Oxaca Birding Tour:
8 days
Oaxaca is one of Mexico's most ethnically diverse states, that's why you'll be amazed by its culture, authentic food, and traditions unlike anywhere else in Mexico. It also distinguishes itself with its exceptional bird diversity, hosting nearly 750 species out of Mexico's total of 1100, including
~50 endemic species.
Oaxaca’s amazing diversity comes from its many different landscapes. From the mountains of the Sierra Norte and Sierra Sur, to the dry valleys and the coastal area. There we can find pine and oak forest, mountain shrublands, lowland dry forest, mangroves and a lot of bays good for shorebirds and seabirds.
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Day 1: Arrival day - Pick up in Oaxaca Airport
We will pick you up at Oaxaca City airport and transfer to the hotel in downtown. Depending on your arrival time we can plan to go birding in the afternoon. We will have dinner together and will review the itinerary of the trip and answer any questions you may have.
Day 2: Teotitlan del Valle and Yagul Archeological site
Teotitlan del Valle is a small mountainous town near Oaxaca City, located at 1.670 m over the sea level, surrounded by fields and mountain dry shrub lands. This site is known for its cultural heritage of textile crafting with natural dyes, as well as for its colonial beauty. There are different spots like Presa Piedra Azul, the road to Benito Juarez area, and Presita to spend the first part of the day. Here are high chances of finding the Oaxaca Sparrow and the Bridled Sparrow. Near that, there is a Zapotec archaeological site named Yagul, also an important birding site for the Beautiful Hummingbird or the Gray-breasted Woodpecker. ain targets: Gray-breasted Woodpecker Oaxaca Sparrow Bridled Sparrow Beautiful Hummingbird Dusky hummingbird Dwarf Vireo Pileated Flycatcher Ocellated Thrasher Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush Boucard's Wren and more
Day 3: Sierra Norte - La Cumbre Ixtepeji
La Cumbre is a natural state reserve near Ixtepeji town. In this park, we will walk along trails and paths through the pine-oak forest at an elevation from 2700 to 2900m over the sea level. Being a different ecosystem, this allows us to observe different species like the Dwarf Jay and many species from pine forests like the Red Warbler, the Gray-barred Wren, and the Collared Towhee. We can go birding during the morning on the road to the site and spend the day birding in the area. Main targets: Dwarf Jay Collared Towhee White-striped Woodcreeper Long-tailed Wood-Partridge Gray-barred Wren Russet Nightingale-Thrush Spot-crowned Woodcreeper Mountain Trogon Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo Fulvous Owl Mexican Whip-poor-will
Day 4: Montealban
Located 8 km from Oaxaca city, Monte Alban is the principal Zapotec ancient city, which is considered a World Heritage Site for its emblematic cultural and natural properties. This part of the Oaxaca Valley is characterized by its warm climate and moderate rainfall. We can arrive early in the morning to bird inside and near the archaeological site, which is usually very active for several birds, including the Ocellated Thrasher, Slaty Vireo, and the Pileated Flycatcher. We will drive in the afternoon to spend the night at San José del PacÃfico. Main targets: Slaty Vireo White-throated Towhee Ocellated Thrasher Blue Mockingbird Black Vented Oriole Pileated Flycatcher Happy Wren Elegant Trogon
Day 5: San José del Pacífico and road to Pluma Hidalgo
San José del PacÃfico, located at 2300m over the sea level, is a small town surrounded by forestry hills and mountains. This is a perfect place for some specialties like the Bumblebee Hummingbird, Garnet-throated Hummingbird and Hooded Yellowthroat. Then, we will start driving to Pluma Hidalgo. There are some spots along the road with high chances to see special species like the Blue-capped Hummingbird, Gray-crowned Woodpecker etc. These two magnificent sites are on our way to the coast line. Main targets: White-throated Jay Blue-capped Hummingbird Mexican Hermit Golden-crowned Emerald Red-headed Tanager Bumblebee Hummingbird Garnet-throated Hummingbird Hooded Yellowthroat Gray-crowned woodpecker
Day 6: Pluma Hidalgo and Huatulco
Pluma Hidalgo is a small town at 1200m over the sea level. There is a natural reserve dominated by cloud forest and it is known for the production of gourmet coffee. The quality of the coffee produced there is related to the region's climate: cool in the mornings and not too hot during the day. Some specialties of the area are the Northern Emerald Toucanet, the Mexican Hermit, and the Golden Vireo. Then, we will drive in the afternoon to continue birding at the National Park in Huatulco to search for nocturnal local species at the National Park like the Pacific Screech-Owl, Colima Pigmy Owl and the Northern Potoo. Main targets: Red-headed Tanager Happy Wren Red-breasted Chat Orange-breasted Bunting Cinnamon-rumped Seedeater Turquoise-crowned Hummingbird Flammulated Flycatcher Citreoline Trogon Russet-crowned Motmot Spot-breasted oriole Golden-cheeked Woodpecker White-lored gnatcatcher West Mexican Chachalaca Lesser Ground Cuckoo Rufous-naped Wren Golden Vireo
Day 7: Pelagic trip and Huatulco
Start really early in the morning to take a boat to travel offshore to get into pelagic waters. There's a high chance to see different pelagic species like the Least and Black Storm-Petrel, the Pink-footed Shearwater and the Wedge-tailed Shearwater, amoung others. After that, there would be enough time to get to Sendero Sanate, which is a hiking route near the Bay to search for some lowland species and specialties of the area, like the Flammulated Flycatcher. Main targets: Black Storm-Petrel Least Storm-Petrel Pink-footed Shearwater Galapagos Shearwater Wedge-tailed Shearwater Black-vented Shearwater Pomarine Jaeger Sabine's Gull Brown Booby Red-footed Booby Nazca Booby
Day 8: Huatulco missing targets/ optional drop off in airport
We will use this morning to search for the missing targets of the Huatulco area. Sendero Las Ninfas is a great option, we will have early lunch and then take you to the airport for your departing flight.
If necessary and better suited to schedules, we can plan the drop off for day 9 in the morning.
