This Honduras’ Birding Tour was elaborated for the more avid birders. We will have time to learn about culture, history, and nature in general, but the focus is clearly on seeing a variety of great Honduran bird species. Also, though you don’t have to be an athlete, the trip does require a general level of fitness, as some of the walks can be a bit more strenuous, especially in El Cedral during our cloud forest day. The trails are not difficult and no special experience is necessary, but you should be able to walk while birding – of course at a slow pace and with many stops as we will be birding all along the way. 

Honduras is the heart of Central America. The country is sandwiched between Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. It has a long coastline in the north, on the Caribbean Sea, and a small piece on the Pacific coast in the south, the Gulf of Fonseca. The capital is Tegucigalpa, often abbreviated to Tegus. San Pedro Sula is the second largest city in the country and the economic center. Other towns of any size are La Ceiba on the north coast and the twin cities La Esperanza and Intibucá in the central highlands.

Honduras is a mountainous country (the highest point being Cerro de las Minas in Celaque NP, towering 2849m above sea level), with a whole range of vegetation and habitat types: rainforest, deciduous forest, pine forest, mangrove, sandy beaches (pearly white on the north coast, volcanic black in the south), cloud forests, and so on. That diversity in ecosystems also explains the huge variety of birds (776 species to date, and more are being discovered regularly), insects, plants, mammals... 

Since Honduras has not yet been discovered by the big crowds of tourists, there are still many unspoilt natural places. Here you can still spend hours or days wandering the mountains and forests without ever encountering even one other person. Honduras is therefore a paradise for any nature lover.

Copán Ruins is where our Honduras birding adventure is going to start. Copan is located in western Honduras, 14 kilometers from the El Florido border with Guatemala. For many years, Copán Ruins have been famous for its magnificent Mayan ruins, declared by UNESCO as Archaeological World Heritage Site in 1980. Today Copán Ruins is considered the Paris of the Mayan world in Central America. 

Copán. It is not the largest site, and doesn’t boast the highest pyramids, but it is culturally incredibly advanced. The sculptured stelae and hieroglyphic staircase are of unparalleled value to archaeologists. The world’s biggest archaeological cut allows you to see the different layers of Mayan architecture, and witness how colorful the acropolis once was. Birds such Red-throated Parakeets (green Parakeets) Turquoise-browed Motmot, Spot-breasted Oriole, Bushy-crested Jay and more wonderful birds can be found here.

Rising majestically above the beautiful Lake Yojoa in central Honduras are two of the country’s more impressive mountain ranges: Montaña Santa Barbara and Cerro Azul Meámbar. Here the combination of limestone and volcanic landscapes surrounding the lake supports a rich diversity of habitat types — including freshwater wetlands, pine-oak forest, lowland rainforest and cloud forest — and a corresponding diversity of plants and animals. Some species of interest we can find here are the Keel-billed Motmot, Prevost ground-Sparrow, Resplendent Quetzal, Emerald-chinned Hummingbird, Barred and Collared Forest-Falcons, Collared Araçari, Blue-crowned Motmot, Masked Tityra, Crimson-collared Tanager, Northern Barred Woodcreeper.

The north-facing coast is characterized by long beaches interspersed with rocky headlands, coastal wetlands and mangroves and the coastal mountain ranges of Nombre de Dios and Pico Bonito National Park. The extensive rainforest of these mountains harbors a wealth of top species including the Shining Honeycreeper, Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet, Long-billed Hermit, Crowned Woodnymph, Rufous Mourner, Black-and-White Owl, Purple-crowned Fairy or Tody Motmot, whereas the mangroves are home to specialties such as American Pygmy Kingfisher, White-necked Puffbird, or Agami Heron.

Cayos Cochinos (Hog Cays) a Natural Marine Monument and is located 20 km from the garifuna village of Sambo Creek and consists of 2 big cays and 13 smaller cays. Here you can go hiking in search of the endemic Pink Boa, or go snorkeling, birdwatching or just relax on the white sand beaches the cays offer to its visitors. The Honduras Coral Reef Fund jointly with the Forestry Institute comanage a fully equipped scientific station in Little Hog Cay. Some birds we will find here Smooth-billed Ani, White-crowned Pigeon, Yucatan Woodpecker, Mangrove Cuckoo, Caribbean Dove, Yellow-lored Parrot, Red-breasted Merganser, American Golden Plover, Short-tailed Nighthawk, Central American Pygmy-Owl, and many terns and boobies. 

