Join Naturalist Journeys for an exciting NEW! journey through the Yucatán Peninsula! Discover a kaleidoscope of Neotropical birds surrounded by ancient Maya ruins. This tour begins and ends in Cancun and traverses a fantastic portion of the peninsula. Go beyond the tourist chaos of the Mexican Riviera to the quieter and wilder interior of the Yucatan.

Bird the Tulum ruins for Lesson’s and Turquoise-browed Motmots and White-collared Manakins and explore Felipe Carillo Puerto for Black-crowned Tityra, Keel-billed Toucan, and Collared Aracari ... and don't miss indulging on marquesitas, the local dessert. Discover the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve and search for raptors like Barred Forest-Falcon, Bicolored Hawk, Collared Forest-Falcon, Great Black Hawk, and stunning Ornate Hawk-Eagle. Witness the Uxmal Ruins and cruise Celestun Biosphere Reserve for thousands of American Flamingos then enjoy a delicious traditional lunch in the Pueblo Magico of Izamal.

We are excited for this NEW! Yucatan trip and can't wait for you to join us.

Tour Highlights

• Stay in Felipe Carillo Puerto, considered the capital of the Mundo Maya
• Bird the spectacularly beautiful Laguna Bacalar, a shockingly blue lake with ultra-clear water
• See waders, herons, and kingfishers galore at Laguna Santa Lucia and in the seaside town of Champoton
• Explore the famous ruins of Uxmal for Lesser Roadrunner, Blue Bunting, Lesson’s and Turquoise-browed Motmots, Gartered Trogon, and Orange Oriole
• Look up for Lesser Yellow-headed and King Vultures as we explore the Celestun Biosphere Reserve on the northwest edge of the Yucatan
• Witness bright and beautiful colors in hundreds of American Flamingos and in the Pueblo Magico town of Izamal

Trip Itinerary

Itineraries are guidelines; variations in itinerary may occur to account for weather, road conditions, closures, etc. and to maximize your experience.

Sun., Jan. 19     Arrivals in Cancun | Puerto Morelos

Welcome to Mexico! Please plan to taxi from the Cancun airport the beach town of Puerto Morelos about 30 minutes south of Cancun. Generally the fee is about $60 dollars per person. The small town of Puerto Morelos has held on to its small-town charm and is the least touristy place on the Mexican Riviera. Birding in the neighborhood right around the hotel can be pretty good. There could be Tropical Mockingbird, Laughing Gull, several species of tern, several species of North American warbler, Plain Chachalaca, Hooded, Yellow-backed, Orange, and Altamira Oriole, Yucatan Jay, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Yucatan Woodpecker, Mangrove, Yucatan and White-eyed Vireos, and Striped Cuckoo. We spend the night at a nice and simple beach side hotel and enjoy a seafood dinner just a short walk away.
Accommodations in Puerto Morelos (D)

Mon., Jan. 20        Jardin Botanico | Tulum Ruins | Felipe Carillo Puerto

We’re up to see the sunrise over the ocean and then spend the morning birding and botanizing at the Jardin Botanico of Puerto Morelos, a short drive from the hotel. Not only is there wonderful birding, but it’s a great place to begin to get familiar with the tropical plants of the Yucatan. Black-headed Trogon, White-bellied Wren, Lesson’s and Turquoise-browed Motmots, Caribbean and Zenida Doves, Yellow-tailed Oriole, Spot-breasted Wren, White-collared Manakin, Yellow-billed Cacique, Red-crowned and Red-throated Ant-tanagers, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Black Catbird, Black-cowled Oriole, Northern-barred Woodcreeper, Eye-ring Flatbill, Pale-vented Pigeon, and Gray-headed Dove are all possible, as well as many more!

