Just a short flight from the United States, Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula gives birders the opportunity to see such neotropical families of birds as tinamous, flamingos, jaçanas, motmots, toucans, spinetails, woodcreepers, antbirds and manakins. As we find a wide variety of tropical birds, without being overwhelming, our tour is the perfect introduction to tropical birding. Exploring the largest tropical forest in the Yucatan, snorkeling in scenic coves and beautiful bays, white sand beaches in the moonlight and exploration of several significant Mayan ruin sites combine with the birding to provide the perfect answer to those cold March nights.

The Yucatan is home to several endemic bird species, and we should see most of them. Ocellated Turkey, Yellow-lored (Yucatan) Parrot, Yucatan Poorwill, Yucatan Nightjar, Red-vented (Yucatan) Woodpecker, Cozumel Emerald, Yucatan Flycatcher, Yucatan Jay, Yucatan Wren, Cozumel Vireo, Gray-throated Chat, Rose-throated Tanager and Orange Oriole are a few examples. 

We explore the largest of the Yucatan’s off-shore islands on a day filled with birding, snorkeling, laying on the beach and other tropical adventures. Cozumel Island is home to three species of birds found nowhere else in the world--Cozumel Emerald, Cozumel Thrasher and Cozumel Vireo. It also has a distinctively Caribbean avifauna. Caribbean Elaenia, White-crowned Pigeon, Black Catbird, Stripe-headed Tanager and Smooth-billed Ani are all to be found here. Our early morning hours will be spent birding with the afternoon reserved for the REAL specialty of the island--snorkeling. One of the largest barrier reefs in the world has its northern terminus off Cozumel Island and that, combined with the incredibly clear water, make this one of the best snorkeling and diving areas in the world. 

Other interesting birds observed on past tours include:  Boat-billed Heron, Crane Hawk, Laughing Falcon, Blue Ground-Dove, White-fronted Parrot, Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, Green-breasted Mango, Canivet's, Cozumel and White-bellied Emeralds, Cinnamon Hummingbird, trogons (Collared, Black-headed and Violaceous), Blue-crowned and Turquoise-browed Motmots, Collared Araçari, Keel-billed Toucan, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, Barred Antshrike, Black-faced Antthrush, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Stub-tailed Spadebill, Bright-rumped Attila, Gray-collared Becard, Masked and Black-crowned Tityras, Mangrove Swallow, Spot-breasted Wren, Long-billed Gnatwren, Yucatan Vireo, Lesser Greenlet, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Yellow-throated, Olive-backed and Scrub Euphonias, Red-throated Ant Tanager, Black-headed Saltator, Blue-black Grassquit, Melodious Blackbird, Black-cowled, Yellow-backed and Yellow-tailed Orioles.

Birding and snorkeling are only two of the attractions of our Yucatan tour. We will have ample time for exploring several of the more significant Mayan ruin sites on the peninsula. Muyil, Kohunlich, Dzitnup, Calakmul, Tulum, Coba and Chichen Itza are all, in their own ways, magnificent.

Muyil has a wonderful remnant forest with maintained trails and a canopy tower. Kohunlich with its impressive ruins and forest is a dramatic departure from the dry forests of Coba. Dzitnup and its sunken caverns offer a taste of the exotic and nice birding. Calakmul, the crown jewel of our time in the Yucatan, has thousounds of square miles of undisturbed forest—an event that has become almost unknown in Mexico. As one might expect with that amount of tropical forest, the birding is spectacular. Nowhere else are you LIKELY to encounter 40 or 50 Ocellated Turkeys, dozens of Crested Guans and daily observations of Great Currasow. Night birding is special as well because there are no houses, no villages, no roads just unbroken forest!

Tulum is situated on a cliff overlooking the blue Caribbean waters. While many archeologists claim it is not the most spectacular site, you cannot help but be impressed with the walls and the aura that seem to surround you as you explore the grounds.

