Sima de las Cotorras | Established Campground

Mexico

Details

Verified:
13 days ago
Altitude:
869.0 masl
Phone:
+52 968 106 4463
Contributor:
Song of the Road

Amenities

Electricity:
Yes - Not at Sites
Wifi:
Yes - Average
Kitchen:
No
Restaurant:
Yes
Showers:
Cold
Water:
Non-Potable
Toilets:
Running Water
Big Rig Friendly:
Yes
Tent Friendly:
Yes
Pet Friendly:
No
Sanitation Dump Station:
No

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Description

A giant hole filled with Mexican endemic parrots "cotorras"! Best viewing early morning or late afternoon.
Short hiking trail around the hole, ledge walk (with harness), rappelling and ziplining.
Cabañas and camping (150 per person). Good bathrooms with showers (cold).

Cell phone 4g work slow. But there is wifi at the restaurant.

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Well maintained place, friendly and helpful people, nice restaurant with beautiful view. Camping a little bit expensive for what they offer. We had to leave because of a wildfire which came very close and didn’t spend the night, went to Hogar infantil instead.

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Beautiful place, hundreds of parrots there at the beginning of march. Prices still as mentioned 50/150 MXN. The road was not bad with my bicycle, seen much worse in Mexiko ;)

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Nice aera to camp. Entry fee still 50 PpP and camping 150 PpP. Parrots beginn to fly out of the sinkhole short before sunrise.

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The place is still open, maybe it was shut as parrots are away until March? If you want to contact beforehand (WhatsApp +52 968 106 4463)

Still 50 entry and 150 camping.

Great spot to camp as can enjoy parrots the evening before and in the morning with breakfast in their restaurant.

When we arrived the main gate was closed but after a few minutes someone came to open it, they seem to have cctv on the main gate so as long as you are there during opening times 06:30-16:30 someone should open it for you.

We cycled and didn’t find the first 2/3 too bad, last 1/3 was tough going as became bumpier and quite uphill.

Also passed the other restaurant owner from down the road who offered camping and shower for 100pesos, but glad we declined as it’s nicer being near the actual site.

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This place is open, just consider the opening hours as per comment of miri92/27.02.2023.

It's awesome here to enjoy the Cotorras, the little green parrot. Once the gates are closed (after 4.30 pm! ) we were almost alone in the parc and and had the birds for ourselves. Beside the parrots there are many others of our feathered friends, a famous birding spot. At nighttime we could even see a little Pygmy-Owl.

If you miss the gate open you can overnight at El Pericón Camping, which is open as well.

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This place is open year round, from 6:30 am to 4:30 pm daily, and it’s very unlikely that it will ever close permanently as it is one of the main tourist attractions in Chiapas. For security reasons the gate is always locked but during opening hours there’s always a security guard on duty who will open it for you. Just honk if he doesn’t come by.

There are no parrots (or, more exactly, parakeets) in December and January but the rest of the year hundreds of them live in the huge hole. You can see them at any time of the day, but most spectacular it is at dawn and in the late afternoon when large groups of birds leave the hole or come back, respectively. Furthermore there are many other birds, some of them exceptionally beautiful and rarely seen, like for example the Bat Falcon, the White-throated Magpie-jay or the Squirrel Cuckoo.

Don’t give it a miss.

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This place is permanently closed.

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Gate locked, no one there. Seems closed for long term.
Restaurant down the road closed, too. No one there to ask, what a pity!

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This place is still open and it’s really worth it to visit! You just have to be there before 4:30 pm, that’s when they close the gate!

Toilets are basic but clean, no showers. Night guard is around. Very friendly owner!

Highlight are the hundreds of cotorras which are living in the dry cenote and leave the place every early morning as already described. Still, they are offering climbing tours, zip line etc.

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Still open and a beautiful place.

We saw many cotorras in the afternoon and early morning.

Clean toilets with running water but we didn’t find a shower.

150 Pesos pp + 50 Pesos pp entrance fee.

They still offer great adventures like zip line, ridge walk, climbing.

We enjoyed staying here with the friendly owner and the night guard.

Just make sure to be there before 4:30pm since they close the gate at that time and it’s not allowed to stay in front of it.

More information on their website:
www.simadelascotorras.com

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After a mile in and 10 miles to go we decided the road was too rough to be worth it. Gave it a miss

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Be aware if you have pets with you. You will not allowed to enter! We drove all the gravel road to the entrance and were sent away. No chance to enter with our dog. Even if you confirm that the animal will only stay in the camper.

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Entry fee 50 PpP, camping 150 PpP camping on a grassy area. Nothing special for this price. Showers were not working 🤔.
Parrots are cute and rising the sinkhole in the morning together. Still about 100 here.

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Got here at 5:15 and they close at 5. The lady at the gate told me no camping was possible as they were already closed. I had stopped at the restaurant on the way and the owner wanted 150. He came down to 100, once I said I was trying my luck here.
Asked the lady at this gate if it was ok to spend the night right in front of the gate. She said ok, but 4 hours later another employee came and said I could not stay there, and that the lady doesn’t know anything. Drove back 2 minutes, and parked right in front of a gate that looks has not been used much.
No one bothered.
Price for the Cotorras is now 50, and the camping at the restaurant before is much nicer.

