Birding in Belize - LAMANAI OUTPOST and CHAN CHICH LODGE
Plus extension to: HIDDEN VALLEY INN, MOUNTAIN PINE RIDGE and CARACOL
DATES
November 19 - 28, 2010; Extension: November 28 - December 1, 2010
November 18 - 27, 2011; Extension: November 27 - 30, 2011
COST (PER PERSON) (2010 price)
DOUBLE: $3975 per person double occupancy (WITH EXTENSION: $5175)
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $550; $800 including extension DEPOSIT: $500
PARTICIPANTS: 8 GUIDES: 1 plus local guides
INCLUDES
From Belize City, including 9 nights lodging, all meals from dinner on 1st day to breakfast on last day, guides, excursions, taxes, most tips.
Extension: From Belize City, including 12 nights lodging, all meals from dinner on 1st day to breakfast on last day, guides, excursions, taxes, most tips.
Not included: Alcohol, personal calls, departure tax (about $35 US) other items of a personal nature.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL
Easy. Some early mornings and one or two walks on rough ground. The average amount of walking will be approximately two miles per day. There are some strenuous climbs if you choose to take them, but they are optional.
SLIDESHOW
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OVERVIEW
Belize has a very large number of first-rate eco-lodges, and we have stayed in most of them. For this trip, we wanted to share some our favorite, upscale destinations. Belize is an English-speaking country with an enormous diversity of birds, plants and wildlife. It has some of the most beautiful reefs in the world, vast rainforests, meandering tropical rivers and ancient Mayan ruins. You'll experience all of these wonders of Belize in the greatest comfort.
Orange-breasted Falcon
Photo: Marianne Phillips
This trip will emphasize tropical birds and the natural history of the tropical forests. In addition, we will spend some time exploring the lost culture of the Maya. In additional to our guide, we will utilize licensed native guides, locate the flora, fauna and cultural sites that abound.
We feature two lodges in Belize for this trip: Lamanai Outpost and Chan Chich Lodge as well as Hidden Valley Inn for our extenstion.
To get to Lamanai Outpost, located on the banks of the New River Lagoon, we'll take boats up the river. Lamanai is a relaxing and very comfortable inn with first-rate research programs in archeaology, ornithology and other natural history areas. It offers the most diversity of habitat in Belize. On our river trip, we should have good views of some of the five kingfishers common to this area. Hawks (Black-collared Hawk, etc) and kites (Snail Kite, etc) should be abundant. During our Lamanai stay, we'll also get up close looks at Jabiru. On our night safari, we should see Boat-billed Heron, Yucatan Nightjar, Northern Potoo and roosting Ringed and American Pygmy-Kingfishers as well as crocodiles. On our last trip to Lamanai, we had 200 species of birds in the general area in a two-day period. Most of the Yucatan Peninsula endemic species can be seen on the savanna across the New River Lagoon where we'll spend a morning.
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“Thank you so much for a great trip. R and I saw so many new birds and really enjoyed the great accommodations.” ~ R & PB |
Chan Chich Lodge is located on the Belize/Guatamala border in a 250,000-acre private reserve with some of the best wildlife and bird viewing opportunities in Central America. The beautiful thatched huts with two queen-sized beds, screened in porch and private bath are located in the lower plaza of an ancient Mayan city. Chan Chich's fine food and luxurious ambiance have made it Belize's premier eco-lodge.
Daybreak at Chan Chich will bring a spectacular array of tropical birds. Ocelated Turkey, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Lovely Cotinga, Keel-billed Toucan, Collared Aracari, Spectacled Owl, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Pale-billed Woodpecker, Violaceous Trogon, Long-tailed Hermit, & Blue-crowned Motmot are among the more than 300 species that have been recorded in the Chan Chich environs. We'll spend our day birding and hiking in the surrounding preserve. We'll take a night jungle walk in hopes of seeing some of the noctur-nal creatures and, especially, the Jaguar. We'll also take a night drive that should increase our chances of seeing nocturnal wildlife.
For our extension, we will spend three nights at the luxurious Hidden Valley Inn in the Mountain Pine Ridge. This is a prime bird watching destination and the Mountain Pine Ridge, Chiquibul and Caracol area is very rich in bird life, much of it different from that seen in the lowlands of Chan Chich and Lamanai. The varying habitat is home to a broad range of birds, many of which are unique to the area.
Yellow-tailed Oriole
Photo: Marianne Phillips
We’ll have a resident bird guide is available for early morning or late afternoon bird walks Highlights include nesting sites for the rare Orange-breasted Falcon and Stygian Owl.
We’ll spend a day at the recently excavated Mayan ruins of Caracol. These ruins are believed to be comparable to Tikal, though much excavation remains. The jungle around the Mayan Site of Caracol provides regular views of the exquisite and very rare Keel-Billed Motmot. Emerald Toucanets nest on the grounds. The most productive raptor viewing we have experienced anywhere has been from the acropolis at Caraocol.
ITINERARY
DAY ONE: Arrive at Belize International Airport. I’ll meet everyone at 4:00 PM there, and we’ll take a van to the Belize Biltmore. Overnight at the Biltmore.
DAY TWO: We will spend the morning at the Belize Zoo, operated by Belize Audubon. This is a favorite of our groups. Virtually all of the mammals and many of the most spectacular birds of Belize are represented in the Zoo. Later in the day, we'll travel to Crooked Tree Sanctuary where we will see large numbers of water birds, including, we hope, Jabiru and American Pygmy Kingfisher.
DAYS THREE – FIVE: Pick up by Lamanai. We’ll drive up to the New River and board boats for a beautiful ride down the river to New River Lagoon. We should see several species of kingfishers, hawks and kites on our ride. We’ll spend four nights at Lamanai. We’ll have time to explore the ruins and do some first-birding for many of the tropical species. A trip to the savannah by boat should yield many of the Yucatan Peninsula endemics.
DAYS SIX – NINE: We fly to Chan Chich about 9:30. We’ll have lunch there and start birding afterwards. There are a number of habitats that we will cover and a wealth of birds. We’ll do some night birding as well.
DAY TEN: Depart by air from Chan Chich about 9:30 AM arriving at Belize International Airport about 10:30 AM. Those not taking extension take flights home.
EXTENSION TO HIDDEN VALLEY INN
DAY Eleven: After returning from Chan Chich, pickup by Hidden Valley staff and drive to Hidden Valley Inn.
DAY Twelve: Birding in Hidden Valley area. Night birding after dinner
DAY Thirteen: Trip to the Mayan ruins of Caracol for the day, and some fabulous birding while we’re there.
CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT
- Suun hat with brim/visor
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen with SPF 25 or higher
- Water Bottle
- Lip Screen / Balm
- Small Day Pack / Fanny Pack
- Hiking Boots/ Old sneakers you can get wet
- Shorts
- Swimsuit
- T-shirts and long-sleeve shirts
- Bug repellent
- Waterproof windbreaker/rain jacket/umbrella in case of rain
- Lightweight gloves/hat
- Binoculars (scope optional, we will carry a scope or two for the group)
RECOMMENDED READING
Birds of Belize. H. Lee Jones. University of Texas Press: 2004.
A Neotropical Companion (second edition). John Kricher, Princeton University Press, 1997.
A Guide to The Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Steve N.G. Howell & Sophie Webb; Oxford University Press; 1995. (Have Madison Audubon or a Kinko's bind the plates and text separately for ease of carrying).
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