Bird Watching Shore Excursion In Huatulco

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Tara

We were up bright and early to join the Princess shore excursion for bird watching in Huatulco. Princess no longer offers this excursion (they do have an eco-tour though) so I will show you a similar one from Holland America as it is likely the ships use the same tour operators.

Those interested in wildlife and tropical bird watching will discover a rich diversity in the estuary of the Copalita River and/or in a small mangrove and park and the unspoiled low-growth caducifolia jungle beauty, including cedar, mahogany, ficus, mocambos and almond. You will likely spy several of the region’s 227 bird species including orioles, woodpeckers, egrets, seagulls, falcons, sparrow hawks, parrots and eight varieties of hummingbirds. You will likely also see lizards, iguanas, deer, armadillos and squirrels. Enjoy a beverage while you take some great photos. During the journey, your guide will offer several stops to observe and comment. The total walking distance covered in this tour is approximately one mile.

The black line below indicates where the ship docks. I wasn’t sure where they took us but we didn’t drive more than 15 minutes so I am reasonably sure it was in that big green area to the left!

Bird List with images for Huatulco

Here are some of the birds we saw on just a 4 hour trip. Our first stop gave us a nice look out over the bay and some Orange-fronted Parakeets who popped by to check us out.

Here’s a bright Altamira Oriole.

We then drove to another place, might have been near the university.

Another Altamira Oriole.

Citreoline Trogon

Golden-cheeked Woodpecker

Orange-breasted Bunting – what a beautiful little bird!

Here’s a stunning Black-throated Magpie Jay!

Shots not clear enough for me to find them in the book. Any help appreciated!

Black Vulture

Blue-winged Teals

If anyone knows those birds I missed, please comment below! We were brought back to the small market just outside the wharf for some shopping. I am still kicking myself for not buying this. It was out of my budget, don’t remember how much but I now regret not buying it.

That evening on the ship was a formal night but we didn’t have formal clothes so stuck to the buffet. I did get my fair share of free champagne though! As with most cruise ships, there is some kind of show each night. They are all included so why not check them out!

Mexico City & Acapulco Before The Cruise

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Tara

Since the embarkation port was so far away from Australia, I wanted to allow plenty of buffer time in case of any flight delays. This is a good idea when you have something unmissable such as a cruise. I figured 3 days would be enough. We flew into Mexico City, did a morning trip to Teotihuacan by public bus, then picked up our bags and took a nice intercity bus to Acapulco.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Mexico City Centro Historico as they had a special deal at the time (April 2011). We arrived really late at night and took an official taxi and left very early in the morning so didn’t spend much time here but it was nice. We’d gladly come back here again.

This is the bus station to Teotihuacan, it’s the obvious one with the pyramid logo. Coincidentally, another blogger (Point Me to the Plane) who has been there more recently posted precise directions.

We saw this contraption with acrobats as we got off the bus. Not sure if they are always there or if it was for something special.

We spent a couple hours at the pyramids, then it got too hot and we didn’t want to hang around. We also had to get a bus to Acapulco.

Back in Mexico City, scenes from around the main plaza as we walked to the Metro station.

The bus to Acapulco was really nice and comfortable. We didn’t book in advance, just rocked up and asked for the next deluxe bus to Acapulco. It was around $30 pp.

In Acapulco, we stayed at the Crowne Plaza on points and got a nice upgrade to a corner suite with fantastic views!

Since we had a couple of days, we saw most of the tourist sights – cliff divers, market, small zoo and the beach of course.

I had to laugh seeing an Australian Budgie on a Mexican phone booth! It’s not like Mexico doesn’t have cool parrots of their own!

We got around using the local buses.

Finally our ship came in.

We eagerly boarded the beautiful Coral Princess and set off to explore the ship. I was very pleasantly surprised to see we had been given a free upgrade to a balcony cabin after only paying for the cheapest cabin. We later found out it was because the ship was only around 2/3 full but we were thrilled to have a balcony on a Panama Canal cruise!

They had a nice Easter egg display as we boarded on Easter Sunday!

We went up to the top deck to wave goodbye to Acapulco and anticipate adventures to come!

How I Planned A Birding Cruise

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Tara

The cruise I will be blogging about in this series took place in 2011 on the beautiful Coral Princess by Princess Cruises. It remains to this day as the best cruise we have ever taken out of about 6 so far. It was the perfect itinerary – birding at almost every port and not too many sea days. Unfortunately Princess no longer does this itinerary, probably due to American passengers being afraid to travel to Acapulco and the cruise was only just over half full. Good for us, not so good for Princess!

