Honduras/Copan: Birding, Nature & Mayan Ruins
February 13-20, 2011, with a pre-trip extension to Lake Yojoa Feb. 8-12
During the main itinerary of Copan we will stay at La Chorcha Lodge, built and operated by our tour guides Robert and Irma. It is named after the variety of Orioles found on the property (5 in all!) and is situated on the grounds of the Enchanted Wings Nature Center. Each cabin is named after its very own custom stain glass piece highlighting an element of flora and fauna fashioned from Robert’s photographs. The property is always full of birds (and other critters) and many can be enjoyed from each of the cabin’s private deck. See www.lachorchalodge.com for details.
This year we are also offering a pre-trip to Lake Yojoa, Honduras, an area we visited on previous tours and thoroughly enjoy. Like our main itinerary, the pre-trip is designed to highlight the flora and fauna of the area as well as visit archaeological sites. An added benefit that the country receives from your visit is that for each participant a $100 donation will be given by Peg, Robert and Irma to the newly formed Honduran Ornithological Society whose purpose is to foster bird conservation and bird watching in Honduras.
Please note that if you wish to stay on after your tour, we now have a referral for a local guide to Guatemala and we can also help you book time at Pico Bonito or the Bay Islands if you wish to explore a bit more or enjoy some rest and relaxation.
"It was a fabulous trip. Robert is amazing, he not only knows the birds by sight and sound, he can imitate their calls. He is a very good and patient leader and his plans for a national Honduran bird society are excellent and worth supporting. La Corcha is a fine accommodation, and the setting is hard to beat. We started the mornings birding from the cabins at 6AM, when Robert arrived with his scope. The Copan ruins are the most interesting I've seen; the partial excavations with huge kapok trees still atop the biggest ruins, the intricately carved stelae, and the rich tropical forest all around set them apart from the great Mayan ruins of Mexico. And the birding is simply fabulous."
- Trip participant, Barbara Massey, Oregon
ITINERARY
Sat., Feb. 12 Arrival in San Pedro Sula, Honduras / Travel to Copan
For those who were not on the Lake Yojoa pre-trip your arrival today will be at San Pedro Sula. From here, we have a scenic three-hour drive to the Copan area during which our guides Robert and Irma Gallardo interpret geography and aspects of rural Honduran life. Upon arrival in Copan, settle in to the Lodge before our welcome dinner.
Accommodations in Copan. (D)
Sun., Feb. 13 Full day at Copan Archaeological Site
After breakfast at the lodge, immerse yourself in Mayan culture at the magnificent Copan ruins. The elaborate artistry of the stelae and altars we encounter in this once-sprawling city is amazing. Many were carved during Copan’s golden age (711-736 A.D.). One of the highlights is the Hieroglyphic Stairway, which preserves the longest written record of Mayan history and describes the lineage of 16 rulers.
One of the delights of Copan is that it is not fully excavated, and some of the structures we hike through as we bird along the Copan Ruins nature trail. Abundant nature gives one a feeling of how life may have been at the time. Amid the ruins, we hope to see White-throated Magpie Jays, Rufous-naped Wrens, Green Parakeets, Cinnamon Hummingbirds, Turquoise-browed Motmots, and Rufous-browed Peppershrikes in the lush vegetation.
In the afternoon we will have a guided tour at the main archaeological site and museum. A local archaeologist joins us here to give in-depth interpretation of the site. Enjoy a gracious dinner in town tonight.
Today`s walking conditions - easy, some rock steps.
Accommodations in Copan. (B,L,D)
Mon., Feb. 14 Miramundo Highlands
This morning we venture by four-wheel drive to higher elevation forests in the Miramundo Highlands where we hope to see Barred Parakeets, Collared Trogons, Violet Sabrewings, Emerald Toucanets, Blue-crowned Motmots, Golden-olive Woodpeckers, and Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers. We stop along the way and look for a blooming 
yellow passionvine, Passiflora citrina, which was discovered in western Honduras in the early 1980`s. We explore a rich, pre-montane broad leaf forest that continues to yield new orchid and bird species for the Copan area. Enjoy a lunch and learn about coffeeproduction at Miramundo coffee plantation, and return to the hotel for a swim or siesta in the heat of the day. Tonight is a free night; sample the local cuisine at your choice of restaurants in town, or stay and relax at the hotel.
