TOM'S HOME PAGE SOUTH AFRICA Sept/Oct 2008 OAXACA March 2009 NORTHERN ECUADOR Feb 2009 SOUTHERN ECUADOR Jan 2009
Below are some photo highlights of the 2008 trip - many images courtesy of Lily Shuster - thanks Lily!
Boat-billed Heron
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Bare-throated Tiger Heron
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Sunset on Manialtepec Lagoon
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Oaxaca City streetscape |
Oaxaca City Cathedral interior detail |
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Master weaver in Teotitlan |
A young girl in the Zocalo in Oaxaca City |
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Occellated Thrasher - a Mexican endemic
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Red Warbler - a stunning montane specialty
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Boat tour on the Manialtepec lagoon |
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This nine day, eight night trip provides a wonderful blend of birding for endemics, colourful Zapotec culture, wintering migrants, vibrant coastal lagoons and beaches, boat trips, and unique cuisine. Best of all, ONLY TWO HOTELS ARE USED and the trip offers the chance to take this all in at a relaxed pace. This may be an excellent choice for any couple where one partner is less interested in birding and more interested in culture, landscapes and touring.
For five days, we will use the city of Oaxaca as a base for exploring the surrounding valley and mountain slopes. As it warms up, and the birding slows down, we will explore the unique Zapotec archaelogical sites such as Monte Alban which provide a wonderful blend of culture and birding. The entire valley is rich in culture and we will also explore markets and the unique cuisine of the region.
The Oaxaca region provides access to some fantastic Mexican endemic birds. Our birding in this part of the trip will focus on trying to find endemics such as West Mexican Chachalaca, Dusky and Beautiful Hummingbirds, Gray-breasted Woodpecker, Pileated Flycatcher, Boucard's and Gray-breasted Wrens, White-throated and Collared Towhees, Bridled and Oaxaca Sparrows, Dwarf Jay, Rufous-capped Brush-Finch, Russet Nightingale-Thrush, Ocellated Thrasher, Blue Mockingbird, Red Warbler and Slaty, Golden and Dwarf Vireos.
In the charming city of Oaxaca, a colonial city founded by the Spanish conquerors, life still revolves around the zocalo or town square. Colonial-style buildings, draped with brilliant bourgainvillea bursting in the sunshine, line the streets. The bustle of everyday life is offset by the long, languid afternoons in the cafes that ring the zocalo. At 1700 metres elevation (about 5000 feet), the city and valley floors are sunny and mild during the day and pleasantly cool at night. Oaxaca is the destination of choice for many travelers as it combines memorable views of nature with relaxed colonial surroundings, archaelology, colourful markets and local artisans in a relaxed, secluded corner of Mexico.
After four nights, we will head southwest over the mountains descending to the pleasant coastal town of Puerto Escondido. Descending the Pacific slope, we will encounter many new birds perhaps including Orange-fronted Parakeet, Yellow-winged Cacique and the stunning White-throated Magpie Jay. We wil use our coastal hotel as a base for exploration of local wetlands, beaches, coffee plantations and foothills. Our time on the coast will focus on birding in early mornings when it is cooler and then relaxing in the heat of the day. We will also take two delightful boat trips exploring coastal saltwater lagoons.
March 1-9, 2009. The trip begins on Sunday March 1st, Oaxaca City, Mexico (airport code OAX) and concludes with departures from Puerto Escondido, Mexico (airport code PXM) on the morning of Monday March 9th, 2009. The dates are arranged so that participants can arrive a day or two early in Oaxaca City to get settled in prior to the commencement of the tour itinerary if they wish to do so.
The group will be limited to only twelve participants. The group will be confirmed once eight participants have subscribed to the tour. Please do not book airfare to Mexico until this time.
The primary leaders are Tom Hince and Michael Malone. Michael has spent over twenty winters in Oaxaca state. During that time he has developed a renowned ecotourism business in the rich coastal lagoons near Puerto Escondido. He is an experienced tour leader with diverse interests and excellent local knowledge. From April through December, Michael and his wife Joan, own and operate Pelee Wings Nature Store, near the Point Pelee National Park on Lake Erie in Ontario, Canada.
Tom has been leading and organizing birding tours for twenty three years. Recent trips he has led and organized include Tanzania, Ecuador, Oaxaca, Venezuela, South Africa, both western and eastern Australia, Newfoundland, Texas and Florida. He and his wife Lily own Wild Rose Guest house near Wheatley, Ontario. In May, they offer birding packages that focus on the spring songbird migration at Point Pelee National Park.
