See Thousands Of Parakeets In Chiapas Sinkhole in Mexico
Parakeet
A visit to the state of Chiapas in Mexico could open your world to a beautiful sight to behold. You can get a view of thousands of parakeets in the large open pit cave situated there. This sinkhole is a limestone formation, but unlike the cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula, it has vast amounts of vegetation at its base, rather than water. The sinkhole can be found within the Selva El Ocote Biosphere Reserve.
The walls of the sinkhole are almost vertical and around 140 meters in depth and 160 meters round. This is almost equivalent to the size of a 30-storey building. The vegetation found at the pit of the cavity is very different to what can be seen at the top. It has trees that reach up to 30 meters high, while the ones at surface level are much shorter. This is due to the high levels of humidity and temperature within the pit. The parakeets in the area carry seeds from other areas when then grow in the lower levels.
There are several other bird types and animals that can be found in the region, such as owls, hawks, grouse, coyotes and foxes. However, the throngs of Green parakeets that make this their home are the reason why visitors flock to the area. The birds find this particular area attractive because it is devoid of predators and the protected interior of the sinkhole is ideal for nesting.
Sima de las Cotorras or the Sinkhole of Parrots is similar to the Cave of the Swallows or El Sótano de las Golondrinas based in Luis Potosí. The differences between the two are that the swallows’ cave has a smaller mouth, but is much deeper. It is also the nesting place for swallows, instead of parakeets.
When to Visit
The area can be visited all year round, but if you want a view of the parakeets, you should plan a trip between March and October. The best time of day to visit is first thing in the morning, preferably at dawn. This is the time when the parakeets leave their nests and fly out. You can only imagine what a sight that must be – seeing thousands of the birds flying out of a hole. If you are not a morning person, people have seen many of the birds about in the afternoon and the chirping of so many birds is truly a good enough reason for a visit.
How to Get There
From the capital Tuxtla Gutierrez, you should travel west for about 20 miles to Ocozocoautla. From there, you travel on a dirt road for a further 10 miles to the Sima de las Cotorras. The drive should not take more than about one and a half hours.
Traveling on the road in Mexico requires that you buy Mexican auto insurance. It is an important item that should be on your travel ‘to-do’ list. It is illegal to travel on the roads without it. All you have to do is go online and buy your policy. You can purchase your Mexican insurance policy from this link. You will be able to make your choices of the type of policy and the period online. Once you have bought your Mexican auto insurance policy, print a copy and carry it with you while traveling.