We recently added this trip to Bhutan since the demand for our spring 2026 trip was overwhelming. There’s a nice wrinkle to this one, though—a visit to Bhutan’s annual Crane Festival, a cultural Bhutanese highlight, that takes place annually on November 11. Otherwise, the itinerary is very similar to the one we run each spring. For a complete list of the 340 species seen by last spring’s tour group, check out their trip report.

It’s no wonder that it’s possible to see so many birds in a trip that’s less than three weeks long. Bhutan, a country roughly the size of Maryland, has almost 600 species of birds. Over 70% of its land is forested with 25% protected by National Parks. You’ll visit a range of ecosystems varying from sub-tropical at 150m to alpine at over 4,500m. On this 19-day trip, some of the major targets you’ll be looking for include the big three pheasants—Himalayan Monal, Satyr Tragopan, and Blood Pheasant—as well as some unusual birds like the Ibisbill, some beautiful birds like the Fire-tailed Myzornis, Ward’s Trogon and the aptly named Beautiful Nuthatch, and some critically endangered birds like the Rufous-necked Hornbill, the White-bellied Heron, and, on this particular tour, the Black-necked Crane. You can also expect to see 10-15 species of mammals (the group last year was fortunate enough to see Red Panda). Our Bhutanese guide from Langur Eco Travels will not only introduce you to the fauna but also the flora of Bhutan (famous for its rhododendrons) and its culture (our trip includes visits to several famous sites, including the Tiger’s Nest Monastery).

Fire-tailed Myzornis / Chubzang Tangbi

60 Minutes has a fascinating segment on Bhutan. Click here to watch it.

TOUR COST
Group Size: 3 – 8 guests
Total: US$4,985 per person, double occupancy
Total: US$5385 per person, single occupancy

FLIGHTS
Druk Air/Bhutan Airlines
Bangkok to Paro and Guwahati to Bangkok + US$935 per person
Note: Flight costs are current prices and are subject to change.

For more information, or to sign up for this trip, contact Eric Schroeder at travelprogram@goldengatebirds.org. Please do not contact the vendor first.

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Mark Pretti is once again leading this popular trip to Oaxaca–so popular this year that we’ve added this second trip. For those of you who have traveled with Mark previously, he doesn’t need an introduction, but if you are new to birding with Mark, you’ll get much more than birds. 

Mark likes to say that of all of the trips he leads, this one is his favorite. Part of that is due to location. Harboring about ten percent of Earth’s biodiversity, Mexico is one of the most biologically rich countries in the world. It begins with the birds. During our journey, we’ll search for species such as Dwarf Jay, Red Warbler, Bumblebee Hummingbird, Mountain and Citreoline Trogons, White-throated Magpie Jay, Ocellated Thrasher, Oaxaca Sparrow, Gray-breasted Woodpecker, Gray-barred Wren, Russet-crowned Motmot, and Spot-breasted Oriole. Mark will also introduce you to the various ecosystems we travel through on this natural adventure; tropical deciduous forest, shade-grown coffee plantations, the lush evergreen forests of the Sierra Norte and the Sierra Madre del Sur, mangroves (where we’ll enjoy a boat trip through a gorgeous estuary), beaches, and the arid scrub of the Oaxaca valley make up the varied sites we’ll visit. By the trip’s end, many of the plants in these places will be familiar to you.

Citreoline Trogon / Bob Lewis

Mark and his local co-leader Benito Hernandez will also introduce you to the vibrant culture of this magical place as we travel through the valley of Oaxaca, the bordering Sierras, and the lovely Pacific coast. We’ll tour the Zapotec ruins of Monte Alban, visit a master weaver in Teotitlan del Valle, tour the Oaxacan Cultural Museum, and spend an unforgettable day with Seasons of My Heart Cooking School as we tour the Mercado Abastos, enjoy a superb lecture on regional farming, culture and cuisine, and savor a delicious lunch.

In addition to the natural wonders, a major trip highlight will be our unique and superb lodging situations. All have warm hospitality and terrific views, and some have great birding right outside your front door.  Mark also likes to mention that Oaxaca has the best and most interesting food of any Latin American trip he leads.

For a checklist of trip birds, click here.
To read about what birds the group actually saw on Mark’s last trip click here.

COST
$3750 per person, based on double occupancy
Single Supplement: $600…

On our 16-day tour to Iguazú Falls, the Pantanal and Chapada dos Guimarães we’ll explore three different ecosystems in Brazil: Atlantic forest, highland savannah, and wetlands. Along the way, we’ll see fabulous bird and mammals and visit some incredible natural sites.

We begin our tour on the Argentine side of Iguazú Falls, which not only provides dramatic scenery, but excellent Atlantic Forest birding. The Iguazu River, where it tumbles over the edge of the Parana Plateau, is often considered the world’s most spectacular waterfall. The falls span over 1.6 miles and are comprised of 275 distinct falls. One of our target birds will be the Great Dusky Swift, which roost on the waterfall cliffs. Our target Atlantic forest birds include Red-rumped Cacique, Toco Toucan, Chestnut-eared Araçari, Blonde-crested Woodpecker, Ochre-collared Piculet, Swallow-tailed Manakin, Southern Antpipit, Eared Pygmy-Tyrant, Chestnut-bellied Euphonia, Green-headed Tanager, Streak-capped Antwren, Surucua Trogon, Rufous-capped Motmot, Greenish Schiffornis, Rufous Gnateater, Dusky-tailed Antbird, and the elusive Black-fronted Piping-Guan.

Our next stop is the world’s largest wetland, the Pantanal, which provides us with the best opportunity on the planet to see Jaguar as well as other charismatic mammals, and of course it hosts a large suite of birds. Target birds include five kinds of kingfishers (Amazon, Ringed, Green, Green-and-rufous and American Pygmy), Red-billed Scythebill, Bare-faced Curassow, and Great Rufous Woodcreeper, Agami Heron, Jabiru, Golden-collared Macaw, Golden-collared Macaw, Black-collared Hawk, Sungrebe, and Gretter Rhea. The Pantanal is also a great place to see mammals; our targets there include Giant Otter, Giant Anteater, Crab-eating Fox, Marsh Deer, Lowland Tapir, and, of course, Jaguar.

Although not as famous as our first two stops, Brazil’s Cerrado region is no less important in terms of the bird and mammal species it supports. The Cerrado is a vast upland savanna—the most biodiverse in the world—and it’s home to five percent of the world’s animals and plants. We’ll be visiting its most famous national park—Chapada dos Guimarães. Chapada is a Brazilian word that means a region of steep cliffs, and the place lives up to its name with its rugged escarpments and dramatic waterfalls. Target birds include Blue-winged Macaw, Red-and-green Macaw, Toco Toucan, Peach-fronted Parakeet, Planalto Hermit, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Red Pileated Finch, Pale-crested Woodpecker, and Flavescent Warbler. We’ll enjoy looking for nightbirds at our comfortable lodge; targets include Nacunda Nighthawk, Common Potoo, Rufous Nightjar, Scissor-tailed Nightjar, Little Nightjar, Pauraque, and Tropical Screech Owl. And finally, we’ll keep our eyes open to the park’s most famous—and elusive—mammal, the maned wolf, a canid that’s not a wolf but rather resembles a long-legged fox and is the only member of its genus, Chrysocyon.…