Enjoy the birds of Northern Belize as IndiGo Birding Nature Tours and Authentic Travel Belize team up on this exceptional birding itinerary. We will be working with guide Roni Martinez again after an awesome adventure in 2025. Roni is well-known for his passion for conservation and his advocacy for the birds of his home country. This 8-day, 7-night package incorporates day tours in search of spectacular tropical birds and Yucatan endemics while moving at a relaxed pace. We will stay at Belizean lodges and visit properties that are anchored in conservation. Don't miss this amazing opportunity! 

One of the beautiful aspects of this trip is the variety of accommodations we use, particularly when it comes to each place's setting. We will spend the first three nights on the beach in the Orchid Bay Resort in northeastern Belize. Our next two nights will be in the middle of the jungle at La Milpa Ecolodge. We finish the tour at the popular Bird's Eye View Lodge in the village of Crooked Tree. At each place we will eat well, see beautiful birds, and relax in beautiful surroundings with comfortable accommodations.  

TOUR PAYMENTS: All payments, including initial deposit, can be made through WeTravel. We do accept credit cards for an additional 2.9% fee, but you may also pay by bank transfer or check. Full payment is due 90 days prior to departure for the tour.  

CANCELLATIONS: 

IF WE CANCEL a tour due to low attendance, severe weather, COVID-19, or other unforeseen event, participants may either move their payments to another trip of their choice or receive a full refund.   

IF YOU CANCEL your place on a tour we intend to operate more than 90 days from departure, a full refund will be available. If cancelling within 90 days of departure, no refund will be given UNLESS we are able to fill your spot(s) with another participant. In that situation, $250 will still be withheld for administrative purposes, but the rest of your payments will be refunded. We highly recommend that you purchase trip cancellation (including medical emergency) insurance to cover your investment in case of injury or illness to you or a family member prior to or during a trip.  

Moderate pace. While we will move slowly (for birding), most days we will walk 2 to 3 miles and be on our feet for long stretches of time. Ability to climb steps and maintain balance is required. Trails can be muddy and uneven. Temperatures will likely be quite hot.

Our meeting spot is in the connections lobby of the Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (BZE) in Ladyville, Belize. A driver from Authentic Travel Belize will be there to transport us to the Orchid Bay Resort in the Corozal District of northern Belize. We might do some light birding along the way as we keep an eye out for Yucatan Jays and Yucatan Woodpecker. (Lodging at Orchid Bay.)

Sunrise birding around the Orchid Bay grounds before breakfast. Afterwards, we will visit Sarteneja Village and Airstrip Road for Black Catbird, White-crowned Pigeon, Rose-throated Tanager, Gray-throated Chat, White-bellied Wren and Orange Oriole. This is the best location for all of these species, so we will spend most of the morning looking for them along several roads and trails. This area is part of the dry Yucatan Peninsula with low canopy forest and warm temperatures, so we will be sure to take a break and retreat to our cool rooms during the peak heat hours. In the afternoon, we will cover more trails nearby looking for woodcreepers, pigeons and trogons. (Lodging at Orchid Bay.)

Sunrise birding around the resort. After breakfast we will bird along the Main Road, some forest Lagoons and nearby forest trails for Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Yucatan Flycatcher, Caribbean Dove, Yellow-lored Parrot and Green-backed Sparrow. In the late afternoon, we will bird the rest of the Shipstern Nature Reserve. Along these forest roads leading to the sea, we will be looking for White-browed Gnatcatcher, Gray-collared Becard, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Reddish Egret and Yucatan Vireo. After dinner, we will do a night drive in search of nocturnal wildlife. (Lodging at Orchid Bay.)

Early morning, we give our final attempt at any species we missed the prior days. After breakfast, we will pack and start heading to the Rio Bravo Conservation Area, a massive reserve which connects with Guatemala and Mexico to form the Selva Maya or Maya Forest, the largest tract of forest north of the Amazon. If time allows, we will stop along the Blue Creek Rice fields in search of Black-throated Bobwhite. The forest road leading to the eco-lodge is a good area for Ocellated Turkey. After checking in, we will take a short rest before walking around the grounds looking for Euphonias and Tanagers as well as several Woodcreepers. (Lodging at La Milpa Eco-lodge.)

Today we will roam the vast forest roads and trails of the reserve in search of tinamous and other jungle species. This area is also a good area for Gray-headed Kite, Ruddy Quail-Dove, Gray-chested Dove and Lesson’s Motmot. Around the archaeological site, we will search for Ruddy Woodcreeper, Northern Bentbill, Stub-tailed Spadebill and Royal Flycatcher. Around the main grounds Tropical Pewee, Black-throated Shrike-Tanager, Green-backed Sparrow, Wedge-tailed Sabrewing and Rufous Piha are also possible. We will have a shorter day today for you to enjoy the grounds on your own in the afternoon. (Lodging at La Milpa Eco-lodge.)

After coffee, we continue our search for some of the local specialties such as the Tody Motmot, Thicket Tinamou and Yucatan Flycatcher, Mayan Anttrush, Royal Flycatcher and Gray-headed Tanager. We will return to the lodge for some remaining hummingbirds and honeycreepers. After breakfast we will pack and start heading to Crooked Tree. This massive wetland is a Ramsar site where thousands of waders and shorebirds gather to fuel up during their northbound migration. Along the way we will try for Rufous-breasted Spinetail, Grace’s Warbler and Olive Sparrow. You will have some off time in the afternoon, just in time to grab a drink and watch the Yellow-headed Parrots come into the area to roost. (Lodging at Bird's Eye View Lodge.)

We will spend the morning around the lodge and nearby trails looking for Rufous-breasted Spinetail, Yellow-headed Parrot and Striped Cuckoo. The Savannahs and wetlands behind the village are excellent for Yucatan Jays, Green Jays, Mangrove Vireo and an occasional Jabiru. We return to the lodge for lunch and then take a break before our sunset boat ride. On this boat ride we will be looking for Boat-billed Herons, Russet-naped Wood-Rail, Agami Heron, Black-collared Hawk and Snail Kites, plus over a dozen waders and waterfowl. As the sun sets, we enjoy viewing the various birds returning to their roosting spots. (Lodging at Bird's Eye View Lodge.)

At sunrise we will take a boat ride down the lagoon in search of many other good birds, including the elusive Sungrebe or the colorful Roseate Spoonbill. This area is also good for American Pygmy Kingfisher and Ringed Kingfisher. We will return to the lodge for breakfast before packing and getting ready to head back to the airport. On the way out, Vermillion Flycatchers and Northern Jacanas are still possible, and a Jabiru might still surprise us. Drop off at the airport by noon.