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HONDURASEASY! TROPICAL WINTER SPECIAL
February 18 - 26, 2024
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Honduras, in the heart of Central America, offers incredible landscapes, pristine cloud forests, dry tropical rainforests, rugged mountain ranges, a stunning coastline, and fantastic birding. A bird-filled country with more than 90 protected areas and large swaths of natural forest cover, the natural diversity of Honduras offers the perfect winter birding getaway.
At
least 770 bird species
have been
recorded in 
Honduras,
including the stunning Crimson-collared
Tanager and
the endemic Honduran
Emerald (Photos:
Gina Nichol) and
range restricted
species like
Wine-throated
Hummingbird,
Keel-billed
Motmot, Black-throated
Jay,
Highland
Guan,
and Green-breasted
Mountain Gem.
We've
arranged
this
special
tour
to
focus
on the avifauna
of
the country's
north
coast
and mountains at
an
easy
pace, with
stays
at two wonderful
lodges.
Join
us for a winter
birding getaway
in warm,
friendly,
birdy
Honduras!
ITINERARY
Day
1: Arrival and
transfer to Panacam Lodge
Plan
on arriving today at San
Pedro Sula International
Airport in northwest Honduras
(Airport code: SAP). On
arrival we will meet and
take our transfer to the
secluded Panacam Lodge,
a naturalist’s
paradise nestled in the
mountains of Meambar
Blue Mountain National
Park at
2500 feet about
two hours south of SAP.
Depending
on our arrival time,
we
well
do some late-afternoon
birding in the gardens
of the lodge. This afternoon
we hope to have our
first
chance
to
see the regional endemic
Keel-billed
Motmot (Photo:
Gina Nichol) and
we can
also try
for Little
Tinamou
and Mayan Antthrush.
Other
species possible around
the
lodge
include Golden-olive
Woodpecker, Buff-throated
Saltator,
Rusty Sparrow,
Long-billed Hermit,
Black-crested
Coquette
and others
that inhabit this
pristine
highland preserve.
Dinner
and overnight
at Panacam Lodge.
Day
2: Birding Panacam
Road and Lake Yojoa
Today
will be spent exploring
the trails and enjoying
the two observation towers
of Panacam Lodge and
Meambar
Blue Mountain National
Park.
The habitat here is a lush
mix of low-mid elevation
rainforest and tropical
pine-oak forest. Among
the avian highlights that
we’ll
be going after are Crimson-collared
Tanager, Sungrebe (Photo:
Steve Bird),
Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner,
Sepia-capped
Flycatcher, Bat Falcon,
Swallow-tailed Kite,
Gartered Trogon, Northern
Barred Woodcreeper,
Wedge-billed
Woodcreeper, Short-billed
Pigeon, Long-billed
Gnatwren,
and Cabanis's (Plain)
Wren.
We
begin the day with some
pre-breakfast birding near
the lodge for the handsome
White-faced
(formerly Prevost’s)
Ground-sparrow (Photo:
Gina Nichol) and
muted
Green-backed Sparrow,
the
first of many endemics
of 
northern Central
America
possible on this itinerary.
The edges of this broadleaf
rain forest lead to
Embalse
de Yure, one of the
best
spots in the area to
try
for Sungrebe and other
water species. We will
make a stop at Santa
Elena,
where
Black-headed Siskins
and
Grace’s
Warblers are present
in
these tropical pine
forest
habitats. We will have
a good chance to try
for
Spot-bellied Bobwhite
and many other grassland
species.
After a full morning on Panacam Road we will go for lunch and afterwards make a visit to Finca Luna del Puente and the shore of Lake Yojoa. Finca Luna del Puente is a secondary growth forest with cocoa, coffee and citrus plantations, and the numbers of birds in here are simply amazing. Some of the highlights include Northern Potoo, Green Jay, Tody Motmot, Slate-headed Tody Flycatcher, Great Horned Owl and many more.
After 3:00 pm we will head back to the lodge and relax by birding the very active hummingbird feeders at Panacam. Overnight at Panacam Lodge. Breakfast at Panacam. Lunch lake-side at Las Glorias. Dinner at Panacam.
Day
3: Birding El Cajon Reservoir
We’ll
begin this full day of birding
Honduras’ unique
dry forest habitat with
an early
breakfast
at Panacam Lodge, and departure
by 5:30 AM.
The
target of our search, the
beautiful but critically
endangered Honduran Emerald
survives only in remaining
pockets of intergrade tropical
dry and pine-oak forest
in the country, lying in
the “rain
shadow”,
or southern side of the
mountains here. This
unique
area, where cloud forested
peaks and pine studded
slopes give way to a
more
arid landscape, was once
dominated by tropical
thorn or dry forest.
