| Brief Itinerary |
| Keel-billed Toucan Photo by K. Huffstater |
| Chestnut-colored Woodpecker Photo by K. Huffstater |
| Northern Potoo Photo by K. Huffstater |
| Red-lored Parrot Photo by H. Enríquez T. |
| Pale-billed Woodpecker Photo by H. Enríquez T. |
| Royal Flycatcher Photo by K. Huffstater |
| Day 1: Mid-Day Arrivals and PM Birding at Tarrales Reserve Trip participants should arrive at the Guatemala City airport by 1:00 PM. Here you will be met by the trip leader and driver. The group will leave from the airport straight to birding at the Tarrales Reserve. After clearing the urban center of Guatemala City, we will only have another hour until reaching Tarrales. We will get to birding on the trip at Tarrales, starting the trip with several hours of excellent birding in the late afternoon. Tarrales' main crop is coffee, but they also grow numerous plants for export. Los Tarrales reserve ranges from 2,300 feet elevation to higher forest areas at 8,200 feet, with tropical humid savannah and sub-tropical humid forest habitats. More than 340 bird species have been recorded in Los Tarrales. The reserve is part of the Atitlán Important Bird Area, designated by BirdLife International. The birding at Tarrales can be excellent, and we will have the expertise of Josué de León, one of the very well-trained local guides here. With two excellent guides, we will find a lot of birds to start the trip. Near the lodge, we should find White-bellied Chachalaca, King Vulture, Violet Sabrewing, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Yellow-naped Parrot, Orange-fronted Parakeet, Rufous-breasted Spinetail, White-throated Magpie-Jay, Rufous-naped Wren, and Prevost's Ground-Sparrow. At supper, the trip guide will complete the bird checklist with the group and review plans for the next day (including morning wake-up and breakfast plans). We will overnight in the nice rooms at this reserve. Day 2: Full Day Birding at Los Tarrales Reserve We will want to have an early start for birding at Los Tarrales, stopping for a delicious breakfast. Today, in the morning, we will quickly check a Mottled Owl roost before heading up into the nearby forested areas with some mixed bamboo. We will work to find Green-breasted Mango, White- bellied Emerald, Berryline Hummingbird, Blue-tailed Hummingbird, and Blue-throated Goldentail. Other birds we will hope to find include: Black Hawk-Eagle, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Tody Motmot, Blue-crowned Motmot, Barred Forest-Falcon and Bat Falcon. We should get good looks at Ivory- billed Woodcreeper, and everyone will fall for the stunning Long-tailed Manakin. When the day gets hot, we will have lunch and take a brief rest before continuing birding in the afternoon. This afternoon, we will look for Crested Guan, Highland Guan, Northern Potoo, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Ochre- bellied Flycatcher, Northern Bentbill, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Orange- billed Nightingale-Thrush, Blue-gray Tanager, Yellow-winged Tanager, Black-headed Saltator and Spot-breasted Oriole, among other birds. At supper, we will complete the bird checklist as a group and review plans for the next day (including morning wake-up and breakfast plans). Right after supper, everyone will have the option for some nocturnal birding for one or two hours. Depending upon recent reports for owls in the area, we may try for Spectacled Owl and/or Black-and-white Owl. This is an option for each participant, so you can go owling and/or get to bed. We will overnight in the nice rooms at Los Tarrales Reserve. Day 3: AM Birding Tarrales; PM Birding Las Nubes Based upon the progress of bird finding at Tarrales, we may spend more time birding there, trying to find any key species we may have missed. By mid morning, we will drive a few hours up to Las Nubes. The habitat at this location includes sub-tropical humid forest which ranges from 2,900 to 9,800 feet above sea level. Forested areas in some parts of this shade- grown coffee plantation are more dense, concentrating the bird finding. Upon arrival, we will check into our beautiful rooms at Las Nubes, and then have lunch on the expansive porch of the main lodge. We may try some birding at the gardens near the main lodge around lunch time, if the day is not too hot. Many a life bird has been found from the porch at lunch, including White-collared Swift, Plain Wren, Grayish Saltator, Painted Bunting and often a few surprises. Just after lunch, we will take the jeeps (very basic transportation) over the rough roads of the plantation up to the Mirador area. We will likely start birding the trail up to the Mirador. We will look for the Resplendent Quetzal both at the Mirador and inside the nearby forest. Other birds we hope to find will include Collared Trogon, Blue-throated Motmot, Yellowish Flycatcher, Brown-backed Solitaire, Slate-throated Redstart and Azure- rumped Tanager. Deeper inside the forest we may find Highland Guan, Spotted Wood-Quail, White-faced Quail-Dove, Emerald Toucanet, Barred Parakeet, Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner, Ruddy Foilage-Gleaner, Gray- breasted