Classic Honduras Bird Watching Tour - 14 Days

Today we meet in the airport, I will take you too the hotel so you can rest and be prepare for the drive to Copan. We are going to have a welcome dinner this night.

4-hour drive to Copan, Honduras, with a few stops for gas, toilet service and to stretch our legs along the way. The border cross-ing into Honduras in the afternoon is usually quick and easy. Copán lies in a fertile valley traversed by the Copán river, boarded by hills covered in dry pine and mixed forests.

Nestled in the hills above the tranquil Copan Valley, Hotel Hacienda San Lucas is a 100-year old family-owned retreat uniquely situated directly above the world-renowned Maya ruins of Copan. Hacienda San Lucas is a 100-year old property that was converted into an ecolodge in 2000. Owned for many years by the Cueva family, the hacienda is situated on 300 acres of pristine tropical forest in Western Honduras, and overlooks the renowned Maya Ruins of Copan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The hacienda was lovinglyrestored by hand to its original design using only local materials, techniques and labor.

The UNESCO World Heritage site of Copán Ruínas offers a grand combination of Mayan history and a beautiful natural setting

including easily viewed Scarlet Macaws. Although not the largest Mayan city, Copán was the principal Mayan cultural center during the 400 years when the city was at the peak of its development. It was far ahead of other larger Mayan cities in its development of

sculpture, astronomy, and hieroglyphic writing. The Mayan city of Copán as it exists today is composed of a main

the complex of ruins with several secondary complexes encircling it.

The main complex consists of the Acropolis and five important plazas. From what is known today, the sculpture of Copán appears to have attained a high degree of perfection. The Acropolis, a magnificent architectural complex, appears today as a large mass of rubble that came about through successive additions of pyramids, terraces, and temples.

The world’s largest archaeological cut runs through the Acropolis. In the walls of the cut, it is possible to distinguish floor levels of previous plazas and covered water outlets. The construction of the Great Plaza and the Acropolis reflects a prodigious amount of effort because of the size of its leveled and originally paved expanse of three hectares.

We will have a guided tour through the ruins by a knowledgeable local specialist. After a full morning of archaeology, we will have some birdwatching opportunities around the grounds. The biological diversity found in the area surrounding Copan allows for excellent birding: White-throated Magpie-Jays, White-fronted Parrots, Elegant Trogon, Rufous-naped Wren, etc. are some of the species of interest here. We’ll then enjoy a delicious dinner at Hacienda San Lucas.

After breakfast, we drive to our hotel PANACAM Lodge. Once we are settled, we have time for af-ternoon birding around the Lodge in search for the Black-crested Coquette, Barred Forest- Fal-con, Collared Araçari, Keel-billed Motmot, Blue-crowned Motmot, Masked Tityra, Crimson- col-lared Tanager, Blue-crowned Chlorophonia, White-throated Thrush, Long-billed Hermit, Vio-let abrewing and more.

Starting early with coffee or tea, the morning will start with some birdwatching around the gar-dens and birding tower. Species such as Keel-billed Motmot, Northern-barred Woodcreeper, Black-crested Coquette, White-collared Swift, Lesson’s Motmot, and more. We’ll have breakfast at the hummingbird deck with a lovely view of the lake.

After that, we will keep birding for another hour or so and then head down to the lake, to El Cortijo del Lago, a great place for waterbirds, warblers, tanagers, hummingbirds, etc. And they serve excellent fish for lunch!After lunch, we will visit el Sendero la Naturaleza. This trail has many wonderful bird species such as Golden-hooded Tanagers, Olivaceous Piculet, Green Honeycreepers, and more.

Today we do a wonderful boat trip to the Lake, local fisherman take us in this great birding adventure searching for more great species such as the Masked Duck, Least Bittern, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Blackcrowned Tityra, Green-backed Sparrow, Rufous-breasted Spinetail, Grey-breasted Crake and others. We will have breakfast at the D&D Brewery. After breakfast we will visit different locations and after lunch we will visit Los Naranjos.

Visiting Los Naranjos Archaeological Park will give you an insight in the Lenca culture, all the while chasing a host of specialities such as the beautiful Rufous-naped Wren, Rufous- and-white Wren, and Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture. As we walk along the trails, we will be surrounded by Montezuma and Chestnut-headed Oropendulas, we are going to have dinner at the Lodge.

El Cedral will be or next location, Leonel Chavez is protecting a big extension of cloud forest, next to Santa Barbara National Park. Several special hummingbirds such the Wine-throated Hummingbird, Rivoli's Hummingbird, Green-throated Mountain-gem and of course opportunities to see the Resplendent Quetzal and other cloud forest species. We will wake up early and drive for about an hour, we will have breakfast at Leonel's place.

Eco-Finca Luna del Puente is a coffee and cocoa farm and a private nature reserve. Its main objective is protecting the environment by raising awareness of biodiversity and applying sustainable agroforestry practices. The finca has also created some excellent birdwatching trails, which we are more than happy to explore.

We will be on the lookout for Northern Potoos, Green Jays, Blue-throated Goldentails, Tody Motmots, White-collared Manakins, Prevost’s Ground-Sparrows, Yellow-billed Caciques, and more. As the owner of the Finca, Cecilia, also serves an excellent breakfast, we enjoy a traditional Honduran típico before going to El Cajon in the

Quest of the Honduran Emerald endemic bird of Honduras.

