Best of Belize Birding Package

Day 1 - After clearing immigration and customs at the airport you will be met by your Belizean Birding guide and then will travel along the Northern Highway to Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. Normally it is about an hour's drive, but since we stop for birds...........

O/N Bird’s Eye View Lodge

DAY 2 – Early morning birding by boat on the lagoons at Crooked Tree . Water fowl will be the main target with special emphasis on finding the Jabiru, Sungrebe and Agami Herons.

O/N Bird’s Eye View Lodge

DAY 3 – Following breakfast, take a short drive to board your boat for the ride to the Mayan ruins of Lamanai for a guided tour of the site and, of course, birding. Look for the Red-Lored Parrot, Collared Aracari Toucan, Lineated & Pale-billed Woodpeckers, Black-Headed & Violaceous Trogons. In addition, Yucatan Black Howler Monkeys are usually seen or heard here.

O/N Lamanai Outpost Lodge

DAY 4 - Early morning departure for the Cayo District with a stop en route at the Belize Zoo and lunch at a nearby restaurant, arriving in late afternoon at duPlooy's Jungle Lodge. Explore the property on your own and, after dinner, meet your guide for a nightwalk.

Spend the next 5 nights at duPlooy's Jungle Lodge

Day 5 - Meet for coffee on the deck and start your Birds of the Cayo District List right there. After breakfast your guide will take you around some of the 100 acres of forest, field and riverside habitat, including the 45-acre Belize Botanic Gardens.

DAY 6 - Caracol and Mountain Pine Ridge

While at duPlooy's you have the option of a pre-breakfast bird walk on the property. After breakfast depart for Caracol, the largest Mayan Archeological site in Belize and the Mountain Pine Ridge, a 300 square mile reserve for beautiful scenery, waterfalls & birding. Stops will be made along the way as birding opportunities present themselves and at specific known birding sites.

Here we have the opportunity to see Yellow-faced Grassquits, Rufus-capped Warblers, Acorn Woodpeckers, Yellow-backed Orioles and Golden-hooded Tanagers. These falcons live on the outcropping. Black-headed Siskins can often be seen flying in flocks and possibly Orange-breasted falcon.

DAY 7- Local birding at El Pilar Archeological site. The site is excellent for birding, hiking, and provides an insight to Belize's sub-tropical forests. We will make stops along the way to view such birds as Collared Manikins, honeycreeper's and an array of flycatchers

DAY 8 - A Short trip into Guatemala takes you to the Yaxhá, a Maya site where the birding has been described as "brilliant". Look for the Ivory-billed woodpecker here.

DAY 9 - After breakfast and of course birding, return to Belize International Airport Belize International Airport for your return flight home or onward destination.

Bird Watching is great in Cayo!

The Cayo District of Belize is well known for its abundant bird life and duPlooy's Jungle Lodge could not be better placed, with its rich mixture of habitats. Set in secondary growth rainforest on the edge of the Macal River, duPlooy's Jungle Lodge offers an unparalleled opportunity to get close to forest birds.

The Lodge is built on the edge of a fairly steep wooded incline, and the unique canopy walk takes you straight into the canopy and amongst birds not normally encountered at ground level. The canopy walk extends out from the bar ....and forest birding has never been so civilized!

Each morning we put out a tempting plate of fruit and throughout the day the birds will come in and feed just a few feet from our guests as they enjoy lunch or a drink at the bar. Early morning is best though, and one of our expert guides is always on hand to help with identification over the complimentary tea and coffee. Species such as Collared aracari, Wood thrush, Blue-crowned motmot and several Tanagers are regular at the fruit table, usually in numbers, bickering over the melon!

Other visitors to the fruit include Gray catbird, Clay-colored robin, and the noisy Plain chachalacas that will also double as your daily wake-up call! Around the deck, you will invariably find pairs of Rose-throated Becard, Masked Tityra and several flycatcher species in the canopy, especially if one of the trees is fruiting.

Watch duPlooy's AM Birding Video

As well as the Canopy Deck, there are many genuine rainforest trails at duPlooy's that offer more possibilities for true forest Birding, and trails in the outlying forest are potentially even more exciting. Parrots, Trogons, Toucans, Honeycreepers, Wood creepers, Puff birds, Tinamou, and many more highly prized birds are all out there, just waiting to be found. The cacophony of tropical sounds is constantly punctuated by the screech of a parrot, and underpinned with the cooing of White-tipped doves and Red-billed pigeons.

Whether you want to take advantage of our birding package or would rather explore on your own, our expert staff guides, Philip Mai and Fermin Tzib will be happy to give you all the advice and expertise you need to make your Belize Birding holiday an unforgettable one.

Fermin Tzib	Philip Mai

TOTAL Cost

Single Person - $3,225
Two Persons 1 Room - $2,150 pp
Three Persons 1 Room - $1,584 pp
Four Persons 2 Rooms - $ 1,594 pp

Single Supplement (w/others) $2,500
Ask about Adding a Southern Belize Component (Toledo District) to your Birding itinerary. Discount Rates for 5 or more persons.

See How to Reserve for additional discounts and payment options.

Important - This Package begins from the time you leave the airport exit terminal to when you are ready to board again for your flight home or onward destination. And includes All costs for Transport, Accommodations, Tours/Fees & Equipment and ALL meals, starting with dinner on your arrival day to breakfast on your departure day.

A Belize Departure Tax of US $39.25 per person is not included in our package prices. Most airlines now include this cost in their ticket price. At the present time, May, 2010, American Airlines does not include this tax. If not included, you will need to pay this Tax, in US$, directly to the airport authorities at Philip S. Goldson International Airport, on the date of your departure.