Belize and Guatemala: The Mayan Route 16 to 25 March, 2013
8 Places Available Price: US$2850
Species of Interest
Tour Gallery
Species of Interest
- Great Tinamou
- Slaty-breasted Tinamou
- Crested Guan
- Great Curassow
- Ocellated Turkey
- Wood Stork
- Jabiru
- Roseate Spoonbill
- Bare-throated Tiger Heron
- Agami Heron
- Anhinga
- Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture
- King Vulture
- Swallow-tailed Kite
- Double-toothed Kite
- Snail Kite
- White Hawk
- Black-collared Hawk
- Montane Solitary Eagle
- Black Hawk-Eagle
- Black and White Hawk-Eagle
- Ornate Hawk-Eagle
- Collared Forest Falcon
- Bat Falcon
- Orange-breasted Falcon
- Scarlet Macaw
- Red-lored Amazon
- Yellow-crowned Amazon
- Stygian Owl
- White-collared Swift
- Long-billed Hermit
- Violet Sabrewing
- Azure-crowned Hummingbird
- Slaty-tailed Trogon
- American Pygmy Kingfisher
- Green Kingfisher
- Tody Motmot
- Rufous-tailed Jacamar
- Keel-billed Toucan
- Yucatan Woodpecker
- Chestnut-colored Woodpecker
- Pale-billed Woodpecker
- Strong-billed Woodcreeper
- Mayan Antthrush
- Stub-tailed Spadebill
- Plumbeous Vireo
- Yucatan Jay
- Green Jay
- Plain Wren
- Black-headed Siskin
- Grace’s Warbler
- Rufous-capped Warbler
- Montezuma Oropendola
- Hepatic Tanager
- Black-headed Saltator
- Painted Bunting
For many, the words “Mayan Empire” evoke images full of mystery and beauty: from majestic temples nestled in thick jungles, to intricate carvings and calendars, even to the mysterious decline of their civilization. Its rulers dominated northern Central America through agriculture and trade, building huge city-states where hundreds of thousands of people lived, leaving a rich legacy to the rest of the world.
The Mayan culture is fascinating in itself, and its appeal is only heightened by the great biodiversity that this region offers. The route that we propose will combine a bit of history and culture with a lot of birding and wildlife watching. For those new to the region, this will be an excellent introduction to Neotropical birds. For those familiar with the area, we hope that this tour will offer you the opportunity to observe some harder- to-see species. Most of our time will be spent in Belize, a tiny country with a wide range of activities for the outdoor enthusiast.
On our tour, we will travel to wetlands and rivers, jungles and forest. The Wood Stork, Jabiru, Snail Kite and the Yellow-crowned Amazon will await us in the mangroves of Crooked Tree, listed as a RAMSAR site since 1998. In the pine forests, we will search for some of those birds that are more difficult to find throughout much of the rest of their distribution. The Orange-breasted Falcon, King Vulture, Black-and-white hawk-Eagle and Solitary Eagle are some of the most desired species of the Mountain Pine Ridge. We will venture into the expansive Chiquibul Forest where a population of Scarlet Macaws still survives. Though rare, there is always the possibility of encountering an Tapir, Ocelot, Margay or even a Jaguar at many points along our travel route.
Towards the end of our trip, we will journey into Guatemala to visit Tikal - a place that everyone should visit at least once in their life. Tikal is not only a world famous archaeological wonder, it is also an ornithological paradise and is considered one of the world's best places to see birds. Great Tinamou, Great Curassow, Ocellated Turkey, Keel-billed Toucan and Chestnut-colored Woodpecker are just some examples of the over 400 species recorded in the park.
Throughout our journey, we will be staying in some of the best hotels in the region and enjoying excellent local and international cuisine. We will try to fill each day with new experiences, new species and new places of incomparable beauty. Our Mayan Route Tour is a delight to even the most demanding senses.
