What wildlife can you see in Guatemala, and where? The official and conservation pages place each animal fairly precisely. Howler monkeys are seen and heard on the trails of the Biotopo del Quetzal; quetzals nest there February to May. Jaguars, pumas, tapirs, spider monkeys and scarlet macaws live in the Maya Biosphere Reserve of Petén, around Tikal, Laguna del Tigre and Sierra del Lacandón. Protecting the ocellated turkey is the stated purpose of the Cerro Cahuí reserve. Manatees use the Río Dulce. Olive ridley and leatherback turtles nest at Monterrico, and humpback whales pass the Pacific coast from November to April.

Quick summary: Howler monkeys: Biotopo del Quetzal trails, Ceibal, Tikal · Quetzal: Biotopo del Quetzal, nesting Feb-May, 06:00-10:30 and 17:00-18:30 · Jaguar, puma, ocelot, margay, jaguarundi, tapir, spider monkey: Tikal and the Maya Biosphere Reserve · Scarlet macaw: Laguna del Tigre and Sierra del Lacandón · Ocellated turkey: Cerro Cahuí, Tikal · Crocodiles and the Central American river turtle: Tikal (Morelet’s crocodile), Naachtún-Dos Lagunas · Manatee: Río Dulce · Sea turtles, caiman, iguana: Monterrico, releases mainly Jul-Dec · Whales and dolphins: Pacific, Nov-Apr.

Species by place

Each row is what the named page says; the last column is our page for getting there.

AnimalWhereWhat the source saysSource (read)Our guide
Resplendent quetzalBiotopo del Quetzal, Purulhá, Baja VerapazNests February to May, when the chance of seeing it is high; best 06:00-10:30 and 17:00-18:30CONAP (24 Sep 2026)Biotopo del Quetzal
Howler monkeyBiotopo del QuetzalSeen and heard very often on the trails; also coatis (pizotes), squirrels, snakes, wild miceMCD culture listing (24 Sep 2026)Biotopo del Quetzal
Howler monkeyCeibal, Sayaxché, PeténHeard from as far as 3 km awayTGW state radio (24 Sep 2026)Ceibal
Jaguar, puma, ocelot, margay, jaguarundi; mantled howler; Yucatan spider monkey; Baird’s tapirTikal National Park (57,600 ha)All named among Tikal’s mammals; spider monkey and tapir listed as endangeredUNESCO (30 Sep 2026)Tikal at sunrise
Ocellated turkey, crested eagle, ornate hawk-eagle, great curassowTikalAmong more than 330 recorded bird speciesUNESCO (30 Sep 2026)Birdwatching guide
Ocellated turkeyBiotopo Cerro Cahuí, El Remate, PeténProtecting it is the reserve’s purposeCONAP (3 Oct 2026)Cerro Cahuí
Scarlet macawLaguna del Tigre (east) and Sierra del LacandónMost Guatemalan nests in Cantemó trees; first captive-bred release, 9 birds, in Sierra del Lacandón in 2015WCS, ARCAS (8 Oct 2026)—
Crocodile, river turtle, jaguar, tigrillo, loro realNaachtún-Dos Lagunas, north PeténNamed as regional endemic fauna of the biotopeCONAP (30 Sep 2026)—
Manatee (Trichechus manatus)Río Dulce National Park, IzabalRiver is a corridor of more than 30 miles for the manateeCONAP (24 Sep 2026)Río Dulce by boat
Olive ridley and leatherback sea turtles; green iguana; caimanMonterrico, Santa RosaNesting refuge; releases mainly July to December; more than 110 bird speciesCONAP (24 Sep 2026)Turtle release, mangrove tour
Humpback whales, dolphinsPacific coastSeason November to April; 33 cetacean species identified in GuatemalaAGN state news agency, Jan 2024 (read 1 Oct 2026)Whale watching

Monkeys

Guatemala’s two monkeys in these sources are the howler and the spider monkey.