Today we meet in the airport, I will take you too the hotel so you can rest and be prepare for the drive to Copan. We are going to have a welcome dinner this night. 

Photo: Keel-billed Toucan by Jenny Grewal

TERRA MAYA:

A glimpse of the terracota roof, whitewashed walls and wrought-iron balconies of Terramaya, and you know you've arrived ..... to the charming village of Copan, with it's hilly cobblestone streets and warm, hospitable people ..... to the heart of the Copan River Valley and its magical ruins ..... to our six comfortable rooms that offer guests an atmosphere of unmatched style and service.

Terramaya is located on the town´s most picturesque street, with spectacular views of the UNESCO World Heritage Ruins and the Copan Valley, and just two and a half blocks from the Central  Park, the heart and soul of village life.

The hotel is exclusive for our group.

 #1 & #2  On the first floor, each consists of one full bed, 22" flat panel TV, DVD, walk in shower and private garden with hammock.

Room #3 & #4 On the second floor, 21' Cathedral Celling, each room with one queen bed, walk in shower, 32" flat panel TV, DVD and private balcony with village view. Option to add one single bed.

Room #5 On the second floor, 21' Cathedral Celling, one queen bed, walk in shower, 32" flat panel TV, DVD, private spacious terrace with hammock overlooking our garden and a panoramic view of the archeological park and Copan River Valley. Option to add one single bed.

Room #6  Also on the second floor, 21' Cathedral Celling, one queen bed, single sofa bed, walk in shower & jetted tub, 32" flat panel TV, DVD, private spacious terrace with hammock and an impressive view of the archeological park, Copan River Valley and our garden

Photo: Scarlet Macaw by Jenny Grewal 

The UNESCO World Heritage site of Copán Ruínas offers a grand combination of Mayan history and a beautiful natural setting including easily viewed Scarlet Macaws. Although not the largest Mayan city, Copán was the principal Mayan cultural center during the 400 years when the city was at the peak of its development. It was far ahead of other larger Mayan cities in its development of sculpture, astronomy, and hieroglyphic writing.
The Mayan city of Copán as it exists today is composed of a main complex of ruins with several secondary complexes encircling it. The main complex consists of the Acropolis and five important plazas. From what is known today, the sculpture of Copán appears to have attained a high de-gree of perfection. The Acropolis, a magnifi-cent architectural complex, appears today as a large mass of rubble which came about through successive additions of pyramids, terraces and temples. The world’s largest ar-chaeological cut runs through the Acropolis. In the walls of the cut, it is possible to distin-guish floor levels of previous plazas and cov-ered water outlets. The construction of the Great Plaza and the Acropolis reflects a pro-digious amount of effort because of the size of its levelled and originally paved expanse of three hectares.We will have a guided tour through the ruins by a knowledgeable local specialist. After a full morning of archaeology, we will have some birdwatching opportunities around the grounds. The biological diversity found in the area surrounding Copan allows for excellent birding: White-throated Magpie-Jays, White-fronted Parrots, Elegant Trogon, Rufous-naped Wren etc. are some of the spe-cies of interest here.We’ll then enjoy a delicious dinner at Haci-enda San Lucas.

Photo: Copan site by William Orellana

After breakfast, we drive to our hotel PANACAM Lodge.  Once we are settled, we have time for af-ternoon birding around the Lodge in search for the Black-crested Coquette, Barred Forest- Fal-con, Collared Araçari, Keel-billed Motmot, Blue-crowned Motmot, Masked Tityra, Crimson- col-lared Tanager, Blue-crowned Chlorophonia, White-throated Thrush, Long-billed Hermit, Vio-let Sabrewing and more.
Photo: Lake Yojoa Basin by William Orellana

Starting early with coffee or tea, the morning will start with some birdwatching around the gar-dens and birding tower. Species such as Keel-billed Motmot, Northern-barred Woodcreeper, Black-crested Coquette, White-collared Swift, Lesson’s Motmot and more.We’ll have breakfast at the hummingbird deck with a lovely view to the lake. After that we will keep birding for another hour or so and then head down to the lake, to El Cortijo del del Lago, a great place for waterbirds, warblers, tanagers, hummingbirds etc. And they serve excellent fish for lunch!After lunch, we will visit el Sendero la Naturaleza. This trail has many wonderful bird species such as: Golden-hooded Tanagers, Olivaceous Piculet, Green Honeycreepers and more.