Wood-Wren, Elegant Euphonia and Blue-crowned Chlorophonia. The higher altitude forest near The Mirador has a nice birding trail providing another opportunity to find new species. The start of this trail will be the stage for a memorable birding opportunity at dusk. For now, we will look for Red-billed Pigeon, Whiskered Screech-Owl, Spotted Nightingale- Thrush, Black Thrush, Fan-tailed Warbler, Black-vented Oriole, among other birds. We will save a bit of the late afternoon to try the Mirador for the Resplendent Quetzal once again (if we have not yet seen this bird). As dusk approaches (and perhaps before), we will head up the road to a fantastic spot for Fulvous Owl. Fulvous Owl is near- endemic, with the species range limited to Guatemala, Chiapas in Mexico and Honduras. As dusk and mist surround, the fireflies add to the mystique and romance of this fine outdoor setting. Then numerous Fulvous Owls descend from seemingly no-where, swooping by and perching up for excellent views and photos. This intimate birding experience will linger with you in the years ahead. Next, we head back down to the lodge to clean up and have supper. As on every night of the trip, we will complete the bird checklist and review plans for the next morning and plans for another excellent day of birding. Note: Jeep with no doors: Sign special waiver. Note: This will also be an excellent opportunity to have your laundry done. Day 4: AM Birding Las Nubes; PM Birding Fuentes Georginas In the morning, we will focus on any species we may have missed at Las Nubes. We will have two choices, but we will need to get started early. • We will likely start with the high elevation trail, which should provide us the opportunity for the most new species. We will hope to find Green- throated Mountain-gem, Amethyst-throated Hummingbird, Emerald-chinned Hummingbird, Golden-browed Warbler, Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch, White-naped Brush-Finch and more • Depending upon our success the day before, we may take another try at the forested area near the Mirador with additional chances for Resplendent Quetzal and for species found in this dense forest area. As the day warms up and/or based upon how well the birding has progressed, we will head back to the rooms to pack up the vehicle and to get on the road. We will bring a packed lunch giving us the flexibility to try for a few more species on a lunch stop and to assure we get to Fuentes Georginas by mid-afternoon. The trip up to Fuentes Georginas includes great views of volcanoes and travel through the highland farms of Guatemala. Its habitat is cloud forest at nearly 8,000 feet. We will also stop for a little birding along the road, and we may have time for buying snacks at the spectacular fruit stands. We will spend most of the afternoon birding at Fuentes Georginas. The road up to and through this hot springs area is key to finding Green Violetear, Amethyst-throated Hummmingbrd, Garnet-throated Hummingbird, Wine-throated Hummingbird, Mountain Trogon, Unicolored Jay, Black Thrush, Mountain Thrush, Pink-headed Warbler, and Cinnamon- bellied Flowerpiercer. With some luck, we may find Buffy-crowned Wood- Partridge and Maroon-chested Ground-Dove. Other birds found here include Black-throated Jay and Bar-winged Oriole. After an afternoon of birding up until suppertime, we will check into the little and basic cabins at this resort area. These cabins are convenient for morning birding, and everyone will enjoy the romance of this cloud forest resort area. Some participants may choose to enjoy a post supper soak in the hot springs and/or warming up by the fireplace. Day 5: AM Birding Fuentes Georginas and PM Birding Lake Atitlán Area The morning offers a few choices for every participant. • If you would like to rest in this morning, this would be an opportunity to do so. • If you do choose to continue with early morning birding, we will start birding near the lodges. After a few hours of morning birding, we will go back to the resort area for breakfast. After breakfast, we will take the van and the full group and start birding further down the road for another one or two hours. This morning we will focus on any species we may have missed the day before, and we should find new species as we walk into the forest edge closer to the agricultural areas, such as Black-capped Swallow, Rufous-browed Wren, Brown-backed Solitaire, Slate-colored Solitaire, Rufuous-collared Robin, and Blue-and-white Mockingbird. By mid to late morning, we will head towards Santa Clara La Laguna which has a second-growth habitat with pine-oak forests and thickets. Elevation ranges from 4,000 to about 7,000 feet above sea level. We will visit this location for the pleasure of watching the stunning Belted Flycatcher, because this is one of the less difficult locations to see this beautiful species. This species has a very localized distribution, only found in Chiapas (Mexico) and Guatemala. Additional species that might be encountered at this location are: Rufous Sabrewing, Pink-headed Warbler (near-endemic), Rusty Sparrow and Black-capped Siskin (near-endemic). After a few hours, we will head towards Panajachel, a