Cañón del Sumidero National Park
🇲🇽 Mexico
Chiapas, Mexico 1019 spp. recorded
The Grijalva river runs a thousand metres below the canyon rim, and the boat trip up it is the easiest wildlife watching in Chiapas: American crocodiles bask on the sandbars in plain sight, spider monkeys and grey squirrels work the cliff vegetation, and green iguanas sit out on the rocks.
16.810° N 93.065° W
🦜 Nature
396 Species sighted
27,167 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Apr Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
+ 739 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Cañón del Sumidero National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
41Jan
39Feb
34Mar
45Apr
37May
37Jun
39Jul
34Aug
42Sep
36Oct
37Nov
41Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
San Pedro Muñiz
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Parque Madero · Jardín Botánico Faustino Miranda
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Red-bellied Squirrel~80%+60%
Green Iguana~80%+50%
Clay-colored Thrush~60%+10%
Great-tailed Grackle~60%+30%
Brown Anole~60%+50%
Golden-fronted Woodpecker~60%+20%
Tropical Kingbird~50%+10%
Social Flycatcher~50%-20%
Inca Dove~50%+10%
Rose-bellied Lizard~40%+10%
Common House Gecko~40%+30%
White-fronted Parrot~40%+20%
-
Mirador El Roblar
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
American Crocodile~90%+40%- Rose-bellied Lizard~70%+40%
Black Vulture~60%-10%
Magnolia Warbler~50%-10%
Gray Fox~40%+30%
Boat-billed Flycatcher~40%-20%- Social Flycatcher~30%-30%
Central American Spider Monkey~30%≈- Green Iguana~30%+10%
- Red-bellied Squirrel~30%+10%
White-nosed Coati~30%+10%- Clay-colored Thrush~30%-30%
-
Park entrance
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Cope's Black-striped Snake~50%+40%- Rose-bellied Lizard~50%+20%
- Red-bellied Squirrel~50%+30%
- Magnolia Warbler~50%-10%
- Clay-colored Thrush~40%-20%
- Black Vulture~40%-30%
- Green Iguana~40%+20%
Moist Forest Anole~40%+30%- Common House Gecko~40%+30%
- Brown Anole~40%+30%
Guerreran Spiny-tailed Iguana~40%+30%
Streak-backed Oriole~40%≈
-
Río Grijalva
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
High
Typical stay
1
dayTrails
Hard
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
ExcellentHow rich is the wildlife?
5.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 622
🐒 Mammals 210
🦎 Reptiles 136
🐸 Amphibians 51
1019 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
43 Threatened 138 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
2.6
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
56% 📊
Coverage (194 species at ≥5% of 1019 in the inventory)
19% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (11 bird, 1 reptile)
20% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
141 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
6 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
18 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.6
Climate Pleasant High
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Medium Medium
Trails Hard Low
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
We saw a crocodile and some very interesting rock formations.
One of our most memorable moments came when we encountered a group of crocodiles sunbathing on a sandy bank.
We saw crocodiles, searched for monkeys in the trees, and passed by waterfalls and amazing flora.
It is home to a variety of wildlife, including crocodiles, spider monkeys (I never did see them), and various bird species.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Cañón del Sumidero National Park?
1,019 species
Cañón del Sumidero National Park has 1,019 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Black Vulture (about 70%), Social Flycatcher (about 70%), Magnolia Warbler (about 60%), Clay-colored Thrush (about 60%) and American Crocodile (about 60%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Central American Spider Monkey (about 40%); among amphibians, Mexican Smilisca (about 10%).
When is the best time to visit Cañón del Sumidero National Park for wildlife?
January
In that month the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 40% in August. That is one of Cañón del Sumidero National Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 260 mm in June.
Can you see an American Crocodile in Cañón del Sumidero National Park?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report an American Crocodile sighting in Cañón del Sumidero National Park on a given day, based on 210 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is December (about 80%).
Can you see a Central American Spider Monkey in Cañón del Sumidero National Park?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Central American Spider Monkey sighting in Cañón del Sumidero National Park on a given day, based on 109 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March, June–July and September (about 50%).
Can you see a Green Iguana in Cañón del Sumidero National Park?
Yes
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Green Iguana sighting in Cañón del Sumidero National Park on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is December (about 40%).
Can you see a Mexican Agouti in Cañón del Sumidero National Park?
Yes
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Agouti sighting in Cañón del Sumidero National Park on a given day, based on 42 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is November (about 30%).
Where in Cañón del Sumidero National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around San Pedro Muñiz
The richest sighting zone is around San Pedro Muñiz, followed by Parque Madero · Jardín Botánico Faustino Miranda and Mirador El Roblar, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Cañón del Sumidero National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.4 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Cañón del Sumidero National Park rates 3.4/5: 215th of 316 parks worldwide and 34th in North America. 24 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
