A great place to visit in Guatemala: www.bioitza.org/en

I just returned from a weeklong visit there, a place I’ve been to many times over the last two decades. I highly recommend it!​

They can arrange local homestays, language lessons in Spanish and the endangered Itzá language, rainforest tours (with or without overnight stays), visits with local artisans making sustainable use of rainforest products, wildlife viewings, and visits to local sacred sites like Tikal and Yaxhá.

While you’re there, you can also take in Arcas animal rescue center (your visit will help to fund their efforts to save the scarlet macaw and other animals endangered by trafficking) and the beautiful island city of Flores​. If you’re feeling even more adventurous, reach out to Fundaeco’s Francisco Asturias and let him bring you deep into the forest to see jaguars and to get to know the work Fundaeco is doing to conserve one of the last remaining extended rainforests in Central America.

​Here is Asturias’ instagram, which is a good way to reach out to him:

And here is more about Arcas. They welcome volunteers! You can also learn about through the PBS film, “Jungle Animal Hospital”

All of these photos were taken by me during this visit. It’s a beautiful place with wonderful people.

Black and red butterfly on a leaf in the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Petén, Guatemala. Photo by David O’Hara, March 2025A brightly colored ocellated turkey stands on the forest floor surrounded by fallen leaves and branches. Photo by David O’Hara, March 2025A large ancient pyramid structure rises against a backdrop of blue sky and clouds, surrounded by greenery. Photo by David O’Hara, March 2025, in Tikal, Guatemala. A bird with dark plumage, a red throat, and a distinctive crest is walking on the grass surrounded by leaves and foliage. Crested Guan, photo by David O’Hara, March 2025A toucan with a vibrant beak is perched among the branches of a leafy tree against a clear blue sky. Keel-billed toucan in a tree. Photo by David O’Hara, March 2025. A brightly colored lancha boat passes by the Spanish colonial city of Flores, built atop the ancient Maya kingdom of Tayasal. White towers of the Catholic cathedral rise above the island with blue sky above and blue water belowA jaguar is seen partially obscured by leaves. Photo by David O’Hara, March 2025 at ARCAS in Guatemala