GETTING THERE

This cruise was done during what I call the Golden Age of Miles & Points – when there were lucrative promos and fewer people who had the expertise to exploit them. I did the US Airways Grand Slam promo on both mine and my husband’s accounts to get over 120k miles in each our accounts. The whole itinerary was in business class!

SINGAPORE AIRLINES: BNE-SIN

ASIANA: SIN-ICN-LAX

US AIRWAYS: LAX-PHX-MEX

Open jaw for cruise, then drive to Orlando to see friend. Fly to LAX and drive to see family using separate ticket on AA.

ASIANA: LAX-ICN-SIN

SINGAPORE AIRLINES: SIN-BNE

As I stated in the previous post, we arrived in Mexico 3 days prior to the cruise and spent 1 day in Mexico City at the Hampton Inn Centro Historico, saw the pyramids, took a bus to Acapulco and spent 2 nights at the Crowne Plaza on points and were upgraded to a corner suite. We had a great view and even saw our ship the Coral Princess come in!

THE CRUISE ITINERARY

This map shows the ground transport (red) and cruise (blue).

Here we have the cruise itinerary with timings. Timings are always important as you see way more birds in the early morning. We were really good about being downstairs ready to dis-embark the minute they started allowing people off.

OUR SPECIFIC PLANS FOR EACH PORT

Huatulco – Princess actually had a bird-watching shore excursion so we did that.

San Juan del Sur – I couldn’t find anything for birding at the time so we did a Masaya Volcano/Granada shore excursion hoping to see birds incidentally.

Puntarenas – I booked a private day trip to visit Carara National Park and a bird sanctuary

Panama Canal – The ship provided commentary throughout the transit of the canal. When we reached Colon, they only gave us a few hours to see the shopping centre at the port.

Ocho Rios – I booked a private birding tour.

FUN FACT: I got to watch the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on the big screen at the swimming pool during the cruise even though I had to get up at 4am to do it!

Birding From A Cruise Ship

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Tara

Back in 2011, before I started this blog, we did a fantastic trans-Panama Canal cruise on Princess and were able to find some good birding at most of the ports. I’ll be posting about that trip in detail, but first lets look at why you would want to use a cruise ship for birding…………….and a few reasons why not.

CRUISE SHIP BIRDING PROS

Economical transport, food and convenience of not having to pack & unpack
Variety of locations
Please a non-birding spouse/friend/family – they have other things to do while you are birding

CRUISE SHIP BIRDING CONS

Birding is best in the morning and the ship may not dock in time
Having to rush back in the afternoon before the ship leaves
Ships tend to dock in cities and birding location may be too far for a shore excursion
Ports can be cancelled at short notice for weather, strikes or other complications

HOW TO CHOOSE A CRUISE FOR BIRDING

Just like choosing a land based trip, you need to know what kind of birds you are most interested in and what part of the world they are best found in. You also have to look for national parks or wildlife reserves near to a cruise port. People who are more interested in sea birds and shore birds will have more to choose from than those who are interest in parrots and songbirds. Hummingbirds are active throughout the day so any cruise which calls at a port in Central or South America has the potential to see them. Here are a few typical itineraries from Princess Cruises (you can use this idea on any cruise line) that have at least one port with a good place for birding nearby. It is very unlikely the cruise line will have a specific birding shore excursion so be prepared to find and organize your own guide using sources like eBird, Fatbirder, Trip Advisor and even Google!

PORTS TO CONSIDER

Australia ports for small forest reserves located near ports (most major Australian cities have them)
Belize City for Crooked Tree Sanctuary
Dominica for Northern Forest Reserve
Galapagos – anywhere
Guayaquil for Cerro Blanco
Huatulco for local parks
Ocho Rios for local birding
Panama City for Soberania National Park
Puerto Rico for El Yunque
Puntarenas for Carara National Park
St Lucia for Quilesse Reserve
St Vincent for Vermont Nature Trail

GENERAL MILES AND POINTS TIPS FOR CRUISERS

Book your flights well in advance as you won’t be the only one wanting award flights that day!
Fly in the day before to avoid last minute delays/cancellations causing you to miss the cruise. On long trans-Oceanic flights (for example Australia to/from Caribbean), I’d allow at least 2 days. For example in 2011, our cruise departed Acapulco. We flew into Mexico City on a very convoluted routing BNE-BKK-ICN-LAX-PHX-MEX in J with USDM miles 3 days beforehand and did local sightseeing those 3 days. We would have had a buffer if anything had gone wrong with the flights.
Use hotel points if you have them for your pre-cruise and post-cruise stay.
Book your cruise through your airline’s portal to get a few thousand miles.
Use a credit card that has a travel category bonus to pay for it such as Chase Sapphire Preferred or Citi Premier Thank You card.
Consider dedicated cruises for birders such as the World Parrot Trust’s annual Parrot Lovers Cruise. You must book through the official travel agency but they put on special tours and activities for the group, you also support the World Parrot Trust with conservation projects!