Today`s walking conditions - moderate to slightly difficult.
Accommodations in Copan. (B,L)
Tues., Feb. 15 Laguna San Francisco Route / Las Sepulturas
After breakfast, we begin the day birding and exploring the Laguna – San Francisco route. This route passes through a variety of farmland, scrub, mixed woodland and highland pine-oak forests, and we can see many species in this area; as many as 80 species have been seen in one day ! We will alternate driving and walking as the birding and scenery unfold. One of the highlights often seen along this route includes a good number of beautiful Elegant Euphonias which feed on fruiting mistletoe. If we’re lucky we may also find a Sparkling-tailed Hummingbirds or Black-crested Coquettes.
We'll have lunch in the field before going to the archaeological ruins of Las Sepulturas, situated a mile from the main acropolis of Copan. This important, likely residential area for nobles and the wealthy, has fascinating tombs, courtyards, heiroglypic writings and buildings as well as evidence of a non-Mayan culture, perhaps indicating the presence of traders or other important heads of State. It is a lush site, and birds we may see today include Yellow-green Vireos, Rufous-capped Warblers, Northern Beardless Tyrannulets and Streak-backed Orioles.
Enjoy dinner tonight at a gracious hacienda with fabulous views all around!
Today`s walking conditions - fairly easy, dirt road.
Accommodations in Copan. (B,L,D)
Wed., Feb. 16 Rio Amarillo Nature Reserve / Enchanted Wings Nature Center
Today we hike and bird at Rio Amarillo Nature Reserve, a lowland rainforest, home to 300 species. We may see Slaty-breasted Tinamous, White Hawks and Stub-tailed Spadebills among others. This private reserve is unique in western Honduras as it contains flora found nowhere else in the country and is the last lowland rain forest found in the western interior. We hike the trail in the reserve and have lunch in the field.
In the afternoon we will return to town to further enjoy the Enchanted Wings Butterfly House and Nature Center, an educational site that our guides Robert and Irma Gallardo have developed. Learn more about their work with local school children at their website www.copannaturecenter.com.
Dinner is at your leisure tonight. (B,L)
Thurs., Feb. 17 El Puente Archaeological Site / Copan Anthropology Museum
After breakfast at our lodge, we'll depart for the El Puente Archaeological site to explore and to bird. El Puente is one of the easternmost Mayan sites and has several impressive structures. While at the ruins we may see White-fronted Parrots, Squirrel Cuckoos and Cinnamon Hummingbirds. Our lunch will be in the nearby town of La Entrada.
In the afternoon, we'll be back in Copan, where we will visit the fascinating Copan city anthropology museum.
Today`s walking conditions - easy.
Accommodations in Copan (B,L,D)
Fri., Feb. 18 Return to San Pedro Sula or Post-trip to Guatemala
We have a scenic three-hour drive back to San Pedro Sula, the reverse from our arrival day. For those going to San Pedro Sula, in the afternoon we can opt for a visit to the Cultural and Anthropology Museum and/or Guamilito Artisan Market and then back to our accommodations for the night. We'll have a farewell dinner for those who must leave us.
Accommodations in San Pedro Sula. (B,L,D)
PLEASE NOTE! For those who wish to visit Guatemala with a colleague and friend of Robert’s, as an exploratory trip to Mayan Ruins and several birding areas, we can give you an excellent referral and help you make plans to do so – please let us know of your interest as soon as possible.
Fri. Feb. 19: Flights Out….
Pre-trip Extension to Lake Yojoa, Honduras –
HIGHLY Recommended!
