Birdwatching in Coba from Tulum - Shared Group Tour

Coba Bird Watching Tour – Mexico Kan Tours May 2026 Hector, our driver for the day, picked us up from the hotel at 5 am sharp. Quietly friendly and welcoming, he drove us to Tulum, where we met our guide, Miguel Amar. Miguel introduced himself, loaded the car with everything we needed for the trip, and we headed towards Coba. Along the way, he told us about the local history, culture, wildlife and surrounding landscapes. Before reaching the main archaeological site, we stopped by a beautiful natural lake, where Miguel served coffee and the most delicious snack bars I’ve ever tasted. I still need to get that recipe from him. The birding began immediately, and as the sun rose, we were rewarded with some stunning sightings. My personal favourite was the limpkin. I had never seen one before and was fascinated to learn that, although it resembles herons, ibis and similar birds, it actually belongs to its own family, which contains just a single species. From there, we drove into the small town of Coba itself, parked up, and explored on foot. We had brilliant sightings of two motmot species, along with several flycatchers, orioles, tanagers and trogons. But the absolute highlight was still to come. As we returned to meet Hector and the car, Miguel suddenly heard the call of a ferruginous pygmy owl nearby. We knew it was close, but despite Miguel’s best efforts, we couldn’t locate it. Just as we were about to leave, Miguel heard the call again. He stepped out of the car and called back, perfectly imitating the owl’s call. What happened next was unforgettable. The owl launched itself from a tree perhaps 50 metres away and flew directly towards us, mobbed by smaller birds as it approached. It then landed in a tree no more than five metres from where we stood. I could honestly have stayed there for hours, watching it. It peered down at us, looked around calmly, and sat there completely at ease while we stood below in absolute amazement. A truly magical experience, entirely thanks to Miguel, the “owl whisperer”. After the owl encounter, we headed into the Coba archaeological park to beat the morning crowds. Miguel explained that we could either walk, hire bicycles, or be driven around on tricycles. We chose to walk so we could fully experience the site and maximise our chances of spotting wildlife and hearing birds calling in the forest. What followed was spectacular. Not only did we encounter birds, but we were also birding through an ancient Maya site, with the enormous Coba pyramid almost entirely to ourselves. Along the trails, we saw woodpeckers, trogons, hawks, flycatchers, jays, orioles and tanagers, all set against the backdrop of jungle-covered ruins and ancient stone pathways. By this point, we were slightly tired, dusty and very hungry, so we wrapped up our walk through Coba and stopped for an absolutely delicious brunch at a nearby restaurant. Afterwards, Hector drove us back to Tulum, where we said a very fond farewell to Miguel before returning to the hotel, with the rest of the afternoon free to rest and reflect on what had been an incredible day. Miguel recorded all our sightings at the three locations using eBird. In total, we recorded over 70 species - truly astonishing This was one of the most interesting, fulfilling, beautiful and satisfying birding tours we have ever experienced. The service was exemplary from the moment we booked the tour until we were dropped back at the hotel. It was also fantastic value for the experience we had throughout the day. Hector was a fantastic driver, and one of the genuine joys of the day was seeing how excited he became when the owl appeared. And Miguel… what can I say? Firstly, he is wonderfully warm, approachable and thoughtful. Secondly, his knowledge of birds, wildlife, culture and history is astounding. We didn’t just have a birding guide. We had someone who enriched every part of the experience and shared his passion, knowledge and enthusiasm throughout the day. I could happily have spent many more hours, or even days, exploring and talking with Miguel. The only thing I would change about the entire experience would be my own photographic skills. Thank you both for such a wonderful experience. I sincerely hope our birding paths cross again in the not-too-distant future.

+4

Our birdwatching experience with Miguel was by far the highlight of our trip. Miguel was professional, kind, and extremely knowledgeable. You could tell that he was a true birder and had a genuine love of nature and the Yucatan peninsula. Moreover, the lunch, snacks, and coffee provided were excellent. During our half day trip we added 36 birds to our life list but saw many more. Thank you so much for this amazing experience.

Mind blowing trip for a 3rd-year birdwatcher around the lake and ruins at Coba. Picked up nearly 50 lifers of stunning variety in a single morning. Miguel delivered on every species he promised, detailed each bird's behavior and field marks, pinpointed stationary sightings with his scope for beautiful close-ups, and brought the history and ecology of the region to life with eloquence. Hope I can return for another outing!

I can't recommend this tour enough. Not only for the spectacular birding - the motmots, trogons, jays, bentbills, and more! - but also for our guide, Miguel. Miguel was one of the best guides I've ever had, in Yucatan or elsewhere. Incredibly knowledgable, willing to help with any level of birder, and someone who clearly cares about biodiversity in the region. It's not every trip that you end up with your tour guide as a friend!

+22

Miguel was such an amazing guide. I am not a birder but went with a friend who is, so the experience was very new to me. We saw about 50 species, including the Keel-billed Toucan (which was my highlight), Yucatan Woodpecker, Lineated Woodpecker and Roadside Hawk. Miguel created a wonderful experience and I enjoyed learning about the history of the area, as well. Definitely recommend.

I had the most amazing time with Miguel and Luciano from Amar Aves Birding tour. They are both so knowledgeable about birds and Birding in this area. I loved 💕 listening to the history of the area, having a fine lunch, getting great new lifers, and just having such an amazing time with genuine human beings, laughing in camaraderie of loving birds and being in nature! I will return next year again with both of these great guides!!

Definitely some of the best birding of my life - I had high hopes and expectations for this tour, but it still exceeded them! My guide, Claudio, was very friendly and accommodating to the specific species I wanted to see. He was also extremely knowledgeable and able to answer all of my questions. I thoroughly enjoyed every stop we made - adding spectacular birds to our long list throughout the day, seeing beautiful sights, eating delicious food, learning about Mayan culture, and sharing stories. All of the staff members that I interacted with were responsive, personable, and wonderful. If you are trying to decide whether to do one of these birdwatching tours, please do yourself a favor and book one right away! I’m confident that you will love it as much as I did!

A trip of a lifetime! My husband and I took advantage of a private birding tour. Our guide, Miguel, not only helped us to increase our knowledge of Yucatán specialties, he was very knowledgeable about the cultural treasures of Coba and the overall natural environment, including geology, habitat, trends. We whole-heartedly recommend this tour!

This was our second birding tour with Miguel. It was fabulous again. It was a slower birding day, but we still saw 41 species. Highlights were a group of Collared Aracari feasting on fruit in a tree, a northern Jacana with its giant toes, Ruddy Crakes, Purple Gallinule, Ocellated Turkeys, Black-headed Trogan, and Olive-throated parakeet. The Mayan ruins and explanation about the history were great. We did the Cenote add-on, and it was incredible. It was a beautiful cave-like Cenote with lots of steps down a spiral staircase, and a points where you could jump in, which was exhilarating. We learned so much and greatly enjoyed our day.

We did two days of birding tours during our stay in Tulum, one to Coba and one to Rio Lagartos. Our guide Claudio was absolutely awesome! He was incredibly knowledgeable and so diligent at finding the birds. We have had many birding guides in our travels, and Claudio is absolutely among the best.