Las Cascadas Birding Package

6 nights/7 Days

This compact and diverse guided birding tour focuses on the avifauna of Honduras’ north coast and adjacent habitats at an easy pace, all from your comfortable base at Las Cascadas Lodge. Over 6 days and 7 nights, we’ll enjoy birding the tropical rain forests of Nombre de Dios and Pico Bonito National Parks, the wetlands and coastal mangroves of Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, and even take a day to bird the tropical dry forests of the Aguan Valley for Honduras’; endemic species; the Honduran Emerald.

RATES/PRICING:

Rates for arrival and departure from: San Pedro Sula
Depending on your group size (2-8 max for this package) the rates are between $2315 per person (2 guests) and $1576 per person (8 guests). Please contact us with any questions regarding our pricing.

Package Description

Day 1: Arrive San Pedro Sula (SAP), transfer to Las Cascadas Lodge.
Most international flights get into San Pedro at mid-day or later, so our arrival to Las Cascadas Lodge will
be late afternoon and leave time for relaxing and a late dinner in our waterfall-side dining area.
Meals: Dinner Las Cascadas
Lodging at Las Cascadas Lodge

Day 2: AM birding Las Cascadas trail. PM birding the Orchard Trail.
After breakfast this morning we’ll start out birding the “La Cascada Trail” which leaves directly from the lodge. The route is somewhat steep, but we’ll take it slow. The forest here is high-canopy, primary rain forest, and is an ideal place for chasing mixed flocks of birds that move in search of food throughout the forest. The route here is mostly shaded and allows for observation of more interior forest species such as Tody Motmot, Keel Billed Motmot, Black Throated Trogon, Northern Schiffornis, Stub Tailed Spadebill, Chestnut-colored Woodpecker, Brown-hooded Parrot, Great Tinamou, Ruddy Quail Dove, Tawny-faced Quail and others, as well as species associated with mixed flocks such as White-shouldered Tanager, Green Shrike-vireo, Tawny-crowned Greenlet, Plain Ant-vireo, Russet Antshrike and many more. After lunch and some mid-day rest, we’ll head for the lodge’s Orchard Trail, which passes through open
canopy forest and tropical forest edges that are mixed with cocoa and citrus crops. This mosaic habitat
is ideal for observing birds that feed in open places such as: Keel Billed Toucan, Collared Aracari, Black-
crowned Tityra, Scarlet-rumped Tanager, Golden-hooded Tanager, Olive-backed Euphonia, Green
Honeycreeper, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Pale-billed Woodpecker, and many New World tanagers and finches.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Las Cascadas
Lodging at Las Cascadas Lodge

Day 3: AM birding Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge. PM birding Corinto Pearl. Night Las Cascadas.
Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge is named for the Cuero and Salado Rivers which here meet the ocean, The Refuge comprises over 35,000 acres of rivers, lagoons, mangroves, and forests that are home to diverse wildlife and a variety of birds exceeding 350 species. We’ll meet our guide early for breakfast, and depart for the refuge by 6:30. Access into this wilderness is via a small, fruit company railroad, which takes us along a century old track through bird-rich ranchlands, marshlands and plantation areas, ultimately arriving at the mouth of the Salado River and the Refuge itself. Birding from the train is always fun and exciting, as the conductor is eager to stop and point out species of interest along the way. Depending on season, a variety of raptors, wading birds and edge-habitat species abound along the railway. Conditions of the railway are always changing, and there is a chance we’ll access the refuge more from the west, which is just as bird-rich and offers great birding as well. Once at the Refuge, we’ll explore the various aquatic and forest habitats from a small, motorized skiff. Our guides and boat handlers are superbly trained spotters and when needed, prefer to silence our boat’s motor and quietly paddle in for a better look. Agami Heron, Boat-billed Heron, Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Tri-colored Heron, Jabiru Stork, Pigmy Kingfisher, Gray-necked Wood Rail, Laughing Falcon, Bat Falcon, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Gray-necked Wood Rail, and Sungrebe are but a few potential highlights of a visit to Cuero y Salado. Other wildlife commonly seen here include: Black Howler Monkeys, White-faced Monkeys, Lesser Anteater, Central American Coati, Raccoon, Green Iguana, American Crocodile, and Spectacled Caiman. En-route back to Las Cascadas, we’ll stop for lunch and an afternoon of birding at Corinto Pearl Eco Resort along the northern slope of Pico Bonito National Park. Corinto Pearl is a several hundred-acre property bordering the park along the Rio Corinto, containing vast areas of secondary rain forest and an incredible diversity of important fruit -bearing tree species, which are crisscrossed with easily accessible and walkable trails and roads. The entire area is attractive to many secondary forest and open-area species such as: Lovely Cotinga, Crimson-collared Tanager, Turquoise-browed Motmot, Lesson’s Motmot, Squirrel Cuckoo, Keel-billed Toucan, Collared Aracari, Black-headed Trogon, Blue-crowned Chlorophonia, Plain Chachalaca, Yellow-billed Cacique, White-collared Manakin, Red-capped Manakin, Long-billed Hermit, Stripe-throated Hermit and many, many more. We’ll finish out the day’s birding here and make our way back to Las Cascadas Lodge for dinner.
Meals: Breakfast Las Cascadas, Lunch Corinto Pearl, Dinner Las Cascadas
Lodging at Las Cascadas Lodge