village on the northern shore of the beautiful Lake Atitlán. We will spend the night in Panajachel in one of the nice local hotels in this resort area. Day 6: AM Lake Atitlán Area Birding; Mid-Day Return to Guatemala City with Birding at Rincon Suizo and/or Other Birding Sites In the early morning, we will be driven to a nearby hotel to have breakfast and take advantage of the beautiful gardens for fabulous birding. At this location, we will be able to find a few more trip species, such as White- tipped Dove, Slender Sheartail, Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird, Azure- crowned Hummingbird, White-eared Hummingbird, Northern (Guatemalan) Flicker, Tropical Mockingbird, Prevost's Ground-Sparrow, Rufous-collared Sparrow and Flame-colored Tanager. After some good birding at this site we will head to Rincon Suizo, one of the many Important Bird Areas of Guatemala. The habitat here includes pine-oak forests at 7,870 feet and we will hope to find Magnificent Hummingbird, Green-throated Mountain- gem, Amethyst-throated Hummingbird, Mountain Trogon, Blue-throated Motmot, Hairy Woodpecker, Spotted Woodcreeper, Spot-crowned Woodcreeper, Bushy-crested Jay, Black-capped Swallow, Rufous-browed Wren, Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush, Rufous-collared Robin, Blue- and-white Mockingbird, Gray Silky-flycatcher, Olive Warbler, Crescent- chested Warbler, Golden-browed Warbler, Red-faced Warbler, Pink- headed Warbler, Painted Redstart, Slate-throated Redstart, Yellow-eyed Junco, Elegant Euphonia, Black-headed Siskin and Hooded Grosbeak. We will eat at the Rincon Suizo's restaurant. We will begin the drive back to Guatemala City and hope to arrive by mid-afternoon. • For those going on the extension to Tikal, we will head straight to the airport and check in for our flight. After check in, we will have supper at the airport before catching our flight (at about 6 PM) to Flores airport, near Tikal National Park. Upon arrival in Flores, we head to Yaxha for our overnight stay. • For those not taking the Tikal extension, another local guide will drive to one of the nicest hotels in the city to have supper and rest. Day 7 for Those Not on Tikal Extension: Flights Home For those not on the Tikal extension, we will arrange a transfer to the airport with the reliable hotel staff. Extension Day 1/Day 7 of Trip: Yaxha National Park We will start our day early in the morning with a good breakfast at the Lodge and then be transferred to Yaxha National Park, which is located scarcely 4 km away from our hotel. Yaxha is a Mesoamerican archaeological site in the northeast of the Petén Basin region, and a former ceremonial centre and city of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. Habitat here is tropical humid forest between 490 and 820 feet above sea level. Birds to be seen here are: Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Slaty-tailed Trogon, Gartered Trogon, White-whiskered Puffbird, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Pale- billed Woodpecker, Barred Forest-Falcon, Collared Forest-Falcon, Bat Falcon, Brown-hooded Parrot, White-crowned Parrot, Red-lored Parrot, Mealy Parrot, Olive-throated Parakeet, Royal Flycatcher, Bright-rumped Attila, Yucatan Flycatcher, Green-backed Sparrow, Blue Bunting, Giant Cowbird and Montezuma Oropendola. After successful birding we will head back to the Lodge to enjoy lunch. As soon as lunch is finished, we will prepare to depart for Tikal National Park, with several sites worth a stop along the road. One of these stops is at El Remate, which is on the easternmost shore of the beautiful Petén Itza Lake. At this location we will try for: Neotropic Cormorant, Least Bittern, Tricolored Heron, Purple Gallinule, Common Gallinule, Limpkin, Least Sandpiper, Laughing Gull, Mangrove Swallow. After we wrap up the birding in El Remate we will head straight to Tikal National Park. Upon arrival, we will be taken to the lodge for a quick check in, then begin birding the surrounding area. We will hope to find Roadside Hawk, Gray-necked Wood- Rail, Gartered Trogon, Keel-billed Toucan, Red-lored Parrot, Brown- crested Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Social Flycatcher, Masked Tityra, Brown Jay, Melodious Blackbird, Giant Cowbird and Yellow-tailed Oriole. Before dawn we will head back to the Lodge and get ready for supper. At supper, the trip guide will complete the bird checklist with the group and review plans for the next day (including morning wake-up and breakfast plans). Day 2 of Extension/Day 8 of Trip: Full day birding at Tikal National Park We will start our day with a very early breakfast so that we can start birding in Tikal by 7:00 AM. Our first trail will have habitat ranging from scattered forest to tall brush, and the trail ends at a nice pond which has some really interesting birds. With some fantastic luck, some visitors find Jaguar drinking from this pond. Birds we may find here include Thicket Tinamou, Plain Chachalaca, Agami Heron, Boat-billed Heron, Pheasant Cuckoo, Olive-throated Parakeet, Mangrove Vireo, White-breasted Wood-Wren, Green-backed Sparrow and Gray-throated Chat. Two kingfisher species that