Mountain West Birding Company Mexico: The Yucatán and Cozumel

Day 1 - Sat, Jan 16 Arrive in Cancun and Transfer to Puerto Morelos

Plan on arriving in Cancun no later than 5:00 PM today.  Our local contact will provide pickup at the airport between 2:00-5:00 PM.  If you plan to arrive earlier in the week and stay in Cancun, we can provide a transfer at an additional cost as well.

After the group has gathered we have a 30-minute drive south to Puerto Morelos where we will have 30-45 minutes to catch a few seabirds from our hotel patio before dinner. Species like Magnificent Frigatebird, Royal Tern, Brown Pelican, and Laughing Gull will be some of the first we encounter! During dinner we will go over the itinerary as a group and perhaps do some light owling for Middle American Screech-Owl, Black-and-white Owl, and Mottled Owl.

Night in Puerto Morelos

Day 2 - Sun, Jan 17 Reserva Toh: Cenotes & Endemics

This morning we wake early for a 30-minute drive to Reserva Toh 25 kilometers inland for the Caribbean coast for a little pre-dawn owling. We will have light snacks for the early birding followed by a full brunch at a priavte reserve in the jungle after our birding. The reserve boasts an impressive bird list, and on any given morning 50+ species should be expected. We’ll spend the majority of the day in the interior here trying to track down some of the more sought after Yucatán endemics like Yucatán Woodpecker, Rose-throated Tanager, and Orange Oriole. Other highlights here might include Turquoise-browed Motmot, Keel-billed Toucan, Green-backed Sparrow, and Gray-throated Chat

In the afternoon, we will return to Puerto Morelos to relax for the evening and perhaps enjoy some time at the beach before the sunset on our first full day birding in Mexico.

Night in Puerto Morelos

Day 3 - Mon, Jan 18 Isla Cozumel Endemics

We’ll catch the 7:00 AM ferry to Cozumel Island this morning which takes about 45 minutes. The main targets here include 4 endemics with the Cozumel Emerald, Cozumel Vireo, Black Catbird and Yucatán Vireo all possible.  Aside from the classified endemics, the island hosts a number of island subspecies found nowhere else like Cozumel House Wren, Banaquit, Western Spindalis, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and the "Golden" subspecies of the Yellow Warbler. We'll spend most of the morning visiting several sites on the island, before having a late lunch, and catching the 3:00 PM ferry back to the mainland.  Today will end up being a long day as we have a 3-hour drive to Rio Lagartos for the night. We'll have dinner upon arriving, before calling it a night.

Night in Rio Lagartos

Day 4 - Tue, Jan 19 The Flamingos of Rio Lagartos

Today we should see no shortage of American Flamingos. While the greatest concentrations of this species lie much further west, here at Rio Lagartos we should have great looks at this species while we scavenge for other specialty birds. The mangroves hold treasures like Mangrove Vireo and Mangrove Cuckoo. With a little searching we may uncover small numbers of Boat-billed Herons or even Russet-naped Wood-Rails. 

During the heat of the day we will take a break that allows you to explore the small Pueblo (town), watch the hummingbird feeders at our hotel, go fising with a local guide, or take a siesta in your room! After dinner we'll board boats in the dark to seek out the endemic Yucatán Nighjar that calls the mangroves here home. The boat ride offers a unique experience as bioluminescence in the water is set off by our boats passing. All in all this is a can't miss part of the tour!

Night in Rio Lagartos

Day 5 - Wed, Jan 20 Chichén Itzá

While the title for today is the most iconic archeologicla site in Mexico, it is just a small portion of today's activity. We will start things off in Rio Lagartos, focusing on the birds of the scrub forest and degraded farms just inland from the coast. The scrub lined back roads are where we’ll come across the more subtle specialty birds here. Endemics like Yucatán Wren should be picked up, while it is possible to find the Yucatán Gnatcatcher. Lesser Roadrunner hunt from the small trees here, while Mexican Sheartail display on the barren limbs. Overhead Crested Caracara, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, or Laughing Falcon are possible. 

Following a lare breakfast we will make our wayt to Chichén Itzá, a major focal point in the Northern Maya Lowlands from 600 to 1200 AD. The site exhibits a multitude of architectural styles seen in central Mexico and of the Puuc and Chenes styles of the Northern Maya lowlands. The Maya name "Chichen Itza" means "At the mouth of the well of the Itza." While the birding here is slower a handful of specialties we’ll be looking for include: Bat Falcon, Yellow-winged Tanager, and Blue-gray Tanager.

