TUFTED JAY PRESERVE | BIRDWATCHING (2 Days | 1 Night)

82630 El Palmito, Sin., México

OE
Onca Explorations
  • Email address verified
38 reviews
Duration: 2 days
Group size: 1 - 25
TUFTED JAY PRESERVE | BIRDWATCHING (2 Days | 1 Night)
82630 El Palmito, Sin., México

Onca Explorations
  • Email address verified
38 reviews

Duration: 2 days
Group size: 1 - 25

About this trip

Join us on a getaway to the Sierra Madre Mountains for some of the best bird watching in northwest Mexico! On this adventure you will spend TWO full days exploring the Tufted Jay Preserve, among beautiful pine and oak forests in the heart of the Sierra Madre Mountains of Sinaloa. These forests are the year-round home for the Tufted Jay or “Chara Pinta” and over 100 other species of resident and migratory birds. 


Enjoy a fantastic scenery contemplating the sun setting in the Pacific Ocean at over 2,000 m, dinner at the campfire and amazing night sky observation. You will spend the night on cozy wooden lodges right in the heart of the reserve, a real million star hotel! Wake up early to the sound of your favorite birds and prepare to enjoy magnificent mountain views and the freshest air possible. 


A unique getaway for every season!

What’s included

  • Ground transportation
    SUV or Van
  • All fees and taxes
    Entrance to preserve and others
  • Snacks
    Granola bars, crackers, fruit etc
  • Beverages
    Coffee, Tea, Soft drinks and purified water
  • Meals
    2 traditional mountain meal with local family
  • Breakfast
    1 Full breakfast at the lodge
  • Dinner
    1 Dinner at campfire
  • Local Guide
    Don Santos is a real mountain man and expert birder
  • Naturalist guide
    Bilingual and knowledgeable
  • Lodging
    One night at wooden cabin, 2 bedrooms

What’s not included

  • Tips and gratuities
    Both for local and naturalist guide

Available Packages

Solo Traveler
$500
Couple´s special (2 persons only)
$700
Group of 4
$1,250
Deposit: $625
Extra person (5th and beyond)

This is the rate for extra person beyond group of 4 (5th person and beyond)

$300
Deposit: $100
Extra night (solo traveler or couple)

Extra night at a wooden cabin. 


*Additional meals are also included in the price. 

$250


Itinerary

Day 1
In search of the Tufted Jays!

As an iconic and endemic species of these forest many visitors expect to see them on their first day, and goes what? you probably will! As this is a very special tour designed mostly for birders, you can send us your "bird list" so we can get on it! Don Santos, our local guide, lives and roams these forests everyday so he knows his birds and whereabouts! 


Day 1

6:30 am..... Pickup up at your hotel lobby

8:30 am..... Coffee, pastries and bananas (and leg stretch) at a wonderful lookout by the road near the preserve 

9:30 am..... Arrive at the preserve to meet our local guide Don Santos Vazquez. Check in equipment and luggage at lodges. 

First hike through Las Liebres Canyon and down to La ventana lookout (2 hrs approx). 

*This trail covers different habitats, hence the possibility of seeing a diverse array of birds, Tufted Jays are commonly found on this trail, unless Don Santos knows where they have been in the past days before our trip, we will go on a quest. 

12:00 pm... Second hike (1 hour) on trails around the mesa area of the preserve and other amazing lookouts. (snacks included)

13:30 pm.... Back on the SUV and down to the town of El Palmito to have lunch at Don Santos place 

Menu: chicken mole, rice, frijoles 

3:00 pm...... Back to the lodges to relax and charge batteries for our afternoon hike. 

5:00 pm..... Afternoon hike: we will go down by the trails to a westward lookout where we will see the sun set over Mazatlan and the Pacific Ocean. A wonderful sight. 

6:30 pm..... Back to camp for dinner at the lodges. 

8:00 pm..... Sleep tight. 

Your Organizer


OE
Onca Explorations
38 reviews
Our ecotours and expeditions are specially designed to enhance your connection with nature and to inspire you to love and protect our living planet. Our one of a kind travel experiences combine elements of exploration, science, experiential learning and cultural exchange, with sustainable tourism activities, for you to witness and experience profound connections with wildlife. While we explore, we learn, we educate, and we document to promote awareness about the value and threats to biodiversity.

Reviews

We had a wonderful experience with the crew and other visitors! My sister was here in Mazatlan and wanted Whale watching trip and we were all thrilled by all the whales, dolphins, and turtles we saw! Highly recommend it! Thank you for an enlightening day!
By Barbara for WHALE WATCHING ADVENTURE IN MAZATLAN | @ONCAEXPLORA on Feb 26, 2024
1000% would recommend! Must do while in Mazatlan, TOP experience with ONCA and Ciro. Nothing on land compares.
By YHT B for BALLENAS EN MAZATLÁN CON ONCA EXPLORACIONES on Feb 17, 2024
We had a WONDERFUL time on this tour and learned so much! Ciro was a great guide and very knowledgeable. We got some really great views of whales and saw and heard some cool things. The staff seemed to really know how to find good whales to see. Highly recommend!
By Liam E for WHALE WATCHING ADVENTURE IN MAZATLAN | @ONCAEXPLORA on Jan 28, 2024
It was incredible. I loved the love and enthusiasm and care our guides shared for the whales and our environment. One problem we did face involved unclear communication around transportation. When arranging the trip I asked if we should meet there, and I was told that we would be picked up. At the end of our tour we were surprised that there would be no transportation home. Maybe they laughed out of nervousness, but the flippant seeming response to the understanding that we were out of luck and had no ride didn't feel great. We could have driven ourselves and instead had to walk out to the highway and flag down a taxi Regardless, I wish them the best of luck, I love that they are teaching and sharing the importance of preservation of the land and sea!
By Roxanne P for BALLENAS EN MAZATLÁN CON ONCA EXPLORACIONES on Jan 27, 2024
JM
Ciro was a great guide. All the crew were curious. It was an enjoyable trip except for the sea sickness.
By Jeffrey M for WHALE WATCHING ADVENTURE IN MAZATLAN | @ONCAEXPLORA on Jan 22, 2024
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