» More about our Birding Tours to Belize and Guatemala, and about duPlooy’s Jungle Lodge
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8 night/9 day Belize Birding Tour Itinerary
This set itinerary is for 8 nights, 9 days. For a longer option, we recommend our set itinerary for 10 nights/11 days.
Need a custom itinerary, and have 7 or more people? No problem, just contact us.
Day 1
We meet at Belize City airport and bird our way to duPlooy’s Jungle Lodge with a stop at the Belize Zoo if time permits. Evening bird walk around the duPlooy’s property.
Day 2
Early morning birding at duPlooy’s, and your first experience of the famous fruit table. Enjoy coffee or tea at the bar whilst Collared Aracari, Blue-crowned Motmot, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, Yellow-winged Tanager, Plain Chachalaca and many more birds feast a few feet away at first light. After starting the day the right way, we’ll bird the duPlooy’s property and adjacent Belize Botanic Gardens where there is a variety of habitat to support field, forest, river and pond birds. Relax a bit and enjoy lunch on the duPlooy’s deck. After lunch, we bird as we drive the six miles to Xunantunich to explore the Mayan ruins and look for more forest species. We cross the Mopan River on a hand-cranked cable-drawn ferry, giving us a uniquely Belizean experience as well as a chance to see river birds and huge iguanas. Pronounced Shoo-nan-too-nich, this is a fabulous Mayan ruin which also offers great forest birding with species such as White-whiskered Puffbird, Bright-rumped Atilla and several parrots to look out for.
 White-whiskered Puffbird |
 Xunantunich |
Day 3
All day trip to Mountain Pine Ridge, an area of pine forest growing back after being devastated by an inasive beetle in the 1980s. The scenery is dramatic and the habitat is home to woodpeckers, Rusty Sparrow, Rufous-capped Warbler and even the occasional Crested Guan. We’ll visit Thousand Feet Falls, where we hope to see the rare Orange-breasted Falcon, and then on to Caracol, Belize’s flagship Mayan ruin site with superb forest birding. King Vulture, eagles, hawks, hummingbirds, a host of forest birds, coatis and howler monkeys are all possible, to name but a few. On the way back we’ll bird the Rio On Pools and maybe cool off in the lovely cascading water.
There’s great birding at the Caracol Mayan site
 Rufous-capped Warbler |
 Orange-breasted Falcon |
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 Rose-breasted Grosbeak |
 Rusty Sparrow |
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 Yucutan Black Howler Monkey |
 Caracol |
Day 4
This morning after our walk, we get into a canoe and head downstream to the town of San Ignacio, looking for giant resting iguanas, birds of the jungle plus kingfishers, herons, cormorants and maybe even a Sungrebe on the water. Enjoy a leisurely lunch in San Ignacio at a local restaurant, then spend the afternoon birding at the charming and birdy Cahal Pech Mayan site, a quiet ruin site which is especially good for several hard-to-see species.
Birding by canoe on the Macal River
 White-crowned Parrot |
 Emerald Toucanet |
Cahal Pech Mayan ruin site
Days 5 & 6
After an early breakfast we’ll bird our way over the border and into Guatemala. Our destination is the most famous of all the Mayan sites, Tikal.
We’ll spend the afternoon wandering through this impressive historical site, marvelling at the temples but also the incredible variety of wildlife living within the protected haven of Tikal’s boundaries. Ocellated Turkey, Orange-breasted Falcon, Lovely Cotinga and the recently reintroduced Harpy Eagle are all possibilities. Snakes, spider monkeys, coatis… it’s a classic.
As well as our Belizean birding guide we will be accompanied by an archaeological guide from Guatemala who will tell us about the history and culture of the Mayan civilization that once inhabited Tikal.
We’ll spend the night near the site and get up early for a classic sunrise atop the tallest temple and more world-class birding before heading back to duPlooy’s in the afternoon having had a memorable experience in Guatemala.
The rainforest around Tikal offers world-class birding
 Yellow-winged Grosbeak |
 Blue-crowned Motmot |
Day 7
This is your free day: take advantage of the birding duPlooy’s has to offer, bird the river walk, explore the Belize Botanic Gardens, hang out in the bird hide overlooking the Inland Lagoon. Or maybe canoe upstream and float back, ride a horse, get close-up wildlife photos from the deck, lie in your hammock and listen to the sound of the jungle… On-site activities and the services of your bird guides are included. If you’d like to book an off-site excursion from duPlooy’s extensive activity and tour list, the price of this is not included (birding guides will be divided amongst activities where possible).
 Keel-billed Toucan |
 The Fire Tower at Belize Botanic Gardens |
Day 8
Head South for the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Preserve, a unique wet rainforest habitat. This is another whole eco-system where you will add to your list, and while Jaguar sightings are extremely rare, Scarlet Macaw and Great Curossow are possible. Spend the night at a nearby village.
 Rose-throated Becard |
 Black-headed Trogon |
Day 9
We’ll bird our way north, visiting sites along the coast, and back to Belize City Airport for your homewaard journey.
* There will be night walks available some nights, if you wish. There are owls and nightjars out there, as well as mammals, insects, frogs, etc.
 Kinkajou |
 Northern Potoo |
More Belize Options (for custom tours, minimum 7 people)
- Add two nights at Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary for great water birds (highly recommended and can be added to most set tours – please ask)
- Add an additional night or two at Tikal
- Add two nights for world-class snorkeling and mangrove birding on the Caribbean coast (can be added to some set tours – please ask)
- Add an additional night to visit El Pilar and Bullet Tree (or take the duPlooy’s excursion on your free day of a set tour)
- Add an additional night to visit Laguna Aguacate and Spanish Lookout (or take the duPlooy’s excursion on your free day of a set tour)
- Additional/alternative activities at duPlooy’s (add extra nights or take a duPlooy’s excursion on your free day of a set tour): horse riding, caves, canoeing & tubing, Mayan culture, Guatemalan border shopping, butterfly farms and more
- Many more sites in Belize to explore! Please contact us with any questions
 Birds Eye View Lodge, Crooked Tree |
