El Remate and Cerro Cahuí

El Remate is a small village on the northern shore of lake Petén Itzá. The shallow water offers habitat for water birds such as Northern Jacana, American Coot, Pied-billed Grebe, herons and shorebirds. Also species usually restricted to coasts, such as Royal and Caspian Tern, and sometimes even Black Skimmers, can be seen at the lake. A protected area called Cerro Cahuí provides birding opportunities within tropical rainforest. Cerro Cahuí covers 700 hectares of humid, tropical rainforest and ranges in altitude from 100 to 360 meters above sea level. From its scenic viewpoints you can see lake Petén Itzá, the second largest lake in Guatemala, which has a surface area of 99 square kilometers. In spite of its small size, Cerro Cahuí is ecologically significant because of its watershed function for lake Petén Itzá.

The protected area has two loops of well-maintained foot trails, which provide good birding. Here a whole range of lowland rainforest birds is waiting to be discovered.

Accommodation: Hotel and restaurant facilities are readily available in El Remate.

When is the best time for a visit to El Remate? Any time of the year.

How do you support conservation and development in El Remate? Cerro Cahuí is the smallest protected area under the supervision of the Center for Conservationist Studies (CECON) of San Carlos University. By visiting this protected area you will be collaborating to support continued management and research activities in the area and, as a tourist, you are helping to develop alternative jobs for the locals and diminish the anthropogenic impact on the primary forests of the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Cerro Cahuí is part of the Maya-Lacandon Important Bird Area (IBA GT001).