In accord with Mexico’s determination to save its ancient ruins, the tropical forests of Coba are protected and offer some of the best places to look for birds in the Northern Yucatan Peninsula.  Coba, with excavation having started only in 1972, was one of the largest cities in the Yucatan between 600 and 900 A.D., covering about 80 square miles with a population of about 50,000. Nohoch Mul, a 138 foot high pyramid, is the tallest Mayan structure in the northern Yucatan, rising even higher than El Castillo at Chichen Itza. A nine-tiered castle, remnants of a ball court, and more than 6,500 structures have already been uncovered.  The name “Coba” means opaque waters and refers to the four green lakes situated within the surrounding jungle.

While Chichen Itza may not have as much to offer the birder as Coba, no visit to the Yucatan would be complete without a stop at this magnificent Mayan city. Chichen Itza has more awe inspiring structures than any other site in the Yucatan. Many of the ruins have been impressively restored and are truly amazing works of human engineering. El Castillo, El Caracol and the largest ceremonial Ball Court in Meso-America are but a few of the more impressive structures.

DAY ONE - Fly to Cancun. After our arrival we may visit a few areas near the airport before we begin our drive to Vallodolid. Vallodolid is a smaller city with lots of ‘typico’ character located west across the Yucatan Peninsula from Cancun. Our hotel here is the historic Hotel El Meson which is situated on the central square or zocolo of Vallodolid directly across from one of the historic churches of the region. If conditions are suitable, we may have a nocturnal birding excursion. Night Vallodolid.

DAY TWO - Our targets for today are two local endemics of the Yucatan--Mexican Sheartail and Yucatan Wren. Our past experience indicates we should see both without much difficulty. Once we arrive at Rio Lagartos we will take a boat trip through several lagoons in search of American Flamingos (which nest nearby). Boat-billed and other Herons, egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, American Pygmy Kingfisher, and many other waterbirds are to be expected. We will explore other coastal areas and the scrubby habitats inland upon our return to Vallodolid. Night in Vallodolid.

DAY THREE -A full morning of birding and sightseeing near the ruins of Chichen Itza. Be sure to bring plenty of film or memory chips for your camera. On my first visit here I went through more than 9 rolls of film! It is hard not to be overwhelmed when viewing these monuments of an ancient civilization. Our late afternoon will be spent birding along our return to Vallodolid. We can expect to get more experience with many of the above birds, and to add additional species, as well. Visits to other nearby areas may allow us to find many of the birds we have become familiar with over the last few days. After lunch we will retrace our steps to Vallodolid. Another after dark search for owls and nightjars is possible. Night at Hacienda Chichen.

DAY FOUR - Sunrise will find us walking trails between our hotel and the older section of ruins. Flycatchers, hummingbirds, orioles, and the colorful Turquoise-browed Motmot will be present in good numbers. Another visit to this impressive, ancient city is possible and we should have time to visit the interesting Balancache caves or another archeological site before our day is done. After lunch we will make an effort to find any species we may have missed, before turning inland toward the ruins of Coba. We stay at Hotel Villa Arqueologica Coba during our stay here. Run by Club Med, it is a charming hotel with air-conditioning, swimming pool and all of the usual amenities. From the hotel one can scan the edges of the lake for grebes, herons, bitterns, Ruddy Crakes and other aquatic birds. A siesta is in order for the late afternoon as we will have our best night birding opportunities in the countryside near Coba. Vermiculated Screech-Owl, Mottled Owl, Black-and-white Owl, Yucatan Nightjar, Yucatan Poor-will, or a potoo hawking moths from its perch atop a dead snag are all possible. Night in Coba.

DAY FIVE - The entire day will be spent birding in the vicinity of Coba along the lake edge and in the forests surrounding the ruins. On our last visit, birding along the edges of Lake Coba we found grebes, Least Bittern and other waders, Gray and Roadside Hawks, moorhens and gallinules, Northern Jaçana, Ruddy Ground-Dove, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Great Kiskadee, Mangrove Swallow, Gray-crowned Yellowthroat and White-collared Seedeater. Later, as we walked among the ruins, flocks of Olive-throated Parakeets flew overhead, and we saw Canivet's (Fork-tailed) Emerald, Red-vented (Yucatan) and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, flycatchers (Brown-crested, Social, and Greenish and Yellow-bellied Elaenias), Green Jay, Clay-colored Robin, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Grayish and Black-headed Saltators and many orioles (Black-cowled, Yellow-backed and Altimira). Even among the many colorful tropical birds our own wintering warblers and Painted Bunting were standouts. In the arid scrub south of Coba we saw Red-billed Pigeon, Squirrel and Pheasant Cuckoos, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Collared Araçari, Keel-billed Toucan, Bright-rumped Attila, Masked Tityra, Yucatan Jay, Mangrove and Yucatan Vireos and Blue Bunting. After dinner we’ll offer another nocturnal excursion in search of Vermiculated Screech-Owl, Mottled Owl, Yucatan Poorwill, Yucatan Nightjar and Common Potoo. Night in Coba.

