Puerto Vallarta Birding Photo Adventure

Mountains, Mangroves & the Marietas Islands – 7 DAY/6 NIGHT TRIP

DATES:

NOVEMBER 9-15, 2025

7 Days / 6 Nights – All Inclusive Except Air & Airport Transfers

SINGLE OCCUPANCY: $4900

DOUBLE OCCUPANCY: $4500

DESCRIPTION:

Puerto Vallarta is located on the beautiful western coast of Mexico and is known for its friendly atmosphere, cuisine and its white sandy beaches. However, this is NOT a beach tour. Mexico has over 1,100 species of birds and many can be found in and around Puerto Vallarta. THIS tour will take you to all of the birding hotspots providing you the opportunity to see and photograph these amazing creatures. Tour is limited to 8 participants so whether you are a novice or an advanced birder or photographer, this small group environment will provide you with the attention you need to take your skills to a higher level. You will learn to identify and photograph birds and their behaviors in a wide variety of habitats that include the surrounding mountainous regions, the beautiful Marieta’s islands and the mangroves of San Blas. Species to be targeted are hummingbirds, macaws, trogons, owls, raptors, flycatchers, shorebirds plus many west Mexican endemics that can only be seen here. This adventure will be like no other. You will get as local as local gets and see things that most tourists don’t while experiencing some of the best Mexican cuisine, culture and natural scenery. Led by birding expert, Fernando Romo, a resident of Puerto Vallarta who has been guiding and leading birding and photography tours in the area and internationally for the past 25 years.

ITINERARY:

DAY 1 SUNDAY: PUERTO VALLARTA ARRIVAL & WELCOME DINNER

Arrive in Puerto Vallarta’s PVR airport on Sunday and be ready to meet your fellow travelers by 6pm for a “Welcome Dinner” at a local Mexican restaurant where you can sample some of Puerto Vallarta’s local cuisine. Your hotel will be located in the Marina Vallarta area which is less than 10 minutes from the airport.

DAY 2 MONDAY: PUERTO VALLARTA/ Las Mojoneras Mountain Area & the Ameca River

Your first day begins with an exciting morning of birding in the Las Mojoneras area located on the slopes of the Sierra Vallejo mountain range which is a short 30 minute drive from your hotel. This unique habitat comprises thorn forest and scrubland that is an ideal place to find some of the rarest birds of west Mexico such as red-breasted chats, trogons, Golden-crowned emerald hummingbirds and the diurnal Colima pygmy owls.  Lunch will be in the valley of this mountainous region to enjoy its scenic beauty. After lunch, you will be driven back to your hotel for an afternoon siesta. Later that afternoon, you will be taken to the mouth of the Ameca River where it meets Banderas Bay – here you will have the chance to photograph a variety of shorebirds such as the magnificent frigatebird, kingfishers, sandpipers, plovers, egrets and herons, to name a few. Dinner will be enjoyed at a local seafood restaurant nearby.

DAY 3 TUESDAY: PUERTO VALLARTA / Military Macaws, Botanical Gardens & Night Owling

Be prepared to explore a private reserve that is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the habitat for the endangered military macaws. Located 90 minutes to the south in the high elevations of the Sierra Madre. Here you will have the opportunity to photograph these colorful birds from an observation tower in flight and from blinds. Afterwards, you will visit the botanical gardens where many of the 16 species of hummingbirds of western Mexico are known to visit such as the cinnamon, plain-capped starthroat and the Mexican hermit, to name a few. Here you will enjoy an alfresco lunch on the terrace with panoramic mountain views and feeders to entertain. After lunch, you will be driven back to your hotel for a well-deserved siesta. Your birding adventure will continue just before dusk for some night time fun as we hunt for the elusive mottled and black-and-white owls plus the buff-collared nightjars in the Las Mojoneras area.

DAY 4 WEDNESDAY:  PUERTO VALLARTA / Marietas Islands

This day is an adventure at sea! Your day will start with a 45 minute drive to the coastal town of Punta Mita where our skipper will meet us on a private “panga” boat for a journey around the Marietas Islands. Known as the “Mexican Galapagos Island”, the Marietas Islands is a designated UNESCO biosphere reserve due to the protection of the large colonies of pelagic birds that congregate there. Here you will see blue-footed and brown boobies, royal terns and perhaps even a red-billed tropicbird! After your journey on the water, you will return to the seaside town of Punta Mita for lunch at a beachfront restaurant. Afterwards, you will be returned to your hotel where you will have the rest of the day free to relax or explore Puerto Vallarta on your own.

DAY 5 THURSDAY: SAN BLAS / Mangroves of San Blas

This day you will check out of the hotel and head north to the mangroves of San Blas, 3 hours to the north. On the way, you will be making stops at key points along the coast to look for birds. Upon arrival in San Blas, you will have lunch and then check into your hotel. So why San Blas? Because the wetlands of San Blas are a designated UNESCO Ramsar site for the preservation of waterfowl and are NOT to be missed. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind experience where you will be taken on a private panga boat deep through the mangroves into the heart of the wetlands. Here can be found boat-billed herons, bare-throated tiger-herons, roseated spoonbills plus a variety of kingfishers and rails. As night falls, you may have the chance to spot and photograph the northern potoo and common pauraque. The day will end with a late evening dinner back in San Blas.

DAY 6 FRIDAY: PUERTO VALLARTA / San Blas to Puerto Vallarta; Farewell Dinner

This morning will be an adventure to the surrounding wetlands of San Blas to look for laughing falcons, purplish-backed jays, trogons, purple gallinules and northern jacanas, to name a few. After breakfast, you check out of the hotel and make the 3-hour journey back to Puerto Vallarta for your final night. Along the way, you will be making key stops to look for birds and have lunch. Upon arrival in Puerto Vallarta, you will check into your hotel and have a siesta. In the evening, the group will gather one last time for a “Farewell Dinner” where you can share highlights of your adventure and say farewell to your new friends.

