Day 1: Arrival in Guatemala

You will be met at the airport and transferred to a hotel in Guatemala City for the night; no birding is planned for today.

 

Day 2: Guatemala City to Los Tarrales

An early morning departure will be required to transfer to the Los Tarrales Natural Reserve, where we spend two nights. It is one of Guatemala’s premier birding areas, located 130km west of Guatemala City, on the south slope of the Atitlan Volcano. It boasts a bird list of 400 species due to the elevational range the reserve covers, from 160 ft. (500 m.) at the lodge itself, to 11500 ft. (3500 m.) at the peak of the volcano, comprising three different biomes where the volcano abuts the Pacific lowlands. Habitats that we shall cover during our time in Tarrales include lowland rainforest, foothill forest, and cloudforest on the lower slopes of the volcano. As one of the country’s most revered birding sites, it holds a number of regional specialties, and much-wanted birds like, King Vulture, White-bellied Chachalaca, Azure-rumped Tanager, Bar-winged Oriole, Emerald-chinned Hummingbird, Blue-tailed Hummingbird, White-throated Magpie-Jay, Tody Motmot, Blue-crowned Chlorophonia, Green Shrike-Vireo, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, Prevost’s Sparrow, and Long-tailed Manakin. Guatemala, and Tarrales, are also major wintering sites for warblers, with 20 species found in the area. We’ll spend the first day on the lower portions of the reserve. Near the lodge itself we may find Bushy-crested Jay, Rufous-capped Warbler, and the hummingbird feeders can attract species like Rufous Sabrewing and Mexican Violetear. Two nights will be spent at Los Tarrales Lodge, in full view of the Atitlan Volcano.

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Day 3: Los Tarrales Natural Reserve

On this day our focus will be the foothill forests above the lodge itself, at around 3300-4000 ft. (1000-1200 m.). We will take 4 x 4 vehicles to get into the forest, where key target birds like Azure-rumped Tanager, Emerald-chinned Hummingbird, and Bar-winged Oriole await. Raptors are also represented by the magnificent Ornate Hawk-Eagle and Black Hawk-Eagle, so we will keep our eyes to the skies for them. We will also check areas of bamboo for the erratic Blue Seedeater and incredible Long-tailed Manakin. After a busy morning, we’ll return to the lodge for lunch, then bird another forest trail in the afternoon, depending on what we are still looking for. At night, for the keen, we can go in search of Common Parauque, and Mottled and Black-and-white Owls.

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Day 4: Los Tarrales to Lake Atitlan

Most of the day will be spent birding again around Los Tarrales, targeting whatever we are still looking for. After lunch in Los Tarrales, we’ll drive about two hours to Lake Atitlan, checking for waterbirds on the journey, which can include Least and Pied-billed Grebes, Belted Kingfisher, and others. Three nights will be spent in a wonderful hotel overlooking the lake. We’ll get to the hotel fairly early to prepare us for the tough hike the next day.

 

Day 5: Horned Guan Hike

A full day will be spent on a trail up a volcano, in search of the revered Horned Guan. We will hike up into cloudforest, the preferred habitat of the guan, at about 8500 ft. (2600 m.). While searching for the Horned Guan, we will also have the chance to find other cloudforest birds, like Crested and Highland Guans, Green-throated Mountain-Gem, Emerald Toucanet, Blue-throated Motmot, Blue-and-white Mockingbird, Black-capped Swallow, Rufous-browed Wren, and Bushy-crested Jay.

 

Day 6: Volcan Atitlan

In the morning we will explore Mirador Rey Tepepul, on Volcan Atitlan, where birds like Resplendent Quetzal and Azure-rumped Tanager in particular, as well as Emerald-chinned Hummingbird, Golden-crowned Warbler and Blue-naped Chlorophonia. In the afternoon, we will visit another local site for Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird, Slender Sheartail, and Belted Flycatcher. A final night will be spent on the shores of Lake Atitlán.

 

Day 7: Lake Atitlán to Sierra de Los Cuchumatanes

We’ll travel north to the Sierra de Los Cuchumatanes. The journey will take much of the day, although this will be broken up with a very important stop at Finca el Espinero, for one of the main targets of the trip, the amazing Pink-headed Warbler. We will arrive in the afternoon at Todos Santos, for a two-night stay. There will be the option for some night birding on this night to search for Unspotted Saw-whet Owl.

 

Day 8: Sierra de Los Cuchumatanes

Today we will use 4×4 vehicles to go after one of Guatemala’s most localized birds, the stunning black-and-gold Goldman’s Warbler. It is confined to specific areas at high elevations in this park, where the pine-oak forests give way to open grasslands, known as páramo. While searching for our principal target, we will also have a chance to find the rare Ocellated Quail and more widespread species like Crescent-chested Warbler, Broad-tailed Hummingbird and local forms (future splits?) of Yellow-eyed Junco, Red Crossbill, and Northern Flicker. Another night will be spent in Todos Santos.

 

Day 9: Sierra de Los Cuchumatanes  to Antigua Guatemala

After some more birding in the highlands near Todos Santos, we will drive  southeast to Antigua Guatemala. There may be time to search for Rufous Sabrewing in the afternoon, or look for a Fulvous Owl at night. A single night will be spent in Antigua Guatemala.

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Day 10: El Pilar to Tikal National Park

In the morning we shall visit El Pilar Reserve, with pine-oak forest at lower elevations than sites that we visited earlier in the tour. Two of our main targets will be Wine-throated Hummingbird and Bushy-crested Jay, but a long list of other birds are possible in the area, like the near endemic Black-capped Swallow, Black and Rufous-collared Thrushes, Gray Silky-Flycatcher, Blue-throated Motmot, Yellow-throated Brushfinch, and a host of stunning warblers, like Red-faced, Golden-cheeked, and Hermit Warblers, and Slate-throated Redstart. After lunch, we transfer to the airport in Guatemala City and fly to the gateway airport for the Mayan ruins of Tikal. The steamy lowland rainforest will be totally different from the mountainous regions of the first part of the tour. We’ll spend two nights at a lodge in Tikal.

 

Day 11: Tikal National Park

Tikal is perhaps most famous for its dramatic Mayan ruins, but it is also a superb spot for tropical birds. We will set out very early in order to watch the sunrise over this impressive ancient site, and then start seeing birds and animals shortly thereafter (Howler Monkeys are often among the first!). Amazing species like Ocellated Turkey, Great Curassow, Rose-throated Tanager, Keel-billed Toucan, White-necked Puffbird, Yucatan Jay, Slaty-tailed Trogon, White-collared Manakin, Gray-throated Chat, Orange-breasted Falcon, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Gray-headed Kite, and White Hawk can all be seen in and around the complex, and there will also be time to enjoy the cultural aspects too.

 

Day 12: Tikal to Guatemala City

After another morning of birding in Tikal, we will take an afternoon flight back to Guatemala City, where we spend the last night of the tour. 

 

Day 13: Departure

The tour ends this morning with transfers to the airport. There is no birding planned for today.