Macaw Mountain (http://www.macawmountain.com/) was probably my favorite place in Copan and I visited it three times during the two weeks I was there. Located outside of town on the road to the hotsprings, you can take a mototaxi (20-25 lempira) or walk (although it's quite a long walk). You can get a discount if you are at a language school and then the ticket is $6 ($10 regular price). Your ticket is good for 3 days, however, the owner, Lloyd, told me that language school students are welcome to come back as often as they'd like.
The first time I went I got a tour from a teenage boy who normally goes to school in Victoria, BC. He walked me from cage to cage (and by cage I mean something the size of an apartment) explaining where the birds (macaws, toucans, owls and various types of parrots) came from or how they got there. Many of the birds are reintroduced into the wild (you can see some of Lloyd's birds at the ruins in Copan) but a have Macaw Mountain as their home. There is an 'interaction area' where the birds are out of cages and sitting in a courtyard of a sort on large branches/tree limbs in the center of the courtyard. The guide brought a couple over as I posed for pictures with parrots on my arms and shoulders. Another cage free area is designated for 'depressed birds' where birds who are feeling depressed hang out together on tree branches eat nuts and tropical fruit until their feathers and behavior return to normal.
Macaw Mountain is huge and after you get done with the tour there is plenty more to do. The trail that takes you around the park also passes along a river. There's plenty of interesting floral and fauna as you go. The temperature is normally quite a bit cooler than the town of Copan so it's a great place to go in the afternoon to escape the heat. There are also dirt hiking trails that weave amongst the coffee trees and take you to a lookout point over the river. There is a restaurant run by the same woman who owns the popular restaurant, Twisted Tanya's, in Copan and a cafe where you can get various coffee drinks or purchase the coffee roasted onsite, Cafe Miramundo. Just beyond the restaurant and near the depressed birds is an area where you can relax in a hammock or wade into the river.
The owner, Lloyd, originally from Tennessee, really loves birds and clearly has a good heart. He has a dog that he took from the streets of Copan (one of the many dogs in bad shape) who now accompanies Lloyd everywhere.
I highly recommend Macaw Mountain as a city escape.
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