We drive to Tulum for lunch and then visit and bird the incredible Maya ruins of Tulum before driving another hour to the small city of Felipe Carillo Puerto (FCP), possibly doing some birding on the way. Upwards of eight oriole species are possible as well as Yucatan Jay, Yucatan Vireo, and Caribbean Elaenia. FCP is a very un-touristy town and is considered the capital of the Mundo Maya. We spend the night at the simple, but nice Hotel Turquesa, our home for the next two nights. 
Accommodations at Hotel Turquesa (B,L,D)

Tues., Jan. 21     Birding Felipe Carillo Puerto

The jungle habitat just outside of FCP offers excellent humid forest habitat birding! We bird a flat two track with very little vehicle traffic and the possibility of lots of neat birds and other animals. On the last tour we saw a ‘Viejo del Monte’, a large weasel-like mammal with a white head known as a Tayra in English. Some of the birds we look for include Thicket Tinamou, Plain-breasted Ground Dove, Ruddy Quail-Dove, Stripe-throated Hermit, Green-breasted Mango, Black Hawk-Eagle, Yucatan Woodpecker, Yucatan Parrot, Yucatan Bobwhite, Yucatan Flycatcher, Rose-throated Tanager, Canivet’s Emerald, Greenish, Caribbean, and Yellow-bellied Elaenias, Black-crowned Tityra, Long-billed Gnatwren, Yellow-throated Euphonia, Olive-backed Euphonia, Giant Cowbird, Rose-throated Tanager, Gray-headed Tanager, White-breasted Wood-Wren, Keel-billed Toucan, and Collared Aracari. We have a picnic breakfast as well as a picnic lunch in the field to make the most of the day. After another dinner of regional specialties back in town, we walk to the Plaza for a ‘marquesita’, the local dessert!
Accommodations at Hotel Turquesa (B,L,D)

Wed., Jan. 22      Birding to Laguna Bacalar | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | Xpujil

Before leaving this bird rich region of the Yucatan, we make an early morning stop at a small lake south of FCP. This is a good area for Singing Quail, Canivet's Emerald, Gray-headed Kite, Black-headed Trogon, Collared Trogon, Turquoise-browed Motmot, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Ruddy Woodcreeper, Yellow-olive Flycatcher, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Rufous-breasted Spinetail, Collared Aracari, Tawny-winged, Barred and Ivory-billed Woodcreepers, Gray-collared Becard, and Green-backed Sparrow. After getting our fill here, we continue to head south to the shores of spectacularly beautiful Laguna Bacalar, where we enjoy a lunch at the water’s edge. 

We spend the afternoon driving inland to the region of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, home to a remote cluster of Maya ruins and great habitat. Our home for the next two nights is a simple and very comfortable eco-lodge, Chicanna EcoResort, with fantastic birding right on the grounds. We do a little night birding right on the hotel grounds before or after dinner, or both! We could have chances for Mottled, Middle-American Screech, and Black-and-white Owls, Northern Potoo, Yucatan Nightjar, and Common Pauraque.
Accommodations at Chicanna EcoResort (B,L,D)

Thurs., Jan. 23       Maya Ruins Birding

Since the ruins are an hour plus drive from the hotel, we are up early with breakfast in the guides room or at the van to make the most of the day. The birding along the entrance road can be fantastic, and we spend a lot of time just birding the road! Eventually we make our way into the ruins. We spend some time in the afternoon checking out the ruins, which requires quite a fair bit of walking. Bird highlights include Great Curassow, Crested Guan, Ocellated Turkey, Stub-tailed Spadebill, Royal Flycatcher, White-browed and White-bellied Wrens, Ruddy-Quail Dove, Northern Bentbill, Barred Forest-Falcon, Bicolored Hawk, Collared Forest-Falcon, Great Black Hawk, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Agami Heron, and many more. If we are lucky, we might get a glimpse of a Tapir on the entrance road! To maximize our time in this amazing jungle, we have a field lunch and continue birding throughout the day.
Accommodations at Chicanna EcoResort (B,L,D)