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Road is OK, we made it with a 3.7m high Truck.
Entrance fee 50 PpP, thats OK, but if you want camp there, they charge 150 PpP, literally to stay on peace of gras with toilets beside, way do expensive.
We saw the parrots flying in at about 4pm and flying out 7am.

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Open but they no longer allow Pets! There is a restaurant up the road that offers camping as well

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Great place to visit, camp and see the parrots. We paid 150per person for camping (price included entrance which is 30pp). Camping with toilets and cold showers (bathrooms at the restaurant are way better). Great friendly staff. There is rappel, zipline and edge walk (didn't try any) and climbing if you like it. Open during CONVID but better to call ahead. Will put the number down.

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Quiet dry camping at the great Sima de la Cotorras. Access is on a 12 km bumpy and rocky dirtroad which is ok for every kind of vehicle. At our visit there were ca 300 birds at Sima de la Cotorras. We saw the parrots leaving the Sima ca at 6.30 am. They come back during the day and can be observed with binoculars at the canyonwalls. Many groups of up to 50 parrots were eaving the sinkhole between 3 pm and 4.30 pm.The parrots are NOT here from November til January.

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was quiet at night with four horses roaming the property. parrots are best seen in the morning around 6:30. saw atleast 50 exit the hole. was cool would have been nice to see them closer. restaurant is just ok. washrooms needed cleaning, had no toilet paper and didnt flush. most sinks had no water and those that did barely had any.

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it is now 100ppp to overnight park at the grassy field, WCs available. The parrots started in the morning at 6.45 am, but only three groups of about 20 birds. Quite nice but we expected that it is more spectacular. Regarding the long access road, the costs and the parrots, we wouldnt go there again

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Wonderful place, not to be missed! I camped two nights and saw parrots spiral out of the sinkhole both mornings. Road in is doable for any vehicle but challenging due to sections of washboard surface or holes and rocks making it bumpy.

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very quit and beautiful spot. But be warned: birds are only here from march till octobre. don't be like us and drive 45 minutes on a washboard road to hear that there are no parrots. :'(
cabanas for 500. tent camping meadow. locals hanging out but leaving soon after dark. they offered us bakebananas. delicious :)

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Lovely sinkhole, not many birds flying at 5pm upon arrival but maybe about 100 at about 6:45am. price 20p per person still. No amenities at all, and no one to collect a fee or signage about staying when we arrived so ended up being no charge for the night only the 40 for sinkhole viewing. it almost seemed like it was just a touch too soon in the year for things to be fully functional and open? (ie bathrooms there but not open).

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For 100 pesos camping + 20 pesos pp for entrance fee, the staff were kind enough to let us camp in the covered restaurant due to wind and rain. It allows you to be just feet from a restroom. It is the off season so unsure if this is possible year round. very kind staff & reasonable restaurant prices as well! Highly recommend!

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Very well, no showers but sinks. Opportunity to camp under a little shelter, useful during the rainy season. A guardian monitors places during the night.

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Nice place to camp for 100mex. we arrived late and there was no gate. Be ready to see parrot fly out of the hole at 7am.

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nice place with a grassy field, you can sleep in your vehicle or tent for 100 pesos. perfect to enjoy the parrots during the evening and early in the morning. No shower but clean toilet accesible all night long. Try the climb around the hole and climbing recall. there is a restaurant.

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After difficult drive pulling a 16ft trailer on gravel roads we arrived and had some difficulty finding where to park the rig. Two wrong turns, one by the cabins and the other by the restaurant. Finally with some assistance we went back to the entrance and parked. Not recommend for big rigs over 20 ft.

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We were a bit disappointed. Heard much more cotorras than we saw in the afternoon. In the morning it was foggy.
The night was very quiet.

If you're traveling with a big (high) vehicle, beware of low hanging cables at corner 5 km before destination (there is a huge sign saying it is 5 km). Our Unimog is slightly below 12 ft and we touched the cables.

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Just as described, lovely place, lots of parrots. Paid 100$ in total.

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This place was awesome!! Around 4 pm the parrots started to chirp and fly around and then the next morning (around 6 am) they began again and put on quite a show. Super friendly owners, nice clean bathrooms with cold showers and very quiet night. Glad we stopped!

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Worth it! Got in around 4 pm and the parrots were just waking up and starting to fly around. An hour later there were hundreds of parrots flying around. Super cool! Paid 100 p to camp and 20 p/p to enter the site. Very friendly owners, nice bathrooms.

