Selfdrive Birdwatching in Cuba

Havana

You are met on arrival at Havana airport and transferred to the splendid Hotel Nacional set in gardens overlooking the sea in Havana’s Vedado district for one night.

Soroa

You might step out for some early morning birding in the gardens or along the seafront before you pick up your hire car and drive west into the countryside to arrive at Soroa in plenty of time to spend most of the afternoon birdwatching.

In the morning you would bird the forest near Soroa looking for your first Cuban Vireo, Cuban Pygmy Owl, Great Lizard-Cuckoo and a selection of warblers including the lovely Black- throated Blue and Black-throated Green Warblers. There is the chance to see Ruddy, and possibly Grey-headed, Quail Dove. Lunch at Soroa. Driving westwards into the limestone hills, you might target Cueva de los Portales, the cave that was Ché’s base during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. As well as being an excellent spot for swifts there can be good chances of finding Cuban Solitaire. Continue to your hotel, El Mirador at San Diego de los Baños, for 2 nights.

La Güira National Park

La Güira National Park will be your main birding area today. It’s an important reserve that protects some of the best and most productive forests on the island, mostly broadleaf forest, but with areas of pine descending to the coast. In a very enjoyable day’s birding you should find the Cuban Trogon, Cuban Tody, and Cuban Emerald (one of just two hummingbirds on Cuba) and a good number of others. The hotel will provide a box lunch.

Zapata

Time to head round to Cuba’s Caribbean coast by a choice of routes, each of 5-6 hours on the road, to reach the Zapata area. If you time it well you should have some productive birding in the early part of the day, and arrive in time for a late afternoon session.

Three full days of birding in and around Zapata - the richest area for birds in Cuba, and arguably the entire Caribbean. The Cienega de Zapata National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and Ramsar site, protects a range of habitats from semi-deciduous forest down to coastal mangroves. Birding opportunities are really excellent, ranging from the world’s smallest bird - the Bee Hummingbird - to Great Flamingo. The impressive Gundlach’s Hawk is a speciality of the forest here. The park’s swamps are home to rare Zapata Wren, which you may well get, and supposedly the Zapata Rail, which you certainly won’t. There are many others. Bring insect repellent. La Salina and Santo Tomás in Zapata National Park are good sites, and there are several others in the vicinity, such as the trails around Playa Larga and Playa Girón, Jicarita cattle ranch where Zapata Rails have been claimed, Palpite, Soplillar for Fernandina’s Flicker, Montemar NP which is home to wintering American warblers such as Black-throated Blue, Black and White, Magnolia and Palm Warblers and American Redstart and ‘Cueva de los Peces’ restaurant for Blue-headed Quail Dove, Ovenbird, Northern Parula, Bermejas. You’re going to be busy.

Birding in and around Zapata NP.

Birding in and around Zapata NP.

Sierra Najasa

Today you drive to Sierra Najasa, a well-regarded birding destination, via Camagüey. Depending how your journey goes you may manage some late afternoon to dusk birding on arrival.

With an early start you can hope to see the threatened Cuban Palm Crow among the Cuban Crows in a nearby palm grove and forest, along with other uncommon or rare species such as Plain Pigeon, Rose-throated Parrot and Cuban Parakeets. This area of forest akin to those on Hispaniola is home to the rare West Indian Whistling Duck and Masked Duck along with Cuban Martins. There is a chance to see Northern Crested-Caracara and Limpkin. You can also look for the very uncommon Cuban Grassquit and the rare Giant Kingbird. Another busy day with lots to look for.

Cayo Coco

Leaving Najasa you drive to the north coast, taking a causeway on to the beautiful Cayo Coco for three nights. You’ll be based in an all-inclusive resort, venturing out to explore coral cays, mangroves and mixed littoral habitats to find a wonderful mixture of birds along this lovely coast.

In the wooded habitats you can find Cuban Gnatcatcher, Bahama Mockingbird and Thick-billed Vireo along with Key West Quail-Dove and a whole host of other species. In the more open areas you can relax and watch an abundance of wetland species including Reddish Egrets, a pink haze of American Flamingos, Tricoloured Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis and Roseate Spoonbill. These are often accompanied by an odd variety of more familiar species such as Red-breasted Merganser, Merlin, Clapper Rail, Ring-billed Gull, Caspian and Sandwich Terns, Belted Kingfisher, Prairie Warbler and Yellow Warbler.

Birding at Cayo Coco.

Havana

Sadly you are turning back to Havana today, where you deposit your car and check into the historic Hotel Nacional for your final night on the island. You could break the long journey at Santa Clara to visit Ché’s mausoleum and the Tren Blindado.

Your morning is free to relax on the Nacional’s terrace over the Malecón, explore the sights of Vedado, or we can arrange a guided walking tour of Old Havana for you at extra cost. By mid-afternoon you will be transferred to Havana airport for your international flight home.