frequent the ponds here are Green Kingfisher and American Pygmy Kingfisher. The area is also good for seeing Scaled Pigeon, Purple- crowned Fairy, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Collared Aracari, Strong-billed Woodcreeper, Northern Bentbill, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Stub-tailed Spadebill, Tropical Kingbird, Couch's Kingbird, Louisiana Waterthrush and Northern Waterthrush. A few tough-to-get North American breeding warblers can also be found here, so we will be on the lookout for Worm- eating Warbler, Kentucky Warbler and Hooded Warbler as well. At mid-morning we will enter the forested archaeological area and at some point we will reach the main plaza where we will have amazingly close looks at Ocellated Turkey and Ridgway’s (Northern) Rough-winged Swallows. The structures of the main plaza also provide nesting grounds for Orange- breasted Falcon, an endangered species not likely to be found elsewhere in Guatemala. With some real luck, we may see King Vulture, Black Hawk- Eagle, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Plumbeous Kite and a Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift fly by. At mid-day we will have lunch at the restaurant situated inside the forest and then we will take some time to rest at the hotel and meet again in mid- afternoon to continue birding. We will hope to see: Great Tinamou, Little Tinamou, Crested Guan, Great Curassow, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, White- crowned Parrot, Black-faced Antthrush, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Eye- ringed Flatbill, Royal Flycatcher, Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, White-collared Manakin, Red-capped Manakin, Tawny-crowned Greenlet, Lesser Greenlet, Gray-headed Tanager, Black-throated Shrike-Tanager, Red- crowned Ant-Tanager, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, Blue Bunting, Yellow- throated Euphonia. By about 6 PM, we will head back to the lodge to clean - up for supper. At supper, we will complete the bird checklist with the group and review plans for the next day (including morning wake-up and breakfast plans). Extension Day 3/Day 9 of Trip: Tikal to Flores, full day birding at several sites After an early breakfast at the lodge in Tikal National Park we will drive to several sites before arriving in the city of Flores. The sites that we will visit are El Remate, Cerro Cahui Biotope, and the road bordering Lake Petén Itza, looking for Black-throated Bobwhite, Least Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, Anhinga, Snail Kite, Pale-vented Pigeon, Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, Ringed Kingfisher, Black-crowned Tityra, Black Catbird, Rose-throated Tanager, Gray-throated Chat, Red-winged Blackbird, and few more birds that we might have missed in Tikal. We will have lunch at one of the many good restaurants in the surrounding area and then continue birding. At mid- afternoon we will make a short stop at a local hotel to bird for an hour and a half before heading to our hotel in the city of Flores were we will overnight. At the local hotel birding site we will hope to see: Ruddy Crake, Scaled Pigeon, Squirrel Cuckoo, Long-billed Hermit, Stripe-throated Hermit, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Northern Bentbill and Mangrove Vireo. After finishing birding we will have supper and then complete the bird checklist with the group and review plans for the next day (including morning wake-up and breakfast plans). We will also review everyone’s plans to get to the Flores airport in the morning for flights to Guatemala City and then plans for transfers home. Extension Day 4/Day 10 of Trip: Flight from Flores to Guatemala city and flights home We will have an early breakfast at our hotel in the city of Flores and then drive to Mundo Maya International Airport to take our flight back to Guatemala City. We will arrive at 9 AM at La Aurora International Airport and wait to take our flights back home. |
| Crested Guan Photo by H. Enríquez T. |
| Ornate Hawk-Eagle Photo by H. Enríquez T. |
| Yellow-throated Euphonia Photo by K. Huffstater |
| Pink-headed Warbler Photo by K. Huffstater |
| Bushy-crested Jay Photo by K. Huffstater |
| Pale-billed Woodpecker Photo by H. Enríquez T. |
| Slaty-tailed Trogon Photo by H. Enríquez T. |
| Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird Photo by H. Enríquez T. |
| Blue Bunting Photo by H. Enríquez T. |
| Prevost's Ground-Sparrow Photo by H. Enríquez T. |
| Keel-billed Toucan Photo by K. Huffstater |
| Red-lored Parrot Photo by H. Enríquez T. |
| Chestnut-colored Woodpecker Photo by K. Huffstater |
| Northern Potoo Photo by K. Huffstater |
| Crested Guan Photo by H. Enríquez T. |
| Ornate Hawk-Eagle Photo by H. Enríquez T. |
Birding in Guatemala
| For more information or to register for this trip, call Charles in the United States or Ian in the United Kingdom. Charles can be reached at 888-203-7464 or directly at 720-320-1974. Ian can be reached at 07719-052820. Also feel free to e-mail at info@PIBird.com. |
| Guatemala: Spectacular Central American Birding |
| Detailed Itinerary |
| Trip Description |