The most specific sighting statement we found is for the Biotopo del Quetzal. The Culture Ministry’s cultural information system (SIC) listing for the reserve says: “Los monos aulladores se ven y se escuchan con mucha frecuencia en los senderos” (howler monkeys are seen and heard very often on the trails). The same listing names coatis, squirrels, snakes and wild mice among the fauna you can observe. At the Maya site of Ceibal, the state radio station TGW wrote that the quiet of the area makes the howlers easy to hear, even when they are 3 kilometres away. Tikal’s UNESCO entry lists the mantled howler monkey among its mammals.

Spider monkeys appear in UNESCO’s Tikal entry as the endangered Yucatan spider monkey. ARCAS, the Guatemalan wildlife-rescue association, names Geoffroy’s spider monkey as one of the most trafficked animals in Petén. It hand-raises confiscated babies, forms them into troops and releases them; its programmes page dates the latest release it lists to August 2015, in Mirador-Río Azul National Park.

Jaguars and the other big animals of Petén

UNESCO’s description of Tikal says the more than 100 mammals there include over 60 bat species and “five species of felids - Jaguar, Puma, Ocelot, Margay and Jaguarundi”, along with Baird’s tapir. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which began work in Guatemala in 1992 to conserve the Maya Biosphere Reserve, calls the reserve “home to one of the most significant populations of this species in Mesoamerica” on its jaguar page.

What the same organisations say about seeing them is more sober:

  • Camera traps, not sightings. WCS’s tapir and puma pages report presence from camera-trap data in the La Colorada Management Unit: the tapir’s presence is limited there, and pumas were recorded at several sampling sites at relatively low capture rates.
  • ARCAS’s view. Its Petén page (undated) says: “While fairly plentiful even 15 years ago, Baird’s tapirs and jaguars are becoming more and more difficult to see.”
  • Peccaries. WCS says the white-lipped peccary has lost 87% of its historical range and calls the Maya Biosphere Reserve a critical refuge for it.

For the dangerous side of Guatemala’s fauna (snakes, bites, antivenom), see our venomous snakes guide.

Birds you can plan around

  • Quetzal. CONAP’s page for the Biotopo del Quetzal gives the most usable timing of any species here: nesting February to May, best hours 06:00-10:30 and 17:00-18:30, on two trails, Los Helechos (2 km) and Los Musgos (4 km). Visits outside the posted hours need prior authorisation.
  • Ocellated turkey. CONAP says protecting the pavo ocelado is the purpose of the Biotopo Cerro Cahuí, at El Remate overlooking Lake Petén Itzá; UNESCO also lists it at Tikal.
  • Scarlet macaw. WCS says the western Maya Biosphere Reserve holds one of the most critical nesting and feeding habitats for scarlet macaws in the Maya Forest, with most Guatemalan nests in Cantemó trees in eastern Laguna del Tigre and nearby community forest concessions. ARCAS, Defensores de la Naturaleza and CONAP released nine captive-bred macaws in Sierra del Lacandón National Park in 2015, the first such release in Guatemala.
  • Waterbirds. CONAP counts more than 110 bird species at Monterrico, and describes the Yaxhá lagoons as part of major migratory-bird routes, recognised as a RAMSAR wetland.

Our birdwatching guide covers the birding sites and checklists in detail.