Earning Miles For Booking A Cruise

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Tara

Since we were going to be headed to Europe to attend the VIII International Parrot Convention, I wanted to maximize our time over there. One of the ways I chose was a Mediterranean cruise after the conference using Iberia Avios to fly from Tenerife to Venice. I did consider a shorter cruise and then spending more time in Italy and using trains to get around but decided it would be too much hassle to navigate train stations with large bags. Also since we would already have formal clothes for the conference evening program, we might as well take a cruise and double the use of our formal clothes.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH UNITED CRUISES

Since I am collecting United miles for an upcoming trip, I chose United’s cruise booking portal. Other airlines such as American and US Airways also have cruise portals. You should also check Cruise Compete to make sure you are getting the best price. You don’t want to pay more and negate the value of the bonus miles.

Here’s the deal if you don’t have a United Explorer credit card. Non-Americans should be able to get at least this deal since they can’t get the credit card from Chase.

If you do have the credit card, this is what you get.

For more T&C’s see their website.

SELECTING A CRUISE

I began the process last year of selecting a cruise. I usually prefer Princess Cruises so I was really hoping they would have a suitable itinerary that was compatible with the conference dates. Unfortunately they didn’t, their Regal Princess Grand Mediterranean turned around right in the middle of the conference and we would have had to wait 10 days after the conference to join the next cruise. I waited until October 2013 for all the cruise lines to post their Mediterranean itineraries. NCL had an itinerary which departed 27 Sept from Venice which worked with our dates as the conference ended 25 Sept and we had the 26th to travel from Tenerife to Venice. I wanted an itinerary that covered the highlights of Mediterranean Europe and came up with this one. As you can see, United Cruises does offer substantial discounts on cruises in addition to giving you miles. This is similar to what I found last year when I was researching the cruise I booked. I went with the cheapest indoor category as this is a port-intensive cruise and we would only be using the cabin to sleep. On a Panama Canal itinerary, I recommend a balcony as you have a lot more to look at! I also managed to get a $25 onboard credit, bottle of wine and free cover charge in the Italian restaurant onboard the ship so I got a killer deal!

PAYING FOR THE CRUISE

At the time of booking (Oct 2013), I had a United Explorer Visa so used it to pay the deposit. They had a special deal going where you only pay the $24.99 booking fee, then defer the $400 deposit until 3 months before the cruise.

In Jan 2014, the annual fee came due on the United Explorer and I tried several times with Chase retention to get the fee waived with no luck. When making the decision to cancel the card, I had to weigh up the difference between using the card to get an extra 2 miles per $ and paying $95 annual fee vs cancelling the card, saving the $95 and using a Chase Sapphire Preferred to pay for the cruise which gets 2 miles per $ on all travel purchases which includes cruises. I chose to cancel the Explorer and use the CSP to pay for the cruise.

MILES POSTED PROMPTLY

The cruise ended on 9 Oct. Just today, I saw the miles post to my United Mileage Plus account so I’d say it was excellent service from United Cruises and I would certainly use them again to book another cruise, the only exception being the Parrot Lover’s cruise when you need to book with the sponsoring agency. I was pleased to note that the miles i got included the full price of the cruise including port taxes and $24.99 booking fee.

Coming in 2015 – a new series on how to use cruises to get you to birding hotspots!

2014 Parrot Cruise: Western Caribbean

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Tara

Got your ticket yet? Only a few days left to get Early Bird savings!

Along with optional excursions to Xcaret and the Belize Bird Rescue, this year’s 6th annual Parrot Lover’s Cruise has a fantastic line up of guest speakers.

Joining us on the cruise will be the charismatic
Dr. Sam Williams from Echo, an organization dedicated to helping protect Bonaire’s Yellow-shouldered Amazon Parrot (Amazona barbadensis).

The Yellow-shouldered Amazon is considered Vulnerable to extinction, with just a few thousand remaining world-wide – and of those an estimated 800 are found on Bonaire.

Use your miles to Houston (IAH), then use Royal Caribbean’s shuttle to the ship.

Royal Caribbean transfers pre and post cruise are $47 each way from and to George Bush Intercontinental Houston/Airport.
Please note that if you are going straight to the pier from the airport on Nov 2, you must arrive on or before 11:30AM.
When you depart from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, you cannot make your reservations for any earlier than 12:30PM on Nov 9.

I personally recommend going one day early and spending the night in Galveston to avoid any problems with flight delays.

The Parrot Lover’s Cruise has been adding more activities and speakers which are exclusive to those who book the cruise via the official travel agency.