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100 pesos pour la nuit de camping en Van, l’entrée pour 2 au parc est comprise dedans. Aucun service à part douche et toilettes bien entretenues. Nuit noire,très calme, en sécurité. Le matin, entre 6h et 7h vous pouvez admirer l’envol de centaines de perruches qui remontent en tourbillonnant depuis l’énorme gouffre pour se disperser dans la nature. Vous pouvez d’ailleurs y descendre en rappel jusqu’au fond pour 700 pesos par personne.
De l’autre côté du gouffre, un restaurant (wifi gratuit disponible) a vue panoramique ainsi que plusieurs bungalows pour ceux qui veulent dormir en chambre.
Les 12km de piste pour y accéder sont un peu longues, quelques passages très caillouteux mais ça passe bien si on prend le temps.

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Nice get away from it all place. The bathrooms were quite impressive. Didn't see any hiking trails but you've at least got to stop over at the place if you are in the area. Quoted 100 pesos per night, didn't sleep here but talked to the guard a long time. The campground was empty. Guard said the parrots were in most numbers March - July and then disappear completely Dec-Jan. In late October it was easy to hear them but sightings were few. Have some field glasses or telephoto lens and patience if you want to catch them. I am including some photos I took of the place.

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We came with a 28 feet class C. Perhaps difficult for a class A because of 2 little cows paths. Super great : Sinkhole, Aves... a very nice and clean area, rare in Central America even nicer than any of Bonifacio's campground in Corsica !
Very Low telcel signal.

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Worth the visit. This morning, the parrots started flying in the sinkhole around 6:45 am.
Quiet night at the campground.
We paid 20 pesos per person for the entrance, and 200 pesos for the campground (two people in a campervan and one in a tent).

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Quiet and peaceful spot next to the massive parrot sinkhole. Lovely spot, where you can see the parrots first thing before the tourists come! Very long bumpy road to the site so beware it's probably not good for very big rigs. After you see the parrots at sunrise do visit the restaurant and go on the walk inside the sink hole which is very cool. Also the site is run by the local community so they are very worthy of our support! Very clean bathrooms, no electricity or water.

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We camped in the parking lot. There are restrooms and showers (cold). If somebody camps, there is a security all night. The hole with the parrots is only 100 meters away. Perfect to see the parrots flying out in the morning (at this time between 6-7 am). The restaurant is on the other side of the hole. Food is good and you can book some tours there. They do a great job! We payed 20 pesos/people entrance fee and 100 Pesos/car for camping.

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Stayed one night, paid 20p/each to enter and 100p for 2 to sleep in our van. The sinkhole is cool. During the afternoon you can hear the parrots but not really see them, so we came back in the morning at 6am to watch them leave. It was cool, but not super exciting. The restaurant was good, they told us no wifi. I wouldn't go out of my way along the not-so-great road to come back here.

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Great eco-tourism attraction. Parrots are here early March, and they sweep down into the hole between 3-6 in the afternoon. Massive exodus just before 7am at this time of year (I'd check at the entrance hut).

Camping 100P and very peaceful. Go to d bathrooms with showers (cold). Room for even larger rigs. Road not bad for gravel but a few bumps (12km).

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The road is gravel but in our opinion not rough anymore.the place is great and in the morning at 7 the parrots move away

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UPDATE. The parrots migrate away from this location from Dec to March. No birds to see. The road in is pretty rough right now, very potholed, we struggled in our truck camper. Food in the restaurant was hit and miss, WIFI no longer free, even with full meal purchase. The campsite itself was very tranquil and the guys running it very friendly

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Our quietest campground in Mexico. It probably helped that it was in December when the parrots aren't here. We parked and camped near the very clean & nice bathrooms. Are at the delicious and very pretty restaurant - highly recommended. In the morning we did the guided walk inside the rim on the sinkhole (70 pesos/person). Challenging but short hike where you have harnesses and clip in along the narrow ledge. Kids loved it. Also option to rappel down to the bottom of the hole for 700pesos. Happy to support a community ecotourism venture.

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We spent one night in sima. We could park next to the entrance gate on a spot with gras. The staff was very friendly. Paied 100 pesos for two including the entrance fee in the evening and next morning. Pet friendly and our dog loved to run around on the grass. Only negative point were the ticks she got but we assume it was from the walk around the hole as it had a lot of trees and bushes there. You can watch the parrots in the morning flying out of the hole. It was nice.

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Nice, quiet place down miles of dirt roads. Camp by the entrance, near the sinkhole rim. We did have a vigilante checkpoint on the way, but they were nice any only wanted a 10 peso toll. Free WiFi at the restaurant on the other side of the hole. Great food at the restaurant.

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Nice, quiet place down miles of dirt roads. Camp by the entrance, near the sinkhole rim. We did have a vigilante checkpoint on the way, but they were nice any only wanted a 10 peso toll. Free WiFi at the restaurant on the other side of the hole. Great food at the restaurant.

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Free camping. Clean restrooms with flush toilets. Security was super friendly. He gave us free firewood for the night, and let us know what time to see the birds take flight in the morning. There is also a large space for tent camping right next to the sima. Entrance to the sinkhole was 20p per person.

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A giant hole filled with parrots! Short hiking trail around the hole. Didn't stay here but they have camping options.

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