Full itinerary
Day 1. October 30.
Arrival in Oaxaca city and check in at the hotel where we will stay for the next few days. Depending on arrival times, we may do some afternoon birding in the vicinity of the hotel to get our first taste of the local species. Some in-town species can be Dusky and Berylline Hummingbirds, Rufous-backed Robin (shown), Black-vented Oriole and Cassin’s Kingbird.
Day 2. October 31. Yagul Archeological site and Teotitlán del Valle.
On our first birding morning in Oaxaca we will visit Yagul, a nice archeological site founded by the ancient Zapotec culture just west of Oaxaca City. The site was built atop some rocky hills overlooking the agricultural valley leading to it but maintains around a decent patch of the original scrubby, desert-like habitat. This mix provides a nice bird diversity of which likely birds are Bridled Sparrows, Gray-breasted Woodpecker, Boucard’s Wren (shown), Nutting’s Flycatcher, Curve-billed Thrasher, Streak-backed Oriole, and Rufous-capped Warbler. In the afternoon, we will travel back a bit towards Teotitlán del Valle to explore the mid-elevation pine/oak forests. Possible birds here include Mexican Violetear, Amethyst-throated Mountain-gem, Crescent-chested Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Red-faced Warbler, and Painted Redstart.
Day 3. November 1. La Cumbre-Ixtepeji and Dia de Muertos in Oaxaca City.
Today we go high into the mountains north of Oaxaca city in search of the birds inhabiting the lush pine/oak forest in the surroundings of the La Cumbre/Ixtepeji Ecotourism Park. This area is great for high elevation species like Red Warbler (shown), Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Dwarf Jay, Tufted Flycatcher, Gray Barred Wren and White-throated Swift, among others.
We go for lunch at a nice local restaurant with views of the forest and chances of more birds and then return to Oaxaca city for your first experience of the traditional Dia de Muertos. Depending on access conditions (it can be very crowded on that day) we will visit the local cemetery for a view of the colorfully adorned tombs and offerings. Then we go to the zocalo to fully submerge ourselves in the celebrations and culture of Oaxaca. Dinner in the zocalo and back to the hotel.
Day 4. November 2. Etla and Arroyo Guacamaya, Downtown Oaxaca.
This morning, we go back to the mountains, this time spending more time birding on our way up. The scrubby vegetation at the foot of the hills that gradually transform into oak forest is great for Slaty Vireo, White-throated Towhee, Nutting’s Flycatcher, Oaxaca Sparrow, Blue Mockingbird and Ocellated Thrasher. As we reach the cloud forest above, we can try for birds we missed the day before or get better looks of the likes of Elegant Euphonia, Brown-backed Solitaire, Golden-browed Warbler (shown) and White-eared Hummingbird.
We find a local restaurant for lunch and then head back for another cultural evening in Oaxaca City before we head back to our hotel.
Day 5. November 3. Monte Alban and San Jose del Pacifico.
Once the proud capital of the Zapotec people, the ruins of Monte Alban now rest at the top of a hill some 20 minutes to the west of Oaxaca City. Before we enter, we will check the road and trails around the parking area, looking for Pileated Flycatcher, Blue-throated Mountain Gem, Boucard’s Wren, Slaty Vireo, Blue Mockingbird and Green-fronted Hummingbird. We then enter the archeological site to walk among the temples and pyramids, with the chance of looking at more birds flying around, like Crested Caracara (shown), Rock Wren, Vermillion Flycatcher and lots of Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Our next destinations for the following days are located a few hours away on the mountains of the Sierra Sur de Oaxaca, so after lunch we head that way, with a few stops along the way, time permitting, to visit other cultural attractions or look for more birds. For the next couple of nights, we will stay at a nice lodge with cabin-style accommodations, high in the mountains and surrounded by pine forest and beautiful views.
Day 6. November 4. San Jose del Pacifico
We will spend this day exploring the gardens and surroundings of the hotel and of the little town of San Jose del Pacifico, taking easy strolls on roads and trails among the tall pine/oak forest. This is a good chance to look for the endemic White-throated Jay and possibly the Long-tailed Wood-Partridge. Also, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, Olive Warbler, Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo (shown), Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer and, hopefully, more of the Red Warbler.
The gardens around the hotel are also good places to look for more birds and, depending on the season, there are hummingbird feeders in the lobby that can attract some interesting species.
Day 7. November 5. Pluma Hidalgo | Huatulco.
Today we go over the mountains and begin our descend towards the Pacific side of the Sierra Sur. Our route will take us along a winding road with breathtaking views of the hills and eventually, the ocean. We will take our time, stopping at places promising for birds and eventually will reach Pluma Hidalgo, a small town just between the end of the pine forest and at the start of the tropical forest of the Oaxaca lowlands. There, we will have lunch and before or after, we will look for the endemics Red-headed Tanager, Golden Vireo, and Blue-capped Hummingbird, as well as try for any highland species we may have missed so far. This is also a good area to start looking for Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo, White-tipped Dove, White-throated Magpie-Jay (shown), Lineated Woodpecker Red-legged Honeycreeper and other lowland species as we continue down towards Santa Maria Huatulco.
Day 8. November 8. Las Ninfas | Return to Oaxaca City
For our last day we will visit Ecoturistica Las Ninfas, a small private preserve that still maintains a good patch of lowland tropical forest where many local bird species find refuge. This is also the only known place where we can consistently find the Pacific Screech-Owl (shown) roosting during the day at the same spot. Other worthy species there are Orange-breasted Bunting, Turquoise-crowned Hummingbird, Citreoline Trogon, Lillac-crowned Amazon, Russet-naped Wren, Red-breasted Chat and many others.
We will have lunch at a seaside restaurant, where we can score a few waterbirds, and then we will take the highway to get back to Oaxaca City for our last night of the tour.
Day 9. November 9. Departures
Time to say our goodbyes and head home.