In addition to Mike and Tom, several excellent local guides will assist with archaelogical and city tours in Oaxaca City, and in boat tours of the Manialtepec lagoon near Puerto Escondido.
(Breakfast – B, Lunch – L, Dinner -
D) Please note that day to day activities may vary depending upon weather, group
interest, and bird activity.
Day 1 (March 1)
Arrival in Oaxaca, Mexico
On arrival at the Oaxaca Airport, participants will transfer to our hotel, which
is about a twenty minute drive from the airport. Depending upon arrival times,
participants will have the afternoon free to explore the city or relax by the
pool and bird the hotel grounds. Our hotel often holds upwards of forty or more
species of birds on the grounds, with possibilities including Gray Silky
Flycatcher, White-throated Towhee, Vermilion Flycatcher, Western Tanager, half a
dozen warbler species, Cassin's and Thick-billed Kingbirds, and many others. In the evening, we’ll gather for a welcome
briefing and dinner. It is recommended that participants arrive a day or two
early to enjoy this wonderful city. We can also arrange for additional nights at the
Mission de Los Angeles for early arriving participants.
Night: Hotel Mission de Los Angeles, Oaxaca (D)
Day 2 (March 2)
Oaxaca Valley: Tlacochahuaya / Teotitlan Del Valle / San Felipe
We’ll be in the field quite early to beat the heat this morning, after an early breakfast. We have a number of
interesting stops planned today. Our birding targets will include Nutting’s Flycatcher,
Bridled Sparrow, Vermilion Flycatcher, Dusky and Berylline Hummingbirds,
Cassin's Kingbird, Virginia's Warbler, Blue Mockingbird, Canyon and Rock Wrens and Rufous-capped
Warbler. Two very difficult and unpredictable species we will target this
morning are Occellated Thrasher and Slaty Vireo. In the town of Teotitlan (famous for its
weavings) we’ll meet with a master weaver and enjoy wool
dyeing and rug weaving demonstrations.
After a mid afternoon rest or swim at the pool, we’ll travel to nearby San
Felipe to hike the pine oak forest of the lush river valley to look for birds
such as the Blue-hooded Euphonia, Oaxaca Sparrow and Golden Vireo. Dinner
tonight will be in a restaurant overlooking the central Zocalo, or town
square.
Night: Hotel Mission de Los Angeles, Oaxaca (B, L, D)
Day 3 (March 3)
Monte Alban
After an early breakfast, we’ll drive to the site of Monte Alban, a Zapotec
religious and commercial centre that lasted for over 1200 years and which
reached its zenith in 300AD. We’ll enjoy the early morning bird life that may
include White-throated Towhee, Crested Caracaras, Boucard’s Wrens and
Grey-breasted Woodpeckers perched on the tall cacti, and Dusky, Beautiful and
Berylline Hummingbirds feeding from the nearby morning glory trees. Around the
ruins themselves we will watch carefully for the elusive Lesser Roadrunner, and
the plentiful Rock Wren. Then, with
an archaeologist/guide, we’ll explore the great plaza, ball court, pyramids
and observatory of Monte Alban, built on a flattened mountaintop, with terrific
views of the valley. There will be time to wander among the maze of temples and
palaces, through subterranean tunnels with numerous reliefs, glyphs, paintings
and friezes.
When we return to Oaxaca, we’ll have a walking tour of this spectacular
colonial city.
Night: Hotel Mission de Los Angeles, Oaxaca (B, L, D)
Day 4 (March 4)
Sierra Norte
After a hearty early breakfast, we’ll ascend to the Sierra Norte, with
magnificent vistas of pine-oak forests echoing with the songs of Brown-backed
Solitaire, Russet Nightingale Thrush and Crescent-chested Warbler and the strange hoots of Mountain
Trogons and Mountain Pygmy Owls. Here, at an elevation of almost 3000m, we’ll be in the midst of
epiphyte-laden, humid pine-oak forests where hummingbirds often zip back and
forth at close range. We’ll be looking for some of the many orchids that grow
here and also such montane bird species as Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer, Olive
Warbler, Black Robin, Red-faced Warbler, Dwarf
Jay and that brilliant avian beauty, the Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo.
Night: Hotel Mission de Los Angeles, Oaxaca (B, L, D)
Day 5 (March 5)
Sierra Madre del Sur – The Pacific Slope
This morning we’ll leave the Oaxaca Valley and drive west over the mountains
to enjoy the mountain vistas, birds and butterflies of the Pacific Slope. From
pine-oak highlands we’ll descend through cloud forest, tropical evergreen
forest and tropical deciduous forest to arrive in Puerto Escondido on the
coastal plain. Numerous tropical and western migrant warblers in the highlands
will give way to Orange-fronted Parakeet, Yellow-winged Cacique and
White-throated Magpie Jays in the lowlands. We will lodge in a colonial style
hotel located on Zicatela Beach, with a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean
surf.