Late in the afternoon we’ll transfer 2 hours south across the peninsula to Felipe Carrillo Puerto for the night. After dinner we’ll spend several hours working on trying to track down various nocturnal birds found here. Endemic Yucatán Poorwill call this area home, while Common Pauraque and Northern Potoo are also present. This area also represents the best location in the Yucatán for Mottled Owl and Middle American Screech-Owl.

Night in Felipe Carrillo Puerto

Day 6 - Thu, Jan 21 Felipe Carrillo Puerto & Camino Vigía Chico

The road through the jungle here boasts a location list of more than 300 species, many of which we’ve already encountered, but providing backup opportunities for many before our time in the jungles comes to an end. While there are no guarantees some really amazing birds occur here, and you never know what you will end up seeing on any given day. We will focus our efforts on endemics like the Yellow-lored Parrot (a.k.a. Yucatan Parrot) and the Yucatan Flycatcher. Many Central American species reach their northern limits here and some possible finds might include Black-faced Antthrush, Barred Antshrike, Long-billed Gnatwren, Yellow-billed Cacique, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, and Blue Bunting.

We'll take a mid-day break before some light birding in the afternoon, dinner, and a second chance for nocturnal birds for anyone interested.

Night in Felipe Carrillo Puerto

Day 7 - Fri, Jan 22 Camino Vigía Chico & Muyil

We will give ourselves another morning at Camino Vigia Chico given the incredible birding possible here. With any luck we'll stumble onto something unexpected, or jsut something less expected like Scaled Pigeon, Blue Ground-Dove, Pheasant Cuckoo, or Pale-billed Woodpecker.

We'll continue north an hour to the ruins at Muyil where an intersting mix of possibilities makes this a worth while stop on our tour. Both Black-headed Trogon and Collared Trogon are possible, while Lesson's Motmot are known to nest here. One of the main draws is the chance for a variety of woodcreepers. On our last tour we hit the jackpot with 4 species: Olivaceous, Tawny-winged, Ruddy, and Ivory-billed Woodcreepers. Flocks of North American Wood Warblers are not uncommon here either--while enigmatic jungle flycatchers like Eye-ringed Flatbill and Yellow-olive Flycatcher are possible as well.

After a late lunch in Tulum, we'll head inland to Coba and take a short afternoon break before continuingour birding around the Lake here until dark. With any luck we will track down Ruddy Crake, Gray-crowned Yellowthroat, Puprle Gallinule, Limpkin, and Ringed Kingfisher. The lake acts as somewhat of a trap for other waterbirds ont he penninsula and rarities like Bare-throated Tiger-Heron (which we found on our 2020 tour) and Spotted Rail are possible.

After dinner we may do some owling nearby for those interested.

Night in Coba

Day 8 - Sat, Jan 23 Coba

Since we will have to wait for the archeological site to open we will spend the first couple hours of daylight birding around the lake, targeting anything we may have missed the previous evening. The morning light often allows for some great photo opportunities. Some of the more active morning species like Collared Aracari, Rose-throated Becard, and Black-cowled Oriole are all possible near town.

Once the site opens, we'll move into the interior of the forest near the ruins and shift our efforts to some real amazing species. With any luck we may track down the incredible Ocellated Turkey or Pheasant Cuckoo, or any of the 3 trogons routinely found here: Black-headed Trogon, Gartered Trogon, and Collared Trogon. This area is one of the best spots to locate Lesson’s Motmot and Turquoise-browed Motmot as well as a handful of amazaing woodcreepers

After lunch, we'll head back towards Cancun where we'll check into our hotel, then have our final dinner together, recapping the previous week of phenomenal birding

Night in Cancun

Day 9 - Sun, Jan 24 Relax and Depart

This morning we will have breakfast together, before helping everyone find their way back to the airport for their respective flights home. For those with flights later in the day you could plan an outing for the morning, or just spend the day relaxing at the pool. We will provide transfers for everyone back to the airport 3-hours before their departure.

End of Tour

What’s Included Here’s what we’ll provide on this tour.

What’s Not Included Here’s what you’ll need to bring.

Endemic Birds 14 Species +

Pace of Tour Fairly Relaxed but Steady

Difficulty Easy

Accomodations Accommodations on this tour are basic and comfortable

Photography Birding 1st, Photography 2nd

Climate The Yucatán is warm and humid in January

Travel Requirements A valid passport is required