You set out on the canoe as the sun begins to rise, illuminating the Tambopata River with soft light. Just a few minutes later, you arrive at the rocky shore of a nearby sandbar and start to trek over the sand with your guide. When you emerge on a lush, primordial bluff, you set up a stool and sip a much-needed coffee, scanning the treetops for movement. The sun rises higher in the sky; it’s almost to the canopy. Will the birds come to the Colorado Macaw Clay Lick?

As the clear morning brightens, you hear the first caws and cackles overhead. Before you know it, dozens of brightly colored wild parrots, macaws, and parakeets are soaring towards the trees just across from you. With the help of powerful telescopes, you can see every detail of the birds’ exquisite feathers. The Clay Lick (Colpa) has worked its magic: the clay cliffs across a small gully are one of the most famous hotspots for macaws in the world!

Year-round, hundreds of birds from the Parrot family — from huge, brilliantly-hued Scarlet Macaws to neon green Mealy Parrots to flocks of pint-sized Parakeets — visit these bluffs on clear mornings. They eat the rich clay to supplement nutrients in their diet. This raucous and vibrant display is a beloved highlight for visitors and researchers at the Macaw Project. In fact, this spellbinding spectacle even inspired a National Geographic cover story!

Why You’ll Love Colorado Macaw Clay Lick

• Experience the Glory of the Natural World: Once you’ve visited the Colorado Clay Lick at dawn, you’ll never forget the experience. Among the dozens of species, including jungle pigs (peccaries), that visit the cliffs, the undeniable stars are the macaws. These large, charismatic birds include the Red and Green Macaw, the Scarlet Macaw, and the Blue and Yellow Macaw.


• Watch a Modern Science Mystery Unfold: These stunning macaws are more than just a beautiful sight — they’re the very reason Rainforest Expeditions came into being! We started the Macaw Project to study the birds in Tambopata, later expanding into ecotourism. After decades of studying macaws, we believe that they eat the cliff’s clay to supplement sodium in their diets. But it’s still a theory, and we continue to be fascinated by the tropical birds’ behavior.