THE YUCATAN, MEXICO
There's so much more to the Yucatan Peninsula than the famous Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, Palenque and Uxmal.
Lush tropical forests, coastal wetlands teeming with life, upland forests, impenetrable thorn scrub, and beautiful beaches combine to make the Yucatan a premier bird-tour destination. The beauty of it all is that some of the best preserved habitats are found alongside the most spectacular ruins.
Many species found here occur nowhere else in the world. Yucatan Bobwhite, Lesser Roadrunner, Yucatan Poorwill, Yucatan Nightjar, Yucatan Jay and Mexican Sheartail are the most highly sought. Add to these, colourful North American migrants, typical Mexican birds and exotic rainforest species and it’s not surprising to learn that during this trip we can expect to see over two hundred and fifty species.
Our journey begins with three nights at a lakeside hotel at Coba, where forest birds can be found alongside the famous Nohoch Mul pyramid. From there we travel across the Yucatan, spending three nights at both Chichen Itza and Uxmal.
On day ten we will drive south to Palenque, spending four nights surrounded by tropical rainforest and some of the most impressive ruins in the region. In each location we will stay at hotels very close to the ruins, avoiding long drives and enabling us to visit before the heat of the day builds up. On day 13 we will drive back north, breaking our journey with one night near Bacalar.
On arrival at Cancun we will transfer to Coba, our base for the first three nights.
Our hotel is situated by Coba Lake and we can birdwatch from the hotel’s own jetty for kingfishers, Anhinga, Ruddy Crake and Limpkin. There are also plenty of crocodiles and turtles to watch.
Three sets of excavated ruins are connected by wide forest trails. It is quieter here than at the other Mayan sites and this makes it ideal for birdwatching.
Some of the more common birds include Least Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Pied-billed Grebe, Belted Kingfisher, Canivet’s Emerald, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Hooded Oriole, Limpkin, Black-headed Trogon, Groove-billed Ani, Common Yellowthroat and Melodious Blackbird.
On day four we will move on to Chichen Itza in central Yucatan, our base for the next three nights. This is perhaps the most celebrated Mayan site and certainly the most spectacular with its towering El Castillo pyramid and huge ball court. In the quiet corners of the ruins and in the gardens of our hotel where there are palms and fruit trees, birds are abundant, especially early and late in the day.
We hope to see Grey Hawk, Bat Falcon, Yucatan Swift, Cave Swallow, Collared Aracari, Masked Tityra, Lineated Woodpecker, Yellow-winged Tanager and many more.
Some of the truly special birds here include Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, Canivet’s Emerald, Yucatan Jay and the beautiful Orange Oriole. Ocellated Turkey, Turquoise-browed Motmot and Altamira Oriole can all be seen in the hotel grounds.
Whilst at Chichen Itza we will make a day trip to the coast at Rio Lagartos, where there is a mixture of coastal lagoons, mangrove swamps and dune scrub. We will have a boat trip in the afternoon.
We can expect to see a long list of exciting birds including Brown and American White Pelicans, Roseate Spoonbill, Black Skimmers, Laughing Falcon, Crested Caracara, Yucatan Woodpecker and Vermilion Flycatcher. Specialities include the Yucatan Bobwhite, Lesser Roadrunner, Yucatan Wren and an endemic hummingbird, the Mexican Sheartail.
On day seven we will drive to Uxmal, drawn on by even more exciting birds. As at Chichen Itza, there is good birding in the hotel gardens. Hundreds of pairs of Cave Swallows nest in the ruins and Turquoise-browed Motmots can be easily observed.
The forest holds a good selection of Yucatan specialities including Yucatan Flycatcher, Yucatan Bobwhite, White-browed Wren, Grey-throated Chat and Blue Bunting. Also found here are Common Pauraque, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Green Jay, Scrub Euphonia, Plain Chachalaca, Black-cowled and Altamira Orioles, White-tipped Dove, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Yellow-billed Cacique, Singing Quail and Olive Sparrow.
