In this fresh, new trip, we bring you an opportunity to remove the mystery surrounding this less-visited corner of the world. Your guide is Robert Gallardo, a former Peace Corps Volunteer and naturalist extraordinaire who happens to be the de facto world authority on Honduran birds and butterflies and has considerable knowledge in native orchids. (Visit Robert's new website, www.birdsofhonduras.com, for comprehensive regional birding resources, including many photos and audio recordings of Honduran birds). He has designed this breathtaking trip to combine wonderful birding and scenery in a nine day adventure across the highlands of western Honduras. Vsery few visitors even get to this area where there is a wealth of natural beauty and wonderful birding.

Geographically, the western highlands of Honduras are very similar to parts of Guatemala and southern Mexico and thus have a similar avifauna. In fact, a number of species end their southern breeding or wintering range limits in this region such as the Buff-collared Nightjar, Slender Sheartail, Blue-throated Motmot, Black-capped Swallow, Rufous-collared Robin and Red-faced Warbler. This region is dominated by semi-arid pine/oak forest on lower foothills, humid highland pine/oak forest on higher slopes and cool broadleaf cloud forest on many of its peaks. Western Honduras is dotted with many cloud forests; many of which have been designated national parks.

Located in western Honduras adjacent to the town of Gracias, Lempira is the towering Celaque National Park (NP), which contains the highest peak in the country at just over 9,000 ft. The park boundary covers almost 60,000 acres of highland pine/oak and cloud forest habitats and is home to a wide range of flora and fauna. Many species of epiphytic and terrestrial orchids can be seen along the way in to the park. We will stay two nights at the quaint Guancascos Hotel located at the edge of the colonial town of Gracias.

Twice, we will bird a lower section of the park in search of species like the White-breasted Hawk, Great Swallow-tailed Swift, Black-banded Woodcreeper, Gray-collared Becard, Red-faced Warbler, Flame-colored Tanager and Black-vented Oriole. Rare in Mesoamerica, the American Dipper finds a home along the mountains’ crystalline streams.

Southeast of Gracias is the highland city of La Esperanza at 6,300 ft. We will stay one night in the cozy cabins of Bosque del Llano de la Virgen. Located amongst a mixed pine forest the area abounds with migratory wood-warblers, Olive Warbler, Steller´s Jay, hummingbirds, Bushy-crested Jay, and Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush. On the way out of town we will visit a marsh where we recently discovered populations of the Sedge Wren, a rarity in Mesoamerica.

Lying on the continental divide is Marcala, La Paz. We will stay two nights at the new La Casona country house. It is a working hacienda that has just been converted into a lodging facility. Nearby is a large mountainous area where we will bird for two mornings. It is here where we have an excellent chance at viewing the usually elusive Blue-throated Motmot who inhabits cloud forests no lower than 5,000 ft. Other notable species also found here are: Fulvous Owl, Black-capped Swallow, Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer, Amethyst-throated Hummingbird, Prevost´s Ground-Sparrow, Blue-and-white Mockingbird, Green Violet-Ear and Rufous-collared Thrush.

Our last birding site is La Tigra N.P., Honduras´ first protected area that looms above Honduras’ capital city of Tegucigalpa and is its principal source of drinking water. Adjacent to the parks’ entrance is a peaceful country retreat, Las Gloriales that sits at about 5,000 ft. where we will stay for the last three nights. Before being declared a national park some of the area was tunnel mined for gold and some signs of the mining days can still be seen. Some of the key species we will be searching for in this cloud forest include: Singing Quail, Scaled Antpitta, Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge, Resplendent Quetzal, Black-throated Jay and Green-breasted Mountain- Gem. The highland retreat at Las Gloriales is quite birdy itself.

Day by day trip description

Day 1: Arrival in Honduras (San Pedro Sula)- transfer to Gracias, Lempira
Today your journey through the western highlands of Honduras begins! Tour participants should plan their flights to Honduras to arrive no later than 2:00 p.m. to assure we arrive in Gracias before dark. We will board our transportation and drive approx. four hours to the city of Gracias, Lempira-gateway to Celaque N.P. Once we pass the town of La Entrada, Copan we will begin our ascent into the western highlands and pine/oak forests will start to dominate the landscape.

We will be staying at the quaint Hotel Guancascos, located at the edge of town just below an old Spanish fort. It is built on the side of a hill and is terraced. The small property often has small flocks of birds going through its gardens that include tanagers, orioles, saltators and wood-warblers. Other common species can be seen soaring or flying by from the restaurant veranda.