Fri., Jan. 24      Laguna Santa Lucia | Champoton | Uxmal

Although today is mostly a travel day, we do take some time before leaving the hotel to check for any birds right on the grounds. On the drive we make at least two major stops to bird at Laguna Santa Lucia and then on the Gulf of Mexico in the seaside town of Champoton, where we have lunch. The variety of birds today mostly falls into the water bird category with lots of waders and herons, all of the kingfishers, plenty of ducks, and other waterfowl. Depending on time, we do some birding on the hotel grounds.
Accommodations at Hacienda Uxmal (B,L,D)

Sat., Jan. 25     Local Birding

Today is a more relaxed day with time to enjoy the beautiful Hacienda Uxmal and its expansive grounds. We spend the morning exploring some of the two track roads that lead into the thorn forest and to an old abandoned Henequen plantation. Birds on our walk could include Collared Forest-Falcon, Lesser Roadrunner, Gray-throated Chat, and Orange, Altamira, Yellow-backed, and Yellow-tailed Orioles. We have lunch at the hotel and enjoy an afternoon siesta. After dinner we take a stroll to see if we can find any night birds including Yucatan Poorwill and Nightjar. 
Accommodations at Hacienda Uxmal (B,L,D)

Sun., Jan. 26      Uxmal Ruins | Celestun Biosphere Reserve

We start off with an early walk over to the San Simon road a short distance from the hotel. Afterwards, we beat the crowds at the Uxmal ruins by visiting as early as possible and enjoying the magnificence of the ruins and the birds inside. We should see Lesser Roadrunner, Gray-throated Chat, White-bellied Wren, Blue Bunting, Lesson’s and Turquoise-browed Motmots, Gartered Trogon, Orange Oriole, and possibly Middle-American Screech Owl, Yucatan Poorwill, and Yucatan Nightjar in the evening. After getting our fill of the ruins we pack up and head to a great spot for lunch. It’s about a 90 minute drive to the coast and Celestun; we birding along the way out to the Celestun Biosphere Reserve and to our beautiful hotel on the beach. There is great habitat located nearby, so drive times to birding are minimal. Time allowing, we do some birding right around the hotel before dinner.
Accommodations in Celestun (B,L,D)

Mon., Jan. 27      Local Celestun Birding

We do an early morning bird outing to optimize the best birding time followed by a nice breakfast at the hotel. Celestun is a great place for Black-throated Bobwhite, Lesser Yellow-headed and King Vultures, Lesser Roadrunner, Mexican Sheartail, Yucatan Wren, Mangrove Cuckoo, Yucatan Gnatcatcher, Yucatan Flycatcher, and Caribbean and Zenaida Doves, to name a few. After breakfast, we head to the salt ponds, the fantastic garbage dump, desert coastal habitat and other good birding areas, looking for Lesser Yellow-headed and King Vultures. After lunch we retreat back to the hotel for a restful afternoon and go out birding later in the afternoon for those who want to.
Accommodations in Celestun (B,L,D)

Tues., Jan. 28     Estuary Boat Trip | Pueblo Magico of Izamal | Coba

Because our hotel is situated close to great coastal habitat, we won’t have to go far to bird this morning. We likely bird prior to breakfast to optimize the morning, then go back to enjoy breakfast, pack up, and head out for a boat trip into the Biosphere Reserve estuary to get up close and personal with the flamingos. There are plenty of other birds in the estuary as well: Pygmy Kingfisher, Rufous-necked and Rufous-naped Woodrails, Boat-billed Heron, White-crowned Pigeon, and Northern Bentbill as well as migrant shorebirds and water birds. We enjoy a traditional lunch in the beautiful Pueblo Magico of Izamal, ‘The Golden City’, and then take advantage of the heat of the day to drive to Coba some three hours east. After settling into the small hotel, time allowing, we do some birding in the forest nearby. 
Accommodations in Coba (B,L,D)