Other targets are White-necked
Puffbird, Berylline Hummingbird,
Spot-bellied
Bobwhite, Elegant Trogon,
Lesser-ground
Cuckoo (Photo:
Gina Nichol) and
Lesser Roadrunner among
others.
Overnight at Panacam Lodge. Lunch at El Rancho. Dinner at Panacam Lodge.
Day
4: Birding Santa Barbara
National Park
We’ll make an early departure to Santa Barbara National Park, for a great taste of the beautiful, cloud forest bird species living in the surroundings of this park. Resplendent Quetzal (Photo: Gina Nichol), perhaps the most beautiful bird in the Americas, is found here and we'll hope to see this stunning green and red trogon as we bird the park. Flame-colored Tanager, Wine-throated Hummingbird, Bushy-crested Jay, Slate-colored Solitaire, Chestnut-capped Brush Finch, Blue-and-white Mockingbird and many others will also be our targets.
Afterwards, we descend again to the shores of Lake Yojoa, the largest lake in Honduras, for wetland species such as Northern Jacana, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, and Ruddy Crake. White-throated Flycatcher, an Empidonax flycatcher with poorly understood migratory movements, also occurs on the marshy banks of the lake.
Overnight Panacam Lodge. Breakfast at Santa Barbara. Lunch lake-side at Las Glorias. Dinner at Panacam.
Day 5: Transfer from Panacam to Indura
Today,
we explore the trail system
and new observation tower
accessible from Panacam
Lodge, keeping a sharp
eye and ear out for roving
feeding flocks that may
contain Cocoa and Northern
Barred-Woodcreeper, Buff-throated
Foliage-gleaner, and Golden-crowned
Warbler as well as an assortment
of migrant warblers. Afterwards,
we pack up and drive 2
hours to Indura Lodge, located
outside the beach town
of Tela on
the stunningly beautiful,
tranquil
northern coast of Honduras.
Caribbean breezes and lush
jungle on a 26 mile stretch
of Tela Bay with
the mountain backdrop
of the coastal mountains
make this
four
star
property
is one of the nicest lodges
in Honduras, particularly
for birders!
This afternoon everyone has time to enjoy the beach and swimming pools at this wonderful resort. Overnight Indura. Breakfast at Panacam. Lunch at Tio Dolmo. Dinner at Indura.
Day 6: Birding Lancetilla Botanical Gardens
Our
first day at Indura will
begin at 6:00 AM, with
an early breakfast and a
short drive to
Lancetilla,
just 10 minutes away. For
the next several hours
our guide will lead us
throughout
the gardens, spotting numerous
bird species that are common
in the early hours. Birding
on the edge of the broad,
flat entrance road will
offer a great diversity
of species.
Set
amidst a coastal valley
flanked by low forested
hills, The United Fruit
Company founded Lancetilla
as a station where tropical
fruit and wood trees were
studied for commercial
value. The Gardens were
founded in 1925 and some
of that work continues.
This diverse tropical treasure,
composed of a mosaic of
forest and edge habitats,
is today best known for
its superb birding.
The
annual
Honduras
Christmas
Bird
Count
is
held
at
Lancetilla
and
every
year
bird
watchers
add
to
the
Garden’s
growing
list
of
colorful
tropical
species
found
here.
The
current
bird
list
reads
like
a
who’s
who
of
tropical
birds
and
includes
motmots,
manakins,
woodcreepers,
warblers,
woodpeckers,
toucans,
tanagers,
and
scores
of
others.
In
the
lush,
diverse
habitats
of
the
garden,
a
typical
day
of
birding
here
could
yield
Little
Tinamou,
Common
Black
Hawk,
Ornate
Hawk-eagle,
Ruddy
Crake,
White-fronted
Parrot,
Red-lored
Parrot,
Squirrel
Cuckoo,
Black-headed
Trogon,
Collared
Trogon, Turquoise-browed
Motmot (Photo:
Gina
Nichol),
Blue-crowned
Motmot,
Rufous-tailed
Jacamar,
Great
Antshrike,
Barred
Antshrike,
Long-billed
Gnatwren,
and
a
host
of
other
resident
and
migrant
species.
Throughout
the morning we will bird
areas of tropical, secondary
and gallery forest and
plantation areas along the
Lancetilla River, Along
this route, diversity is
the rule and examples of
sightings include: Masked
and Black-crowned Tityra,
Tody
Motmot, Keel-billed
Toucan, Collared
Aracari (Photo:
Gina Nichol) Ferruginous Pygmy Owl,
Black-cowled Oriole,
Black-headed,
Gartered, Collared and
Slaty-tailed Trogon,
Royal
Flycatcher,
Green, Shining and Red-legged
Honeycreeper, several
species
of Hummingbird including
Crowned Woodnymph, Blue-throated
Goldentail, Violet Sabrewing,
Purple-crowned Fairy,
Stripe-tailed
Hummingbird, Brown Violet-ear,
Green Violet-ear and
White-necked
Jacobin.
