|
The
word “Yucatán” conjures images of endless turquoise
seas and ancient Mayan ruins hidden beneath dense jungle. You'll
experience all of this on our tour, as well as a unique regional
cuisine and up to 16 regionally endemic bird species. We'll visit a
wide array of habitats, from mangrove-lined salt flats and desert scrub
to lush canopy rain forest and tropical savannah. An
archaeologist’s dream, we will also visit an extensive list of
spectacular Mayan ruin sites: Chichén Itzá, Cobá,
Calakmul, Palenque, Bonampak, and Yaxchilán. These Ancient ruins
also offer chances to see heart-stopping birds, like Red-capped
Manakin, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Ocellated Turkey, and Scarlet Macaw, as
well as monkeys and even wild cats. If you’ve ever dreamed of
digiscoping a tree full of Keel-billed Toucans from atop an ancient
pyramid, this is the tour for you! Timed to coincide with the spring
migration of North American migrant songbirds, we´ll experience
an exciting mix of flashy resident Mexican birds with northern migrants.
Day 1: Cancún. You will be transferred to a comfortable hotel in the city.
Day 2: Cancún and Chichén Itzá.
We'll start birding this morning in a superb botanical garden just
south of town. While searching for Rose-throated Tanager and
Yucatán Vireo, we should be entertained by some more widespread
birds like Red-throated Ant-Tanager and Black-cowled Oriole. Continuing
west, we'll stop at the breathtaking ruins of Chichén
Itzá. Here we hope to see birds more typical of the Yucatecan
mainland, such as Turquoise-browed Motmot, Yucatán Jay, and
Orange Oriole.

Day 3: Río Lagartos.
Situated on the north coast of the Yucatán, Río Lagartos
is most famous as the location to see hundreds of American Flamingos.
Habitats are varied, from salt flats and mangroves to thorn forest and
desert-like scrub. The thorn forest supports three birds we cannot see
elsewhere: White-lored Gnatcatcher, Yucatán Wren, and the
gorgeous little Mexican Sheartail. We'll also keep an eye out for
Lesser Roadrunner and Yucatán Bobwhite. A boat ride through the
mangroves may yield Boat-billed Heron, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron,
Mangrove Cuckoo, Mangrove Vireo, or even a sprightly American Pygmy
Kingfisher.
Day 4: Cobá and Felipe Carillo Puerto.
We'll head south toward lush coastal forest. Our first stop will be
Cobá, a ruins site famous for a population of Spotted Rail.
Among the ruins we’ll search for Thicket Tinamou, Yucatán
Woodpecker, Yucatán Parrot, and Gray-collared Becard. We
continue south to Felipe Carillo Puerto for the night, where we'll look
for Yucatán Nightjar and Yucatán Poorwill at dusk.
Day 5: Felipe Carillo Puerto to Xpujil.
After morning birding at Felipe Carillo Puerto, we'll drive toward the
Belizean border, and then west to the village of Xpujil.
Day 6: Calakmul.
Picture yourself walking through lowland rainforest and stumbling upon
a decaying stone staircase. The vegetation is thick, and you can only
see the first twenty stairs or so. As you ascend the stairs,
you’re completely surrounded by layers of lush canopy. Finally,
you reach the top of the staircase and turn around to see untouched
rainforest in every direction, studded by the tops of half a dozen
ancient pyramids. As you look out over this awesome sight movements in
the treetops prove to be playful troops of frolicking spider monkeys.
Just north of the Guatemalan border, Calakmul Biosphere Reserve is the
northern end of an enormous tract of pristine lowland tropical
rainforest that covers more than 5.5 million acres of Guatemala,
Mexico, and Belize--the largest untouched expanse of tropical forest in
the Americas outside the Amazon. Five species of wild cat occur, and
the birds are equally thrilling. This is the only place in Mexico where
Ocellated Turkey is common and confiding. Widespread antswarms host
Gray-throated Chat, Swainson’s Warbler, and a myriad of
woodcreepers. Other exciting possibilities include Black-headed
Shrike-Tanager, Great Curassow, Agami Heron, and Royal Flycatcher.
Day 7: Calakmul to Palenque.
After a morning at Calakmul, we'll continue west to Palenque. On the
way, we'll stop at some marshes to look for Jabiru, Sungrebe, Pinnated
Bittern, and Black-collared Hawk. Nearby savannas should yield
Fork-tailed Flycatcher and Double-striped Thick-knee. Finally,
we’ll settle into our hotel at Palenque.
Day 8: Palenque.
The first few minutes of daylight here will quickly assure you that
Palenque's reputations as both a phenomenal archaeological site and an
exquisite birding destination are well-earned. As we traverse the
ancient temples, birds vary from the ridiculously colorful Keel-billed
Toucan to the subdued and enigmatic Mexican Antthrush.
Day 9: Bonampak and Las Guacamayas.
Further east and set amid the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve, the
jungle-cloaked ruins of Bonampak offer birds that Palenque doesn't,
including Mealy Amazon, White-whiskered Puffbird, and Purple-crowned
Fairy. White-collared Manakins can often be found at a traditional lek
site. Further south is the town formerly known as Reforma Agraria. The
villagers here realized that the Scarlet Macaws that breed on their
land were worth far more as a tourism draw than lumber and bananas ever
could be, so they protected their rainforest built a hotel, where
we’ll happily spend the night.
Day 10: Las Guacamayas.
The village’s protected rainforest parcel is full of tantalizing
species like Red-capped Manakin, Royal Flycatcher, and Long-billed
Hermit.
Days 11-12: Yaxchilán and Bonampak.
To get to Yaxchilán, we'll take a pleasant boat ride down the
Río Usumacinta, giving us a chance at Collared Plover and a
great vantage point for looking for soaring birds like King Vulture and
White Hawk. After arriving we will walk into a grand plaza studded with
fig trees that attract howler monkeys, Collared Araçaris and
Lovely Cotingas. We have the second day to clean up missed birds at
either site.
Day 13: Palenque to Cancún. After a morning birding the Palenque area, we'll head back to Cancún for a final celebratory dinner.
Day 14: Departure. The tour ends this morning in Cancún.
Cozumel Pre-tour Extension (3 days)
Starting and ending in
Cancún, this extension starts before the main tour. Of the four
island endemics, Cozumel Wren, Cozumel Vireo, and Cozumel Emerald
should show themselves without too much effort. There are many endemic
subspecies on Cozumel as well: Western Spindalis, Bananaquit, Roadside
Hawk, and Rufous-browed Peppershike all have distinctive populations
that should pique our interest. Though present on the mainland as well,
Yucatán (Yellow-lored) Parrot, Black Catbird, Yucatán
Vireo, and Rose-throated Tanager are often much easier to see on the
island. Cozumel offers a unique mix of these mainland species plus
Caribbean birds like Caribbean Elaenia and White-crowned Pigeon. An
added bonus is a load of migrants, such as Black-throated Blue,
Prairie, and Cape May Warblers. Afternoon birding is optional; those
wishing to enjoy the beach or go snorkeling are encouraged to do so.
We’ll be based on Cozumel the entire time.
TOUR
INFO:
CLIMATE:
Warm to hot. Usually dry but some rain is
possible.
DIFFICULTY:
Easy. Almost all birding is done from roads, level trails, and boats.
Ascending some of the ruins can be a bit strenuous, but this will be
done at a slow pace.
ACCOMMODATION:
Excellent in most places, but at the
more remote ruins sites even the best hotels
are somewhat basic.
|