Birding route in Guatemala

The improbable-looking Pink-headed Warbler might top the list, but it’s hardly outdone by other gems like Blue-throated Motmot, Blue-and-white Mockingbird, and Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo. We will have the chance to visit the amazing Tikal National Park in Petén, one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centers of the Maya civilization and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Inclusions:

	Meals All meals
	Transport Private vehicle Boat Flight Flores – Guatemala
	Trip Staff Birdwatching specialized tour guide full time, drivers, boat crew
	Accommodation Hotel (11 nights)
	Included activities: Los Tarrales Santiago Atitlán Sierra de los Cuchumatanes Quetzal Refuge Caleras Chichavac El Pilar Tikal Park
	Admissions at the parks According itinerary

Does not Includes:

Lunches and Dinners
Gratuities to guides, drivers, porters
Beverages
Telephone calls
Exit fees
Travel insurance.

To bring

Comfortable clothes, sunscreen and sunglasses.

Day 1 Arrive to Guatemala – Antigua Guatemala D

Meeting upon arrival, transfer to your hotel in the colonial city of Antigua Guatemala. (1hr) the country’s original capital, declared a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO in 1979. No birding is planned for today.

Day 2 Los Tarrales B L D

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

Day 3 Los Tarrales B

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.

Day 4 Los Tarrales to Atitlan Lake B L

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. Two nights will be spent in a hotel overlooking the lake. We’ll get to the hotel fairly early to prepare us for the tough hike the next day.

Day 5 San Pedro Volcano B L D

Spend the day in San Juan La Laguna area on the western shore of Lake Atitlan, another new site to bird tourism. Seek out the rare and gorgeous Belted Flycatcher along the lower slopes of San Pedro volcano. You may also come across the Lesser Roadrunner and other dry forest species such as Prevost's Ground-Sparrow. Participants in excellent shape can try the hike to the volcano to find the Horned Guan. This hike is very difficult, strenuous, and not for everyone - nor is it a guarantee to see the rare guan.

Day 6 Sierra de los Cuchumatanes B L D

We’ll have a relaxed morning to recover from the previous day. After breakfast, 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 Puerta del Cielo National Park, our first spot for some of the main targets of the trip, including Black-capped Siskin and the amazing Pink-headed Warbler. At the end of the day, we’ll arrive at Unicornio Azul Lodge, and there will be an optional owling session to search for one of the most difficult Neotropical owl species, the Unspotted Saw-Whet Owl.

Day 7 Todos Santos B L D

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. This species was recently split from Yellow-rumped Warbler, but bears little resemblance to it. 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. After lunch, we will drive to San Rafael Pie de la Cuesta.

Day 8 San Rafael Pie de la Cuesta - Tecpán B L D

We will visit a nearby reserve for another very special bird this morning, the emerald-and-scarlet Resplendent Quetzal, which haunts the oak-dominated cloudforest. Along with the quetzal, we hope to see Highland Guan, Slate-colored Solitaire, Black-throated and Unicolored Jays, and Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush. In the afternoon, we’ll have a long drive to Tecpan, where we spend one night.

Day 9 Caleras Chichavac B L D

Our birding for the morning will again focus on highland birds, where specialties like Pink-headed Warbler, Hooded Grosbeak, Black-throated Jay, Green-throated Mountain-Gem, Amethyst-throated Hummingbird, Blue-throated Motmot, and Mountain Trogon are all possible. After lunch, we’ll drive to Antigua Guatemala; depending on when we arrive, there may be time to visit a private reserve for a first chance at Rufous Sabrewing, and there will be optional night building to look for Fulvous Owl.

Day 10 El Pilar B L D

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 is 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 Flores International Airport, the gateway to 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 Park B L D

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 Park

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 Guatemala - OUT

This morning our driver will transfer guests to the airport in plenty of time to catch your international flight onwards.