more adventurous, a hiking trail weaves through the park’s coffee farm and is said to have favorable vistas over the Copán Valley.

It’s also possible to have tours of the coffee harvest facilities and roasting house. The local cash crop is featured in the on-site restaurant and scattered snack kiosks, and is the least of what’s sold in a bird and nature-related gift shop I also wish had been thoroughly combed.

-- Moto-taxis regularly service the park from town for 20Lps.

-- Additional Macaw Mountain photos.

From journal Fast Forward – The Unexpected Copán

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