MEXICO: Veracruz “River of Raptors”

Length of Tour

10-days/9-nights

Day 1: Arrive at Veracruz Airport/Transfer to Hotel Mocambo

Arrive at Veracruz City International Airport (airport code VER) to meet your guides and travel by van to Hotel Mocambo for an overnight along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.

DAY 2: Travel to Cardel & Cempoala / Hotel Bienvenido

Light birding walk at Hotel Mocambo gardens and beach, possible birds may include Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Great Kiskadee, Social Flycatcher, Buff-bellied Hummingbird as well as migrant songbirds and shorebirds. After breakfast, we’ll depart to Cardel for our first day of hawk watching at one of the River of Raptors two hawkwatch sites on the rooftop of Hotel Bienvenido.

After lunch, and only if the hawk flight is waning, we have a late afternoon visit to the Cempoala ruins, a pre-hispanic settlement of the Totanac culture.

DAY 3: Juan Angel beach & La Antigua/Hotel Bienvenido

This morning we’ll visit Juan Angel beach seeking Altamira Oriol, Scrub Euphonia, Aplomado Falcon and Fork-tailed Flycatcher plus shorebirds along of the river.

Lunch in Cardel and more hawk watching until it wanes, then a late afternoon visit to the small town of La Antigua to visit the ancient house of Hernan Cortez and other historical places, followed by a boat ride on La Antigua River to seek Ringed and Amazon Kingfishers, Rose-throated Becard and Common Black Hawk plus more shorebirds and wading birds.

PLEASE NOTE: Each day’s plans may change along the way as weather, bird and wildlife activity, or other conditions insist. However, plan on early days and late evenings… and lots of fun. You can sleep when you get home!

Day 4: Villa Rica beach & Chichicaxtle/Hotel Casabella

Early morning visit to Villa Rica, a small coastal village where Hernan Cortez made first contact with the Totonacs, to look for White-fronted and Yellow-headed Parrots, Laughing Falcon, Crested Cararaca, White-bellied Whistling Duck and many migrant songbirds and shorebirds at the nearby lagoon.

After a short visit to the Quiahuixtlan archeological site on the side of a hill overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, we’ll have lunch in Cardel and afternoon visit to the River of Raptors main hawk watching site, Chichicaxtle. We will then travel to Coatepec city to enjoy some birding in the highlands of Veracruz before dinner.

Day 5: Coatepec & Xalapa/Hotel Casabella

Our first birding walk in Xalapa will be at the Macuiltepetl Ecological Park that surrounds an extinct volcano in the middle of the city. In the beautiful cloud forest there, we will search for the Blue Mockingbird, Blue-crowned Motmot, Golden-crowned Warbler, Slate-throated Redstart and Green Jays. Many migratory warblers also can be found in the area.

Around noon we will visit the Anthropological Museum of Xalapa where some of the best displays in the world from the Olmec and Totonacan cultures can be seen.  Some local cuisine for lunch and then a late afternoon visit to Texolo waterfalls (depending on accessibility, which varies with weather) or Xalapa’s Botanical Garden, where White-crowned Parrot, Bananaquit and Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch are possible.

Day 6: Veracruz highlands/Hotel Casabella

On this day we will travel even higher in the mountains, to oak-pine forest to find Red Warbler, Crescent-chested and Golden-browed Warblers, White-eared Hummingbird and other pine forest birds. Lunch on our way back to Coatepec and then a well-earned evening of relaxation in town for you to roam or have a nap in the hotel before dinner.

DAY 7: Natura park & Chichicaxtle/Hotel Puente Nacional

This morning, we pack up and go to Parque Natura, a park just outside Xalapa with a mixture of old coffee plantations and restored cloud forest. Rusty Sparrow, Squirrel Cuckoo, Azure-crowned Hummingbird are among the birds that occur in this park as well as many migrant birds. Lunch in a little town on our way to Chichicaxtle for some more hawk watching and in late afternoon we travel back to Cardel. 

DAY 8: El Mirador/Hotel Imperial

El Mirador is an old hacienda dating back to the late 1800’s. In the morning, we will visit the hacienda’s “shade grown” coffee plantation that is mixed with patches of the original rainforest that is characteristic of the area. Keel-billed Toucan and Collared Aracari are resident here as well as Collared and Gartered Trogons.

Mid-morning picnic style brunch surrounded by birds and forest and on to look for Ivory-billed and Olivaceous Woodcreppers and much more. Then lunch and one last visit to one of the hawk watch sites before heading to Veracruz City.

DAY 9: Las Barrancas/Hotel Imperial

This morning we travel south to the grasslands and wetlands of Alvarado where, on the road to Las Barrancas we will search for Double-striped Thick Knees, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Pinnated Bittern, Snail Kite, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture and Mangrove Swallow.

Lunch at a local seafood restaurant before heading back to Veracruz City for a free afternoon to rest and pack or to walk the zocalo and malecon to shop for souvenirs. Dinner at a traditional restaurant nearby.

DAY 10: DEPARTURE DAY

Plan departure flights at any time today, your airport transfer will be planned accordingly.

NOTES

Cost

Cost is $3,950 per person, based upon double occupancy, from Veracruz City, Veracruz, Mexico (Airport code VER.
This trip ends in same as arrival city (Airport code VER).

Cost Includes

Included in the cost are airport transfers, all accommodations, meals, transportation, boat rides, entrance fees and services of your professional leader(s).

Cost does not Include

Not included in the cost are flights to/from destination city [VER], trip insurance, any Covid related costs, alcoholic drinks, items of a personal nature or anything that is not specifically mentioned in the itinerary.