CAROL CIPRIANO
Carol’s Travel Time

570.470.0034
carolstraveltime@gmail.com

Parrot Lover’s Cruise – Belize Bird Rescue Excursion‏

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Tara

This email came in a couple weeks ago but I was traveling with very limited access to the internet so I am just getting around to blogging about it. I must say, it makes me very happy to see Belize Bird Rescue offering visits to cruise ship passengers! The dedicated volunteers are so caring about birds and deserving of more attention……not to mention funds to carry on their work! This shore excursion provides you with an excellent opportunity to see the rescued wild parrots up close and personal as many of the released parrots hang around the grounds, so you can be assured of great photo ops as well!

I was lucky enough to visit this very worthy conservation-minded organization last year, it was an amazing experience!

I have more details about the Parrot Lover’s Cruise here.

Remember to book your cruise with the official organizer:

CAROL CIPRIANO
Carol’s Travel Time
570.470.0034
Email

Have you booked your ticket yet for the Parrot Lover’s Cruise?

If not, we’ve another exciting shore excursion to tempt you with!

We are excited to announce the opportunity to visit the wondrous Belize Bird Rescue, a non-profit Avian Rehabilitation Centre and Sanctuary owned by Belizean residents Jerry Larder and Nikki Buxton.

While there you’ll have the exclusive opportunity to meet the Yellow-headed Amazon (A.o. belizensis), a subspecies unique to Belize and the focus of conservation at the sanctuary. Parrots are a particular concern for Belize Bird Rescue, as the local pet trade and ever-increasing human encroachment on nesting sites reduces population numbers of several of Belize’s parrot species to potentially unsustainable levels.

Along with a buffet luncheon served on site and time to stroll the amazing grounds of the facility, guests will have the opportunity for some shopping at the Art Box, a venue for local artists to show and sell their works.

A fun-filled day awaits – book your excursion today!

2014 Parrot Cruise: Western Caribbean

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Tara

The annual Parrot Lovers Cruise is back with an exciting new itinerary! It will be leaving from Galveston which makes it very easy to get there using miles as Americans will only require a domestic award. Early bird rates are available until 7 Feb so don’t miss out!

Read my series of posts about Belize to get an idea of what you can see on this cruise.

Here is the itinerary which includes several ports where you can see wild parrots:

Please note:

Prices are valid while availability lasts. Please contact Carol for current rates.
Prices are per person based on double occupancy. Single or 3rd/4th person occupancy is available, contact Carol for pricing.
Prices quoted include a donation to the World Parrot Trust and conference expenses (on-board seminars and activities).
Bookings must be made through Carol’s Travel Time in order for passengers to be able to participate in Parrot Lover’s Cruise seminars and acitivities.
Cost of transfers are $32 per person one way. Must arrive before 12:30PM and depart after 12 noon.

– See more at: http://www.parrotloverscruise.com/cruise_info.html#sthash.8OrHC1qo.dpuf

Mangrove Birding Tour, Tarcoles, Costa Rica

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Tara

Although there are several tour operators for these Tarcoles River cruises, only one caters to birders. It’s called Mangrove Birding Tour but the hotels such as Villa Lapas will know it better if you tell them you want Luis Campos. He is a specialist in birding cruises and knows all the local species quite well. His boat is smaller than the main ones that cater to tourist groups so he can get into smaller inlets and closer to shore. You will see the difference in the photos below. If you don’t have a car, he will send someone to pick you up. The driver took us down to the beach beforehand to see Scarlet Macaws and fishing boats (what fishing boats, LOL). You will be picked up around 7am-ish and it’s about a 2 hour cruise.

I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the story!

El Manantial Sanctuary, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Posted on November 23, 2013 by Tara

El Manantial is a project dedicated to the conservation of macaws native to Costa Rica. The main focus of the project is the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) and the Great Green Macaw (Ara Ambigua), who once flew freely in many areas of Costa Rica. In 1994, individuals concerned with the status of these endangered species decided to create a project for their conservation; with the sole purpose of the project being the reintroducing of Macaws back into the wild, striving to increase their population numbers.

It’s very easy to organize a visit here whether you are on a cruise ship or land based. Information on how to get to Puntarenas/Tarcoles is covered in my post on Carara National Park.

A guide will take you around the sanctuary. You will see birds in aviaries and some wild birds who were either former aviary residents who were set free and decided to stick around or local wild birds who know a great place to find free food!

PHOTOS

If a cruise ship is in port, there will be a small market near the dock. Have your guide/taxi drop you there for some quick shopping. Then you can take a small shuttle-train back to your ship. If you are land based, get a bus in Puntarenas back to Tarcoles or a taxi.