Jamaica
Easy birding at a relaxed pace
Jamaica is one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean. From sun-drenched beaches to high mountains, from wide, lazy rivers and lagoons to rushing streams, from rich agricultural land to mountain forests, the island offers a wide variety of habitats for the more than 200 native species of birds to be found here.
This is a birding holiday but is run at a relaxed Jamaican pace. We stay in excellent, environmentally responsible hotels, one high in the Blue Mountains and the other on the north-east coast, thereby reducing the amount of travelling and yet giving the opportunity to see all 28 endemics in just one week. We'll also meet local people involved in conservation work and enjoy the delights of Jamaican cuisine. Rum punches are strongly recommended!
The island itself is located in the western Caribbean, south of Cuba and north of the Cayman Islands. As well as its native species, many North American species winter here and there's always the chance of North American vagrants turning up.
Our tour starts up in the Blue Mountains where we stay at Forres Park. This superb small hotel is set in the most stunning scenery and the birding is second to none. Without moving from your balcony you can begin to watch the first of the endemics as the beautiful Red-billed Streamertails feed on the flowering shrubs and bushes which surround the sensitively-designed building. Jamaican Tody, Sad Flycatcher, Jamaican Stripe-headed Tanager and Jamaican Pewee are other endemics which we are almost certain to see on our first morning around the hotel - perhaps before the wonderful Jamaican breakfast with Blue Mountain coffee! From our base here we'll go high into the mountains for a full day.
En route to our second base at Port Antonio we'll spend time in Holywell National Park (with brunch at the renowned Hardware Gap) before heading down to the North-East coast and the delightful Mockingbird Hotel. From here we'll explore different areas and habitats to maximise our chances of seeing all the endemics plus lots of the native species - and who knows what North American rarity might turn up? Again the hotel is really comfortable with excellent food and we'll take plenty of time to relax - not least on a wonderful 2-hour raft trip down the river - a brilliant way to get good views of the more shy waterbirds such as herons and egrets.
This is a very special holiday both in terms of the country, the birds, the people and the food. It gets you away from the stereotypes and introduces you to the real Jamaica.