Night: Hotel Santa Fe, Puerto Escondido (B, L,
D)
Day 6 (March 6)
Puerto Escondido
We have a boat trip in the Manialtepec Lagoon scheduled for this morning. The
conjunction of a large salt-water lagoon, mountain river and seacoast at
Manialtepec provides a wonderful mix of aquatic habitats that are rich in
wildlife. We’ll explore the lagoon from a comfortable motor launch, often
cutting the motor to quietly approach some of the 12 species of herons
(including the magnificent Boat-billed and Bare-throated Tiger Heron), ibis,
Wood Stork, Common Black Hawk, West Mexican Chachalacas, Northern Jacana and White-fronted Parrots
inhabiting these coastal wetlands. We’ll have lunch at our hotel and then
relax until the late afternoon when we’ll have the option of driving out to
the arid tropical deciduous coastal foothills in search of coastal endemic
species such as the stunning Orange-breasted Bunting.
Night: Hotel Santa Fe, Puerto Escondido (B, L, D)
Day 7 (March 7)
Today we will have an early start driving into the foothills before the heat of
the day. Our destination will be a coffee finca (farm) owned and operated by the
same folks who own the Sante Fe. Coffee plantations can be extremely productive
for birding and we will spend the dawn and cooler part of the morning exploring
the finca. Species we can expect to see today include Emerald Toucanet,
Russet-crowned Motmot, Flame-coloured Tanager, Yellow-winged cacique, Fan-tailed
Warbler, and White-throated Mapgie Jay. After spending most of the morning
birding the coffee plantation we will return to town for a relaxing lunch. This
afternoon participants will have the option of just relaxing by the pool,
exploring the town, or taking a stroll along the famous surfing beach. If there
is interest we can also arrange a visit to either the Green Iguana Hatchery or
Mexican Turtle Centre.
Night: Hotel Santa Fe, Puerto Escondido (B, L, D)
Day 8 (March 8)
This morning we’ll head for the nearby Colotepec River Valley for our morning
birding. This area will provide a good selection of lowland tropical Pacific
species including Happy and Rufous-naped Wrens, Orange-breasted and Blue
Buntings, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl and Amazon Kingfisher. Again we will focus on birding in
the cooler part of the day, then returning to town as it warms up. Lunch will be
in town, followed by some down time. In mid afternoon we will head again to a
coastal lagoon for a sunset cruise at a nearby saltwater lagoon. We will be in
place to view increased bird activity as the long purple shadows creep down the
mountainsides of the Sierra Madre and the sun sets over the Pacific. On our
return to the hotel, we will gather for a festive, farewell seafood
dinner.
Night: Hotel Santa Fe, Puerto Escondido (B, L, D)
Day 9 (March 9)
Departure Day
After an early breakfast, we’ll transfer to the airport in time for
participants to catch flights home. Transfers to the airport are included
in your trip fee.
Meals included: B
Although birding will be an important part of this trip, there will also be opportunities for relaxation and for taking in the vivid culture of this region. If you are looking for a break neck, endemic focussed, dawn to dusk forced march, then this is NOT the tour for you. We will have a number of early starts, as this will ensure we maximize the hours we spend birding, when it is cooler and activity is better. However, we will also take breaks during the middle of the day on several occasions, and alternative activities will fill in the midday heat, rather than birding. In terms of terrain, this is really like two trips in one. In Oaxaca city (the first four nights), we are at around 5000 feet in a valley, and we ascend to higher altitudes. We will generally bird from the bus and roadsides or short trails there. For the second part of the trip we will be in the Pacific lowlands by the coast, where temperatures are warm and the terrain is quite level.
Participants should be in good physical condition. As a guideline, you should be able to walk at least two or three miles on a moderate incline, and be able to make it up occasional short steep inclines of a hundred metres. This trip is best described as a MODERATE level of difficulty. In Oaxaca, we are at a higher elevation, and on a few days we reach over 3000 metres or 9000 feet for short periods. Still, walks at higher elevations will be short and slow. In general we will only walk short trails which are well worn and easy to walk. However, some trails follow the natural contours here and that means occasional steep stretches so good hiking boot or shoes are essential. To be clear this is NOT a hiking trip, but you should be able to walk at a moderate pace as described.
As always, the biggest hazards in my experience are SUN and INSECTS. Using lots of sunscreen can easily take care of the sun hazard. Insects should not be a significant issue at this time of year. However, all participants should bring a high concentration DEET spray.