DAY SIX - One last morning for what may be our second favorite hiking and birding area of the trip. We may make a predawn departure so that we will have the opportunity to reach a bit further into the Sian Ka’an Biosspher Reserve. Seldom used trails off of the beaten track transport you back to the wilderness that greated the first European explorers to visit the Yucatan. We will see impressive ruins covered in tropical vegetation, huge ‘strangler’ figs that have made the limestone ruins their home for hundreds of years. After lunch we’ll depart for the Guatemalan border and the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. Night birding potential here is high and, if our group is up to it, we might search for owls, nightjars and potoos once more. The more humid forest here has much more of a tropical flair when compared to the dry, scrub forest found in the northern Yucatan Peninsula. This tropical feel results in more diversity of species--plants, animals, insects, and birds. Night in Calakmul.

DAY SEVEN - Early morning departure for the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve and other areas of southern Quintana Roo. Some of the birds observed on our recent visits to the humid woodlands of this reserve are Ocellated Turkey, Ornate and Black-and-white Hawk Eagles, Great Currasow, Crested Guan, Plain Chachalaca, White-tipped Dove, Blue Ground-Dove, White-fronted and Yellow-lored Parrots, Violaceous and Collared Trogons, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Mexican Antthrush, Smoky-brown and Lineated Woodpeckers, Olivaceous, Barred, Tawny-winged and Ruddy Woodcreepers, Yellow-olive Flycatcher, Tropical Pewee, Rose-throated Becard, Long-billed Gnatwren, Northern Bentbill, Lesser Greenlet, several of the difficult-to-find Gray-throated Chat, Rose-throated Tanager and Green-backed Sparrow.Afternoon return to our hotel at the reserve entrance with time for some afternoon swimming in the pool. Night Calakmul.

DAY EIGHT - Full day birding the reserve. The extra day will come in handy as we can search for ant swarms, Agami Herons and those magnificent forest eagles. The day is left free for us to decide what sounds best as the sun rises. Night Calakmul

DAY NINE - Our final morning in the reserve will be spent birding areas of the Calakmul ruins we haven’t had a chance to visit or to make a final effort for species we might have missed to this point. On our return to the coast, we make a special effort to find another endemic of the Yucatan Peninsula--Orange Oriole. We found a colony of these birds in '94, and, although it may not be active this early in the year, we should still be able to see several of these brilliant orioles. By late-afternoon we will have returned to the Caribbean coast and our hotel in Playa del Carmen. The setting overlooking the fine white beaches and crystal blue waters of the Caribbean is magnificent. Night in Playa del Carmen.

DAY TEN - An early morning departure to catch the ferry to Cozumel Island. We will hire a taxi or two for our journey into the central portion of the island to look for Cozumel Thrasher, Cozumel Vireo, Cozumel Emerald, Cozumel Wren and Stripe-headed Tanager. The remains of our day will be spent in the Chankanab Lagoon. There is a fantastic area for snorkeling, a botanical garden that is good for birds and learning some of the native vegetation, and a number of shaded palapas (thatched sun shelters) on the beautiful beach for lounging. I’m sure we can find SOMETHING to do!! We will return in the late afternoon so that we arrive back at Playa del Carmen in time for dinner. Night in Playa del Carmen.

DAY ELEVEN - One last morning in Mexico! One final morning of birding. Our centralized location will allow us to use this day as a ‘clean-up day’. We will leave it as open as possible so that we will have one last chance to put in a special effort to locate those species that we may not have been able to find or to revisit a favorite location. We will have plenty of time this morning to do as we please! I vote for an early bird-walk followed by a short siesta at the hotel! Our schedule will be timed to have us arrive back in Cancun two hours before our planes depart.