Night: Hotel Guancascos, Gracias

Day 2: Birding Celaque National Park
The word “Celaque” in the Lenca language means literally “box of water”, as this mountain produces large amounts of crystalline water for thousands of people who live around the park. Celaque is western Honduras´ largest national park and contains over 60,000 acres of highland pine/oak and cloud forest. The country’s highest peak at just over 9,000 ft. sits atop this mountain which for much of the year is cloaked in misty clouds. Broadleaf cloud forest dominates the upper reaches of the park from 6,000 to 9,000 ft.

We devote the entire day to bird the whole lower section of the park entrance which is composed of mostly older growth pine/oak forest and other broadleaf species mixed in. On our approach up to the main gate we pass through farmland and shade grown coffee plantations. Here, we usually see an assortment of orioles, Turquoise-browed and Blue-crowned Motmots, flycatchers and wood-warblers. At the main gate we often encounter a Lesser Roadrunner or two and Black-vented Orioles. This oriole has the strange disposition of being found almost exclusively around human dwellings, at least in Honduras.

The walk along the road through the mature pine/oak forest has a slow, gradual ascent up to the trailhead. Along the road we will search for many species, both resident and migrant alike and the birding here is often very good. We will be looking for: Great Swallow-tailed Swift, Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Mountain Trogon, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Greater Pewee, Tufted Flycatcher, Band-backed Wren, Brown-backed Solitaire, Olive Warbler, Golden-cheeked Warbler as well as many migrant wood-warblers, Painted Redstart and Flame-colored Tanager. Yellow-backed Orioles and Bushy-crested Jays usually flock together here as well.

Other less common species found here include: Gray-collared Becard, Red-faced Warbler, White-breasted Hawk, Strong-billed and Black-banded Woodcreepers, Lincoln’s Sparrow and Black Swift.

We will have a relaxing boxed lunch along the scenic river where we may see the American Dipper; a rare breeding resident in Honduras. After lunch we will bird on the way back then return to the hotel for dinner.

After dinner we will drive to some nearby pine/oak forest which is drier in search of the Whiskered Screech-Owl and perhaps other nocturnal species.

Night: Hotel Guancascos, Gracias

Day 3: Morning at Celaque N.P. ; transfer to La Esperanza, Intibuca
This morning we will bird part of the park entrance again in search of species we may have missed yesterday such as: Band-tailed Pigeon, White-throated Swift, White-eared Hummingbird, Green Violet-Ear, White-winged Tanager, Rusty Sparrow, Black-headed Siskin and Yellow-throated Brush-Finch.

After returning to town we will have lunch at the hotel, pack then depart for La Esperanza, Intibuca. We will have about a 2 ½ hour drive through some highland plateaus, much of which is covered in more arid pine/oak woodland. We will make occasional rest stops and do some roadside birding along Honduras’ highest highway.

Upon arriving in La Esperanza we will settle into our cabins. The Cabanas are set amongst a nice pine forest on the edge of town where we have room to stretch out and breath some fresh mountain air.

Night: Cabanas Bosque del Llano de la Virgen, La Esperanza

Day 4: Morning at La Esperanza; transfer to Marcala, La Paz
This morning we will bird around the cabin property and look for species such as: Steller’s Jay, Olive Warbler and migrant wood-warblers, Tufted Flycatcher, White-eared Hummingbird and Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush. Upon leaving the city we will visit a some highland pine/oak forest in search the Hairy Woodpecker, Red Crossbill, Brown Creeper and other species. We will also visit a marsh to look for the Sedge Wren whose populations were recently discovered by Robert in this area. This wren is quite local in Mesoamerica. Other species in the vicinity include Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Rufous-collared Sparrow and Black-headed Siskin.

We continue on to Marcala for a two hour drive and make occasional stops to stretch and do some roadside birding. This is the highest road in the country and in some places it is a bit bumpy. On the outskirts of Marcala we will stay at the quiet Country House “La Casona”. We will spend the rest of the afternoon birding around the hotel. The lodging facility sits among a pine barren plateau off the main highway and is quite peaceful. Here we will look for species such as Rock Wren, Mountain Pygmy-Owl and Buff-collared Nightjar. Other more familiar species may include Eastern Bluebird, Altamira Oriole and Southern House Wren.

Night: Country House La Casona, Marcala

Day 5: Birding Opatoro/Guajiquiro Highlands
Today we travel up into one of the most scenic areas of Honduras where we have access to elevations of over 6,300 ft. It is here where we will be birding remnant cloud forest, some of which is old growth, in search of many sought after species such as the prized Blue-throated Motmot. In most of its range it can be a difficult species to find, let alone observe. Its cryptic green coloration, small size and habit of perching in the subcanopy usually renders this species nearly invisible. But, we have found it to be fairly common in this area and are usually afforded good views of it.

