Oaxaca, Mexico: Birds, Nature, Culture and
Monte Alban Ruins

• Itinerary

In south Mexico's large state of Oaxaca varied biogeographic regions converge fostering outstanding diversity and endemism in nature, birds and humanity. The broad hundred-mile long, 5,000 foot-high Valley of Oaxaca has been a melting pot for Mesoamerican cultures for over 5,000 years, with Olmec and Aztec to the north and Maya to the south. Many crops were developed here, including agaves for tequila, maize, and over 100 varieties of chilies. One of the world's richest cuisines reflects this long mixing of cultures and agricultural heritage. Within the Valley, its bordering Sierra Madre del Sur, and along the attractive Pacific coast we'll search for birds and enjoy nature in cool evergreen and tropical deciduous forests, arid cactus scrub, and mangrove-lined lagoons and beaches.

Spectacular species include Red Warblers, Dwarf and White-throated Magpie Jays, Bumblee and a dozen other hummers, Chestnut-sided Shrike-vireo, Slaty and Dwarf Vireos, Ocellated Thrasher, Gray-breasted Woodpecker, Citreoline and Mountain Trogons, Lesser Ground Cuckoo, Emerald Toucanet, Russet-crowned Motmot, ten orioles, including Spot-breasted and Black-vented, and Orange-breasted Bunting, among many others.

A relaxed tour with five and four nights at a delightful Oaxaca City hotel and at a beautiful beach resort with cabins overlooking the Pacific and one night in mountain cabins. One morning, with a historian we tour the Zapotec hilltop ruins of pyramids and palaces at famed Monte Alban, where from 500 BC to 750 AD corn, beans and squash sustained 40,000 people. Many Zapotecs today don vibrant traditional dress. In colonial Oaxaca city and surrounding villages regional experts teach us about medicinal plants, weaving, pottery, carving, and a distinctive, tasty cuisine. Shopping possibilities abound and there will be ample Pacific swims. In addition to the natural and cultural wonders, a trip highlight will be our delightful and interesting lodgings, with warm hospitality, terrific views, and often with fine birds on the grounds.

LEADERSHIP

For over 25 years Mark Smith has led numerous private, Audubon and Nature Conservancy international tours. Mark has a broad knowledge of natural history, with special emphasis in animal behavior, ornithology, ecology, archaeology and photography. He is co-author of the book, Oregon Birds. Since his studies at Oregon State University he has worked as a researcher and educator for a variety of organizations including the National Marine Fisheries Service, The National Science Foundation, the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy and the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry. He has led more than 15 tours to Mexico (three to Oaxaca), and over 50 to Latin America. His Spanish is functional.

Oaxacan Guides with knowledge of anthropology, cuisine, arts and wildlife accompany the various legs of the tour.

Local guides include: chefs, artisans, and regional naturalists.

LODGING, TRANSPORT AND DIFFICULTY

Comfortable hotels, houses, and cabins in attractive locations with attached bathrooms accommodate us throughout the tour. We will drive in one or two 15-passenger vans with air conditioning and plenty of room for luggage. Roads are generally good and most drives an hour or less with two half-day drives, with stops. Trails are generally level and good, with some short distances of moderate incline. The longest walks are 2-3 miles. See the General Trip Information section at the end of this page for more details.

PREPARATION

Reading, packing, and bird lists, articles, maps, medical and release forms, and travel information will be sent to participants in late summer prior to the trip. Meanwhile, view our short list of the Birds of Oaxaca.

TRIP COST AND RESERVATIONS

A deposit of $500 is required to reserve one of the 9 available spaces.

Pam Davis of Willamette International Travel is the tour air-ticket agent; Mark has worked with Pam for over 15 years. Participants are encouraged to make bookings through Pam, which helps to coordinate our flights and keep leaders informed.

Pam Davis
Willamette International Travel
1314 NW Irving St. #101
Portland, OR 97209-2721
Email: pamd@wittravel.com
Phone: 503-224-0180 or 1-800-821-0401

Please make deposit and final payment payable to Mark Smith Nature Tours and send to:

Mark Smith
PO Box 3831
Portland, OR 97208-3831

Work phone: 503-224-0180 or 1-800-821-0401
Home phone: 360-566-0458
email, in care of: marksmithnaturetours@hotmail.com

Please contact Pam Davis of Willamette International Travel when Mark is out of town.

CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS

Any made more than 90 days prior to departure receives refund in full less $100. Cancellations made between 90 and 60 days before departure forfeit $500, and for cancellations made within 60 days of the departure date 100% of the tour cost is forfeited. We recommend that participants consider trip cancellation insurance, which can be bought through Willamette International Travel.

General Trip Information

• Accommodations are good, clean and comfortable. The Hotel Azucenas in Oaxaca City is charming. The Puesta del Sol in the Sierra Miahuatlan is situated on a south facing ridge that looks toward the Pacific Ocean. The rooms have a log-cabin feel, and fireplaces, as it can get fairly cold. The attractive two coastal houses have large rooms, all with private bathroom. Some rooms will have better oceanviews than others. We will go out for some meals on the coast, others will be catered.

• Transportation - We'll have two local drivers for the trip and will be traveling in comfortable, air-conditioned, 15-passenger vans with plenty of room for luggage. Most drives will be fairly short, about an hour or so, and road conditions, except for a few bumpy sections on dirt roads in the mountains, are good. The 35-40 minute drive up to Cerro San Felipe is winding as is Hwy 195, particularly the 60-mile stretch from Puesta del Sol down to the Pacific Coast. The drive up to the Sierra Miahuatlan is about 3 hours from Oaxaca city with several stops. We'll break up the drive to the coast with 3-4 stops and take most of the day to get there. We can rotate seats and try to accommodate any special needs. If you're prone to carsickness, let us know and bring whatever remedy you normally use.

• If delayed into Oaxaca City, please try to get a message to us by doing the following:
  • Please send an email to the Hotel Azucenas and copy us at Mark Smith's and Pam Davis's e-mail (admin@hotelazucenas.com and pamd@wittravel.com).
  • Also please call the Azucenas at 1-800-882-5009 from the U.S. The staff speak English.
  • Also please call Pam Davis (1-800-821-0401 or 503-224-0180) who can get in touch with us.
  We'll be in Oaxaca City for five days so it won't be a problem joining up with the group.

• Birds, Nature, Culture - As with all our excursions, we will do more than birdwatching and include general natural history and some cultural history as well. Though we will enjoy wonderful birdwatching (which will include ecology and behavior as well as basic identification), we will also learn about mammals, reptiles, plants, butterflies, tropical deciduous forest and mangrove ecology, and some cultural history. We will see between 200 and 250 species of birds, including many regional endemics.

• General safety and travel - after more than 15 trips to Mexico, we have never experienced a safety problem. We follow common sense rules of travel that work well and pay close attention to health and safety issues. Overall, the pace is relaxed to moderate, the scenery and natural history fascinating, the food good, and the experiences memorable. Though always looking to improve our Spanish, we're completely comfortable with the language in the situations encountered.

• Trip difficulty - the walks in the mountains outside of Oaxaca city are fairly short, about a mile in length. Surfaces are mostly level with a few uneven spots and some mild to moderate inclines. One should be in reasonable physical condition — if you can comfortably walk two miles with some gentle inclines at an easy pace, you'll be fine. We will be taking our time and stopping frequently to enjoy flora and fauna, and we'll have afternoon breaks most days, as well as relaxation time on the coast.

• Trip Cost - The price of the trip includes all meals, except one optional dinner, lodging, boat trips, entrance fees, hotel and restaurant tips, transportation in two vans from Oaxaca City, and one drink per person per meal. This includes sodas, lemonade, beer, etc. but doesn't include the more expensive mixed drinks like margaritas. Hotel and restaurant tips are covered in the trip cost, but if you feel that someone has provided exceptional service, feel free to add a tip of your own. The cost does not include airfare to and from Oaxaca.

• Money - Items one needs to pay for are drinks, any tips you wish to leave, and purchases you make. Excellent crafts are available in Oaxaca - carpets and other weavings, hammocks, coffee, and alebrijes (whimsically carved and elaborately painted wooden creatures). We change dollars to pesos in Oaxaca City at a bank or at one of the many ÒCambiosÓ which are open most of the day and into the evenings. Note that they are picky about the condition of the US dollar bills. The smallest tear or blemish will make them unchangeable. There is a safe where we can store valuables at Azucenas in Oaxaca City.

