Itinerary:

This trip can be combined with the Costa Rica trip for an unforgettable birding odyssey.

Sierra del Rosario and the Soroa Region provide an excellent introduction to Cuban birding. Within a couple of hundred metres of our hotel there are several easy to moderate hiking trails. Here, we will find our first endemics: Cuban Trogon, Cuban Tody and Cuban Pygmy Owl. We should find the melodious Cuban Solitaire, and Yellow-headed and Swainson’s Warblers.

Those who are ready for early morning walks have a chance for Scaly-naped Pigeon, or even Blue-headed Quail-Dove. At La Güira National Park we can look for the near-endemic Olive-capped Warbler, West Indian and Cuban Green Woodpeckers, Cuban Blackbird, Cuban Martin and Cuban Emerald. We also have a chance for Cuban Grassquit and Cave Swallow.

After a morning birding in Soroa, we drive east towards Zapata Peninsula, one of the key birding sites in Cuba. We spend 3 nights by the shore of the famous Bay of Pigs, searching for localized endemics. The habitat of the area is mainly swamp, and we will search the area for species including as Zapata Rail, Zapata Sparrow, Zapata Wren, Gundlach’s Hawk, Cuban Blackbird, Cuban Emerald, Cuban Bullfinch, Bee Hummingbird and Cuban Crow. Both Northern and Louisiana Waterthrushes should be wintering here.

Among the owls we hope for Cuban Screech, Cuban Pygmy and Stygian. This is a great area to search for Quail-doves, Blue, Gray-headed, Ruddy and Key West. Other interesting species include: Red-shouldered and Tawny-shouldered Blackbirds, Common Black Hawk and Great Lizard Cuckoo. A wide variety of woodpecker species inhabit the area including West Indian Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Cuban Green Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and even Fernandina`s Flicker.

We spend two nights at Camagüey and La Belén National Park. This region offers some local rarities such as Giant Kingbird, Cuban Parakeet and Cuban Parrot. Additionally, we have a second chance for some local species like Cuban Grassquit, Fernandina’s Flicker, Cuban Palm Crow, Gundlach’s Hawk, Cuban Tody and many more.

Our final destinations are the northern cayes, with azure shores and bird-rich mangrove-lined lagoons. During our stay we check Cayo Coco’s bushes and patches of woods teeming with migrants and local breeders, so we should find Zapata Sparrow, Oriente Warbler, Yellow-faced Grassquit and others. At Cayo Guillermo we search for Northern and Bahama Mockingbirds, Cuban Gnatcatcher, Grey Kingbird, Thick-billed Vireo and a variety of waders and waterbirds. Cayo Paredon Grande provides Thick-billed Vireo and gives a second chance for Cuban Gnatcatcher and Oriente Warbler.

After a last morning birding at Cayo Coco we finally travel to Havana, where in the evening we can immerse ourselves in an incredible mixture of culture, fantastic colonial architecture, vibrant music on the streets, and local bars.