Name: Private Birding and Photography Tour Elizabeth and Will Misner 2024
Location: Honduras

Beaks and Peaks

Email address verified

6 reviews

Duration: 3 days

Group size: 1 - 1

Private Birding and Photography Tour Elizabeth and Will Misner 2024

Honduras

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Beaks and Peaks

Email address verified

6 reviews

Duration: 3 days

Group size: 1 - 1

This Honduras’ Birding Tour was elaborated for the more avid birders and photographers. We will have time to learn about culture, history, and nature in general, but the focus is clearly on seeing a variety of great Honduran bird species. Also, though you don’t have to be an athlete, the trip does require a general level of fitness, as some of the walks can be a bit more strenuous, especially in El Cedral during our cloud forest day. The trails are not difficult and no special experience is necessary, but you should be able to walk while birding – of course at a slow pace and with many stops as we will be birding all along the way.

Honduras is the heart of Central America. The country is sandwiched between Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. It has a long coastline in the north, on the Caribbean Sea, and a small piece on the Pacific coast in the south, the Gulf of Fonseca. The capital is Tegucigalpa, often abbreviated to Tegus. San Pedro Sula is the second largest city in the country and the economic center. Other towns of any size are La Ceiba on the north coast and the twin cities La Esperanza and Intibucá in the central highlands.

Honduras is a mountainous country (the highest point being Cerro de las Minas in Celaque NP, towering 2849m above sea level), with a whole range of vegetation and habitat types: rainforest, deciduous forest, pine forest, mangrove, sandy beaches (pearly white on the north coast, volcanic black in the south), cloud forests, and so on. That diversity in ecosystems also explains the huge variety of birds (776 species to date, and more are being discovered regularly), insects, plants, mammals...

Since Honduras has not yet been discovered by the big crowds of tourists, there are still many unspoilt natural places. Here you can still spend hours or days wandering the mountains and forests without ever encountering even one other person. Honduras is therefore a paradise for any nature lover.

Day 1 Saturday 23 Nov: Arrive in Comayagua and travel to Lake Yojoa region:

After arriving in Comayagua (airport code: XPL) at 12:42pm, drive to Panacam Lodge.

On the way, stop in Comayagua
-- Eat lunch at Asados La Casita
-- Short visit to Cathedral and the Clock, Plaza Episcopal
If time, birding and photography around Panacam Lodge and connect with Will

Day 2 Sunday 24 Nov: Drive to the cloud forest on the quest of the Resplendent Quetzal, Wine-throated Hummingbird and other birds. We have to leave the lodge 6am to get back before dark. (Here I’ll take you to enjoy some good coffee, also you will be able to see coffee farmland and meet some local people, this is not a very easy hike, but is nice just be ready for hot and cold situations). Breakfast and lunch included.

Day 3 Monday 25 Nov: Organize by Elizabeth.

Day 4 Tuesday 26 Nov: Pick you up at the lodge early morning 6am and drive to Luna del Puente for top photography and a chocolate tours (Breakfast and lunch at Luna del puente) around 10:30 am you will take a chocolate tour and keep practice Spanish with Damian. After that I’ll transfer you to San Pedro with my private driver so you can take your flight to Roatan.

Beaks and Peaks

6 reviews

Beaks and Peaks is an ethically and ecologically responsible birding and adventure tour company based in Gracias Lempira, Honduras. Sustainability, authenticity and diversity are the core values our company is built on. In combining the extensive knowledge and experience of Latin America’s very best guides and naturalists with the hospitality and authenticity of the local communities we strive to create a successful, productive partnership that benefits all.

This was my first trip to Honduras and William, GM and Tour Leader at Beaks and Peaks was awesome! He is an incredibly knowledgeable birder. The finest birding guide I have ever had the pleasure of working with. For the first few days, almost every bird was a lifer for me, which was to be expected. I'm sure we didn't miss a single species! William knew just where to expect certain species and we also saw a few very rare birds. Our trip began normally enough, but midway through, the country was locked down because of the virus, COVID-19. William kept informed and we continued to bird as planned. William took very good care of us and went above and beyond the duties of guide to help us feel worry free in this crazy time. He made sure we weren't left stranded and looked after us like family. I'm not sure what we would have done without his help. We were lucky to have Katinka, Operations Manager and Tour Leader join us at the end of the tour. Their combined expertise is amazing! I would recommend this tour, it was wonderful. The country was beautiful, the lodges were first rate, and the food was phenomenal. I can't say enough good things about William and Katinka of Beaks and Peaks.

