Bird & Photo and cultural Trip to Cuba

(Havana & Viñales):   Usually the  Flights arrives at mid day or before so your Guide will be waiting for yopu at the airport and have  Lunch in Havana and departure to Viñales Valley, the land of tobacco farms and beautiful landscapes with limestone formations called mogotes. Bird watching along the way, looking for Snail Kites and waterbirds in dams built near to the highway and we will stop at las terrazas to look for our firs endemic the rare Cuban Grassquit and then drive to Viñales.  Dinner and check-in at B&B  (this first day could be changed depending of your arriving time to Cuba) in case you arrive late afternoon we can spend the first night in Havana. 

We start our day  with a deliciuos  breakfast  and then drive short distance to Viñales National Park/ Parque de Viñales in pursuit of  many endemics Like  Cuban Solitaire, Cuban Grassquit, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Western Spindalis, Cuban Tody, Cuban Trogon, Cuban Blackbird, Cuban-Green Woodpecker, as well as some migrant species like warblers, tanagers and buntings. During the afternoon, visit to a tobacco farm, birding along the road to the El Albino Reservoir to search for the Olive-capped Warbler and Yellow-headed Warbler, and sunset and cocktails at the home of Nils Navarro, renowned Cuban wildlife artist and naturalist and author of newly-published Endemic Birds of Cuba: A Comprehensive Field Guide.

Viñales to Playa Larga/Zapata with Optional stops: Early breakfastand departure to Zapata Swamp (+ 5 hours), with stops en route to pick up more endemics and migrants, and enjoy the magnificent scenery. We will look for  Giant Kingbird; with many other birds possible,  including the Cuban Solitaire, Tawny-shouldered Blackbird, Cuban Blackbird, Cuban Green Woodpecker, and Yellow-headed Warbler. The UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and eco-village, Las Terrazas, offers close-up views of endemics and a lovely setting for our family style lunch on a patio. By late afternoon we reach Playa Larga, a lovely little beach town on the Bay of Pigs on the Zapata Peninsula. Zapata Swamp is the third largest wetland in the Americas and the region offers the best birding in Cuba. About 254 species have been recorded for Zapata. It is a Biosphere Reserve and a Ramsar Site, where it is possible to see more than 20 Cuban endemics. Check-in at B&B and dinner.

Early breakfast and departure to explore the east part od the Zapata National Park (45 minutes). Birding start in mixed forest habitat (flat, easy-walking trail system 2+ miles). Excellent chance for Bee Hummingbird, Grey-fronted Quail-Dove, Key West Quail-Dove, Ruddy Quail-Dove, Cuban Parrot, Cuban Blackbird, Cuban Bullfinch, Loggerhead Kingbird, Bare-legged Owl and Cuban Pygmy Owl. The threatened Cuban Parakeet, Fernandina’s Flicker, and Blue-headed Quail-Dove are also likely.

Afternoon visits to Cueva de los Peces and Los Hondones. Opportunities for great views of the gorgeous Blue-headed Quail Dove at Cueva de los Peces, Cuba’s largest underwater saltwater cave; optional swimming and snorkeling at the lovely reef just off the beach. Los Hondones is a developing eco-village where the community is developing organic farming and planting fruit trees, great attractions for many endemic birds, such as the Cuban Parrot, Cuban Trogon, Cuban Tody, Great Lizard Cuckoo, Cuban Emerald and many migrants. Evening birdwatching for Stygian Owl, Bare-legged Owl, Cuban Pygmy Owl and the Greater Antillean (Cuban) Nightjar.

(Zapata: Santo Tomas or La Turba): Morning birding at Santo Tomas where we will have a lovely and peaceful ride into the swamp via pole-powered boats. Santa Tomas, with its sawgrass tussocks, is the type locality for Zapata Swamp and a classical place to see the Zapata Sparrow and Zapata Wren, among Cuba’s most limited range endemic birds. It’s a great location also to see White-crowned Pigeon, Great Lizard Cuckoo, Smooth-billed Ani, Cuban Tody, Cuban Bullfinch, Purple Gallinule. (Depending of the season we move the clients between Santo Tomas and La Turba  where the targets like the Zapata Sparrow and Zapata Wren are possible to see too).

Birding at Las Salinas Refuge (nearby flat, dry-dirt roadway 1+ miles). Habitat is varied among low, dense forest, mangrove, marsh, and open wetlands. Here we are likely to encounter the endemic Cuban Black Hawk as well as numerous shorebird, seabird, and waterbird species, including American Flamingo, Roseate Spoonbills, Reddish Egret, Wood Stork, and Clapper Rail.

Zapata to Trinidad: Morning departure heading east towards our destination, Trnidad City with birding stops on route to look for the Cuban Gnatcatcher and Palm Crow. Cultural stops may include Cienfuegos Botanical Garden and Trinidad, two historic cities, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Cienfuegos, a bay-side city founded by French émigré and known as the “Pearl of the South,” has a Parisian feel to it with its parks, tree-lined boulevards and colonnades. Trinidad is a one-of-a-kind, perfectly preserved Spanish colonial settlement. We will have a little time to explore the cobblestone streets and enjoy the pastel-colored colonial mansions, plazas and churches (built from huge sugar fortunes) and laid-back atmosphere. 

(Trinidad to Cayo Coco): Today we make our way to Cayo Coco and nearby offshore cays on the northern (Atlantic) coast which provide great habitat for a diversity of water birds species, including the West Indian Whistling-Duck, migrants, and restricted-range and endemic subspecies. Since 1988 Cayo Coco has been connected to the mainland by a 27km causeway. The islands offer pristine white-sand beaches, mangrove flats, low coastal scrub and crystal clear waters, however, the area is being rapidly developed for “sun and sand” tourism and the habitat of many important species may become threatened. Check into our hotel on Cayo Coco and birding nearby.

(Cayo Coco Cays): Early morning birding on Cayo Paredón Grande, the most northeastern cay in the archipelago and one of Cuba’s important migratory landfalls. We will search for the Bahama Mockingbird, Cuban Gnatcatcher, Oriente Warbler, Gundlach’s Hawk, Scaly–naped Pigeon, Mangrove Cuckoo. Thick-billed Vireo and a subspecies of Zapata Sparrow are also target birds for the archipelago. Lunch at the hotel. The afternoon will be spent spotting migratory birds on Cayo Guillermo and Cayo Romano. Cueva del Jabali is a great place to spot Key West Quail-Dove, Zenaida Dove, Cuban Tody, Oriente Warbler, La Sagra’s Flycatcher, Red-legged Honeycreeper and many migratory warblers. Overnight at our hotel.

Today, Birsing back to La havana , we will arrive late in the atfernoon  it Check into our B&Bs, followed by dinner .

Night in La Havana

Today , we will enjoyed the City Tour in the old havana and have a ride in  the Classic cars  and the  diverse cultural activities including a walking tour of Old Havana, old fashioned cars, historical buildings and monuments. Final dinner at a nice restaurant and live Cuban music and dancing into the evening (optional).

Night in Havana.

Breakfast, check-out and transfer to the Havana Intl Airport.