Venezuela - Off the Beaten Track

Tour Code: VEN03

A 9-day birdwatching tour to the outstanding wetland of Morrocoy National Park and the cloudforest at Yacambú, site of the recent discovery of Great Antpitta.

We hope to run this tour in the future, but have not yet finalised dates and prices. To be added to a waiting list and be informed when details are confirmed, please click on the register interest button, or phone 01962 733051.
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

Based in the charming, family-run Posada El Encanto, one of Venezuela's best birding inns, this holiday first focuses on Yacambú National Park, set on a quiet spur of the eastern Andes that is home to a glittering cast of Andean birds, from tapaculos to tanagers and hummingbirds to antbirds. Here we will explore the cloudforests, coffee plantations and desert scrub in search of an unusual group of xeric endemics. The second leg of our tour then takes in the open country of Morrocoy where a national park, wildlife refuge and Ramsar site converge on a Caribbean coast best known for its limestone outcrops, mangroves, reefs and coral atolls. Here we'll enjoy an abundance of wetland birds as well as more exciting endemics.

  • Cloudforest specialities, eg. Northern Helmeted Curassow, Crested Quetzal, Merida Tapaculo and Scaled Fruiteater
  • Rarely-seen desert endemics: Bare-eyed Pigeon, White-whiskered Spinetail, Black-backed Antshrike, Slender-billed Inezia and Tocuyo Sparrow
  • A spectacle of wetland and shore birds, amongst them the endemic Rusty-flanked Crake and Plain-flanked Rail
  • An exciting destination that is definitely “Off the Beaten Track”

Grading

You should be reasonably fit and enjoy walking as a high percentage of the tour will be spent on foot.

About the region

Just four hours from Caracas, and with a bird list of over 350 species, the area around and including Morrocoy National Park has only recently begun to find its way onto standard birding itineraries. The area’s protected marine and Caribbean coastal habitats represent a birding enclave in eastern Falcon State.

Yacambu National Park is set on a quiet spur of the eastern Andes and is justly famous as a cloudforest park – it holds many of the bird specialities of the Coastal Cordillera and Andes. The park has become one of Venezuela’s prime birding locations since the rediscovery a few years ago of the Great Antpitta.

The tour ‘in a nutshell’

This is a 9-day bird watching tour to the outstanding wetland of Morrocoy National Park and the cloudforest at Yacambu.

What birds might I see?

For most birders the chief attraction of Morrocoy National Park is waterfowl. We’ll spend time looking for many of the region’s ducks and migratory shorebirds. We’ll also be hoping to see the stunning Scarlet Ibis and superb spectacle of several thousand American Flamingoes! Other species we’ll look for include the endemic Rusty-flanked Crake and Plain-flanked Rail – the rediscovery of the latter here a few years ago put Morrocoy firmly on the birding map.

The slightly more humid limestone forests inland provide habitat for Black-and-White Hawk-eagle, Horned Screamer, Red-and-Green Macaw and White-eared Conebill, as well as a host of other birds.

Among the Andean species we’ll hope to see in Yacambu National Park are mixed tanager flocks and Neotropical migrants, as well as a wide range of hummingbirds and antbirds. Cloudforest specialities we’ll hope to see include Northern Helmeted Curassow, Crested Quetzal, Merida Tapaculo and Scaled Fruiteater.

Other birds we’ll search for include some rarely-seen desert endemics such as Bare-eyed Pigeon, White-whiskered Spinetail, Black-backed Antshrike, Slender-billed Inezia and Tocuyo Sparrow.

Anything else?

We’ll be based for part of this tour in the charming, family-run Posada El Encanto, one of Venezuela's best birding inns.br />

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Maracay
Day 2/3
Morrocoy National Park
Day 4
Morrocoy/Sanare
Day 5/7
Yacambu
Day 8
In flight
Day 9
London
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What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation: A mixture of small hotels and birding lodges, all included within the tour cost.
  • Food: All meals are included, except the evening meal on the day of arrival and on the day of departure.
Reviews
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!