DAY 7 SATURDAY: DEPART PUERTO VALLARTA

Breakfast will be provided at the hotel prior to your departure from Puerto Vallarta.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

• Naturalist Guide & Translator – Fernando Romo

• Expedition Coordinator – Anne Simmons

• Photography Instruction – formal classes will not be held but guidance will be provided and tailored to your needs at whatever level you are at

• Hotel in Marina Vallarta – 5 Nights

• Hotel in San Blas – 1 Night

• Meals: All Breakfasts, Lunches & Dinners (food & soft drinks) – except for your “Free Night” on Day 4 (Wednesday)

• Welcome Dinner (food, beer, wine & soft drinks)

• Farewell Dinner (food, beer, wine & soft drinks)

• All ground transportation (except airport transfers)

• All entrance fees to any parks, reserves

• Boat trips to Marietas Islands & San Blas mangroves

 WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED:

• Airfare to and from Puerto Vallarta (PVR)

• Airport transfers

• Travel Health Insurance

• Trip Cancellation Insurance

• Dinner on Day Four

• Additional food, snacks, drinks

• Tips for guides

COST OF TRIP:

SINGLE: $4,900 per person

DOUBLE: $4500 per person

PAYMENT: 50% upon registration. Remaining 50% due on or before July 15, 2025.

CANCELLATION POLICY: 100% refund prior to July 1, 2025. 50% refund prior to September 1, 2025. 25% refund prior to October 1, 2025. NO REFUND after October 1, 2025.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: : This trip requires some moderate hiking while carrying your gear. We will be driving to most destinations with short walks that can be up to 45 minutes long. Gear can be stored in the vehicle while hiking.

IMPORTANT INFO TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

• Upon registration, you will be sent a very detailed list of “Things to know before you go” to help you prepare for your big adventure

• A one-on-one zoom meeting will be scheduled to go over your specific needs, questions and goals for your photographic adventure

• This trip was intentionally planned during the week so you will have the option to come in earlier and/or stay later to explore Puerto Vallarta on the weekend(s) at your own expense – a list of highlights and contacts for Puerto Vallarta activities can be provided if you opt to do this

• Travel itinerary and accommodations may be subject to change – we will try our best to stick to it but sometimes adjustments are needed that are beyond our control (ie. weather, traffic delays, hotel closing, etc.)

• Travel Health Insurance is required. A list of providers to choose from will be offered to you if you do not have one on your own.

• Trip Cancellation Insurance is recommended – we will make every effort to make this tour go as planned but sometimes things happen that are beyond ours and your control and if the tour gets cancelled, we cannot guarantee full refunds (ie. pandemics, Acts of God, illness, etc.)

MEET YOUR GUIDES:

FERNANDO ROMO – Naturalist Guide:

Fernando has been introducing people to the wonders of nature on guided ecotours for the past 25 years. His passion for nature conservation and photography has taken him all over Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Galapagos Islands, Argentina, Chile and Alaska, to name a few. He loves to share this passion with his fellow travelers and to support local communities in order to conserve and protect the different habitats and species through their sustainable use.

Born and raised in Mexico City, Fernando currently resides in beautiful Puerto Vallarta where he stayed after his studies in Marine Biology. He has been involved in various research projects including the photo identification of Humpback Whales & Bottlenose Dolphins, the conservation of the Blue Footed Boobies on the Marietas Islands and studies on the Sea Turtle Nesting Camps. He has been a member of the Mexican Society for the Study of Marine Mammals since 2000.

He has led numerous expeditions to the annual Monarch Butterfly migration up the trans-volcanic belt in the mountains of Mexico. He is an expert birder and is highly sought after for his birding tours as he has an extreme talent for spotting the rarest birds and being able to photograph them. With his marine biology background, he is high in demand for his whale watching photo expeditions as well.

Fernando is extremely passionate about what he does and it rubs off on all those who travel with him. Whether you are a beginner or novice conservation traveler, Fernando makes sure that you are comfortable every step of the way. His goal is to provide his travelers with “the time of their life” as they experience these unique occurrences in nature and to have them walk away with some of his passion and knowledge for these amazing creatures so that they and their habitats can stay protected.

ANNE SIMMONS – Expedition Coordinator :

Anne Simmons took her first photo class with Richard Stromberg at CPC in 2008. She has resided in Chicago for the past 28 years and lived as an expat in Asia for nine years prior to making Chicago her home. She has traveled the globe extensively and has a passion for adventure travel with an emphasis on nature conservation. Her latest endeavor is birding and bird photography and recently traveled to the island of Fatu Hiva in French Polynesia where she was able to find and photograph 4 of the last remaining 18 Fatu Hiva Monarch birds in her efforts to support the conservation of these rare birds from extinction. Anne is SCUBA certified and has dabbled in underwater photography and is an avid sailor and a member of the Chicago Yacht Club. As an artist, Anne uses photography as one of her mediums to capture nature, the people and their cultures of the places she visits. Now she wants to share that passion with others by taking them on “once-in-a-lifetime” photo expeditions. She organized CPC’s first three trips to the “Monarchs in Mexico”, initiated the annual “Chicago Birding Adventures” and is now conducting the “Puerto Vallarta Birding Photo Adventure – Mountains, Mangroves & Marietas Islands” trips. She plans on continuing sharing these unique photo experiences in nature with the school’s community.