IndiGo Birding Nature Tours is teaming up with Julio Salgado of Puerto Rico Birding Trips for a customized birding tour around the island of Puerto Rico in search of the 19 endemic species and other tropical birds that live there. The tour will start in San Juan for historical and cultural sights and experiences, then move to birding the northern and southwestern parts of the island, before ending up with one night on the east coast. Puerto Rico's diverse landscape provides coastlines, mountain forests, wetlands, and grasslands to explore, all in close proximity.

We will start the trip in historic Old San Juan at the beautiful Casa del Sol Bed and Breakfast for one night. Then we move to the Hyatt Place (or similar) for two nights in Manati. The next two nights will be in southwestern Puerto Rico at the Turtle Bay Inn in La Parguera. After that, we head to the eastern coast near Fajardo for one night. We will stay near the airport for our final evening, allowing you to schedule your departure flight for anytime on Monday, November 2.

Moderate pace. While we will move slowly (for birding), there are days where we will walk 2 to 3 miles. Ability to climb steps and maintain balance is required. Trails can be muddy and uneven.  

We have done this tour three times before with great success, particularly because Julio knows where all the birds are! To see the eBird trip report from the 2024 tour, click on this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/289575

We will enjoy all birds that we encounter, but we will focus on finding the endemic species of Puerto Rico. They are: 

Puerto Rican Lizard-cuckoo

Puerto Rican Nightjar

Puerto Rican Mango

Green Mango

Puerto Rican Emerald

Puerto Rican Owl

Puerto Rican Tody

Puerto Rican Woodpecker

Puerto Rican Amazon

Puerto Rican Flycatcher

Puerto Rican Vireo

Puerto Rican Euphonia

Puerto Rican Tanager

Puerto Rican Spindalis

Puerto Rican Oriole

Yellow-shouldered Blackbird

Elfin Woods Warbler

Adelaide's Warbler

Puerto Rican Bullfinch

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 60 days prior to departure for the tour.  

CANCELLATIONS: 

IF WE CANCEL a tour due to low attendance, severe weather, 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 more than 60 days from departure, a full refund will be available. If cancelling within 60 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.  

Welcome to Puerto Rico! Plan your arrival to SJU for early afternoon, and take a taxi to the Casa del Sol Bed & Breakfast in Old San Juan. After checking into our historic and beautiful B&B, we will walk and eat and drink our way through the city. The Flavors of San Juan Food Tour is one of our favorites: paletas, chocolate, ceviche, mofongo, and more! It's always best to learn about the cuisine and culture from the locals. We will get to bed early to rest up after a big day of travel. 

After a relaxing breakfast at our bed and breakfast, we will go on a 2-hour guided walk of Old San Juan with a Puerto Rican guide. After lunch in the city, Julito Salgado will pick us up and take us to Manati where we will be staying the first two nights. If time allows, we will go out birding to get our first few endemics and other targets that are possible. After dinner we might try for the Puerto Rican Owl if weather cooperates.

After an early breakfast, we will go to Bosque Estatal Cambalache where we have the opportunity to see a few Endemics, including the Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo, Puerto Rican Flycatcher, and Puerto Rican Bullfinch among others. Here we will also try for Key-West Quail-Dove. In the afternoon we will visit Bosque de Rio Abajo for our search for the critically endangered Puerto Rican Parrot. We might visit a day roost of the Puerto Rican Owl. If we still don't have the owl, we will do a night outing to look for it after dinner.

This morning we start close to our hotel in the grasslands of Manati, looking for Grasshopper Sparrow, Northern Red Bishop, Yellow-faced Grassquit. Later we will visit a private hummingbird garden where we can see two of the Endemic Hummingbirds: The Green Mango and Puerto Rican Emerald. In the afternoon we’ll wind our way around the southwestern corner of the island to our hotel in La Parguera. We will do stops along the way depending on species needs, weather, and recent reports. 

Today we leave the hotel very early in the morning and drive toward the western mountains. Walking the highland roads above 2,000 feet in elevation we hope to encounter two endemics restricted to this elevation: the Elfin-woods Warbler and Puerto Rican Tanager. The Elfin-woods Warbler has the habit of foraging in dense growth. Other species in the Maricao Forest Reserve include Scaly-naped Pigeons, Loggerhead Kingbird, Pearly-eyed Thrasher, Puerto Rican Spindalis, and Puerto Rican Euphonia.  

Today we will visit many different habitats, starting with grasslands and wetlands near our hotel, where we might find a Least Grebe. Then, as we travel across the island to Fajardo, we will stop for Green-throated Carib and Antillean Crested Hummingbird. Later, in the town of Caguas, we will try for the Plain Pigeon. Our trip list will likely climb over 100 species on this day!   

This day is a new addition to the tour that I am really looking forward to. We will bird the coastal habitats just south of Fajardo, where there is a possibility of seeing American Flamingoes and Scarlet Ibis! We might also find shorebirds (like Ruddy Turnstones) and other birds migrating through Puerto Rico. In the afternoon, Julito will take us back to San Juan, where we plan to do a cooking class for our last group activity.

Schedule your flight home for anytime on Monday, November 2. Our hotel is only 10 minutes from the airport. Plan on arriving at the airport at least two hours before your flight. If you want to stay longer in Puerto Rico, please let me know, and I can make recommendations.