We will bird along the road as well as along pathways leading into the cloud forest and the walking is fairly easy. Some of the species we will look for include: White-faced Quail-Dove, Green Violet-Ear, Garnet-throated Hummingbird, Barred Parakeet, Emerald Toucanet, Mountain Trogon, Spot-crowned Woodcreeper, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush, Black Thrush, Slate-colored Solitaire, Blue-hooded Euphonia, Golden-browed Warbler and Prevost’s Ground-Sparrow.

All along the roads amongst the thick brush we typically encounter pairs of the beautifully bi-colored Blue-and-white Mockingbird.

The Black-capped Swallow was once thought to be very rare in Honduras, but we have found it to be fairly common here and there are nesting colonies along road cuts. From September through December the roadsides are covered with thousands of blooming wildflowers of many species and the show of hummingbirds is quite spectacular.

We will spend most of the day in the highlands and have lunch in the field.

For those wishing to return to the cloud forest after dinner we will head out and look for the Fulvous Owl whose range and habitat preference in Mesoamerica is quite limited. Its appearance is very similar to the Barred Owl of North America.

Night: Country House La Casona, Marcala

Day 6: Morning in Opatoro/Guajiquiro Highlands; transfer to El Hatillo-La Tigra N.P.
This morning we will have breakfast at the hotel, pack and head into the highlands once again. We will search for other species we may have missed yesterday which include: Violet Saberwing, Magnificent and Emerald-chinned Hummingbird, Resplendent Quetzal, Spotted Woodcreeper, Mountain Thrush, Rufous-collared Robin, Brown-capped Vireo, Slate-throated Redstart, Blue-crowned Chlorophonia and Crescent-chested Warbler.

Rarer species known from this region we will keep an eye out for include: Slaty Finch, Maroon-chested Ground-Dove, Spotted Nightingale-Thrush, Unicolored Jay, Ruddy Foliage-Gleaner, Slender Sheartail and Wine-throated Hummingbird.

We will have a picnic lunch in the highlands before descending down into the Comayagua valley and continuing south toward Tegucigalpa then up to El Hatillo near the entrance of La Tigra N.P.

We will spend the last three nights in a mountain retreat, Las Gloriales, which sits at an elevation of about 5,000 ft. and has a shaded coffee plantation, native pines and nice gardens.

Night: Hotel Las Gloriales, El Hatillo

Day 7: Birding La Tigra National Park
After some early morning birding around the hotel and breakfast we will go up and bird some trails around the Jutiapa visitor center on the western side of the park. Walking conditions today are fairly easy to moderately strenuous. Some vistas along the road may afford us a view of soaring birds like the Swallow-tailed Kite who feeds on cicadas and dragonflies.

Along the forest trails we will be looking for special cloud forest species such as the Green-breasted Mountain-Gem (an endemic to central and eastern Honduras and n. Nicaragua). They can usually be found feeding on a variety of flowering bromeliads or shrubs alongside other highland species such as the Garnet-throated Hummingbird.

Rufous-browed Wrens are typically found making their buzz-like calls in the bushes. Mountain Trogon, Blue-hooded Euphonia, Common Bush-Tanager and Yellowish Flycatcher frequent this area. Two species that are difficult to observe elsewhere in Honduras are found here: the Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush and Black-throated Jay, both of which are usually found no lower than 5,000 ft.

We will have a picnic lunch at the visitor center and spend part of the afternoon birding nearby trails.

Night: Hotel Las Gloriales, El Hatillo

Day 8: Birding La Tigra National Park
Today we will again bird La Tigra N.P., but will be traversing the park on a four mile walk. We will first follow an access road that eventually turns into a trail. We will have a gradual elevation gain of about 800 ft. reaching an altitude of 7,000 ft then start to descend down to El Rosario on the east side of the park. Today’s hike will be moderately strenuous to slightly difficult. The cloud forest here is spectacular and we may be afforded incredible views of forested valleys.

Our efforts should be rewarded as we search for prized species such as: Singing Quail, Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge, Scaled Antpitta, Azure-hooded Jay, Black Thrush and Tawny-throated Leaftosser. The Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch and an assortment of hummingbirds are found all along the hike. In Honduras the Singing Quail has been found at only two sites with La Tigra being the best place to see it. Its loud, high pitched wavering song can be heard echoing through the forest. The Slate-colored Solitaire and its beautiful flute-like songs will be our companion on most of the hike.

We will have lunch at El Rosario then proceed down to San Juancito where we will be picked up and taken back to Las Gloriales. The remainder of the day will be spent birding at the hotel or relaxing.