Day 4: Full day birding Olanchito dry forest and endemic Honduran Emerald.
We’ll begin this full day of birding Honduras’ unique dry forest habitat with an early breakfast at The Lodge, and departure by 4:30 AM. Descending the “rain shadow”, or southern side of Pico Bonito National Park, cloud forested peaks and pine studded slopes give way to an arid, almost desert-like plain, once completely dominated by tropical thorn or dry forest. This is the home of the Honduran Emerald and thankfully, this tiny hummer can be common where it has been protected. As such, our chances of seeing this endemic jewel are very good. Our ride into “Emerald country” can be equally exciting, as a surprising number of bird species inhabit dry forest. Along the way, we’ll also visit localized wet areas within this arid region. These sites can be magnets for wading birds and other species. We’ll go after species such as; Double-striped Thick-knee, Lesser Roadrunner, Lesser Ground-cuckoo, Beardless Tyrannulet, White-lored Gnatcatcher, White- throated Magpie-jay, Banded Wren, White-bellied Wren, and Stripe-headed Sparrow, and Salvin’s Emerald among others. We’ll enjoy lunch at a small, family run hacienda, and return to Pico Bonito Lodge by 4:00 PM. After dinner, we’ll be guided around the Lodge’s gardens where Mottled Owl, Vermiculated Screech Owl, Black and White Owl, and both Great and Northern Potoo may be found.
Meals: Breakfast Las Cascadas, Lunch en route, Dinner Las Cascadas
Lodging at Las Cascadas Lodge

Day 5: AM birding Rio Santiago. PM birding Pico Bonito.
Today will begin with an early breakfast and departure for Rio Santiago, about an hour to the west along Pico Bonito National Park. Rio Santiago is a 150-acre private preserve located along the northern foothills of the park. Its secluded, rain forest location and impressive numbers of hummingbird feeders have earned it the name of “hummingbird capital of Honduras”. Throughout most of the year, Santiago’s trails and main garden areas abound with bewildering numbers of some of Honduras’ most well-known hummingbird species. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Brown Violet-ear, Band-tailed Barbthroat, Violet Sabrewing, Crowned Woodnymph, Stripe-throated Hermit, Long-billed Hermit, Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, White-bellied Emerald, and Scaly-breasted Hummingbird are among the 20+ species that frequent Santiago’s feeders. In addition, the spectacular Keel-billed Motmot, Rufous-tailed Jacamar and Sunbittern are frequently seen along with Red-capped and White-collared Manakins and much more along Santiago’s trail system. For lunch, we’ll head back east and stop at the Lodge at Pico Bonito, another prime birding site along Honduras’ north coast. We’ll enjoy a relaxed lunch in the Lodge’s Itzama restaurant overlooking the Lodge’s bird-rich gardens. Afterwards, our guide will lead us throughout the Lodge grounds and plantations. A climb to the top of the “Toucan Tower” observation platform, usually offers a bird’s eye view of the forest canopy that can include heart-stopping views of the coveted Lovely Cotinga. Throughout the afternoon we’ll bird areas of tropical, secondary and gallery forest and plantations areas along the Rio Coloradito. Along this route, diversity is the rule and examples of sightings include Lovely Cotinga, Masked and Black-crowned Tityras, Lesson’s and Turquoise-browed Motmots, Tody Motmot, Keel-billed Toucan, Collared Aracari, Ferruginous Pigmy Owl, Black-cowled Oriole, Black-headed, Violaceous, Collared and Slaty-tailed Trogons, Royal Flycatcher, Green, Shining and Red-Legged Honeycreeper, and 16 species of Hummingbirds including Crowned Woodnymph, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Violet Sabrewing, Purple-crowned Fairy, Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Brown Violet-ear, and White-necked Jacobin. We’ll return back to Las Cascadas for dinner.
Meals: Breakfast Las Cascadas, Lunch Pico Bonito, Dinner Las Cascadas
Lodging at Las Cascadas Lodge

Day 6: AM birding Relumbrosa. PM birding Cascadas upper trail and grounds.
La Relumbrosa is 20 minutes’ drive up-river from Las Cascadas Lodge, and is a huge area of primary and secondary tropical rain forest bordered by riparian segments, thickets, and micro-basins that supply the Cangrejal River. A network of trails here were built and are maintained by a local conservation organization called Guaruma and provide some of the best birding in the Cangrejal River Valley. Species typical of this habitat are: Blue-black Grosbeak, Black-throated Trogon, Buff-rumped Warbler, Red- capped Manakin, White-collared Manakin, Lineated and Pale-billed Woodpecker, Rufous Tailed Jacamar, White Necked puffbird, Little, Slaty-breasted and Great Tinamou, and many, many more. Terrain is fairly easy going. We’ll have a full morning of rain forest birding here, and head back to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, after a bit of a siesta, we’ll do some final birding of the lodge’s gardens, grounds and Orchard Trail
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Las Cascadas
Lodging at Las Cascadas Lodge