• Health and Water - All our hotels (except Puesta del Sol) have bottled water in your room. Be sure to drink only bottled water and also use it to brush teeth. We'll also provide additional bottled water. The food throughout the trip is excellent and varied. We recommend you take it easy the first few days, particularly in terms of amount as sometimes the change in diet can unsettle a stomach. We will have a first aid kit with pepto-bismol tablets and Imodium, but consider bringing some. We will be eating in restaurants where we have eaten many times with no problems. There are presently no vaccinations required for visiting Mexico.

• Phones - If you need to call home, we recommended you purchase a prepaid calling card before leaving for Mexico. We use an MCI card. Be sure to get the access number for Mexico from MCI, etc., before departure. We recommend a card with about $20-30 on it. We have not been able to recharge it from Mexico. The hotel phone rates in Oaxaca City are very reasonable, and there is internet access.

• Packing, Comforts, and Laundry - All hotels have soap and towels. Most don't have washcloths and some don't have shampoo. Plumbing in Mexico requires that toilet paper be tossed in a bin beside the toilet, not in the toilet itself. We have alcohol-based hand cleaner along. Pack all you need; there is plenty of space in the van. Laundry service is available at most hotels. A packing list will be sent.

• RESPONSIBILITY: Mark Smith Nature Tours and its Agents act only as agents for the passenger in regard to travel, whether by railroad, motorcar, motorcoach, boat, or airplane and they assume no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay, or irregularity which may be occasioned either by reason of defect in any vehicle or for any reason whatsoever, or through the acts or default of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger or in carrying out the arrangements of the tour. Mark Smith Nature Tours and its Agents can accept no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine, or other causes. All such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the passenger, as tour rates provide for arrangements only for the time stated. The right is reserved to substitute hotels of similar category for those indicated and to make any changes in the itinerary where deemed necessary or caused by changes in air schedules. The right is reserved to cancel any tour prior to departure, in which case full refund will constitute full settlement to the passenger. No refund will be made for any unused portion of the tour. The right is reserved to decline to accept or to retain any person as a member of any tour. Baggage is at owner's risk entirely.