Trip Basics
Guide: Yeray Seminario
Single room suplement: 400$
Length: 10 days
Maximum people within the group: 8
Accommodation: Very comfortable hotels, among the best in the region
Food: Excellent all along the trip
Weather: It can be cool in the early morning and late in the evening. Hot at noon and high humidity
Difficulty: Low, short walks in mostly flat terrain. Longer walks in Tikal, which can be quite hot and humid
Itinerary
Day 1
Our point of departure will be the Belize City International Airport. Only a 40-minute drive away is Crooked Tree, one of the best places to see birds in the country. It is a RAMSAR site, with a number of interesting species such as Jabiru, which is almost a meter and a half tall, Wood Stork, Anhinga, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture and American Pygmy Kingfisher, among many other species. The large lagoon at the edge of the village is filled with birds, making it an excellent starting point for our trip. Overnight in Crooked Tree.
Day 2
We will get an early start this morning, beginning with a visit to the Lamanai ruins not far from Crooked Tree. This is an important Mayan site that dates back to the Pre-classical Period. We will walk past large temples and get close-up views of well-preserved reliefs etched into stone. The site is situated in the middle of a beautiful, well conserved jungle, next to the New River and is a wonderful place to see birds such as the Long-billed Hermit, Keel-billed Toucan, Mayan Antthrush or Stub-tailed Spadebill, among others. We will climb the highest temple with the hopes of spotting some raptors such as the Double-toothed Kite, Black Hawk-Eagle or the Ornate Hawk-Eagle. From there, we may get a chance to hear the loud guttural calls of the Howler Monkey, or perhaps even see a troop of them foraging in trees along the trails. In the evening, we will return to Crooked Tree where we will spend the night.
Day 3
Our last morning in Crooked Tree. We will start off the day walking the trails that criss-cross the small village. We will take advantage of the early morning light to stroll the area, observing birds at our leisure. This is the best place in Belize to see some of the Yucatan Peninsula specialties: the threatened Yellow-crowned Amazon, Yucatan Woodpecker or Yucatan Jay.
We will have an early lunch and then settle into the vehicle for the enjoyable drive to the western part of the country. In the afternoon, we will arrive at Roaring Creek. This is a beautiful site high in bird diversity.
Days 4, 5, & 6
We will enjoy an early morning walk along the trails that surround our hotel - a good chance to see some new species: Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Green Kingfisher or White Hawk among others. After lunch and a much-deserved rest, we will head to the Mountain Pine Ridge. There are few places like it in Central America. It is full of beautiful contrasts: pine forest that slopes abruptly into broad-leaf, flat trails the lead to rugged canyons - all interspersed with numerous creeks, pools and waterfalls. It is a great place to see such raptors as Laughing Falcon, Grey Hawk, Black Hawk-Eagle, Orange-breasted Falcon, Stygian Owl and, with luck, Black and White Hawk-Eagle and Solitary Eagle.
Days 7, 8, & 9
After breakfast we will begin our journey across the border into Guatemala.
There, we will visit the most famous ancient Mayan city: Tikal. Everything you have heard about Tikal doesn’t do it justice. It is a magical place. dotted with enormous Mayan temples, sculptures, and reliefs, all within one of the best conserved forest reserves in Guatemala. The temples are of the perfect height to give us a great vantage point for spotting raptors, toucans, oropendolas and other species that frequent the forest canopy. We will wake up early to enjoy the sunrise from the top of Temple IV. This is the time when many birds are active and we will continue to add new species to our ever-growing list. Apart from birds, we may see a wide variety of mammals including the curious Coatis that occasionally congregate close to the temples, and Spider Monkeys that move gracefully through the trees that surround the ancient plazas. We will spend the rest of the day walking many of Tikal National Park’s trails. We will be staying in one of the best hotels within the park, where we will have time to relax and enjoy the sounds of the jungle. In the afternoon of our last day in Tikal, we will cross the border again and return to Belize.
Day 10
Early in the morning, and depending on your departure time, we will make one more stop to visit a site that offers us the possibility of observing Short-tailed Hawk, Orange-breasted Falcon, White-crowned Parrot or Gartered Trogon. After breakfast, we will head to the Belize International Airport in Belize City where our trip will conclude.