All of our main outings are at either national parks or family-owned private reserves. We’ll get to meet the folks who conserve these areas, and I can’t wait for you to hear their stories and see their passion for the natural world around them. It’s contagious. 

Tinamú Birding Reserve: Also our first lodge, this reserve boasts secondary growth foothill forest with nearly 40 acres to explore. Expect to see endemics like Grayish Piculet, Colombian Chachalaca, and Parker’s Antbird, along with specialties such as Andean Motmot and Blue-lored Antbird.

Rio Blanco Reserve: Renowned for its high biodiversity, this cloud forest reserve near Manizales is home to 362 bird species, including 13 endemics. We’ll have the chance to see several antpitta species up close, as well as a variety of tanagers, motmots, and hummingbirds.

Hacienda el Bosque: Just outside Manizales, this traditional hacienda features high Andean forest and paramo habitats. We’ll look for the enigmatic Crescent-faced Antpitta, along with hummingbirds and the striking Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan.

Los Nevados National Park: This stunning park at elevations up to 13,000 feet is home to unique high-altitude species. Highlights include the endemic Buffy Helmetcrest, Rufous-fronted Parakeet, and various tanagers and tapaculos. The park also offers breathtaking views of the active Nevado del Ruiz volcano.

Bosques de la Chec: A newer reserve catering to birders, featuring a variety of hummingbirds and montane forest species. We’ll look for the Sword-billed Hummingbird, Rusty-faced Parrot, and potentially spot the Black-and-chestnut Eagle.

Each location offers unique opportunities to see a diverse range of bird species in beautiful, varied habitats, making this tour a birdwatcher’s dream.

Notes from Alvaro

Cuba’s origin dates back nearly 45 million years. It reached the form of a single long island during Pliocene times, approximately four million years ago, and its present topography less than 8,000 years back.

Its geologic origin is complex: a great part of the island is formed by young sedimentary rocks, but there are also metamorphic and sedimentary rock formations, of continental, volcanic, and oceanic substrate derivation.

Cuba is the largest island in the West Indies, area of 40,543 square miles (105,007 km2), with a length of 775 miles (1,250 km). It is 118 miles (191 km at its widest part) and 19 miles (31 km) at its narrowest. The entire archipelago includes over a thousand keys: only a few contain dense forests; others are made of fossil reef outcrops, with little vegetation; still others are composed exclusively of mangroves.

There are several important mountain systems in Cuba. One, in the western Pinar del Río Province, is the Cordillera de Guaniguanico or de los Organos. Havana has the Alturas de Bejucal-Madruga-Coliseo mountains. The Macizo de Guamuhaya, or Sierra del Escambray dominates the central part of the island. In Camagüey Province are the Sierra de Cubitas and Sierra de Najasa. Sierra de Moa, Cuchillas de Baracoa, Sierra del Guaso, and Sierra Maestra, where Cuba’s highest mountain, Pico Turquino (1,972 m) is located, those are the mountain systems found in the eastern part of the island.

Once forests covered more than 80% of Cuba; presently c.12% of the island is forested. Among the different types of plant communities, the dominant is a semideciduous forest representing roughly 43% of total vegetation. Mangroves comprise approximately 31%, and pines, 12%.

Cuba contains many rivers, most very small. The largest rivers of the northern region are Sagua la Grande, Caonao, and Toa; and in the south the Zaza and Cauto, which is the longest of all, with a water course of approximately 214 miles (345 km).

The biological diversity of Cuba, a small country the size of Pennsylvania, is impressively rich. It has by far the greatest wealth of species in the Caribbean and ranks highly among islands in the Western Hemisphere for its species-densities. Still more impressive, an estimated 40% of Cuba’s fauna remains to be discovered.

Cuba also ranks among the most endemic-rich islands in the New World, and species rich. Consider these statistics:

Perhaps most impressive are Cuba’s 1,200 species of land snails, of which more than 90% are found nowhere else on Earth. Cuba ranks among the world’s top countries for this remarkable diversity of mollusks. Cuban flora has around 6700 species with 50% endemism.

Activity level 

We’ll have light to moderate hikes totaling a couple miles or less each throughout the entire tour. Some areas, like known antpitta locations, may have short stretches of muddy and steep paths. Sturdy shoes will help.

The sun is up from roughly 6-6 daily…ah, to be close to the equator! So, our days won’t start too early or end very late. We don’t have much night birding planned, but may end up doing a few short outings after dark depending on recent reports and how tired we are. 

