Cuba
Viñales, Cayo Coco, Camagüey and Zapata
Fascinating as one of the last remaining communist regimes in the world, Cuba is also probably the best birding destination in the Caribbean in spring. It was Island Holidays who first introduced Cuba on the British birding agenda, pioneering in the very early 1990's where most leading companies now follow.
Our tour visits a variety of habitats but the pace is gentle so that you can appreciate both the birds and the countryside. In Andy Mitchell we have unquestionably the leading British authority on Cuba and its birds, and his experience and contacts mean that you will see most of Cuba's endemic birds as well as many Caribbean specialities and North American migrants, at the same time as getting a flavour of the Cuban way of life. Birds which we would expect to see include most of the endemics such as Cuban Solitaire, Cuban Tody, Zapata Wren, Fernandina's Flicker and the Bee Hummingbird - the smallest bird in the world.
To get the best out of our stay, we visit four very different places, using good quality, comfortable accommodation. The area around
the small town of Viņales in the west of Cuba is renowned for its beautiful scenery. Here the limestone has eroded over millennia to flat plains of bright red earth between knolls or mogotes. The rich red alluvial soil is ideal for the tobacco for the famous Havana cigars and the production method has barely changed over the years -
you will still see oxen ploughing the fields. After this, we move to the offshore cay of Cayo Coco, connected via a causeway. The coastal woodlands, together with warm, shallow seas, provides for a wide variety of birds and a great stopover for migrants. Our next stop is in southern central Cuba south of the old colonial city of Camagüey. There is very little of this savannah habitat left in Cuba as much of it was cleared in the early 20th century for food production, and the abundance here of some of Cuba's rarer bird species shows what has been lost.
Our last birdwatching stop is the best! The amazing Ciénaga de Zapata or Zapata Swamp is a huge nature reserve and one of the wonders of the Caribbean. Around the famous Bay of Pigs there is a fascinating series of habitats where swamp meets woodland meets coast and we will concentrate on finding the special birds - both resident and migratory. This is the very best place to see the smallest bird in the world, the Bee Hummingbird.
Although this is a birding holiday, we also two nights in Old Havana to enjoy the fascinating culture of this incredible island with its communist regime, old colonial architecture and its generous, warm-hearted people.
