I moved to Playa del Carmen about 10 years ago, since then I have been surrounded by nature and wildlife in a way and an unexpected hobby was born for me while living in Riviera Maya: Bird Watching. I could stay for hours and hours sitting on my terrace to just listen and if I´m lucky enough see a large group of euphonias, hummingbirds and parrots just to name a few.

In fact, bird-watching is a very popular activity throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, with so many different types of our feathered friends. Right here in Playa del Carmen is only a matter of where you are and what you hear to look up and see an entire group flying over the city.

But there are also aviaries, like the one located in Playacar or the recently opened aviary at Xcaret Park but the thing the I love the most about Xcaret is not the fact that there’s a brand new aviary, is actually the fact that wherever you place your sight inside the park, you’ll be able to find a breathtakingly beautiful bird and in some cases, and I kid you not, you are able to touch it.

Bird-Watching and interactive experiences

So, about a year ago there was a lot of buzz in Playa del Carmen regarding a particular conservation program and activities held around it at Xcaret, which was the “Flying Home” program, created to release Scarlet Macaws into their natural habitat in the Chiapas rainforest.

The Scarlet Macaw is an endangered species and the largest population of this colorful bird lives at Xcaret, visitors are able to see them and listen to them (they don’t talk, but make funny noises) and the awesome thing about having them here is that they are part of a very successful reproduction program.

Make sure that you visit this wonderful eco-theme park when you have a chance, we do it several times a year and is always a wonderful experience because we have lots of fun and always learn something new about wildlife and many ecological themes. Once again, one of the advantages of living in Riviera Maya is to be in touch with nature and learn from it.

– By Bea Lozano