PARROT
PILGRIMAGE

Guatemala is a land of towering and active volcanoes, Mayan ruins, parrots, and a thriving indigenous culture. On this pilgrimage, you'll experience all of this, as well as learn about the people and parrots of this region. Rev. Dr. LoraKim Joyner has been doing parrot conservation in this area for over 37 years and has written a memoir about her initial years there during the Guatemala Civil War, called “Conservation in Time of War.”  She will share what she has learned about this land and parrot conservation, as will the people you will meet along the way.

 

Unlike our Parrot Pilgrimage in Nicaragua, which entails walking in a rural setting, we will move by vehicle to various locations through cities, towns, rural landscapes, and intense agriculture to connect to and understand the parrots and people of the South Coast of Guatemala. At each spot we will walk and observe parrots and learn about their history, but unfortunately there aren’t many parrots left. When LoraKim worked here in the 1990’s there were probably over 50,000 yellow-naped amazons, but now only 400-500 remain. However, we will get to see them, for the pilgrimage will visit two of our conservation sites where the biggest group of parrots fly, nest, and roost.  

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Also, along the way Rev. Dr. Joyner will facilitate reflection and discussion times, with an emphasis on spiritual health, connecting to nature, and joyful action and advocacy in the world. We imagine this as a time for healing, as we move through shared mourning, and a lot of celebration!  COLORES and ARCAS will be hosting this event along with One Earth Conservation (OEC).

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• We will begin our journey in Antigua, a colonial city nestled within volcanic vistas. We will see Pacific parakeets here and a lot of history of colonial and indigenous peoples in Guatemala. Please plan on arriving the night before.

• On our second day, we will drive along the line of volcanoes, headed west to Tak’Alik where we will tour the grounds while learning about the Olmec and Mayan peoples, and also see yellow-naped and white-fronted parrots in the evening. This is one of the prime conservation areas for COLORES, which is a consortium of conservationists led by One Earth Conservation and ARCAS.

• On the third day, we will land at Tarrales Natural Reserve in Suchitepequez at the foot of the towering Atitlan volcano. This, too, is a prime area for our wild yellow-naped amazon conservation work. Here we can see all five species of parrots found on the Pacific coast of Guatemala.

• On our final day we will say goodbye after looking for birds and enjoying a closing lunch. People might want to continue to other many wonderful sites in Guatemala, including El Peten, where Mayan ruins abound and where conservation efforts concentrate on the scarlet macaw. You might choose instead to visit Panachel at Lake Atitlan nearby. OEC can help you make these arrangements.

 

All travel and related costs will be paid for individually by each participant. We ask for an additional $200 that will help offset the costs of the van that will carry us, pay for staff time, and donate to the conservation efforts of the project. You can come for only for a day or two but we hope you will stay with us the whole time.

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Read about previous pilgrimages in Nicaragua:

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• Parrot Partaking and Pilgrimage in Nicaragua

• Nicaragua Parrot Pilgrimage - A Journey of a Lifetime

• Parrot Pilgrims One and All

• Depoliticizing Our Lives with Birds

• Yes, You Can Fly Free with Parrots!

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We hope you will join us, for yourself, for life! To express your interest, reserve your spot, or for more information write us at info@oneearthconservation.org