The pre-trip is dedicated entirely to the scenic Lake Yojoa basin. This is the country’s largest natural lake which covers some 50 square miles and actually sits in a volcanic depression. The towering Santa Barbara N.P. covers some 30,000 acres and sits to the west of the Lake and is comprised mostly of pine/oak and broadleaf forest habitats. Cerro Azul Meambar N.P. sits to the east which covers over 40,000 acres and is comprised of almost entirely mid-elevation to sub-montane rain forests. Around the Lake itself there occurs seasonally flooded forest, open waters and wetlands containing a variety of plant vegetation.
The various forested habitats and the wetlands combined make this one of the most avian rich areas in the country and contains well over 460 species. We will be spending four nights in the cottages at the Los Pinos visitor’s center at the edge of Meambar N.P. At an elevation of nearly 3,000 ft., we can expect cool nights and warm days. We will bird extensively in the park and along the entrance road where we hope to encounter some of the following birds: Green Jays, Mottled Owls, Barred Parakeets, Keel-billed Motmots, Long-billed Starthroats, Striped Cuckoos, Barred Woodcreepers, Crimson-collared Tanagers, White-collared Manakins, Stub-tailed Spadebills, Prevost`s Ground-Sparrows and Blue-crowned Chlorophonias. Right next to the cottages is the best place in Honduras to see the tiny, yet amazing Black-crested Coquettes, which our guide Robert compares to a miniature Samurai warrior fully equipped with a head dress and body armor!
Down by the lakeshore at various places we will be looking for Snail Kites, Bare-throated Tiger-Herons, Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures, Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, wild Muscovy Ducks, Ruddy Crakes, Spotted Rails, Green-breasted Mangos, Rufous-breasted Spinetails, Fork-tailed Flycatchers, Rufous-and-white Wrens, Tropical Parulas and Red-legged Honeycreepers. On the grounds of Hotel Agua Azul we will make a concerted effort to find our smallest woodpecker family member, the Olivaceous Piculets. This is the best spot in Honduras to find it and it often nests along the lakeshore.
We spend a half day at Santa Barbara N.P. exploring cloud forest. We can drive to 5,300 ft. and then walk up an access road then a narrow trail into this montane habitat. This mountain holds Honduras` second highest peak. If we’re fortunate we will find the blooming Magnificent Regal Orchids (Lycaste skinneri), Guatemala’s national flower. In Honduras it occurs only here. Birds we will be looking for include: Resplendent Quetzals, White-breasted Hawks, Emerald-chinned Hummingbirds, Green Violet-Ears, Rufous-browed Wrens, Blue-and-white Mockingbirds, Slate-colored Solitaires, Emerald Toucanets, Golden-browed Warblers, Flame-colored Tanagers, Black-vented Orioles and Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercers.
During this pre-trip we expect to see about 200 species of birds that are not likely encountered while in Copan.
PRE-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY
Tue., Feb. 8 Arrival in San Pedro Sula, Honduras/ travel to Lake Yojoa
After arriving in San Pedro Sula, we drive south for about 1 ½ hrs. to Lake Yojoa. We will quickly climb out of the low lying Sula Valley into the Lake Yojoa basin. Once there we will climb up further to the Los Pinos visitor`s center where we will stay the next four nights. We may stop along the entrance road to do some birding in a rich secondary forest. This is a good place to look for the Prevost`s Ground-Sparrows, Green-backed Sparrows and Rufous-breasted Spinetails.
Accommodations at Meambar (D)
Wed., Feb. 9 Full day at Cerro Azul Meambar N.P.
Today we will spend the entire day at Meambar N.P. The lush mid-elevation rainforest teems with birdlife and typically at this time of year there are fruiting wild figs. They can attract a large assortment of birdlife including toucans, tanagers, honeycreepers, trogons, Crested Guans and Blue-crowned Chlorophonias. We will hike one or two or the parks` trail, depending on the time available and people’s capabilities. Inside the forest we should be able to see a variety of Glasswing butterflies and some swallowtails. The forest is also filled with a wide variety of native orchids and if we’re lucky we’ll find some in bloom.
