Birding Yucatan & Surroundings
Birding Expeditions offers guided tours to some of the most beautiful places on Earth. Join us as we explore the Yucatan Peninsula!
14 Days Birding Package
Tour Dates
All Year Round
Departure
Cancun Airport
Return
Cancun Airport
Tour Type
Private
Birding Yucatan
14 days birdwatching expedition discovering interesting natural and cultural destinations of Yucatan and surrounding areas, with high bird endemism.
You will visit the island of Cozumel, Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Chichén Itza, Río Celestún Biosphere Reserve, Uxmal, and Calakmul Biosphere Reserve.
Day 1: Arrival at Cancun International Airport.
Meet and greet at Cancun airport, then transfer to Playa del carmen to take a ferry to Cozumel Island.
Lodging at Cozumel
Day 2: Birding at Cozumel
You will start the birding adventure searching specialties such as Cozumel Vireo, Cozumel Emerald, Cozumel Wren, and Caribbean species like the Caribbean Dove, Caribbean Elaenia, and White-crowned Pigeon.
Lodging at Cozumel
Day 3.- Cozumel – Ria Lagartos
You will take the ferry to the mainland and travel to Ria Lagartos.
This trip includes several stops on the way to find other endemics like the Yucatan Jay, Yucatan Woodpecker, Orange Oriole, and other species.
Arrive at Ría Lagartos late in the afternoon with a picnic lunch on the way.
Lodging at Ria Lagartos
Day 4: Birding at Ria Lagartos
Early morning, you will take a boat ride to explore the mangrove forest and estuary system.
Some of the birds to spot are Boat-billed Heron, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Pygmy Kingfisher, and many migrant and aquatic birds.
Later you will head to the thorny scrub forest: here, the target birds are Jabiru, Yucatan Wren, Mexican Sheartail, White lored Gnatcatcher, and Lesser Roadrunner.
Lodging at Ria Lagartos
Day 5: Ria Lagartos – Chichén Itza
On this day, you will visit the famous archaeological Maya city of Chichén Itza.
There is a high probability of seeing colorful birds such as Green Jay, Altamira, Hooded, Black cowled Oriole, Turquoise-browed Motmot, Great Kiskadee, etc.
Lodging at Chichén Itza
Day 6: Chichén Itza – Celestun
After enjoying your hotel’s beautiful gardens, continue to Celestun, another excellent protected Reserve with sand dune vegetation and the surrounding ecosystem.
The Mangrove Vireo, Northern Cardinal Tropical Mockingbird, and Tropical Kingbird.
Day 7: Celestun Reserve
Boat tour, with an excellent opportunity to spot the Grey-necked and Rufous-necked Wood-Rail, Anhinga, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, and thousands of flamingos.
Lodging at Celestun
Day 8: Celestun – Uxmal
Visit the important Maya city of Uxmal. There will be another opportunity to sight several inland birds.
A place to spot other species not seen before like Masked Tityra, Grayish Saltator, Black-headed Saltator, Rose-throated Becard, Clay-colored Robin, and Scrub Euphonia.
Day 9: Uxmal – Calakmul
There will be a long drive to the southern part of the Yucatan Peninsula. This will be a completely different forest habitat. The vegetation is taller than we have seen before, and the birds will be other.
The ancient Maya people built their great cities within the largest tropical forest remnant of North America.
We will explore Calakmul, the biggest Biosphere Reserve in Mexico and the second most important Maya city-state.
Day 10: Calakmul
The following day an early departure will place us in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve.
Enjoy a picnic breakfast and lunch on the way. We will spend all day birding inside the reserve and have a mid-day break for our picnic lunch.
Species to be sighted will be from colorful ones to birds of prey. We will find species like the Black Headed Trogon, Squirrel Cuckoo, Collared Trogon, Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, Gray-headed Tanager, Barred Woodcreeper, Red-capped Manakin, Blue Bunting, Ocellated Turkey, Crested Guan, Great Curassow, Plain Chachalaca.
Also the King Vulture, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Bat Falcon, Great black Hawk, Collared – forest Falcon.
Lodging at Calakmul
Day 11: Becan – Chicanná – Konhunlich – Bacalar
On this day, you will explore a few Maya cities; they are always great places to spot birds.
Becan, Chicanná, and Konhunlich, among others. Picnic lunch on the way.
In this area, you will have the opportunity to find the Keel-Billed Toucan, the Collared Araçari, the Emerald Toucan, and four species of parrots.
Lodging at Bacalar
Day 12.- Bacalar – Felipe Carrillo Puerto
Our hotel is located on the shore of the Bacalar lagoon.
The following day birding walk around the lodge grounds to spot such species as the Gray collared Becard, Rose-throated Becard, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Spot-breasted Wren, Mexican Antthrush, Violaceous Trogon, Ruddy Woodcreeper.
Later, continue to the town of Felipe Carrillo, Puerto. Finally, time to bird on the famous Vigia Chico Road, and we will bird for the rest of the afternoon.
There is another chance to spot species like Smoky brown Woodpecker, Pale-billed Woodpecker, Lineated Woodpecker, Ruddy Crake, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Canivet’s Emerald, Eyed-ringed Flatbill, Royal Flycatcher, Bright rumped Attila, Yucatan Flycatcher, and Gray throated Chat.
Lodging at Felipe Carrillo Puerto
Day 13: Felipe Carrillo Puerto – Muyil –- Tulum
En route, explore the Muyil archaeological site with an excellent chance to see new birds or find the missing ones.
Lodging at Tulum
Day 14. Airport transfer
Transfer to Cancun international airport to take your flight back home
