Activity level:

Generally easy to moderate walks

Central America / Mexico

Mayan Birding and Culture Adventure
Yucatan and Chiapas, 14 birding days

Our tour takes you to most of the premium birding sites on the Yucatan Peninsula and North-East Chiapas. We pay visits to world famous Mayan archaeological sites surrounded by lush forests and full of many great species. We also explore various other habitats: different forests, wetlands, mangroves, Caribbean beaches, coastal desert-like scrub and thorn forests, all with their own unique rich flora and fauna, including some endemics as well.
It is possible to tailor the itinerary to your needs and make a smaller circle and lower the number of accommodations and sites visited on request.

Fact File
- 14 days in Mexico visiting famous Mayan sites and nature reserves
- start and finish in Cancun
- using several accommodations to maximize visited places and possible species

Highlights
- birding along the Caribbean shores, Sian Káan Reserve
- boat tour in the mangroves at Rio Lagartos
- birding in the jungle among Mayan ruins at Coba, Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Palenque
- boat trip to Yachilan on the Guatemalan border
- birding in the breathtaking Sumidero Canyon
- visit to Calakmul one of the most remote and wildest areas in Yucatan
- wide variety mammals, reptiles, butterflies and habitats
- plenty of interesting bird species including some great endemics

Accommodation
1 night close to the Caribbean seashore
2 nights at Chichen Itza
1 night at Uxmal
3 nights at Palenque
1 night at Chiapa de Corso
1 night at Villahermosa/Frontera
1 night at Escarcega
1 night at Felipe Puerto Carillo
2 nights at Playa del Carmen

Departure Dates
28 November - 12 December, 2010

Price
Ask for the actual price.

Our price includes:
- all travel within the country as noted in the itinerary;
- all accommodation based on shared rooms (most rooms are twin bedded), at most locations there are single rooms as well for extra charge (Please ask for a single room at the time of booking!);
- 3 meals per day, generally breakfast at the accommodation, packed lunch, dinner (consists of at least two courses);
- services of the leader(s);
- trip materials.

Not included:
- flight to and from Cancun;
- optional programmes to places of interest and entrance fees involved;
- airport and other departure taxes, tips;
- food beyond generally 3 meals/day mentioned in the itineraries;
- excess baggage charges;
- telephone calls;
- alcoholic beverages;
- compulsory personal insurance.
If you have questions about the inclusion of any cost item, please contact us at info@ecotours.hu

Activity level
Generally easy to moderate walks
Some areas are humid; hot temperatures and rain is possible

Itinerary

1	Arrival to Cancun on the Yucatan Peninsula and transfer to our hotel on the shore of the Caribbean. Birding en-route if time permits.

2

We go birding close to Tulum and then we travel to Coba. First we check the lake for Least Grebe, Limpkin, Spotted Rail and Ruddy Crake. Later on we walk at the archaeological site in the dense jungle on well maintained paths connecting Mayan ruins including the largest pyramid of Mexican Yucatan to look for Black-headed Trogon, Grey-collared Becard, Mangrove Vireo, Grey-throated Chat and Red-throated Tanager. Finally we travel to Chichen Itza, birding around our accommodation.

3

After a morning birding we travel to Rio Lagartos to have a great boat tour to a mangrove-fringed lagoon-estuary home to thousands of herons, egrets, ibises, Caribbean Flamingos, plus Boat-billed Heron and Ruddy Crake. Birding alongside the coastal scrub and thorn forest can also be productive with Yucatan Bobwhite, Lesser Roadrunner, Mexican Sheartail, Yucatan Woodpecker and Yucatan Wren. In the late afternoon we return back to Chichen.

4

We go birding in Chichen Itza among the most famous Mayan ruin complex, which offers a perfect mix of nature and culture. There are a couple of hidden trails, which offer great birding at various dry thorn and humid forest habitats. Interesting specie include Canivet’s Emerald, Ridgway’s Rough-winged Swallow, Yucatan Jay, White-bellied Wren and Orange Oriole. Later on we travel to Dzibilchaltun, a nice Maya ruin site with adjacent thorn forest and overgrown fields. It is perfect for a few hours birding and it is also possible to swim in the local “cenote”. Finally we travel towards Uxmal to our nearby accommodation.

5	The beautiful Mayan ruins of Uxmal in the middle of the thorn forest offer a nice variety of Yucatan species including Canivet’s Emerald, Yucatan Flycatcher, Cave Swallow and White-browed Wren. Later on we start a long journey south to Palenque with short birding stops at the Usumacinta Marshes.

6

We have a full day for birding around the Mayan Ruins of Palenque. There are remnant patches of rainforest around the attractive ruins home to many interesting species including Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, Rufous-breasted Spinetail, Mexican Antthrush, Scaled Antpitta, Yellow-winged Tanager, Black-throated Shrike-Tanager and Green-backed Sparrow. Late afternoon we travel to Yaxchilan, birding on the way.

7	We take a boat on the Usumacinta River to Yaxchilan, to go birding in the jungle among the ruins. It is the most reliable site for Scarlet Macaw and King Vulture in Mexico. We travel back to Palenque, birding on the way.

8

After a short morning birding at Palenque we travel to Chiapa de Corso. On the way we stop at the Misol-Ha waterfall and around San Cristobal. The pine-oak forests here are home to such specialties as Amethyst-throated and Garnet-throated Hummingbird, Pine Flycatcher, Unicolored Jay, Rufous-browed Wren, Brown-backed Solitaire, Blue-and-white Mockingbird and the enigmatic Pink-headed Warbler.

9

We visit the spectacular Sumidero Canyon, where the paved road along the rim of the gorge provides good birding. Lesser Roadrunner, Slender Sheartail, Russet-crowned Motmot, Belted Flycatcher, Fan-tailed Warbler and Red-breasted Chat will be among the birds to look for. In the afternoon we have a long, but bird-full travel across the mountains of Chiapas.

10

We travel across the Pantanos de Centla Biosphere Reserve and the Usumacinta Marshes. It is a huge area of wetlands and wooded savannas along the Usumacinta River and its tributaries where we can find Pinnated Bittern, Jabiru, Black-collared Hawk, Aplomado Falcon, Double-striped Thick-knee, Yellow-headed Parrot and Grassland Yellow-Finch.

11

We travel to Calakmul Biosphere Reserve where huge tracts of good forest surround the Mayan ruins. The road leading to the ruins is a good place to see Ocellated Turkey and Great Curassow. There are many other good birds, mammals and butterfly species at the site. Late afternoon we travel to the Caribbean Coast.

12	We will bird along the Felipe Carillo Road and in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. There are some hidden spots we will check out and there is no question about finding some good species such as Yucatan Parrot, Yucatan Poorwill, Yucatan Nightjar and Black Catbird.

13

We have a day for relaxing at the Caribbean Sea at Playa del Carmen. But you can choose from two different optional programmes. One is a full day birding at Cozumel Island looking for such endemics as Cozumel Emerald, Cozumel Wren, Cozumel Vireo, as well as endemic subspecies. The other programme is a full day relaxing adventure at Xcaret Ecopark where you can see most of the plant, butterfly, bird and mammal species characteristic to the Yucatan.

14 15

Morning birding in the Botanical Gardens at Puerto Morelos. Finally we return to Cancun airport for your flight back home. Overnight flight, arrival home.