Wed., Jan. 29    Coba Birding | Puerto Morelos

An early morning is best for birding around the lake at Coba; the area is a great place to see Ruddy Crake, Spotted Rail, and Least Bittern. After birding the lake we head to a great little birding road north of town. The birds here are somewhat similar to what we saw in Felipe Carrillo Puerto at the beginning of the trip but can be a bit easier to see here. Some possibilities are Spotted Wood-Quail, Scaled, Short-billed, and White-crowned Pigeons, Striped and Pheasant Cuckoos, Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, White-bellied Emerald, Chestnut-colored Woodpecker, Red-capped Manakin, Royal Flycatcher, Stub-tailed Spadebill, Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Tawny-crowned Greenlet, and White-browed Gnatcatcher. Later in the afternoon we make our way back to our final hotel in Puerto Morelos where we share a last dinner together.
Accommodations in Puerto Morelos (B,L,D)

Thurs., Jan. 30      Departures

You can plan departures at leisure today. (B)

Cost of the Journey

Cost of the tour: $5990 DBL / $6890 SGL, based on double occupancy from Cancun, Mexico. The tour cost includes 11 nights’ accommodations, all meals as noted in the itinerary, purified water, ground transportation in vans, professional guide services, park and other entrance fees, and miscellaneous program expenses.

Not included is round-trip airfare to and from Cancun, personal expenses such as laundry, telephone, drinks from the bar, and gratuities for luggage handling or other services. Guide gratuities are at your discretion.

Travel Details

Please plan to make air travel plans only after the minimum group size has been met. We will send you a confirmation email as soon as the trip has been confirmed.

Arrival and Departure Airport: Cancun International (CUN) 

Arrival Details: Plan flights to arrive January 19, 2025, at your leisure. Note that you will have to take a taxi from the airport to the beach town of Puerto Morelos. This usually costs around $60 per person - or, book a one-way shuttle through the hotel via Happy Shuttle Cancun.

Departure Details: Plan flights to depart January 30, 2025, at your leisure.

Travel Tips: If you want to arrive early to rest up from your travels, you can book an early night at our first night tour hotel, the Hacienda Morelos.

Browse below for trip reports and species lists from past versions of this and other tours from this destination.

• David MacKay - Mexico Expert
  

  Why travel with David MacKay? Known for his deep knowledge and experience with Mexican birds, David is also known for his infectious smile. He takes great joy in field time; working it hard and finding results. He enjoys life and travel as well, always planning a good day’s end meal to bask and review the day’s sighting highlights. He’s had over two decades of guiding trips and his organization shows that. You can count on David to be ready to go and steer his group to see numerous birds and have a good time.

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• Stephen Grace
  

  Stephen is an award-winning author, natural history educator and conservationist. He has also contributed to documentary films, and his nature photography has been widely published. Over the past two decades, he has introduced groups of travelers to nature and culture in destinations as varied as Uganda, New Zealand and Alaska.
  
  After moving from Colorado to the Oregon coast, Stephen was captivated by the sight of a Tufted Puffin carrying fish back to its burrow, and the first time he heard a Swainson’s Thrush sing, he knew his life would never be the same. He has been studying birds and sharing their beauty with people ever since.
  
  Formative experiences during Stephen’s journey as a naturalist have included tagging along as a teenager with his grandparents in Madera Canyon, where he absorbed their love of Arizona’s sky islands; helping people with different ability levels experience the Yellowstone ecosystem when he lived in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and sailing aboard a historic schooner to share the wonders of the Salish Sea with students.
  
  Now based in Port Townsend, Washington, Stephen explores the Pacific Northwest by backpacking, paddleboarding, snorkeling, biking, trail running, and skiing. His wide-ranging natural history pursuits include coring trees to count their growth rings, identifying bats by analyzing their biosonar signals, hunting mammoth tusks in Pleistocene bluffs, searching for the elusive Rubber Boa, preserving native prairie, raising awareness about plankton, and leading sea slug safaris.

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