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.