Regional & International Tours

We're looking for a few curious, enthusiastic travelers to share in-depth adventures in some of our favorite regional international destinations. Group size will be small to ensure a quality experience.

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Parrots & Quetzals

July 24-28, 2010

Less than a day's drive from Bisbee, the cool, green mountains around Madera, Chihuahua offer a refuge for hundreds of endangered Thick-billed Parrots and many pairs of Eared Quetzals (formerly Eared Trogon). These rare species share their mountain strongholds with many birds familiar to visitors to Arizona's "sky islands" as well as species that are rare to unheard of in the United States, including Crescent-chested Warbler, Brown-backed Solitaire, White-striped Woodcreeper, and Mountain Trogon. Magnificent scenery, ancient ruins, and colorful local culture and cuisine are added attractions. 

Tours include all transportation beginning in Bisbee plus lodging, meals, tourist permits, entrance fees, and the services of local naturalist guides. Spring trips typically enjoy the best views of parrots, while late summer trips usually enjoy greater species diversity and more success seeing Eared Quetzals.

Price TBA. Will include transportation from Bisbee, 5 nights' lodging, all meals, restaurant gratuities, non-alcoholic beverages, entrance fees, and local guide services. Tourist permit fees, alcoholic beverages, guide and lodging gratuities, and other personal expenses are not included. Limited to 5 to 9 participants. A deposit of $200 is required to hold your reservation. For additional information, please contact SABO at reservations@sabo.org or (520) 432-1388.

Madera, Chihuahua Photo Album

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Hummingbirds of Arizona
August 8-14, 2010
following the Southwest Wings Birding Festival
Spend a week exploring southeastern Arizona's hummingbird havens with Sheri Williamson, author of the Peterson Field Guide to Hummingbirds and scriptwriter for the Advanced Birding Video: Hummingbirds of North America.

August is one of the most exciting months for hummingbird watching in southeastern Arizona. Summer thunderstorms bring a second spring to the "sky island" mountains and valleys. Blooming wildflowers and the area's famous feeding stations attract up to 15 hummingbird species plus many other colorful birds, butterflies, and much more.

Most field trip destinations will be of particular interest to hummingbird aficionados, but we won't neglect the songbirds, raptors, butterflies, and other wildlife that make this region so special. The tour will include short presentations to give you an in-depth understanding of hummingbird natural history and identification. Participants will also have the opportunity to see research in progress at SABO's hummingbird banding stations. To compensate for early mornings and avoid thunderstorms, most days will incorporate an hour or two of siesta time in the afternoon.

Featured lodging for this tour will be Casa de San Pedro Bed & Breakfast, adjacent to the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. One night will be spent at Portal in the Chiricahua Mountains. The tour follows the Southwest Wings Birding Festival.

Price $1175 for SABO members, $1205 for non-members; add $340 for single occupancy. Package includes 6 nights lodging, ground transportation from Casa de San Pedro B&B, and meals from dinner the first day through breakfast the last day. Alcoholic beverages, guide and lodging gratuities, and other personal expenses are not included. Limited to 8 participants. A deposit of $200 is required to hold your reservation. For additional information, please contact SABO at reservations@sabo.org or (520) 432-1388.

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Tropical Birds of Sonora
October 2010

Join SABO naturalists Sheri Williamson and Tom Wood for a six-day adventure in beautiful and exotic Sonora, Mexico! Early spring offers fine weather, fantastic birding, and gorgeous scenery as the desert and tropical deciduous forest come into bloom. This area is home to such tropical beauties as Black-throated Magpie-Jay (photo, left), Purplish-backed Jay, Social Flycatcher, Streak-backed Oriole, Blue Mockingbird, Elegant Quail, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, and White-fronted Parrot. Our principal destination will be the 326-year-old Spanish colonial town of Alamos in southern Sonora (western Mexico's answer to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, where the tropics meet the temperate zone). The tour will also visit the city of Navojoa on the lower Río Mayo and the seaside resort of San Carlos, where Ospreys, Brown Pelicans, and Blue-footed Boobies perch on giant cacti overlooking the Sea of Cortez.

Price TBA. Space is limited at El Pedregal; double occupancy is strongly encouraged, single occupancy is available at additional cost. Package will include transportation from Bisbee, 5 nights' lodging, all meals, restaurant gratuities, non-alcoholic beverages, and local guide services. Tourist fees, alcoholic beverages, guide and lodging gratuities, and other personal expenses are not included. Limited to 5 to 8 participants. For additional information, please contact SABO at reservations@sabo.org or (520) 432-1388.

More information...

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Belize & Tikal
postponed until 2011

Join the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory for an adventure in the tropical kingdom of the ancient Maya! This tour will introduce you to many of the region's outstanding natural areas and archeological sites and the hospitality of comfortable lodges that cater to birders and other wildlife enthusiasts. 

Your leader, SABO naturalist Sheri Williamson, is internationally known for her expertise in hummingbirds but is also a butterfly and plant enthusiast and has studied the art and history of the ancient Maya. Her love of the natural and human history of the Maya region inspired a chapter in Fifty Places to Go Birding Before You Die: Birding Experts Share The World's Greatest Destinations by Chris Santella. The expertise of local naturalist guides will complement Sheri's thirty years of experience in tropical birding and natural history.

Early spring is a particularly good time to enjoy warblers and other migrants headed north to nesting grounds in the eastern U.S. and Canada as well as tropical residents such as hummingbirds, toucans, parrots, trogons, and more. Highlights of previous trips include Little Tinamou, Jabiru Stork, King Vulture, Snail Kite, White Hawk, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Barred Forest-Falcon, Orange-breasted Falcon, Ocellated Turkey, Crested Guan, Great Curassow, Yucatan (Yellow-lored) Parrot, Stripe-throated (Little) Hermit, Purple-crowned Fairy, Collared Trogon (photo, above left), Collared Araçari, Tody Motmot, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Tawny-winged Woodcreeper, White-collared Manakin, Yucatan Jay, Black-faced Anthrush, Black-throated Shrike-Tanager, Crimson-collared Tanager, Montezuma Oropendola, Ocelot, Black Howler Monkey, Spider Monkey, White-nosed Coatimundi, Red Brocket Deer, Morelet's Crocodile, Green Iguana, and Striped Basilisk.

Price TBA, package will include all lodging, meals, field trips, and ground transportation from Belize City. Tourist fees, snacks, alcoholic beverages, guide and lodging gratuities, and other personal expenses are not included. This tour is limited to 6 to 9 participants.