Rio Santiago Nature Resort - Santa Barbara Cloud Forest Replendant Quetzals Birdwatching

Santa Barbara Cloud Forest
Resplendant Quetzals

As a compliment to your bird watching adventure at Rio Santiago, we offer the following guided extension into the Central Honduran highlands.  In addition to boasting numerous rarely seen and much sought after species, this region is home to the Resplendent Quetzal; without a doubt one of the most beautiful and emblematic of all tropical bird species.

DAY 1- Arrival:
Our guide will greet us at San Pedro Sula International Airport, and we’ll transfer to the lovely Panacam Lodge, a naturalist’s paradise nestled high amidst the mountains of 300 sq. km. Cerro Azul National Park.  Here we’ll enjoy an afternoon/.evening of superb, tropical birding along one of the Park’s many established routes.  Trails here lead from mid-elevation rainforest, through pine-oak habitat and eventually cloud forest.  Along the way we’ll look for Keel-billed Motmot, Highland Guan, Green Jay, Bushy Crested Jay, Elegant Trogon, Black-crested Coquette, Wine-throated Hummingbird, and myriad other species that inhabit this pristine highland preserve.
Dinner at Panacam Lodge Restaurant

DAY 2- Resplendent Quetzals:
We’ll be up early for coffee and a light breakfast before our departure for Santa Barbara National Park.  Santa Barbara encompasses nearly 125 sq. kilometers of broad-leaf rain and cloud forest.  Up to 300 pairs of Resplendent Quetzals are estimated to thrive in this misty, montane preserve.  Our trail will lead us to nearly 6,000 feet in elevation, and the open nature of the forest along the way provides great views not only of Resplendent Quetzals, but also other species found in this habitat such as; Highland Guan, Emerald Toucanet, Blue-crowned Chlorophonia, Slate-colored Solitaire, Flame-colored Tanager, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Green Violet-ear, Red-throated Parakeet, Blue and White Mockingbird and many, many others.
Lunch at Lake Yojoa
Here we’ll enjoy a leisurely afternoon/evening of birding the diverse shorelines and marshes of Honduras’ largest lake, Lake Yojoa.  Our guide will lead us along the trails and elevated boardwalks of “Los Naranjos”, an archaeological park protecting a huge, pre-Colombian Lenca settlement on the lake’s bird rich north shore.  Here we’ll look for stunning, scope filling views of waterfowl such as Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Blue-winged Teal, as well as Common Moorhen, Rudy Crake, Swallow-tailed Kite, Snail Kite, Black-necked Stilt, Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer, Banded Wren and others.
Dinner at Panacam Lodge

DAY 3:  Transfer to Rio Santiago Nature Resort

     After early morning birding of the Panacam Lodge entrance road and grounds, and breakfast, we depart for Honduras’ North Coast, and The Rio Santiago Nature Resort adjacent to Honduras’ Pico Bonito National Park.  We’ll stop for lunch along the way, and a late afternoon arrival at The Resort will afford us time to unpack, refresh and enjoy some light birding of Santiago’s grounds before dinner.

     Prices for this spectacular birding extension are as follows;

2 persons, $575 per person.

3 or more persons, $475 per person.

     *Minimum 2 persons.  Prices include all lodging, meals, transfers, taxes and entrance/guide fees.  Please inquire about single birder rates