By Joan V for Lake Yojoa & North Coast on Apr 03, 2020

We have recently returned from a wonderful 18 day holiday with Beaks and Peaks. The focus of the first five days was Mayan culture and we had a spectacular time at Tikal in Guatemala and Copan in Honduras. Our Mayan guides at both sites were superb with a wonderful ability to bring the ancient ruins to life. William of B&P included some super birding in and around the ruins and the whole experience was truly memorable. This was helped greatly by stays at the Tikal Jungle Lodge and Hacienda San Lucas in Copan. The remainder of the holiday focussed on birding in Honduras. The country is a largely undiscovered gem: great birds especially at migration time, good to very good, clean lodges set in jungle reserves or on the edge of National Parks with excellent food – both local and western. Guanaja was a fitting finale – a beautiful island that hasn’t even made it into the Lonely Planet – white sandy beaches, warm sea, a day trip around the island by boat (there are essentially no roads), some Yucatan bird specials and wonderfully hospitable people and clean well-appointed guesthouses. William was both a good and thoughtful host as well as being an excellent bird guide. Through his contacts we met many interesting people and had a chance to learn something of the culture and history of the region – from the founding of the State of Honduras to the details of growing coffee and making chocolate. We drove from Copan in the west, via Gracias, La Esperanza, Lake Yojoa and the Panacam Lodge, to Pico Bonito Lodge between Tela and La Ceiba. Quite a lot of driving, but the roads were generally good. We flew from La Ceiba to Guanaja and back – about 30 min flight. The only downside to the trip was an unexpected 3-day cold front from the north which brought lots of rain and unseasonably cold weather – which meant we missed a few birding possibilities. It was nevertheless a first class trip.

By John G for Mayas and Birds 2020 on Feb 08, 2020

My recent bird photography excursion to beautiful Central American country of Honduras has proven to be quite fruitful. Yielding a great number of exotic bird species to my lifer list thanks to the amazing team of William Orellana and Katinka Domen of Beaks and Peaks. This adventure tour company is by far the most hands on, professional, knowledgeable, friendly, attentive and accommodating outfit I have had the pleasure to employ. I always felt safe and in good hands with William throughout my 5 day private excusion. Catering to off the beaten path adventures (both private and small groups), Beaks and Peaks takes you to places no one else goes. This exotic central American country still has unspoiled natural places where you can spend hours, days trekking through mountains and forests without ever encountering another person. You can truly feel one with nature. A true nature lovers paradise. William (aka, to me as the "bird whisper"), along with Katinka have an amazing nack of locating birds, coupled with their extensive knowledge of birds will make your experience truly one you will never forget. William's enthusiasm and unrelenting commitment and love of birding, enables you to get the birds you came to see, along with others you didn't expect. Our home base was at a wonderful National Park lodge called Panacam. Within 20 minutes of arriving at the lodge I was able to photograph 12 different exotic species of birds. You can just stay at the lodge and within several feet of you room you can start bird watching or photographing. This place is that amazing. Rooms extremely clean, food very good, and service excellent. Although Beaks and Peaks is located in Honduras, they also organize tours to Equador, Colombia and Peru, and more locations to be added in the future. Staying at top notch lodgings whatever country you choose. With Beaks and Peaks Adventure Tours you are always looked after with top notch professional personal attention and care. With Beaks and Peaks all you need is your camera, binoculars and sense of adventure. Really a great experience!!!!! Carlo @tikimon1021

By Carlo B for Private Photography Tour Honduras on Apr 15, 2019

Our guide Katinka was the best, very knowledgeable, helpful, pleasant and she wanted to do the best that she could for us. The lodges we stayed at were top rate with great food, very helpful staff and comfortable accommodations. The tour was quite strenuous but Katinka on the whole made sure we did not over stress ourselves. She made changes on the fly to take in sites that we were not expecting since we had already seen some target birds elsewhere. Over all it was a wonderful experience. Have to admit the people of Honduras are wonderfully friendly and cheerful. We saw over 320 species of birds including many hummingbirds.

By Otto P for 12-day Honduras Birding Highlights on Mar 23, 2019

This has been a wonderful experience. Having met William and Katinka here in the USA, we were prepared for a rich and thoroughly enjoyable tour, but we could not have imagined how marvelous and personally rewarding it would be. The tour sounded perfect on paper, but still we kept being amazed by all the friendly, interesting local people we met and interacted with, by the many beautiful national parks, world heritage sites, and other cultural sites we visited, by all the incredible birds William (our guide) found for us and his obvious desire that we each see them in the scope and in our binoculars and get to know their habitats and behavior, and by all our deeply thoughtful discussions with William along the way, while driving, and during all the delicious meals. This is a person who deeply loves and cares about his country, is committed to building a more sustainable future from the ground up, and has a passion to transmit his understanding and appreciation of Honduras to others. He engages easily and meaningfully with people from all walks of life, both locals and visitors from afar, and wants to help us to do so too. We also had an opportunity to spend some time with Katinka, who was out with a small group of her own on a different itinerary that intersected with us at one lodging, and it was clear that members of her group felt the same way about her as we did about William. The experience has been truly extraordinary.