Please DO NOT BOOK any flights until we confirm dates and give you the go ahead. In some cases, the easiest route to Oaxaca may be via Mexico City. However this may require an overnight stay in Mexico City. Continental Airlines does have a direct flight to Oaxaca from Houston, Texas but not every day of the week.
ALL group tips are included in the price of this tour. This includes tips for restaurant and hotel staff and porters, and in addition tips for the bus driver and local guide. Tom will present a tip (on behalf of the group) to the latter two individuals at our final farewell dinner. Tipping is still appropriate where you have special or individual requests that staff attend to, such as purchasing alcohol by the pool, having a maid take care of your laundry, etc.
The cost, starting from Oaxaca on Sunday March 1st, 2009 and ending at Puerto Escondido on March 9th is US $2795 per person, based upon double occupancy. This includes: 8 nights accommodations (beginning on March 1st and concluding with check out on March 9th morning), ground transportation, airport transfers (for March 1st arrivals in Oaxaca and March 9th departures in Puerto Escondido), all meals as described in the itinerary (starting with dinner on March 1st and concluding with breakfast on March 9th), bottled water throughout the trip, all fees for public parks and private reserves, fees for local guides, fees for naturalist Michael Malone, fees for boat tours, gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff, as well as bus driver and local guides and naturalist, trip checklist, full trip report, group photograph, coffee and beverage breaks in the field.
Please note that the tour fee does NOT include alcoholic beverages, items of a personal nature, airport departure taxes (estimated at US$17 per person in Mexico, though may be included with your ticket already), airport transfers for early arrivals or late departures, optional activities, phone calls, laundry, or items not specifically stated in the itinerary. Also, we always have a variety of snacks while out in the field and on ground transportation, but if you need a specific snack then you should bring that item for your personal consumption.
Please note that if the tour is not fully subscribed, a small party supplement may be applied.
We are only using two properties for this tour, both of which are rated as four star. Our hotel in Oaxaca is the Hotel Mission de Los Angeles, and in Puerto Escondido we will stay at the Hotel Sante Fe. Although these properties are tentatively booked, similar properties may be substituted if deemed necessary.
All meals are included in the price of this trip from Dinner upon day of arrival (March 1st. 2009) to breakfast on day of departure (March 9th, 2009). Some breakfasts and lunches may be picnic style in the field if the birding warrants this so we can get an early start, or enjoy a more remote site for a longer period without returning to a restaurant. However, the majority of meals will be in restaurants. We will also have snacks such as fruit and trail mix available in the field, as well as a cooler with water, juice and soft drinks.
Singles are easily accommodated, but if no suitable roommate can be found or if you wish to room on your own, there will be a single supplement (estimated at US $500).
There is no smoking in the vehicle, at meals, or when in close quarters with the rest of the group. All room requests for hotels are non-smoking.
The weather in early March should be warm and pleasant, with cooler temperatures in higher areas and in the evenings. Please bring a sweater and light rain jacket in case of rain or misty mornings at higher altitudes. On the coast and in desert areas it will be much warmer than in the Oaxaca valley.
Reservations will be taken on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED basis. Because a number of folks have already expressed an interest, I am sending this message out to everyone together. To reserve a spot, please email me or better still call at 1 519 825-9070 giving the name(s) of guests, email, phone number and address. I ask for a US $450 per person deposit when you reserve. You can forward this to me via personal check made out to me and mailed to RR#1, Wheatley, Ontario. Canada N0P 2P0. The deposit allows me to pre pay airfare which is non-refundable and non-changeable. I will let you know when I need the balance of the costs.
If you cancel prior to November 2nd, 2008 then only an administrative fee of US$100 per person is forfeit. The remainder of funds paid will be returned.
If you cancel after November 2nd, 2008 and before January 3rd, 2009 then fifty percent of the entire tour cost is forfeit. The remainder of funds paid will be returned.
If you cancel after January 2nd, 2009 then the entire tour cost is forfeit. No funds will be returned for cancellations after January 2nd, 2009.Of course, if we cancel at any time, all your funds will be returned in full.
It is recommended that participants purchase travel insurance through an
independent agent.
I'm sure I've forgotten some important details, so please don't hesitate to give me a call, or drop me an email (I read my email every few hours during the workday). You can contact me at (519) 825-9070 or peleetom@netcore.ca
TOM'S HOME PAGE SOUTH AFRICA Sept/Oct 2008 OAXACA March 2009 NORTHERN ECUADOR Feb 2009 SOUTHERN ECUADOR Jan 2009