We shall take a second boat trip in the coastal mangroves at the Parque Natural Rio Celestun. There are bound to be some excellent photographic opportunities. Birds we can expect include Common Black Hawk, perched Magnificent Frigatebirds, American Pygmy Kingfisher, thousands of American Flamingos, Neotropic and Double-crested Cormorants, Anhinga, Roseate Spoonbill, Boat-billed Heron, Tricoloured Heron and Reddish Egret. Amongst the passerines will be Northern Waterthrush, Mangrove Warbler and Mangrove Vireo.
Finally, after eight exciting days in the northern Yucatan we will head south, for four nights at world famous Palenque, surrounded by lush, tropical rainforest.
En route, we will visit the coast and then the wetland site of Usumacinta, where vast marshes stretch either side of the road. Here we will find a great wildlife spectacle. Raptors occur in large numbers and include Black-collared Hawk, Aplomado Falcon, White-tailed Hawk and Crested Caracara. We should see hundreds of egrets, night herons and storks with the possibility of the huge Jabiru among them. Large flocks of wildfowl will include thousands of Blue-winged Teal and Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. It is then a short drive from the Usumacinta wetlands to our hotel at Palenque.
This is one of the most spectacular pre-Columbian sites of the New World. The fabulous Mayan ruins at Palenque are set on a hillside of lush forest overlooking a coastal plain.
A host of good species here include Black Hawk-eagle, Brown-hooded, Red-lored and White-crowned Parrots and Long-tailed Hermit. Equally spectacular are the Collared Aracari, Keel-billed Toucan, and Black-cheeked and Chestnut-coloured Woodpeckers.
At this time of year there will also be migrant North American wood-warblers such as Hooded, Wilson’s, Worm-eating and Kentucky Warblers. In addition, expect many tanagers along with honeycreepers, euphonias and Montezuma Oropendolas.
There will be an opportunity to explore the nearby savannah and highlands to search for a range of different species more suited to those habitats.
On day 13 we will drive north, breaking our journey with a night at Bacalar, on the SE coast. Our hotel has Black Howler Monkeys in the grounds, along with Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Keel-billed Toucan, Northern Potoo, Common Pauraque, Mottled Owl and Lesser Nighthawk. After some final birding on the last morning we will drive to Cancun, arriving in good time for our flight home.
Breakfast will usually be taken at 7.00am. On other days it will be taken later, to give us time to do a pre-breakfast walk. Due to the high mid-day temperatures we plan to do morning and evening excursions, with time off in-between to siesta. This is made all the easier as our hotels are very close to the birding sites. Basic fitness is all that is required. The Yucatan is very flat, but there will be a little uphill walking at Palenque.
Full-board accommodation is provided, with three nights at the Villa Arqueologica Coba, three nights at the Hacienda Chichen Resort, Chichen Itza, three nights at the Villa Arqueologica Uxmal, four nights in the Chan-Kah Resort Hotel, Palenque and one night at the Hotel Laguna, Bacalar. All accommodation is of a high standard and all rooms have en suite bathrooms. Lunches will normally be at the hotel.
PRICE INCLUDES …..
All birdwatching excursions with expert leaders, full-board accommodation, soft drinks at meal times, local transport by mini-bus, two boat trips, site entrance fees, flight to Cancun, and flight and airport taxes.
Cost of travel insurance, payable at the time of booking. Items of a personal nature, alcoholic drinks, laundry.
Return flights are from both Gatwick and Manchester, using the charter services of a major airline. Outbound flight departs late morning; return flight arrives back mid-morning.
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15 nights including one overnight flight:
Principal leader:
Maximum group size:
Cost with discount (if you book before 1st November 2008):
Full Cost:
Single supplement:
Deposit:
Insurance premium:
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14th Feb. to 1st March 2009
Andrew Woodall
8 clients with one leader or 12 clients with two leaders
£2790 per person sharing
£2940 per person sharing
£370
£300
£62 due at time of booking (£93 for age 65 to 69) (£124 for age 70 and over)
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