Tour Details

Join Travelian’s bird guide leaders and the region’s most knowledgeable local bird guide for an in-depth birding tour of Estado de Yucatan in comfort and safety as part of a small group of appreciative and interested travelers.

Become fascinated with the State of Yucatan, home to nearly 80% of the bird species registered for the entire three-state península bearing its name. Because of the high degree of endemism in both its fauna and its flora, Yucatan is a great place for enthusiastic wildlife viewers.

The tour’s first day will focus on uniting at our hotel in Merida, meeting one another, and getting together with our local bird guide for a presentation on the birds of the western peninsula. Our first day of birding will feature an Eco-Park in the morning and a small fishing port in the afternoon. Target birds include the Yucatan (Black-throated) Bobwhite, Lesser Roadrunner, Black Skimmer, and Reddish Egret.

The following day, we will emphasize birding at cenotes, the famous limestone sinkholes of the Yucatan. Some of our targets at the cenotes will be Yucatan Jay, Masked Tityra, and Rose-throated Tanager. While enjoying lunch at an old hacienda, we hope to see hummingbirds such as Canivet’s (Fork-tailed) Emerald and Buff-bellied Hummingbird.

We are next staying in the Uxmal area and birding around San Simon, where our target birds will include Barred Antshrike, Yucatan (Red-vented) Woodpecker, and Brown-crested Flycatcher. Afternoon birding near archeological sites and cornfields can produce a variety of Oriole species, including Altamira, Hooded, and Orange Orioles.

The Mayan culture of this area is still as inseparable from the natural environment as it was many years ago when the ancients gave high iconographic status to both representative and imaginative birds and assigned them various cultural meanings. Two more Mayan archeological sites on Day 5 of the tour will provide opportunities to see Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Blue-crowned Motmot, Black-headed Trogon, and Crane Hawk before we transfer to a hotel in Celestun and prepare for the next day’s coastal species.

This last day of birding will mainly occur on six-to-eight-person covered skiffs in the Celestun Biosphere Reserve. In this sizeable coastal wetland, freshwater from the estuary mixes with saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico. The undisputed five-star bird attraction is the American (Greater) Flamingo, numbering in the thousands, and accessible only by boat. Depending on their location and the water levels, we can come within 60 feet or less of some of these protected waterfowl. Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, American Pygmy Kingfisher, and Yucatan Wren will also be targeted. After a beach lunch, the tour returns to Merida in preparation for your next day’s travel to your next adventure, which we hope may be Travelian’s Yucatan Culture Tour, starting that day in Merida!!

Travel in comfort and safety and admire Yucatan’s rich history and exuberance of nature with Travelian’s expert, friendly guides on this tropical birding adventure!

 

Itinerary

DAY 1 - TRAVEL DAY TO MERIDA

Fly to Merida from BJX Airport—Aeromexico 153, departing at 11:30 am and arriving at 4:30 pm (scale in Mexico City, time between flights 2 hours).
Travelers flying from the US/CAN/Eurpe can meet us at Merida Airport at 5:00 pm or at our hotel in Merida.
Check into the hotel. At 6:00 pm, meet the Travelian guides in the lobby for orientation about the tour. Then, have drinks* and dinner* at our hotel's restaurant. (Travelers of the Yucatan's Splendor Tour will meet us for dinner).

Included Meals: None.
Overnight in Merida.

 

DAY 2 – SIHUNCHEN & CHUBURNA FOR BIRdING

6:30 am Breakfast at our hotel. Depart for birding at Parque Sihunchen. Enjoy lunch* at Progreso. We continue birding at Chuburna. Return to hotel. Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant for dinner*.

Included Meals: Breakfast.
Overnight in Merida.

 

DAY 3 - BIRDING NEAR CENOTES

6:30 am Breakfast at our hotel and check out. Depart for birding at San Antonio Mulix. Visit Hacienda San Pedro Ochil and have lunch*. We continue birding at Uxmal Area. Check into the hotel. Relax in the hotel and walk to a nearby restaurant for dinner*.

Included Meals: Breakfast.
Overnight in Uxmal.

 

DAY 4 - UXMAL BIRDING

6:30 am Breakfast at our hotel. Depart for birding at San Simon. Enjoy lunch* at Uxmal Restaurant. We continue birding at the Labna area and Santa Elena corn fields. Return to the hotel and have dinner*.

Included Meals: Breakfast.
Overnight in Uxmal.

 

DAY 5 – DOXKINTOK & CHUNCUCMIL FOR BIRDING

6:30 am Breakfast at our hotel and check out. Depart for birding at Oxkintok Archeological area. Enjoy lunch* at Maxcanu. We continue to Celestun. Stop for birding at Chunchucmil. Arrive in Celestun, check into the hotel, and have dinner*.

Included Meals: Breakfast.
Overnight in Celestun.

 

DAY 6 - BIRDING IN CELESTUN AND RETURN TO MERIDA

6:30 am Breakfast at our hotel and check out. Depart for birding birding & flamingos. Enjoy lunch* in Celestun. Depart for Merida. Check into our hotel in Merida and relax. That evening, meet in the lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant for our farewell dinner*.

Included Meals: Breakfast.
Overnight in Merida.

 

DAY 7 - TRAVEL DAY TO OTHER DESTINATIONS

Breakfast at the hotel depends on each traveler's plans for departure.
Travelian guides will depart from hotel at 8:30 am and fly to BJX Airport on Aeromexico 528 flight, with a layover in Mexico City (time between flights 2 hrs. 15 min) arriving into BJX Airport at 4:50 pm.
Travelers may choose to stay longer in Merida. We will do our best help you with your travel connections.

Included Meals: Breakfast.

 

* This itinerary is subject to changes without prior notification.
* Meals marked with an asterisk are not included in the tour's fee.

Our updated list of Recommended Items to Bring is available here.