ITINERARY
Day 1	Friday, January 25	Home to Oaxaca City, via Mexico City
Travelers generally depart various US gateways early this morning and via Mexico City arrive this evening at the Oaxaca City airport, where they take a taxi or arranged van to the Hotel Azucenas about 20 minutes away. This attractive hotel is perfectly situated in a fairly quiet neighborhood about 5 blocks (5-10 min. walk) from the bustling zocalo (central plaza) and restaurants and will serve as a comfortable base from which to explore the Oaxaca City region. Keep in mind that the Azucenas is an intimate place and that during our early breakfasts (specially done for us), and after 10 pm, we must be quiet and not disturb other guests.
Day 2	Saturday, January 26	Teotitlan del Valle & Oaxaca City
After breakfast at 6:15 AM, we head east toward the weaving town of Teotitlan del Valle, 40 minutes away. Here the habitat is oddly reminiscent of the grasslands and desert scrub of southeast Arizona, with some of the same plants. The avifauna also shares similarities but with a few interesting twists. Instead of Gila Woodpecker, we'll be looking for its cousin, the endemic Gray-breasted Woodpecker, and instead of Canyon Towhee, here it's White-throated Towhee. Just above town is a small reservoir that, like other open bodies of water in arid areas, can be attractive to grebes, herons, ducks, shorebirds, and a variety of passerines. A grove of coral bean trees should be in peak flower, the crimson blooms hosting hummingbirds like Dusky, Beryline, Ruby-throated, and Green-fronted, as well as orioles including Black-vented. The hills above town harbor several Oaxaca Valley specialties including Ocellated Thrasher, West-Mexican Chachalaca, Boucard's Wren, and Bridled and Oaxaca Sparrows. Also in the area are Blue Mockingbird, Golden Vireo, wintering sparrows and warblers, and various flycatchers. In the oaks and pines we look for Oaxaca Sparrow, Rufous-capped Brushfinch, Green Violet-ear and Red Warbler. After morning in the foothills, we return to Teotitlan del Valle for lunch, then visit Isaac Vasquez Garcia, a master Zapotec weaver who will demonstrate how local artisans spin wool, use natural dyes, and create finely woven products. If you're interested in purchasing a carpet or other weaving, this is the place. En route to Oaxaca City, at Santa Maria del Tule we find "the biggest" tree on Earth, a Montezuma cypress(Taxodium distichum) with a circumference of about 50 meters and a footprint of about 2000 sq. ft. We'll have dinner in town.
Day 3	Sunday, January 27	Cerro San Felipe and Oaxaca City
After breakfast on our roof patio, we depart for Cerro San Felipe in the Sierra Juarez (sometimes called the Sierra Aloapanec) about 45 minutes north of the city. We spend most of the day around 8000 ft. in the high "cloud" forests where firs, pines, and oaks are dotted with epiphytic bromeliads, lichens, ferns, and orchids. The area is lush and excellent for birds, with the forests protected by local communities. Mixed flocks, which may be more common when the weather is cool and foggy, are of two general types. One is led by noisy Steller's Jays and Gray-barred Wrens amidst which may be inconspicuous Dwarf Jays (endemic to the mountain range). The other type includes smaller songbirds such as warblers (Townsend's, Hermit, Red, Crescent-chested), White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Hutton's Vireo, Chestnut-sided Shrike-vireo and Spot-crowned Woodcreeper. The understory is punctuated with fine wildflower blooms. Hummers include Green Violet-ear, Amethyst-throated (a cousin of the Blue-throated), Bumblebee, and White-eared, and Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer occurs, too. Lunch at a mountaintop restaurant, and afternoon we explore another mountain road. We'll have time to relax at the hotel before dinner. Due to the altitude on Cerro San Felipe, temperatures will be colder than Oaxaca City. Layers are important.
Day 4	Monday, January 28	Oaxaca City, Cultural Day
A day to sleep in. We depart at 9 AM to the nearby Mercado Abastos, a vast market where a guide will teach us about local vegetables, herbs, culture, and cuisine. Evocative colors, scents, tastes, and sounds, and vibrant activity abound at the market. We'll lunch while sampling foods. We continue north to the town of Etla and the Seasons of My Heart Cooking School where we're treated to a lecture and late lunch with well-known chef and author Susana Trilling. This will be our big meal for the day. We return to the city in late afternoon with time to relax or to walk around town.
Day 5	Tuesday, January 29	Oaxaca City and Monte Alban
After breakfast, we spend the morning at the nearby Monte Alban ruins. Prior to our guided tour of the site with outstanding local guide Benito Hernandez, we'll walk along the nearby trails and search for some of the same birds as in the Teotitlan del Valle area - ocellated thrasher, Boucard's wren, beautiful and dusky hummingbirds - as well as others including the rare pileated flycatcher and the hard-to-find dwarf vireo. Monte Alban (a name given by the Spanishto the site known to its native Zapotec inhabitants as Danni Dipaa) is a major site that dominated the region between Teotihuacan (in the Valley of Mexico to the north) and the great Mayan sites to the south for about 1200 years. During its peak, from 500 B.C. to 750 A.D., corn, beans, squash, chilies, and fruit cultivated in the surrounding hills and valleys sustained about 40,000 people. Fine architecture, carvings, pottery, and elaborate mythology reflect the extremely rich culture. After a picnic lunch at Monte Alban, we return to the hotel for afternoon options. Within walking distance are the attractive and bustling central plaza, and the Museum of Archaeology, with its small garden that attracts birds to drink and bathe. Some travelers might like to return to the foothills of Cerro San Felipe for gentle hikes searching for more birds along creeks and on brushy slopes. Together we'll enjoy another sumptuous dinner of rich Oaxacan cuisine. Each supper will be at a different restaurant.
