Cuba’s Endemic Birds
February 8 - 17, 2026
Your place on this Venture is reserved when your completed registration form and deposit of $700/person has been received. Deposit may be made via the ‘book now’ button above, or by contacting the Ventures office. We cannot take credit cards for so please send your check, or money order (payable to ‘VENTURES BIRDING’) to PO Box 1095, Skyland, NC 28776.
Please print out the registration form on the Book Now button, fill it out and send it back to us.
This Venture is limited to 10 participants.
We have partnered with Caribbean Conservation Trust, Inc. (CCT) to bring you this exclusive 10-day birding conservation program to Cuba, the Caribbean’s largest and most ecologically diverse island nation. This itinerary has been designed to take travelers to Cuba’s most beautiful national parks, biosphere reserves, and unique natural areas in search of the island’s 27 endemic birds and will provide insights into fascinating aspects of Cuban culture, history, and daily living.
Our program begins in Cuba’s Western Mountains, a spectacular landscape dominated by towering, lushly-vegetated, flat-top limestone monoliths called ‘mogotes.’ Endemic birds such as Cuban Solitaire, Cuban Grassquit, Cuban Pygmy-Owl, Cuban Tody, and Cuban Trogon will be among our many targets in this region. Next, we’ll explore the Zapata Peninsula, an area covering more than 2,800 square miles and featuring easily accessible, Everglades-like wetland habitat. Bordered by the pristine coastal environment of the notorious Bay of Pigs to the east, the peninsula contains vast open swampland, low coastal forests, sparkling white sand beaches, healthy coral reefs, and refreshing limestone pools (cenotes). Here, the world’s smallest bird, the Bee Hummingbird, resides, along with other endemics such as Cuban Black Hawk, Zapata Wren, Zapata Sparrow, and Blue-headed and Gray-fronted Quail Doves. We then head north to Cayo Coco and Cuba’s Atlantic Archipelago. These previously uninhabited and relatively unexplored barrier islands provide yet further excellent birding opportunities. Cuban Gnatcatcher, Oriente Warbler, Thick-billed Vireo, West Indian Whistling Duck, and Gundlach’s Hawk, as well as numerous shorebirds and aquatic birds, can be found here. After a couple of days at Cayo Coco on the coast we will drive to Camaguey. We finish with a splash of culture in Camaguey, one of Latin America’s best preserved colonial cities.
Join us for this memorable and educational exploration of Cuba and its natural riches, beautiful landscapes, and culture.
Cost of Cuba Birding Program:
$4,800 per person from Havana, based on double occupancy. Single supplement - $450
Includes: All ground transportation in Cuba, all accommodation, meals, entrance fees, information packet & bird checklist, guide/leader service throughout.
Not included: Airfare to Miami; Air tickets to Havana from Miami and returning to Miami from Camaguey; Cuban Visa ($85 ONO) and Cuban health insurance (required by law and approximately $3 per day); alcoholic beverages, tips/gratuities, laundry, and other items of a personal nature.
Birds We Hope to See
Cuban endemics – Bare-legged Owl, Cuban Oriole, Bee Hummingbird, Blue-headed Quail-Dove, Gray-fronted Quail-Dove, Cuban Black Hawk, Cuban Blackbird, Cuban Bullfinch, Cuban Gnatcatcher, Cuban Grassquit, Cuban Green Woodpecker, Cuban Parakeet, Cuban Pygmy-Owl, Cuban Solitaire, Cuban Tody, Cuban Trogon, Cuban Vireo, Fernandina’s Flicker, Gundlach’s Hawk, Cuban Nightjar, Red-shouldered Blackbird, Oriente Warbler, Yellow-headed Warbler, Zapata Wren, and Zapata Sparrow.
Other species of interest: West Indian Whistling-Duck, American Flamingo, Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill, Crested Caracara, Stygian Owl, Cuban Parrot, Great Lizard Cuckoo, Smooth-billed Ani, Cuban & Palm Crows, West Indian Woodpecker, Cuban Emerald, Plain Pigeon, Key West & Ruddy Quail Doves, Zenaida Dove, Red-legged Thrush, Bahama Mockingbird, Giant & Loggerhead Kingbirds, La Sagra’s Flycatcher, Cuban Pewee, Thick-billed Vireo, Olive-capped Warbler, Western Spindalis, Tawny-shouldered Blackbird, and many more.