We will have lunch in one of the restaurants located on the edges of the beach around Tela. In the afternoon we’ll return to the arboretum in Lancetilla, where we learn about the 100 year history of the gardens while birding these beautiful, lowland tropical surroundings. Usual encounters here are Black-headed Trogon, Band-backed Wrens, Northern Barred Woodcreeper, and Sepia-capped Flycatcher among others.
Overnight Indura. Breakfast Indura. Lunch at Cesar Mariscos. Dinner at Indura.
Day 7: Birding Laguna de Los Micos
After
breakfast we’ll
depart for Jeanette Kawas
National Park and a day
of birding by boat of
Laguna Los Micos. Laguna
Los Micos Wildlife Refuge
holds many canals, mangroves
and small islands which
serve as a refuge for
abundant flora and fauna,
including over 200 species
of tropical
birds. This area is one
of the main attractions
of Jeannette Kawas National
Park, and its home to
one of the most typical
Garifuna villages in Honduras,
Miami, where fishermen
still ply the sea in dugout
canoes and fish with cast
nets. Some of our
targets include the
American
Pygmy Kingfisher (Photo:
Gina Nichol),
Agami
Heron, Sungrebe, Bare-throated
Tiger Heron, Gray-headed
Kite and many more. (Note: we may opt for Cuero y Salado instead of Laguna de los Micos, depending on bird activity). After
all morning among
the
mangroves
we return to Indura
for lunch.
Late
in the afternoon we will
spend time birding around
the gardens and forests
of Indura. Overnight
Indura.
Breakfast,
Lunch and Dinner at Indura.
Day
8: Birding Rio Santiago
Rio Santiago Nature Resort is a 150 acre private preserve located 80 kilometers east of Indura. Its secluded, rain forest location and impressive numbers of hummingbird feeders has earned it the name of “Hummingbird Capital of Honduras”. Throughout most of the year, Santiago’s trails and main garden areas abound with bewildering numbers of some of Honduras’ most well-known hummingbird species.
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Brown Violet-ear, Band-tailed Barbthroat, Violet Sabrewing (Photo: Gina Nichol), Crowned Woodnymph, Stripe-throated Hermit, Long-billed Hermit, Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, White-bellied Emerald, and Scaly-breasted Hummingbird are among the 20+ species that frequent Santiago’s feeders. The trails system of Rio Santiago lead us into some of the Mesoamerican endemics such as Lovely Cotinga, Black-throated Shrike Tanager, Tody Motmot, White Hawk, King Vulture, Cocoa Woodcreeper and many more.
Overnight
Indura. Breakfast and Lunch
in the field. Dinner at
Indura.
Day
9: Departures
It’s
likely that you won’t
want to leave this wonderful
Lodge but if you must
you
will be taken to San Pedro
Sula International Airport
(1.5 hour drive) for your
departing
flight.
Photo below: Wine-throated Hummingbird (Photo by Steve Bird)
 HONDURAS! WINTER BIRDING GETAWAY February 18 - 26, 2024 Registration Form> TOUR PRICE: US$3495.00 per person from San Pedro Sula, Honduras (Airport code: SAP) based on double occupancy and a minimum of 8 clients. Single
supplement: US$695.00
per
person.
Subject
to
availability. Not included: International flight, passport fees, departure tax, insurance, drinks, laundry, tips, and items of a personal nature. Note: The tour price is based on a minimum of 8 passengers. If there are less than 8, a small group supplement may be charged. Also, any and all costs arising from pandemic or Covid-19 related issues are not included in the tour cost and are the sole responsibility of the traveler. These include, among others, the costs of Covid treatment, hospitalization, medical fees, transport, meals and accommodation in case of illness or quarantine, and the costs of any Covid tests needed before, during and after the tour.
Once the tour is confirmed to go ahead, we will send you information about booking your flights. Please do not book flights until you receive this information from us and are notified that the trip has sufficient numbers to run. Final payment is due November 18, 2023. **Please note: Tour prices are based on quoted costs from ground operators (in their local currency), estimated fuel costs, and the rate of exchange the time of itinerary publication. The erratic nature to global financial markets makes it difficult to predict changes in costs and foreign currency exchange rates over the long term. Since tours are priced well in advance of the actual operation of the tour, tour costs, fuel costs and exchange rates can change, sometimes drastically. Depending on the extent of such changes, it may be necessary to implement a surcharge on this tour. If a surcharge is necessary, every effort will be made to minimize the amount. Cancellations
and Refunds:
TRIP INSURANCE: PLEASE NOTE:
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