Chocoyero-El Brujo Nature Reserve

Chocoyero-El Brujo is a small reserve in a wooded canyon south of Managua, and its name comes from the chocoyos, the Pacific parakeets that nest in holes in the canyon wall behind the waterfall. The spectacle is timed: the birds leave at dawn to feed and return in a mass at dusk, several hundred of them wheeling and calling before dropping into the cliff, which takes twenty minutes and is the reason to be there in the late afternoon. Two waterfalls, El Chocoyero and El Brujo, drop into the canyon, and trails run through dry forest with howler monkeys and a good bird list. The reserve also protects springs supplying part of Managua's water. Guides are provided with the entry fee.

What you actually see

• The parakeet return - hundreds of birds entering the cliff holes at dusk.
• The two waterfalls - El Chocoyero and El Brujo in the canyon.
• Cliff nest holes - the pocked rock face the colony uses.
• Dry forest trails - short walks with howlers and forest birds.

When to go

December to April for dry trails. The parakeets are present through the nesting season, roughly December to May, and are far fewer outside it. Late afternoon is the only time for the return flight; dawn works for the departure.

Honest expectations

Timing is everything and arriving in the middle of the day means seeing very little. Waterfall flow is weak late in the dry season. The access road is rough. The reserve is small and the trails short. Guides are compulsory.

Nearby

Managua lies north; Masaya is southeast.