Night: Hotel Las Gloriales, El Hatillo

Day 9: A.M. El Hatillo; transfer to Tegucigalpa International airport
We will have some early morning birding around the hotel before having breakfast then packing. We will then drop back down into Tegucigalpa to the airport for international departures.

TOUR CONDITIONS:
Honduras is traversed by several mountain ranges with almost 85% of the country considered mountainous. Many of areas that are visited during this tour are on uneven surfaces. Some trails are moderately difficult while others are more strenuous, but well built. We always walk at a comfortable pace for everyone. On several occasions we will be driving and birding along roads, making stops at interesting spots or where trails go into good birding habitat.

Participants considering this tour should strongly take into consideration that the degree of difficulty of some of the trails along the tour route is above average. While conditions are not overly difficult, prospective participants should assess their physical capabilities to the best of their ability before registering. This tour is not suitable for those with problems walking. Participants will never be expected to perform beyond their individual capabilities. This is important certainly from a health standpoint, but also for the sake of thoroughly enjoying one’s time in Honduras. On all trails your tour leader will move at a rate most suitable for the group. Prospective participants suffering from known cardiac or pulmonary disorders should consult their physician before registering for this tour.

Weather: For the month of February we can expect pleasant weather with daytime temperatures ranging from mid 70’s to around 90 F. Night time temperatures may vary from low 60’s to 70’s F. Chances of rain in this month are slim, but always possible. A warm jacket is recommended for early morning birding when we may encounter early morning fog. The sun at higher elevations is more intense so a good hat, sunglasses and sunblock are highly recommended.

Clothing: When preparing for a trip to the tropics, it is generally a good idea to pack lightweight field clothing. Clothing made from cotton is always a good idea, but most makers of outdoor apparel make excellent lightweight, well ventilated products from other materials, as well. Several t-shirts, both short and long-sleeved, are recommended. Many people prefer the designer style clothing with shirts made with lots of pockets and ventilated at the seams. Two or three pair of cotton pants is suggested, but again, the designer style clothing is very good as well. Normally these types of pants are segmented so that easy removal of the lower leg will readily turn any pair of pants into shorts. Denim, i.e., blue jeans, is acceptable but not as comfortable or well-ventilated. A pair of shorts or two is recommended as well. A lightweight jacket for rain is essential, and a warm sweater for the highlands is nice to have on hand. For footwear we recommend a good trail-waking shoe or light hiking boot. Athletic shoes are acceptable but will not keep your feet dry and can become soiled from muddy conditions. We do not anticipate cold temperatures on this tour, so please take this into account when packing.

Transportation for the tour will be aboard an air conditioned van or mini bus. As noted in the itinerary some stretches of road may be a bit bumpy. Sections of these highlands roads are continuously being paved. Facilities for bathroom stops may be scarce on some backcountry roads.

Currency is approximately 19 Lempiras (Lps.) to the US $1.00.

Documents: A valid U.S. Passport is required of all American citizens traveling to Honduras.

Health: Participants on this tour need to be prepared for a moderate amount of walking, some of it over uneven ground and up moderately steep trails. Throughout our stay in Honduras, we encourage everybody to drink bottled water. It will always be available either through the lodges where we stay or through your tour leader, who will have it on hand for the group. In Honduras fruits and vegetables are probably best avoided.

As standard precautions for travel, we recommend that tour participants stay up-to-date with Tetanus/diphtheria shots. Vaccinations for Hepatitis types A and B are strongly encouraged as well. Type A vaccinations consist of a two-shot sequence, while Type B is a three-shot sequence. Please consult your physician or health care provider for more information.

Honduras is a country with known occurrences of malaria. Although we will not be in areas with known outbreaks, we recommend participants consult their physician for proper prophylactic prevention. The drug used to prevent and treat the form of malaria found in Central America is chloroquine. For comprehensive information please contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on the Internet at www.cdc.gov or by phone at 404-332-4559.

Electricity is the same as in the U.S.

Single accommodations are available at all hotels.

Field Guides: The most important field guide for your upcoming trip to Honduras is A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America by Steve N.G. Howell, published in 1995 by Oxford University Press: London, New York, Tokyo

Arrivals and Departures: Participants must arrive at the San Pedro Sula airport no later than 2:00 p.m. to allow us ample time to arrive at our first destination of Gracias. Departures will be out of the Toncontin Int’l Airport in Tegucigalpa. Arrival airport is San Pedro Sula (SAP); departure airport is Tegucigalpa (TGU). If you arrive in San Pedro Sula the day before we can assist with your hotel reservation in San Pedro Sula.

TOUR REGISTRATION: To register for this trip please contact Victor Emanuel Nature Tours at: www.ventbird.com/tour/602 .