San Sebastian Western Birds & Culture
Duration
10hr
Season
Nov-Apr
Groups
up to 12
Offered
Eng / Spa
Available days:
Special tours, please check the availability
San Sebastian Tour Details
San Sebastián del Oeste is one of the most beautiful and best preserved mining towns of Colonial Mexico. Founded in 1605, it once was home for 30 thousand inhabitants, many of them dedicated to the extraction of gold and silver. Currently less than 6 thousand people live, and they jealously care for the cultural and natural wealth of their surroundings.
Visiting this town embedded in the mountains, about 70 kilometers away from Puerto Vallarta, is like going back in time: many structures built of stone and adobe bricks are over 120 years old and have remained standing despite the weather and time.
San Sebastián del Oeste offers incredible natural beauty and a great diversity of plant and animal species, some of them endemic. It is located at about 5000 feet high, among forests of ash trees, pines and oaks, with some fruit-trees in the surroundings and a plantation of regional organic coffee, located in an old mining hacienda. Due to these characteristics, this magical town is a unique and very special place for bird watching.
Depending on the observation site, we can find several species of birds such as flycatchers, woodpeckers, the elegant trogon and the citreoline trogon, the bat falcon, the elegant euphonia, numerous species of hummingbirds (even, with a bit of luck, the elusive bumblebee hummingbird), also orioles, warblers and many more.
Highlights
- Guide specialized in birds
- Binoculars and telescope available. Personal bird list.
- Visit to San Sebastián del Oeste downtown
- Visit to Quinta Doña María, coffee plantation
- Identification material
- Small groups
Includes
- Ground transportation in vans with a/c
- Continental breakfast
- Food in San Sebastian
- During the tour there will be: granola bars, fruit, bottled water and juices
Know Before You Book
Fitness level: Moderate flexible. Most walks are not difficult, but some moderate walks on natural trails or unpaved roads will be necessary.
- Children under 8 years of age and pregnant women are not allowed.
- People with back, neck, heart or knee problems are not recommended.
- Maximum weight for this tour is 250 lbs.
- Children from 8 to 11 years old must be accompanied by a paying adult.
- Not accessible for wheelchairs.
- All participants must be able to walk on their own for short distances over natural or unpaved trails.
Itinerary
6:30 am
Meet your guide and the rest of birdwatchers in our office at Marina Vallarta, where we go aboard our comfortable vehicle and drive to San Sebastian del Oeste (any other meeting point will be confirmed once your tour is scheduled).
Approximately an hour and a half later we’ll arrive at the town of La Estancia, where we stop for a light breakfast while bird watching in the area.
Then continue to San Sebastian, gaining altitude and making a couple of stops before reaching the town, around 9 am. We continue forward, looking for even higher lands, until we reach the pine-oak forests, where we birdwatch for a couple of hours.
After this excursion, we return to town, we visit the Main Square and enjoy a local meal, while we check the birds observed. Leaving the town we’ll make a stop to visit the coffee plantation, before starting our return to Puerto Vallarta.
Our arrival to Puerto Vallarta is at 4 pm approximately.
SUPPORTING CONSERVATION
In Ecotours de México we pride ourselves on offering excellent services on all our nature tours. To achieve this, we believe it is vital to protect the most important thing we have: our environment. Therefore, throughout our more than 25 years of experience, we have participated and supported different associations, campaigns and conservation projects, both local and national. Some of them are:
ECOBAC.
– We are the main sponsor of ECOBAC (Ecology and Conservation of Whales, AC), a non-profit association that is responsible for the research and protection of humpback whales in Banderas Bay, as well as the diffusion of the NOM-131-SEMARNAT-2010, federation standard for whale watching.
– We participate in the FIBB Catalog providing photographs of humpback whales for identification.
– ECOBAC and RABEN (Network of Assistance to Entangled Whales) are responsible for dealing with cases of whales entangled in fishing gear; Ecotours has supported these activities by providing boats and trained personnel for rescue maneuvers.
– Distribution of ecological and conservation information for environmental education.
– Find more information at www.whalephoto.org
Boca de Tomatlán Sea Turtle Camp.
– Each season, Ecotours de México makes a donation of various materials necessary for the correct management of the camp (tarpaulins, buckets, boxes, rakes, diggers, etc.)
– Also, donations of teaching materials with information about turtles have been made.
– Likewise, a donation is made per person in each of our visits during our tour “Encounter with Nature at the Sea Turtle Camp”.
The Green Macaw Sanctuary.
– In 2017, an artificial nest was donated for the project of protection, conservation and reproduction of the green macaw in Las Juntas and Los Veranos, Jalisco.
– Ecotours staff also supported the assembly of the donated artificial nest.
– Also, a donation is made per person in each of our visits to the sanctuary during the “Green Macaws Sanctuary” tour.
Campaigns to clean rivers and beaches.
– Ecotours has organized and participated in various local campaigns to clean the rivers and beaches of Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay.
– In the same way, we clean the areas we visit in our tours.
Fishing Garbage Tournament at Marietas Islands.
– Ecotours has promoted and participated of the cleaning activities organized by CONANP (National Commission of Protected Natural Areas) and the National Park managers.
Distribution of organic products.
– To further support the care of our environment, at our shop we have biodegradable products (Newen organic soap, solid shampoo, handmade soaps), environment-riendly products (bamboo toothbrushes) and reusable products (aluminum bottles, mesh bags and jute bags).
We do this because we really care about Nature.
What to bring
Bring your refillable water bottle or purchase your bottle at cost with us and get 10% discount in our store. Check the Ecofriendly products Link section
Binoculars, all-terrain shoes or tennis shoes, insect repellent, cap, camera.
Cancellation Policies
- Cancellations 72 hrs in advance 100 % refund
- Cancellations 48 hrs in advance 50% refund
- Cancellations the day of tour or no shows or be late, forfeit the entire amount, No refund
- Activities may change due to weather conditions (hurricane, storm)
- All guests are required to sign an acknowledgement of risk.
- All tours are non-refundable once taken.
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