Visas
Visas are not required for American and Canadian citizens. Other nationalities should visit Mexico's Immigration website for information. Preferred Port of Entry is the International Airport of Manzanillo, but we can also accommodate groups arriving at Guadalajara International Airport or Puerto Vallarta.
Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend participants to have valid travel cancellation insurance that includes full coverage medical insurance.
Special needs
We aim to make the tours as comfortable as possible but in order to see some of the less common species, some walking is required. Therefore please inform us beforehand if you have medical conditions that may be affected negatively by exercise and heat. In addition, some of the sites that we visit involve driving on dirt roads that could prove to be unpleasant or strenuous to some people. At Cuyutlán small boats with an outboard engine are used for transport. Please consult with your Doctor beforehand if you have medical conditions that might be negatively impacted by participation in the trip.
Which Time Of Year?
Most birders visit Mexico during the cooler “winter” months. Often this is due to the preference of the tour operator to visit Mexico at this time of year. While an undoubtedly great time to visit Mexico to record the maximum number of species due to the influx of migrants from northern biomes, it not necessarily the “best” time to visit Mexico for birding!
The hot dry weather of the long dry season severely increases dehydration for all animals, so for places like the volcanoes where there is no running water during the dry season, birds concentrate around the remaining waterholes giving an excellent opportunity to view rare or secretive species.
And what about the rainy season? Imagine the sudden explosion of insects after the first rains and what that means for insectivorous birds. Breeding! With the first rains everything goes crazy from butterflies to reptiles. It is also cool in the mountains with afternoon thunderstorms and misty nights.
In fact, to sum it all up, the tropics are totally distinct from northern biomes. In the tropics it is rainfall and not temperature that is the driving force. Your decision to visit Mexico should be based on the biology of the species you wish to see: When do they court? Mate? Lay eggs? Have nestlings to feed? Fledge? Migrate? Are they insectivorous or frugivores? Nectar feeders?
You need to think about: When do Mexican Fig Trees have ripe fruit for Mexican Parrotlets? When do the wild guayaba trees have fruit? Where are the only water holes on Cerro Grande at the end of the dry season? When do Stygian Owls come into breeding condition? When would Colima Pygmy Owls be feeding young? When would Crested Guans be sitting on eggs?