Dates and Cost
No scheduled dates at this time…please contact us if you are interested in this trip.
About This Trip
By combining some of our favorite areas in the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz into one trip, we are offering up some of the most diverse habitats and bird species of any trip Solipaso runs! This is a one way trip, starting in Oaxaca City and ending in Veracruz City.
We spend our first several days in Oaxaca City, birding the key areas of the valley as well as visiting the cultural points of interest, such as Teotitlan del Valle and Monte Alban. In the valley and surrounding canyons, we should see Mexican endemics like Oaxaca and Bridled Sparrow, Dwarf and Slaty Vireo, Dwarf Jay, Ocellated Thrasher, Boucard’s Wren, Piliated Flycatcher, Dusky Hummingbird, Grey-breasted Woodpecker, and White-throated Towhee. Later we will head up in elevation to Cerro San Felipe, where the list of endemics gets much longer! We will be searching the steep mountain slopes for things like Long-tailed Wood-partridge, Amethyst and Garnet-throated and Bumblebee Hummingbird, Mountain Trogon, Pine Flycatcher, Gray-barred Wren, Russet Nightingale Thrush, Chestnut-side Shrike-vireo, Red Warbler, Rufous-capped Brush-finch and Collared Towhee!
Leaving the valley, we’ll bird our way over the pine forests of the vast Sierra Madre Oriental, and over a second range, which holds some of the largest tracks of humid cloud forest in Mexico! We will make quick stops along the way for mixed-species flocks that may hold White-faced Quail-dove, Rufous-breasted Spinetail, Uni-colored Jay, Slate-colored Solitaire, Black Robin, Blue-crowned Chlorophonia and White-naped Brush-finch. We will spend two full days in the Tuxtepec area, one in the lowlands, and the other back up in the cloud forest.
The Sierra de Los Tuxtlas is a geographic anomaly- a volcanic mountain range at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico and home of the northernmost tropical rainforest, the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve and UNAM field station. On the interior edge of this range lies Lake Catemaco, one of the largest lakes in Mexico, which is known for its diversity of birds and black magic! Birding in the Tuxtlas Reserve and rainforest offers up some special Mexican birds and regional sub-species endemics! Between our walking and boat trips we have good chances to see Ruddy Crake, Tuxtla Quail Dove, Long-tailed Sabrewing, Black-crested Coquette, White-bellied Emerald, Azure-crowned Hummingbird, Mexican Antthrush, Black-throated Shrike-tanager, Keel-billed Toucan, Tody Motmot, Plain-breasted Brushfinch.
Along the coast of Veracruz,we visit the bird agricultural land of Pinnated Bittern, Double-striped Thick Knee, Scissor-tail and Fork-tailed Flycatcher, all the while watching for raptors migrating overhead. On the flanks of the Sierra Madre Oriental, we’ll explore coffee plantations, humid cloud forest and the magnificent high desert and pine environment below the volcanic plug and national park, El Cofre del Perote. Possible birds include Strickland’s Woodpecker, Striped Sparrow, Collared Towhee, the beautiful Red Warbler, the elusive Bearded Wood-Partridge, Mexican Sheartail, Canivet’s Emeral and White-bellied woodpecker- so much to see!
Our last night of the trip is spent in the working port city of Veracruz on the Gulf. Although our days are all full and we cover a lot of ground, there is only one big drive day and we manage to stay several nights in each location to minimize moving.
Accommodations
As can be expected on a twelve-day trip, we cover a lot of ground and stay at a wide range of places. In Oaxaca City, our home is a great, family-run colonial style hotel in the beautiful city center; and in Tuxtepec we stay at a nice, business hotel. On the shores of Lake Catemaco, we stay at a popular hotel where each room enjoys a view of the lake. The very nice Fiesta Inn is our hotel in Xalapa, and Holiday Inn is our last night’s hotel in the Boca del Rio area of Veracruz, a short drive from the airport. The meals on this trip are a great sampling of the region’s styles of cuisine. Oaxaca City boasts some of the best food in Mexico, with its moles and innovative cuisine. And in Veracruz, the seafood is abundant, and you will have the chance to sample many true Veracruzana style dishes!
This is a one-of-a-kind trip. We hope you can join us for the adventure!
To book your trip or for more information, please contact us by email or call 888-383-0062.
