Honduras: Western Highlands: Feb 21—Mar 01, 2007

Discover the cool Western Highlands of Honduras, characterized by great scenery, cool weather, and lots of exciting higher elevation birds.

Honduras, in northern Central America, is a land of stunning visual scenery, mystical Mayan ruins, and marvelous birding. It is a land of innumerable mountain ranges, glorious cloud forests, vast intermountain valleys, and rushing rivers. On this trip we bring you the opportunity to explore the seldom-visited and cool Western Highlands. Your guide, Robert Gallardo, is a former Peace Corps volunteer and skilled naturalist who also happens to be the de facto world authority on Honduran birds, butterflies, and orchids. He has designed this route to combine wonderful birding and scenery in a nine-day adventure across the highlands of western Honduras.

Far from the north coast, and the bustling ruins at Copan, the Western Highlands offer travelers a look at another face of Honduras: sprawling pine/oak woodlands and lush cloud forests, with an accompanying birdlife that differs considerably from that of lower elevations. Few birders make their way to this part of the country, but awaiting those who do are a number of species rarely encountered on other VENT tours.

Celaque National Park promises a host of such enticing species as Blue-throated Motmot, Black-banded Woodcreeper, Great Swallow-tailed Swift, Rufous-collared Thrush, and Blue-and-white Mockingbird.

We will bird for two days near the continental divide, in search of such notable species as Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge, Blue-throated Motmot, Black-capped Swallow, Bushy-crested Jay, Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer, Amethyst-throated Hummingbird, Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush, and Prevost's Ground-Sparrow.

Our tour will conclude at La Tigra National Park, a former site for gold-mining, but now a wonderful protected cloud forest. While staying at a highland retreat featuring good birding and beautiful surroundings, we will search for key species including Singing Quail, Scaled Antpitta, Resplendent Quetzal, Black-throated Magpie-Jay, and Green-breasted Mountain-gem.

Accommodations range from basic to beautiful; transportation will be aboard a comfortable coaster (mini-bus with cushioned seats and room for luggage); rain possible, with cool mornings and warm days.

Visit tour leader Robert Gallardo's excellent web site, http://www.birdsofhonduras.com featuring a new look at the birds of Honduras.