Photo: Keel-billed Motmot by William Orellana

Today we do a wonderful boat trip to the Lake, local fisherman take us in this great birding adventure searching for more great species such as the Masked Duck, Least Bittern, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Black-crowned Tityra, Green-backed Sparrow, Rufous-breasted Spinetail, Grey-breasted Crake and others. We will have breakfast at the D&D Brewery. After breakfast we will visit different locations and after lunch we will visit Los Naranjos.

Visiting Los Naranjos Archaeological Park will give you an insight in the Lenca culture, all the while chasing a host of specialities such as the beautiful Rufous-naped Wren, Rufous- and-white Wren, and Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture. As we walk along the trails, we will be surrounded by Montezuma and Chestnut-headed Oropendulas, we are going to have dinner at the Lodge.

Photo: Birding on the rowboat by William Orellana

El Cedral will be or next location, Leonel Chavez is protecting a big extension of cloud forest, next to Santa Barbara National Park. Several special hummingbirds such the Wine-throated Hummingbird, Rivoli's Hummingbird, Green-throated Mountain-gem and of course opportunities to see the Resplendent Quetzal and other cloud forest species.

We will wake up early and drive for about an hour, we will have breakfast at Leonel's place. 

Eco-Finca Luna del Puente is a coffee and cocoa farm and a private nature reserve. Its main objective is protecting the environment by raising awareness of biodiversity and applying sustainable agroforestry practices. The finca has also created some excellent birdwatching trails, which we are more than happy to explore. We will be on the lookout for Northern Potoos, Green Jays, Blue-throated Goldentails, Tody Motmots, White-collared Manakins, Prevost’s Ground-Sparrows, Yellow-billed Caciques and more.

As the owner of the Finca, Cecilia, also serves an excellent breakfast, we enjoy a traditional Honduran típico before going to El Cajon in the Quest of the Honduran Emerald endemic bird of Honduras.

We have a long drive today. After breakfast we will drive to Pico Bonito Lodge.

Will be a good chance to rest. We are going to stop in Tela for lunch in a beautiful Garifuna community on the beach. The food is going to be fresh and delicious, if you are a sea food lover, this place will be perfect.

Photo: Alvin is our waiter at Garifuna Place beach restaurant by William Orellana

Pico Bonito Lodge combines the adventure of the outdoors, the beauty of the rainforest, and the personal service of a boutique hotel. 

In this luxurious setting, we enjoy yet another splendid birding day, as the area offers an incredibly varied array of bird species such as Brown-hooded, White-fronted and White-crowned Parrots, Little and Great Tinamous, Grey- chested Doves, Olive-throated Parakeets, Black-cheeked Woodpeckers, Wedge-billed and Cocoa Woodcreepers, Pal-try Tyrannulets, Guatemalan Screech-Owls, Great Potoos, Violet- headed Hummingbirds, Purple-crowned Fairies, Slaty-tailed, Gartered and Collared Trogons, Red-capped Manak-ins, White- and Grey-breasted Wood-Wrens, White-throated Thrushes, Olive-backed Euphonias, Kentucky Warblers, Keel-billed Motmot, Green Shrike-Vireos and Black-faced Gros-beaks. And those are just a few examples. Lunch and Dinner at Pico Bonito Lodge.
There were rumors that the lodge close, but the place is open and ready to have you inn. 

On the schedule today is a visit to Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge. We board the only train that is still functioning in Honduras – it dates to the times of the ‘Banana republic’ and was indeed used to transport bananas. What remains now is are two rickety little wagons racing over crooked rails. Lots of fun. And excellent birding opportunities along the way: Glossy Ibis, Bat Falcon, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Black-cowled Oriole, Crested Caracara. At the visitors’ center, we board a motorboat that will take us onto the rivers and canals of the Cuero y Salado Mangroves. Top species that we will try to get good looks at here include Agami Heron, White-necked Puffbird, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Black-crowned Antshrike and more. Lunch will be prepared by a local family upon our return from the boat ride.

