Mmcguire
Member
Lago de Yojoa, Sta. Barbara, Copán Ruinas, bird-friendly accommodations
I'm an avid birder, but travelling with a patient non-birding spouse, so I have to plan our itineraries to accommodate both of our interests. We'll be in Honduras for most of the month of May, brushing up our Spanish at a language school in La Ceiba for more than half of that time. We expect to be able to do afternoon and weekend side trips from there to birding sites on the northern coast. And we intend to end our trip at Pico Bonito lodge, and splurge on 3 nights there for our wedding anniversary. I would very much appreciate it if anyone has good suggestions for birding in the areas of Copán Ruinas and Lago de Yojoa.
We are considering hiring a car in order to visit both of those areas (but if we don't go to the Lake area, we may just as well make the journey by bus). A relevant factor: our abilities to communicate in Spanish are fine for most travellers' needs, and I've done some birding with guides (and fellow birders) speaking Spanish, but I wouldn't call myself fully "fluent," and my husband is probably at an intermediate level. We've done well, travelling in hired cars on two previous trips to Costa Rica, but have travelled only by bus and taxi in rural Mexico and Nicaragua. So, if we're crazy to consider driving to those specific areas in Honduras, please tell us that, too.
(1) If we have only one week for the whole trip to Copán Ruinas etc., is it worth it to try to go to Lago de Yojoa, and what about adding on the area of Sta. Barbara?
(2) Recommended accommodations? We generally prefer modest accommodations, especially if by using them we are supporting the local economy rather than wealthy investors. For example, are there any coffee-growing communities that are trying to attract birding tourists to help them sustain themselves while using bird-friendly agricultural practices??? Or any organic farms that offer accommodations?
(3) How could I link up with reliable local birding guides in any of these communities? I'm eager to support efforts to bring birding income into rural communities and to encourage young people to care about the environment. So I don't expect those guides to act like the pros, but I have had some wonderful experiences connecting with local peoples through birding. [And one local guide I had in Nicaragua was the finest birding guide I have ever known!]
Any pointers would be welcome for this trip (we hope to go to those particular areas approximately May 13). But, it's possible that we may make it to Honduras again in February or March of 2008, possibly for the trip on the Rio Platano and some other sites, hopefully in conjunction with another trip to Nicaragua. So, pointers about other birding sites in Honduras, suitable for independent birders, would be very welcome.
Many thanks
I'm an avid birder, but travelling with a patient non-birding spouse, so I have to plan our itineraries to accommodate both of our interests. We'll be in Honduras for most of the month of May, brushing up our Spanish at a language school in La Ceiba for more than half of that time. We expect to be able to do afternoon and weekend side trips from there to birding sites on the northern coast. And we intend to end our trip at Pico Bonito lodge, and splurge on 3 nights there for our wedding anniversary. I would very much appreciate it if anyone has good suggestions for birding in the areas of Copán Ruinas and Lago de Yojoa.
We are considering hiring a car in order to visit both of those areas (but if we don't go to the Lake area, we may just as well make the journey by bus). A relevant factor: our abilities to communicate in Spanish are fine for most travellers' needs, and I've done some birding with guides (and fellow birders) speaking Spanish, but I wouldn't call myself fully "fluent," and my husband is probably at an intermediate level. We've done well, travelling in hired cars on two previous trips to Costa Rica, but have travelled only by bus and taxi in rural Mexico and Nicaragua. So, if we're crazy to consider driving to those specific areas in Honduras, please tell us that, too.
(1) If we have only one week for the whole trip to Copán Ruinas etc., is it worth it to try to go to Lago de Yojoa, and what about adding on the area of Sta. Barbara?
(2) Recommended accommodations? We generally prefer modest accommodations, especially if by using them we are supporting the local economy rather than wealthy investors. For example, are there any coffee-growing communities that are trying to attract birding tourists to help them sustain themselves while using bird-friendly agricultural practices??? Or any organic farms that offer accommodations?
(3) How could I link up with reliable local birding guides in any of these communities? I'm eager to support efforts to bring birding income into rural communities and to encourage young people to care about the environment. So I don't expect those guides to act like the pros, but I have had some wonderful experiences connecting with local peoples through birding. [And one local guide I had in Nicaragua was the finest birding guide I have ever known!]
Any pointers would be welcome for this trip (we hope to go to those particular areas approximately May 13). But, it's possible that we may make it to Honduras again in February or March of 2008, possibly for the trip on the Rio Platano and some other sites, hopefully in conjunction with another trip to Nicaragua. So, pointers about other birding sites in Honduras, suitable for independent birders, would be very welcome.
Many thanks
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