Today`s walking conditions - easy to moderately difficult. Some steep trail with steps.
Accommodations at Meambar (B,L,D)
Thurs., Feb. 10 Full day around Lake Yojoa
We will devote most of the day to birding the rich lake basin at several sites. We will have an early breakfast then drive down the hill to the northwest corner of the lake where the Los Naranjos archaeological site is located. This site was thought to be of Lencan origin and in actuality very little excavation has been done, but there is a small museum with some pottery on display. The area, however, is filled with birds in a beautiful seasonal flood forest. There is a gravel trail as well as an elevated boardwalk where we will walk in search of Rufous-and-white Wrens, Sungrebes, Muscovy Ducks, Bare-throated Tiger-Herons, Striped Cuckoos, Barred Antshrikes, Red-lored Parrots, Rufous-breasted Spinetails, White-throated Flycatchers, Ivory-billed Woodcreepers and a host of migrant wood-warblers.
After the archaeological site visit, we have lunch on the patio of a lakeside restaurant overlooking the lake. Here we will see a plethora of wetland birds which include grebes, ducks, herons and bitterns. We will also see graceful Snail Kites which has a stronghold in this basin. There is also a small and local population of Lesser Yellow-headed Vultureshere.
Today’s final lakeside visit will be at the Hotel Agua Azul. Here we will look for the Ruddy Crakes and Gray-breasted Crakes which haunt the extensive marshes. This is also the best place in Honduras to see the pint-sized Olivaceous Piculets and colorful Tropical Parulas which breed on the grounds.
Today`s walking conditions - easy, flat trails.
Accommodations at Meambar (B,L,D)
Fri., Feb. 11 Santa Barbara N.P.
After breakfast, we travel to the far side of the lake to visit Santa Barbara N.P. We will arrive at a village that sits at nearly 6,000ft. We will meet up with a local guide in the community of Cedral and walk up a trail into the lower stretches of cloud forest. We will search for key cloud forest birds such as Resplendent Quetzals, Golden-browed Warblers, Slate-colored Solitaires, Emerald-chinned Hummingbirds and Rufous-browed Wrens. We will have lunch in Cedral before heading back to Meambar.
Today's walking conditions - moderately difficult due to elevation gain. Those not wanting to make this walk are welcome to relax at the hotel or in the local village.
Accommodations at Meambar (B,L,D)
Sat., Feb. 12 Continue on to Copan
This morning we can relax and bird watch around the Visitor`s Center to see if we pick up any species we may have missed before. After breakfast we will pack up and head toward San Pedro Sula and pick anybody up who may be arriving to travel to Copan Ruins.
Accommodations in Copan (B,L,D with main itinerary)
Referral for Guatemala – a possible Post-tour…
A visit to neighboring Guatemala, very close to Copan, will let you explore the thorn shrub and humid forest in the Eastern side of this beautiful country with a biologist and guide Knut Eisermann. Copan is situated on the border of Guatamala and our border crossing is by road.
The first couple of days will be spent at the valley of the Motagua River, which has many new species for us as it is one of the driest regions of Guatemala. The annual rainfall amounts to less than 500 mm, just enough for scanty vegetation: thorn forest. Visits to different nature reserves of thorn scrub will give you a good chance to find birds like Green-breasted Mangos, Plain-capped Starthroats, Lesser Roadrunners, Russet-crowned and Turquoise-browed Motmots. Other species expected to be found in the Motagua Valley are: Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls, Lesser Nighthawks,White-lored Gnatcatchers, Stripe-headed Sparrows, both Orange-fronted and Pacific Parakeets, Common Ground-
Doves, Tropical Mockingbirds, and Streaked-backed Orioles. The Motagua Valley is one of the largest valleys in Guatemala and it held an important Pre-Columbian trade route and several mines for jade. The valley also has a fascinating geologic history, as it is holds the boundary between the North American and Caribbean Plates, and rocks facing across the fault do not match at all!