We have a long drive today. After breakfast we will drive to Pico Bonito Lodge. Will be a good chance to rest. We are going to stop in Tela for lunch in a Garifuna community, where we are going to enjoy a delicious fish or sea place at the beach.

Pico Bonito Lodge combines the adventure of the outdoors, the beauty of the rainforest, and the personal service of a boutique hotel. In this luxurious setting, we enjoy yet another splendid birding day, as the area offers an incredibly varied array of bird species such as Brown-hooded, White-fronted, and White-crowned Parrots, Little and Great Tinamous, Grey- chested Doves, Olive-throated Parakeets, Black-cheeked Woodpeckers, Wedge-billed and Cocoa Woodcreepers, Pal-try Tyrannulets.

Guatemalan Screech-Owls, Great Potoos, Violet-headed Hummingbirds, Purple-crowned Fairies, Slatytailed, Gartered, and Collared Trogons, Red-capped Manak-ins, White- and Grey-breasted Wood-Wrens, White-throated Thrushes, Olive-backed Euphonia, Kentucky Warblers, Keel-billed Motmot, Green Shrike-Vireos, and Black-faced Gros-beaks. And those are just a few examples. Lunch and Dinner at Pico Bonito Lodge. There were rumors that the lodge was close, but the place is open and ready to have your inn.

On the schedule today is a visit to Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge. We board the only train that is still functioning in Honduras – it dates to the times of the ‘Banana republic’ and was indeed used to transport bananas. What remains now is are two rickety little wagons racing over crooked rails. Lots of fun.

And excellent birding opportunities along the way: Glossy Ibis, Bat Falcon, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Blackcowled Oriole, Crested Caracara. At the visitors’ center, we board a motorboat that will take us onto the rivers and canals of the Cuero y Salado Mangroves. Top species that we will try to get good looks at here include Agami Heron, White-necked Puffbird, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Black-crowned Antshrike, and more. Lunch will be prepared by a local family upon our return from the boat ride.

Early in the morning we will drive to Nueva Armenia where we are going to have a day at the beach. The Cayos Cochinos are a group of small islands called Cayo Menor and Cayo Grande and over a dozen small coral cays situated about twenty miles away from the northern coast of Honduras. Although Cayos Cochinos are geographically separate islands, they still belong to the Bay Islands and are part of the municipality of Roatan.

They are still largely uninhabited, with just over a hundred people living on the Cayos. There are lots of tiny islands included in Cayos Cochinos, but when people talk about the Cayos they usually refer to the Cayo Menor and Cayo Grande. Both of these Cayos are declared biological marine reserves, thanks to the unique eco-environment. Even today, getting to Cayo Menor is only permitted for scientists and people that work for the Honduras Coral Reef Fund. Cayo Grande is an island where tourists can go, but it can be reached only by boat.

There is also an entrance fee charged for those that wish to visit Cayo Grande, and there are patrol rangers that constantly inspect

the area to ensure that regulations are followed and to protect these unique islands from damage. There are a couple of inhabited villages located on Cayos Cochinos. One is called the East End and the other one is Chachahuate. East End is a village of the local Garifuna people, while Chachahuate is a bit more primitive, but a nice community whose inhabitants come from Nueva Armenia, Jutiapa.

Cayos Cochinos are all managed by the Honduras Coral Reef Fund and are recognized as marine protected areas. The coral reef found here is part of the second biggest coral reef in the world – the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. On Cayo Menor, there is also a small scientific research center.

The archipelago of Cayos Cochinos is a unique destination for those travelers that want to escape from crowded and noisy resorts. There are no roads on Cayos Cochinos, which means there are no cars or bikes. Only boats serve as a way for transport. However, there is one nice hiking trail that connects the beaches and residences located on Cayo Grande.

At the highest peak of Cayo Grande, there is a lighthouse that can be accessed by walking through a scenic forest. Besides two fishing villages of Chachahuate and East End, at Cayos Cochinos there are about ten private residences and half a dozen homes spread on the thirteen smaller keys. The islands can be accessed by boats coming from La Ceiba, or by charter boats that go from Roatan or Utila. Cayos Cochinos are one of the most important parts of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, and its environment and waters have been protected as an ecological marine reserve since 1994.

There is a very rich flora and marine life that cover an area of almost five hundred square kilometers. Commercial fishing, as well as fish trapping, is forbidden within the marine park. However, local Garifuna inhabitants have permission to fish only with hand lines. In some specially designated areas qualified local Garifuna fishermen can also catch lobsters.

After breakfast, we are going to Tela where we are going to spend half a day birding at the Botanical Garden. Established in 1926 by the Fruit Company as an experimental garden to identify different species of fruit and hardwood trees that could be of economic interest to the company. Lancetilla quickly grew to become one of the biggest botanical gardens in the world.

It spans 1,681 hectares and includes an arboretum, experimental plantations, and abiotic reserve that is meant to preserve the natural vegetation of this part of Honduras. The botanical garden is also a great place to see birds such as Black-headed Trogon, Bright-rumped Atilla, Thick-billed Seedfinch, or the beautiful Scarlet-rumped Tanager are often spotted around the visitors’ center, and there is a huge colony of Montezuma and Chestnut-headed Oropendolas nesting in a tree nearby. Afterward, we have a wonderful lunch with the Garifuna people on the beach. In the afternoon, we go back to the hotel and go for a swim on the beach.

Overnight in Metro Hotel near La Lima in the airport area.

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