Guatemalan Highlands & Tikal National Park
Quetzals, Guans, & Hummingbirds
November 12 – 22, 2020
Guatemala is a special place for birding and is home to a number of species not easily found elsewhere in Central America. On this 10-day Venture we first visit the southern highlands, where as many as 300 species are possible here, including the truly wonderful Resplendent Quetzal, Azure-rumped Tanager, Pink-headed Warbler, and the endangered Horned Guan, among many others.
Cost of Guatemala Venture $3,495 per person based on double occupancy from Guatemala City; Single supplement: $360 Price includes: All ground transportation, all accommodations, meals, service charges & gratuities (except for leaders & local guide), information packet & bird checklist, services of 1 Ventures guide and local guide throughout, round trip airfare from Guatemala City to Flores for Tikal leg Not included: Airfare to Guatemala City, alcoholic beverages, laundry service, tips/gratuities and any items of a personal nature
Though perhaps not as oft birded as its southerly counterparts Costa Rica and Panama, Guatemala is a special place for birding and is home to a number of species not easily found elsewhere in Central America. Despite being the most populated country in in the region, only about 2% of its total area is urbanized, leaving the vast remainder unspoiled and chocked full of natural & archaeological wonders. On this 10-day Venture we first visit the southern highlands, a region characterized by active volcanoes and montane and sub-tropical humid forest, and we will explore these habitats as well as beautiful gardens, shade-grown coffee plantations, and fincas for an array of bird species. As many as 300 species are possible here, including the truly wonderful Resplendent Quetzal, Guatemala’s national bird, as well as others with restricted ranges that do not occur outside the highlands of Guatemala and Mexico, such as the stunning Azure-rumped Tanager, Pink-headed Warbler, and the endangered Horned Guan, among many others.
We then spend an additional 3 days at Tikal National Park, situated in the far north of Guatemala in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, the second largest rainforest in the world after the Amazon. This is some of the best birding in the country and we’ll look to add another 250 species to our trip list in our short time here. Tikal offers not only a wealth of avian attractions (including such Yucatan endemics as Ocellated Turkey and Yucatan Jay) but cultural pursuits as well, and we will visit the Mayan ruins at both Yaxhá and Tikal.
Some of the Birds We Hope to See
Highlands: Mountain Trogon, Collared Trogon, Resplendent Quetzal, Blue-throated & Lesson’s Motmots, Emerald Toucanet, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Rufous-collared Robin, Blue-and-white Mockingbird, Azure-rumped Tanager, White-fronted Parrot, Crested Caracara, Laughing Falcon, Highland Guan, Horned Guan, Long-tailed Manakin, Rufous Sabrewing, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Berylline Hummingbird, Amethyst-throated Hummingbird, Pink-headed Warbler and much, much more!
Tikal: Ocellated Turkey, Yucatan Poorwill, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Yucatan Flycatcher, Yucatan Jay, White-bellied Wren, Orange-breasted Falcon, Black Catbird, Black-throated Shrike-Tanager; parrots, toucans, raptors and much more!