Elevation of our route

Our accommodations start at about 2200 m (7200 ft) at Recinto del Pensamiento and end up at 3500 m (11500 ft) at Termales Del Ruiz. We’ll be adjusting to the increased elevation gradually each day. Lots and lots of hydration is key, and we’ll keep plenty of water on hand at all times. Either bringing a reusable bottle or keeping ahold of a single plastic bottle throughout the tour is helpful. 

The mean temperature is 27.6 C (81 F). Temperatures will be cooler in December (70s), and warmer in April (80s). At any point, if a cold front comes through it may cool down substantially, this is more likely in December than April. The dominant wind direction is east-northeast, while relative humidity is 80%. The sunlight is quite strong, so a hat or baseball cap is recommended especially when the sun is high. Sunscreen is also advisable. It may rain any day of the year, but downpours rarely occur in the dry season (October–April). Hurricanes pass through the Caribbean region almost annually in June–October. Chances of witnessing one at any given location are, however, very low. Cuba has a better than average weather report system.

Food

We’ll have choices – either a few prepared options or a full menu – for every meal on our tour. If you have any food restrictions you haven’t let us know about, just reply to this email. Expect some great soups, arepas, and a range of meat, fish, and vegetarian options. Beer and wine are included with meals and additional alcoholic drinks are available for purchase in most places. 

Notes from Alvaro

Cuba is a country that suffers from old and ailing infrastructure. This does apply to hotels, folks will note that many hotels are past their prime, and although clean and often with wonderful and helpful staff, they are not to the levels expected by foreign travelers. One has to be prepared for this and note that the Cuban experience otherwise more than makes up for the substandard accommodation. Our tour is unique in that we are constantly scouting for the best options for accommodation everywhere we go, as we have Arturo and his team on the ground throughout the birding season. In order to increase comfort and the contact we have with local Cubans; we will be staying at privately run B & B type accommodation (Casas Privadas). These private ventures, which we are happy to support, often are more comfortable, and well run than larger hotels. They also give us the chance to support and further enhance contact with the Cuban people and are compliant with the rules set out by the US government. Similarly, we will visit private restaurants where usually food is more varied than what may be available at hotels. This may mean that at night the group may divide into various homes within a block radius, rather than be in a central hotel. We will be close by, and guides will always be available if there are any issues. This may not be what you are accustomed to in a bird survey trip, but in previous experience we have found that this not only works, but it is also a net plus to understanding Cuba, and enriching the experience for you and the Cuban people. We have tried hard to make this a Cuba tour with yummy food, and comfortable and some nice accommodations!

For birding excursions, lightweight field clothing in peel-able layers is recommended.  Loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts provide protection from the sun, and a hat and sunglasses are recommended for sun and glare protection. An extra warm layer may be needed in the evening in December, particularly if a cold snap hits. 

You should have comfortable hiking shoes or boots and a pair of lightweight shoes to change into. Most of the birding in Zapata is on dry trails. However, when looking for the Zapata Wren, we may do it from a boat. If for some reason it becomes a tad difficult, we may want to venture a distance into the marsh to have a better shot at it. If you do this, you will get wet. So you may want to consider taking old tennis shoes for the possibility, or if you have room your waterproof boots or Neos. 

Dress will be casual throughout the trip.

Notes from Alvaro

The newest and most up to date field guide is Arturo Kirkconnell, Patricia Bradley and Yves-Jacques Rey-Millet’s Birds of Cuba: A Photographic Guide. Published recently, it has great maps, information and is illustrated with high quality photos. The size is handy. It is our recommended guide. Arturo is one of the guides, so you can also get is autographed!!! https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501751561/birds-of-cuba/ 

An older field guide to Cuban birds is also available with detailed treatment and drawings of the endemic species. This is the book co-authored by Arturo Kirkconnell. http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100591270

Smaller and thinner is Herbert Raffaele et al.’s Birds of the West Indies, great but includes many species not in Cuba. https://press.princeton.edu/titles/7596.html

Butterflies – No book available. But this website is quite good:
https://www.butterfliesofcuba.com/

Similarly, here is information on the reptiles:
https://www.butterfliesofcuba.com/reptiles.html
and Amphibians:
https://www.butterfliesofcuba.com/amphibians.html

BOOK – CULTURE

These suggestions garnered online may give some ideas on pre-tour reading:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/10-books-to-read-before-your-trip-to-cuba/

https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/11/27/503504936/get-to-know-a-cuba-without-castro-recommended-books-movies-and-music