Utría National Natural Park
🇨🇴 Colombia
🐋 Humpback Whale BayUtría protects a calm Pacific fjord on the ultra-wet Chocó coast, reached only by boat from Nuquí or Bahía Solano. Its sheltered bay is a globally important humpback-whale nursery and a nesting beach for sea turtles.
5.985° N 77.286° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
★ 
Chocó Poison Dart Frog
Oophaga solanensis
★ 
Chocó Toucan
Ramphastos brevis
★ 
Pacific Ridley
Lepidochelys olivacea
📊 Most Spotted
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Condoto Stubfoot Toad
Atelopus spurrelli
Black-mandibled Toucan
Ramphastos ambiguus
White-tailed Trogon
Trogon chionurus
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
Western Basilisk
Basiliscus galeritus
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Nyctanassa violacea
Kokoe Poison Frog
Phyllobates aurotaenia
Humboldt's Sapphire
Chrysuronia humboldtii
Chestnut-backed Antbird
Myrmeciza exsul
Middle American Ameiva
Holcosus festivus
Western Slaty-Antshrike
Thamnophilus atrinucha
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Geoffroy’s Tamarin
Saguinus geoffroyi
Red-tailed Squirrel
Sciurus granatensis
Southern Elephant Seal
Mirounga leonina
Brown-throated Sloth
Bradypus variegatus
Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata
Derby's Woolly Opossum
Caluromys derbianus
Greater Spear-nosed Bat
Phyllostomus hastatus
White-throated Capuchin
Cebus capucinus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Black-mandibled Toucan
Ramphastos ambiguus
White-tailed Trogon
Trogon chionurus
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Nyctanassa violacea
Humboldt's Sapphire
Chrysuronia humboldtii
Chestnut-backed Antbird
Myrmeciza exsul
Western Slaty-Antshrike
Thamnophilus atrinucha
Ringed Kingfisher
Megaceryle torquata
Pale-vented Pigeon
Patagioenas cayennensis
Flame-rumped Tanager
Ramphocelus flammigerus
Scarlet-rumped Cacique
Cacicus uropygialis
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Western Basilisk
Basiliscus galeritus
Middle American Ameiva
Holcosus festivus
Mourning Gecko
Lepidodactylus lugubris
Fer-de-lance
Bothrops asper
Panamanian Puffing Snake
Phrynonax shropshirei
Bocourt's Dwarf Iguana
Enyalioides heterolepis
Popeyan Giant Anole
Anolis latifrons
Rough Coffee Snake
Nothopsis rugosus
Turniptail Gecko
Thecadactylus rapicauda
Chocoan Forest Pit Viper
Bothrops punctatus
Yellow-bellied Sea Snake
Hydrophis platurus
Central American Boa
Boa imperator
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Condoto Stubfoot Toad
Atelopus spurrelli
Kokoe Poison Frog
Phyllobates aurotaenia
Yellow-bellied Poison Frog
Andinobates fulguritus
Forest Toad
Rhinella alata
Green and Black Dart-poison Frog
Dendrobates auratus
Fringe-Limbed Tree Frog
Cochranella euknemos
Masked Tree Frog
Smilisca phaeota
Dwarf Glass Frog
Teratohyla spinosa
Giant Marine Toad
Rhinella horribilis
Choco Robber Frog
Strabomantis anomalus
Ghost Glass Frog
Sachatamia ilex
Tatayo's Glass Frog
Hyalinobatrachium tatayoi
Recent sightings in Utría National Natural Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Humpback Whale Season
Humpback whales gather in the sheltered Ensenada de Utría to calve and court, breaching and tail-slapping within sight of the shore.
2Sea Turtle Nesting
Olive ridley turtles haul out onto the park's Pacific beaches at night to lay their eggs above the tideline.
3Chocó Poison Frog Season
The perpetually wet Chocó forest floor glows with tiny endemic poison frogs, including the Chocó and harlequin species, calling among the leaf litter.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Humpback Whale Season
- 2Sea Turtle Nesting
- 3Chocó Poison Frog Season
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
When everyone was finished eating, we headed back to the boat and started making our way to the main park when we came across a humpback whale and her newborn calf.
If you’re lucky, you’ll spot fish, rays, hummingbirds, monkeys, lizards, crabs, snakes, turtles and much more (although we didn’t see any mammals on our visit).
He shows us the birds there, the fish there, the flowers here, and then suddenly a flight of Toucans! (Utria National Park is a great place for birdwatching in Colombia) We really wanted to see them, and there they were!
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Utría National Natural Park?
The most likely sightings are Spotted Sandpiper (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Condoto Stubfoot Toad (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Chocó Poison Dart Frog (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers), Black-mandibled Toucan (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers), White-tailed Trogon (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers) — among 1044 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Utría National Natural Park for wildlife?
February has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.
Can you see Humpback Whale in Utría National Natural Park?
Yes — about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Humpback Whale sighting in Utría National Natural Park, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Chocó Poison Dart Frog in Utría National Natural Park?
Yes — about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Chocó Poison Dart Frog sighting in Utría National Natural Park, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Chocó Toucan in Utría National Natural Park?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Chocó Toucan sighting in Utría National Natural Park, based on 42 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Pacific Ridley in Utría National Natural Park?
Yes — about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pacific Ridley sighting in Utría National Natural Park, based on 2 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
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