We visit two historic sites as we are birding. On the way from Zacapa to Río Dulce we stop at Quiriguá. This is an archeological site holding the tallest stelae of the Mayan culture, surrounded by a small fragment of forest, isolated in extensive banana plantations. The San Felipe de Lara Castle is located in an open area at the edge of the Río Dulce. It was an important fort in the 16th to 18th century to protect the goods traded with Spain from pirate attacks. Some of the birds expected in these areas include Inca Doves, Olive-throated Parakeets, White-throated Magpie-jays, Rufous-naped Wrens, and both Spot-breasted and Altamira Orioles.
At Río Dulce we stay at Hacienda Tijax (www.tijax.com), which is a private reserve of humid forest combined with reforested areas and plantations right at the edge of the river. Some of the birds to be expected in these areas are: Gray-Necked Wood-Rails, Common Gallinules, Crested Caracaras, Collared Forest-Falcons, Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds, Scaled Pigeons, Short-Billed Pigeons, Ruddy Quail-Doves, White-Crowned Parrots, Red-lored Parrots, Black-headed Trogons, and Black-cowled Orioles.
The Biotopo Chocón Machacas is a protected area for humid forest and mangroves (approximately 24 sq miles). To visit Chocón Machacas, we travel by boat on the Río Dulce enjoying the scenery and searching for species like Magnificent Frigatebirds, Green Herons, Great-blue Herons, and Ospreys. Some other birds to be expected at Chocón Machacas are: Least Grebes, Plain Chachalacas, Great Tinamous, Bat Falcons, King Vultures, Pale-vented Pigeons, Blue Ground-Doves, White-collared Manakins and Olive-backed Euphonias.
This extension would be run by Knut Eisermann as an exploratory and NEW to our Naturalist Journeys, LLC offerings. We have had several requests to extend into Guatemala and Robert recommends Knut highly. Please contact us for further information.
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COST OF THE JOURNEY
Cost of the 7-day journey, $1995.00 per person from San Pedro Sula, is based on double occupancy and includes: all accommodations, most meals as specified in the itinerary (all but four dinners on free evenings), group airport transfers, transportation in Honduras, park and preserve entrance fees, professional guides, and miscellaneous program costs.
This cost is based on a minimum of 8 persons; if there are fewer than 8, a small group surcharge (typically $200-400.00) may apply. It does not include items of a personal nature such as beverages from the bar, porterage, laundry, phone calls, or gift items. We also recommend a gratuity for our local drivers and guides; the amount is left to your discretion. Single supplement is $390.00.
Pre-trip extension to Lago Yojoa: $845.00; single supplement: $125.00
Guatemala post-trip extension: $1895.00; single supplement: $TBD
TRAVEL
ARRANGEMENTS
Honduras is served by a number of major airlines, including American Airlines, Continental, COPA, TACA, AeroCaribe, and Iberia. Gateway cities include, but are not limited to, Miami, Houston, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Plan to arrive no later than 2:00 pm on or before February 13th; please try to schedule departing flights after 11 am on February 20th.
Naturalist Journeys, LLC is an equal opportunity service provider and committed to the goal of ensuring equal opportunity for all in employment and program delivery.
PHOTO
CREDITS:
Altamira Oriole and Keel-billed Toucan, Tony Beck - www3.sympatico.ca/beck.tony/;Gray-necked Wood Rail, Golden-hooded Tanager, Elegant Euphonia, Caligo Moth, Motmot cabin and two Orchid images, Robert Gallardo;
Black-crested Coquette, Alan Harper; Chestnut-colored Woodpecker and Quirigua, Claudia Avendaño; Motagua Valley, Knut Eisermann; all other photos by Peg Abbott.
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