Minimum Number

If fewer than the minimum number of participants are registered the trip can still run with a small-group supplement fee per person determined by the number of participants.

Single Supplement

If a single hotel room is preferred, or we are unable to find a suitable roommate for you, a single supplement fee of $550 will be assessed.

NOTE: For boat-based tours, see pricing options for single cabins. Single cabin cost includes the single hotel cost above.

Minimum Number

If fewer than the minimum number of required participants are registered, we may still be able to run the trip by adding a small-group supplement fee, per person, determined by the number of participants registered.

Deposit Requirements

A $1,000 deposit per person is required to hold each space on this tour. Deposit may be made online by clicking the "Book Your Trip Now" button and using any credit card. If you prefer, you may call us at 888-875-9453 to pay by phone. You may also mail us a check, however, remember that all space is held on a first come-first served basis as deposits are received.

How to Book

In order to hold your space, click the "Book Your Trip Now" button above and complete the deposit process, including payment of the deposit through our Paypal portal using ANY CREDIT CARD. Upon completion of deposit, please visit our secure, online CLIENT INFORMATION FORM to complete your registration.

Final Payment

For all land-based tours: full payment by check is due 120 days prior to the departure date.

For all boat-based adventure cruises of 7-days or longer: full payment by check is required 180 days prior to departure.

NOTE: If you prefer to use credit card for final payment, a 3% fee may be added to cover the credit card merchant fees we incur.

LODGING

Hotel Mocambo, Veracruz

A great location to rest a bit after arrival in Veracruz, the sprawling grounds are terraced with lush gardens. The large outdoor pool is very inviting. Although a historic building, all rooms are airconditioned.

Hotel Bienvenido, Cardel.

Home to one of the two Pronatura hawk watch count sites on the hotel’s rooftop, just a short elevator ride away, (or stairs for those interested in some exercise). The rooms are small, but with A/C and hot water. The air-conditioned restaurant has very good local fare and excellent seafood.

Hotel Casabella, Xalapa

This wonderful boutique hotel, with all the expected amenities, is located in the central mountainous area of ​​the State of Veracruz, at an altitude of about 4000 ft.

Hotel Puenta Nacional, Cardel
A beautiful, luxury hotel in the side of the mountain surrounded by forest. Spacious rooms with all the expected amenities plus a large pool.

Hotel Imperial, Veracruz City

A converted historical building with spacious rooms, with all the amenities. We will be close to the airport as well many wonderful restaurants. From here we also have easy access to the nearby wetlands to explore for our final day in Mexico.

Activity Level Rating: 3 (Note: 1 is easy and 5 is difficult)

Walking / Terrain / Fitness:
Walking will be at a slow pace, and no more than 2-5 miles a day. Please be aware that there will be walking/hiking over uneven terrain, occasionally slippery rocks, and pathways through woods in tropical heat or wet conditions in particular at Xalapa.
You must be in good health and physically able to keep up with the group in the ordinary course of these field activities. There is a steady climb in the park at Xalapa along a smooth paved path, which culminates in a dirt path down into the caldera. The rest of the tour is likely to be on flatter ground.

• Good quality binoculars!
• Scopes are optional as your guides will each have a scope.

Recommended Field Guides

Birds of Mexico & Central America; Ber Van Perlo (Princeton University Press)

Raptors of Mexico and Central America (Princeton University Press, 2017)

by William S. Clark & N. John Schmitt

Non-smoking Tour

This trip is for non-smokers only. Smoking is not permitted at any time during our tour.

Transportation

We will using a 12 or 15-passenger van, driven by the leader (s). If the group size is smaller, a mini-van may be used.

River of Raptors Data

Keep up with the daily and seasonal River of Raptors count data at the 2 sites in Veracruz.
– Cardel
– Chichicaxtle

Climate / Weather

The weather along the coastal birding sites can be quite hot and humid with temperatures reaching the low 90’s. In the highlands outside of Xalapa daytime temperatures could dip down to the cool 40-50’s. Since our stay in Veracruz occurs at the end of the rainy season, we should not encounter too much rain and when it does rain it often lasts for only a portion of the day. Of course one can expect at least some rain in the cloud forest!

Purchasing Flights

Do not purchase your flights until the trip has been confirmed to go.

Detailed Trip Information

Upon notification that final payment is due (120 days prior to departure for land based tours / 180 days for boat based tours), you will receive a trip package of detailed information for your tour.

Any additional information about the trip, including lodgings, contacts, participants, meeting locations, etc., will sent about 2 weeks prior to the trip departure, or after final payment is received for late registrants.

Travel Insurance

As with all tours, we recommend purchasing Travel Insurance to help cover your investment, for covered reasons. Please see our section on Travel Insurance.

Passport & Visa

US Citizens may require a visa to enter certain foreign countries. See above for any required visa information.

Participants arriving to the USA from a foreign country may need to get a travel visa to enter the United States. Be sure to check the requirements for your country of origin.

Itinerary Changes

The trip itinerary is developed many months ahead of time. Occasionally, despite our best planning, changes may occur during the trip, or we may be forced to alter our plans. Changes may occur because of weather, road conditions, safety concerns or other circumstances. In these situations, it is the leader(s) responsibility to carefully consider and implement appropriate alternatives. Any additional costs incurred because of changes will be the responsibility of each individual participant. Refunds will not be issued as a result of itinerary changes.

TRIP REPORTS

2024 eBird Trip Report VERACRUZ

2018 eBird Trip Report VERACRUZ

2014 Trip Report VERACRUZ

2013 Species Recorded VERACRUZ

2011 Trip Report VERACRUZ

2010 Trip Report VERACRUZ

2004 Trip Report VERACRUZ