Length of Tour
9-Days/8-Nights
Brief Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrive/Rio Bravo / La Milpa Lodge
Day 2 – Rio Bravo / La Milpa Lodge
Day 3 – Rio Bravo / La Milpa Lodge
Day 4 – Shipstern Wildlife Area
Day 5 – Shipstern Wildlife Area
Day 6 – Crooked Tree Sanctuary
Day 7 – Crooked Tree Sanctuary
Day 8 – Crooked Tree Sanctuary
Day 9 – Home
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrive Belize / Rio Bravo Conservation Area
Arrive and transfer to he Rio Bravo Conservation Area (RBCA) with birding along the way. The RBCA covers 5% of Belize’s land area and is a privately held wildlife sanctuary and research area. The La Milpa Station, named for the ancient Mayan ruins found on the site, offers great food a excellent accommodations in the same forest as the famous (and much more expensive) Chan Chich Resort. The birding is incredible with Crested Eagle being seen regularly! This is also the area Belize chose to release a pair of Harpy Eagles donated from the breeding program in Panama.
Day 2 – Rio Bravo / La Milpa Lodge
Birding the property around Rio Bravo is a great experience a dawn to dusk, and beyond, offers a multitude of species. Collared Forest Falcons, Ocellated Turkeys, Northern Potoos and a multitude of tanagers, honeycreepers and hummingbirds may be seen.
Night spotlighting may offer Spectacled Owl, Mottled Owl, Black-and-White Owl and a number of roosting passerines. We have also seen Jaguar, Margay, Jaguarundi, Kinkajou, Tapir and other mammals while spotlighting!
Day 3 – Rio Bravo / La Milpa Lodge
Todays birding will take us to the La Milpa ruins where the forest remains little disturbed and the birding is often interrupted by Black Howler Monkeys and Spider Monkeys! We always hope for an ant swarm here to bring in a number of tanagers and woodcreepers. More spotlighting will extend our day!
Day 4 – Drive to Shipstern Wildlife Area
After breakfast we will depart for Shipstern, having lunch along the way. Birding stops will keep us busy and we will arrive at our lodging in late afternoon.
Day 5 – Shipstern Wildlife Area
We will spend a full day enjoying locations around the Shipstern Wildlife Area in search of the Yucatan endemics and specialties!
Day 6 – Drive to Crooked Tree Sanctuary
After breakfast we will depart for Crooked Tree having lunch along the way. Birding stops will keep us busy and we will arrive at Crooked Tree Lodge late afternoon.
Our lodge sits quietly along the edge of the freshwater, seasonal lagoon. Here we can watch a multitude of wading birds, shorebirds and waterfowl. The surrounding savanna and wetlands offer excellent birding with many Yucatan Endemics.
Day 7 – Crooked Tree Sanctuary
We will explore the Crooked Tree Lagoon and Spanish Creek by boat in search of the many species of birds which inhabit this beautiful sanctuary. With low canopy logwood, turtlebone, provision tree and mangrove, good views of Yellow-tailed Oriole, Mangrove Vireo and Rufous-browed Peppershrike are very possible. The endangered Black Howler Monkey and Morelets Crocodile are also found here.
After lunch back at our lodge, we will explore the upper end of the island, a pine-oak savanna. Yellow-lored (Yucatan) Parrot, Yucatan Woodpecker and Yucatan Jay can be found in this open habitat.
Day 8 – Crooked Tree Sanctuary
Today we will boat up the New River to the Mayan ruins of Lamanai. We will see many bird species along the water’s edge (Jabiru, Norther Jacana, Black-collared hawk) as well as along the trails of the gallery forest surrounding Lamanai. The ruins of Lamanai are some of the best examples of the Mayan civilization. It was the last stronghold of this ancient civilization of which we know relatively little about. Here we have found Slaty-tailed and Collared Trogons, Double-toothed Kite, and Brown-hooded Parrot.
Day 9 – Depart for home