Day 6	Wednesday, January 30	Monte Alban, San Jose del Pacifico
After a relaxed departure, we meander south 60 miles through the Valley of Oaxaca, enjoying sights of villages and agriculture, and visiting the workshops and galleries of well known Oaxacan potters (black and glossy) and wood carvers (the alebrijes are fanciful and colorful animal figures). We'll watch them at their craft and buy beautiful items at good prices; these products are shipped to galleries all over the world. At Ocotlan we'll have free time to explore markets, shops and churches, then have lunch overlooking the attractive plaza. We'll continue south across savanna, watching for Aplomado Falcon and White-tailed Hawk, until we reach the base of the Sierra Miahuatlan, then climbing gradually about an hour to the ridgetop town of San Jose del Pacifico and the Hotel Puesta del Sol. In flower thickets on the hotel grounds we'll look for Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer, Hooded Yellowthroat, and hummingbirds such as Bumblebee, Garnet-throated, Beryline, Rufous, and Blue-throated. Madrean birds such as Greater pewee, Hepatic tanager, and maybe Chestnut-sided Shrike-vireo are also possible. Fruiting trees attract Gray Silky Flycatchers, White-throated Robin, Russet Nightingale-thrush, and Brown-backed Solitaire. We'll have dinner at the hotel restaurant. Due to the altitude at the Puesta del Sol, the temperature will be colder than in Oaxaca City. The rooms all have fireplaces, extra blankets, and a good supply of wood.
Day 7	Thursday, January 31	San Jose del Pacifico to Puerto Angel beaches
We begin with an optional pre-breakfast walk around the hotel grounds at 7:00 AM. After breakfast, we embark on the gradual descent to the coast. We'll make several stops en route on quiet side roads to enjoy the forests which transition from mixed conifer to tropical evergreen (with shade grown coffee in the understory) to tropical deciduous on the coast. Birds and butterflies will be numerous, and likely will include the diminutive Bumblebee Hummingbird and the highly endemic Blue-capped Hummingbird. With luck we'll find standouts like Wagler's Toucanet or perhaps mixed flocks with Red-headed Tanager, Golden and Slaty Vireos, Common Bush Tanager, Gray-crowned Woodpecker, and others. We'll travel about 75 miles, have a packed lunch along the way, and arrive at our two houses overlooking the Pacific in late afternoon, with time for an optional swim in the warm Pacific.
Days 8, 9 & 10	Fri. - Sun., February 1-3	The Puerto Angel Coast
Near our hotel are many trails and roads through hilly dry forest and around lagoons, bays and beaches. Lesser Ground-cuckoo, Russet-crowned Motmot, Orange-breasted, Blue, and Painted Buntings, Banded Wren, White-throated Magpie Jay, Yellow-winged cacique, West-Mexican Chachalaca, Citreoline Trogon, and White-lored Gnatcatcher are regularly seen. Before breakfast nearby trails can be extremely productive, with Altamira, Streak-backed and Spot-breasted Orioles as well as Olive Sparrow, Red-breasted Chat, Colima Pygmy Owl, and Happy Wren. We can scan offshore rocks for Magnificent Frigatebird, Red-billed tropicbird, and Brown Boobies. The weather will be much warmer on the coast, and after our busy week in the Oaxaca valley and mountains, we'll make ample time for relaxing and swimming. We'll have along a small library, or you may want to bring a good book. Our third day we make an early morning trip back up Highway 175 into the broadleaf evergreen forest about an hour away. In the lush shade-grown coffee plantations we'll look for Golden-crowned Emerald, Wagler's Toucanet, Masked Tityra, Audubon's Oriole, Golden Vireo, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Fan-tailed Warbler, Rose-throated Becard, Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, Pale-billed and Lineated Woodpeckers, and many others. We'll have lunch and take a tour at Finca el Pacifico, the first certified-organic shade-grown coffee plantation in Oaxaca, before returning to the coast.
Day 11	Monday, February 4	Puerto Angel to Hotel Santa Fe / Ft. Escondido
On our final morning near Puerto Angel we return to favorite side roads before a late breakfast, then continue west to Puerto Escondido and the Hotel Santa Fe. Lunch at the hotel before a late afternoon visit to the Rio Colotepec and its rich river mouth where American crocodile, herons, shorebirds, terns, and gulls, and hopefully the Collared Plover, may be found. The nearby scrub can be good for White-collared and Ruddy-breasted Seedeaters. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 12	Tuesday, February 5	Pt. Escondido, drive to Huatulco, fly to Mexico City and Home
After an early breakfast, 20 minutes west is Laguna Manialtepec, a beautiful estuary lined with tall red mangroves, which we tour by boat. Both water and forest birds are found in and around the lagoon. Possibilities include waders (like Bare-throated Tiger Heron and Boat-billed Heron), perhaps some waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls and terns, and songbirds like Mangrove Vireo and Ruddy-breasted Seedeater. With luck, West-Mexican Chachalaca may be found. We'll return to the hotel by 10:30 AM to check out and drive to Huatulco for our 2:30 to 3:30 PM flights to Mexico City, and on home late this evening.