Rivers, lakes and the coasts

  • Manatee, Río Dulce. CONAP describes the Río Dulce, which joins Lake Izabal to the Caribbean, as a biological corridor of more than 30 miles for species such as the manatee. The boat trip to Livingston runs this stretch: see Río Dulce to Livingston by boat.
  • Crocodiles and river turtles, Petén. UNESCO lists Morelet’s crocodile and the endangered Central American river turtle at Tikal. CONAP’s page for the Naachtún-Dos Lagunas biotope names the crocodile, the tortuga blanca (the river turtle’s local name), the jaguar, the tigrillo and the loro real. WCS says the river turtle, the last living member of its family, is critically endangered from hunting and habitat loss.
  • Sea turtles, Monterrico and Hawaii. CONAP calls Monterrico a nesting refuge for the olive ridley and the leatherback and says visitors can join hatchling releases, mainly from July to December. ARCAS’s Hawaii Park, 7 km east of Monterrico, has three sea-turtle hatcheries plus breeding pens for iguanas, spectacled caimans and the endangered yellow-naped amazon parrot. Our turtle release guide has the season and the rules.
  • Whales and dolphins, Pacific. The state news agency AGN reported in January 2024 that the migration can be seen in Guatemalan waters between November and April, that humpbacks and dolphins are the cetaceans seen most in that season, and that 33 cetacean species have been identified in the country. Departures, prices and CONAP’s distance rules are in our whale watching guide.

What these sources do not cover

  • Sloths and toucans. None of the official, park or NGO pages listed below names either animal (checked 8 October 2026). For toucans, a birding tour operator does: Cayaya Birding’s Tikal page says the temple stairways are viewpoints for canopy birds such as the keel-billed toucan; our birdwatching guide draws on its pages. We found no source for sloths.
  • Population counts. ARCAS’s pages carry figures such as remaining scarlet macaws and yellow-naped amazons, but the pages are undated (their footer reads 2015), so we do not repeat the numbers as current.
  • Visits to rescue centres. ARCAS’s Petén rescue centre sits on Lake Petén Itzá, about 10 minutes by boat from Flores, and takes volunteers; its pages do not describe public visiting hours.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there jaguars in Guatemala?

Yes. UNESCO’s Tikal listing names five wild cats in the Petén forests (jaguar, puma, ocelot, margay and jaguarundi), and the Wildlife Conservation Society says the Maya Biosphere Reserve holds one of the most significant jaguar populations in Mesoamerica. Seeing one is another matter: the rescue group ARCAS writes on its Petén page (undated) that Baird’s tapirs and jaguars are becoming more and more difficult to see, and WCS’s puma and tapir pages report presence from camera traps rather than sightings.

Are there monkeys in Guatemala, and where can you see them?

Two kinds are named on official and park pages. Howler monkeys: the Culture Ministry’s listing for the Biotopo del Quetzal says they are seen and heard very often on its trails, state radio says at Ceibal they can be heard 3 km away, and UNESCO lists the mantled howler at Tikal. Spider monkeys: UNESCO lists the endangered Yucatan spider monkey at Tikal, and ARCAS rehabilitates confiscated Geoffroy’s spider monkeys, with its latest listed release in August 2015 in Mirador-Río Azul National Park.

When and where can I see a quetzal?

CONAP’s page for the Biotopo del Quetzal (Mario Dary Rivera) in Purulhá, Baja Verapaz, says the bird nests February to May, when the chance of seeing it is high, and gives the best hours as 06:00-10:30 and 17:00-18:30. The two trails are Los Helechos (2 km) and Los Musgos (4 km).

Are there manatees in Guatemala?

CONAP’s page for the Río Dulce National Park describes the river, which links Lake Izabal to the Caribbean, as a biological corridor of more than 30 miles for species such as the manatee (Trichechus manatus). The park covers 13,000 hectares in Livingston, Izabal.

Where can you see sea turtles in Guatemala?

On the Pacific coast. CONAP’s page for Monterrico names it a nesting refuge for the olive ridley (parlama) and the leatherback (baule), and says visitors can take part in hatchling releases mainly between July and December. ARCAS runs three hatcheries at its Hawaii Park, 7 km east of Monterrico.

Are there sloths or toucans in Guatemala?

None of the CONAP, UNESCO, WCS, ARCAS or state-media pages this guide is built on names sloths or toucans (checked 8 October 2026), so we do not list them. For toucans, the one source we have is a birding tour operator: Cayaya Birding’s Tikal page says the temple stairways are viewpoints for canopy birds such as the keel-billed toucan (read 8 October 2026).