Photo: American Pygmy Kingfisher by William Orellana

Early in the morning we will drive to Nueva Armenia where we are going to have a day at the beach. The Cayos Cochinos are a group of small islands called Cayo Menor and Cayo Grande and over a dozen small coral cays situated about twenty miles away from the northern coast of Honduras. Although Cayos Cochinos are geographically separate islands, they still belong to the Bay Islands and are part of the municipality of Roatan. They are still largely uninhabited, with just over a hundred people living on the Cayos.

There are lots of tiny islands included in Cayos Cochinos, but when people talk about the Cayos they usually refer to the Cayo Menor and Cayo Grande. Both of these Cayos are declared biological marine reserve, thanks to the unique eco-environment. Even today, getting to Cayo Menor is only permitted for scientists and people that work for the Honduras Coral Reef Fund. Cayo Grande is the island where tourists can go, but it can be reached only by boat. There is also an entrance fee charged for those that wish to visit Cayo Grande, and there are patrol rangers that constantly inspect the area to ensure that regulations are followed and to protect these unique islands from damage.

There are a couple of inhabited villages located on Cayos Cochinos. One is called the East End and the other one is Chachahuate. East End is a village of the local Garifuna people, while Chachahuate is a bit more primitive, but a nice community whose inhabitants come from Nueva Armenia, Jutiapa.

Cayos Cochinos are all managed by the Honduras Coral Reef Fund and are recognized as marine protected area. The coral reef found here is the part of the second biggest coral reef in the world – Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. On Cayo Menor, there is also a small scientific research center.

The archipelago of Cayos Cochinos is a unique destination for those travelers that want to escape from crowded and noisy resorts. There are no roads on Cayos Cochinos, which means there are no cars or bikes. Only boats serve as a way for transport. However, there is one nice hiking trail that connects the beaches and residences located on Cayo Grande. At the highest peak of Cayo Grande, there is a lighthouse which can be accessed by walking through a scenic forest. Besides two fishing villages of Chachahuate and East End, at Cayos Cochinos there are about ten private residences and half a dozen homes spread on the thirteen smaller keys. The islands can be accessed by boats coming from La Ceiba, or by charter boats that go from Roatan or Utila.

Cayos Cochinos are one of the most important parts of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, and its environment and waters have been protected as an ecological marine reserve since 1994. There is a very rich flora and marine life that cover an area of almost five hundred square kilometers. Commercial fishing, as well as fish trapping, is forbidden within the marine park. However, local Garifuna inhabitants have permission to fish only with hand lines. In some specially designated areas qualified local Garifuna fishermen can also catch lobsters.

After breakfast we are going to Tela where we are going to spend half a day birding at the Botanical Garden. 

Established in 1926 by the Fruit Company as an experimental garden to identify dif-ferent species of fruit and hardwood trees that could be of economic interest to the company. Lancetilla quickly grew to become one of the biggest botanical gardens in the world. It spans 1,681 hectares, and includes an arboretum, experimental plantations and a biotic reserve that is meant to preserve the natural vegetation of this part of Honduras. The botanical garden is also a great place to see birds such as Black-headed Trogon, Bright-rumped Atilla, Thick-billed Seedfinch, or the beautiful Scarlet-rumped Tanager are often spotted around the visitors’ center, and there is a huge colony of Montezuma and Chestnut-headed Oropendolas nesting in a tree nearby. Afterwards, we have a won-derful lunch on the beach. In the afternoon, we go back to the hotel
Overnight in Metro Hotel near La Lima on the airport area.

Photo: Great Antshrike by William Orellana

Time to go Home.

Photo: Inside of a flower by Jenny Grewal

Owner – General Manager – Tour Leader – Guide

William’s first career was with the government, he also worked as a math professor, and later helped community development through an NGO. He then decided on a complete change of career and started birding in 2005, rapidly becoming a key member of the Honduran Ornithology Association (ASHO). William is also one of the best bird photographers and is an expert at digiscoping some of the most amazing birds of the Americas. He got for example the first video footage of the rare Blue-bearded Helmetcrest in Santa Marta, Colombia. William has traveled extensively in search of birds, visiting countries in Asia, Europe, North, Central and South America. He also created the first youth birdwatching club in Honduras named Tanunas. William has ample experience in the field and will be happy to guide you in our various Latin-American destinations.