Southeast Arizona’s Birding Hotspots Express - Spring Migration 2023

      Rt
      Reefs to Rockies
      • Email address verified
      49 reviews
      Apr 26 - 30, 2023
      Group size: 6 - 9
      Southeast Arizona’s Birding Hotspots Express - Spring Migration 2023
      Arizona

      Reefs to Rockies
      • Email address verified
      49 reviews

      Apr 26 - 30, 2023
      Group size: 6 - 9

      About this trip

      Southeast Arizona offers some of the best birding in the world. The region’s diversity of landscapes, elevational range, and plant communities provide habitat for more than 400 species throughout the year. Montane vegetation extending from the Rockies meets southern flora from the Sierra Madre Occidental. On the east, the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts meet. Cool coniferous forests, oak and pine woodlands, deserts, and grasslands separate the mountain ranges. Birds associated with all of these habitats are easily accessible within a half-day drive from Tucson. Join us as we explore Southeast Arizona’s birding hotspots during spring migration.  This is Arizona birding at its best!

      What’s included

      • Accommodations
        Based on two people sharing a standard double occupancy room.
      • Meals
        All meals starting with lunch on Day 1 through lunch on Day 5.
      • Private Transportation
      • Driver/guide
        Chip Clouse from Reefs to Rockies.
      • Daily birding
        With spotting scope available.
      • Local guide
        An additional local guide will join you on Days 2 and 3 for half days + owling on Day 2.
      • Entrance fees
      • Sugar funds

      What’s not included

      • Flights
      • Travel insurance
      • Alcohol
      • Optional activities
      • Room upgrades
      • Gratuities
      • Personal items

      Available Packages

      Trip Price
      $1,750
      Deposit: $500

      Available options

      Itinerary

      Day 1 (Wed, April 26)
      Arrival to Tucson; Birding to Portal

      Morning arrival to Tucson International Airport (TUS). We’ll hit one or two Tucson area hotspots to start. We’ll then continue at the Willcox Playa/ Cochise Lakes IBA (Important Bird Area) hotspots before ending in Portal where we’ll spend the next two nights. Plan to arrive to TUS Airport by 11 am.

      Accommodations: Portal Peak Lodge

      Meals: Lunch and Dinner


      Willcox Playa/ Cochise Lakes ~ The heart of this IBA is the massive Willcox Playa, a broad alkaline lakebed fringed with semi-desert grassland (primarily saltgrass and sacaton) and mesquite.  The playa is seasonally flooded to a shallow depth. Outlying this playa are the satellite lakes and wetlands of Cochise Lakes (aka Lake Cochise) and the Twin Lakes Golf Course.

      Your Organizer


      Rt
      Reefs to Rockies
      49 reviews
      Our specialty is nature and wildlife travel. We know when and where to go for the best experiences. Travel time is limited. It’s important to choose a travel company that knows how to personalize a trip just for you. Our travel specialists will help you plan a custom trip that matches your travel style, budget, interests, and ideal dates.

      Reviews

      This was an extremely well run trip with fantastic wildlife viewing and very comfortable accommodations. Sheridan kept everything running smoothly, and her choice of the local Maasai guides for the large part of the trip, Ping and Peter, was outstanding. I particularly liked the more rustic lodge, Enaidura, that Ping and his partners owned. Having a small group of eight was great, and bird identification by Sheridan and the guides was amazing. The highlight of the trip for me was seeing the big cats( lion, cheetah and leopard), but the extension to Uganda was also an experience of a lifetime. Getting to observe two different mountain gorilla families was such a thrill. I look forward to traveling again with Reefs to Rockies in the future.
      By Lucy H for Kenya Big Cat Safari w/ Optional Uganda Mountain Gorilla Extension​ on Mar 17, 2024
      I have booked personal trips before with Sheridan and reefs to Rockies and they have been amazing. This was my first time doing a small group trip. My trip with Sheridan was amazing. From the well communicated schedule to the other people in the group to the quintessential Kenyan and Uganda vistas, everything about this trip was perfect. I saw so many animals, had so many experiences with our guides Ping and Peter, and had delicious food and drink. , If I could give this trip and my experience with Reefs to Rockies more stars I would.
      By Rebecca H for Kenya Big Cat Safari w/ Optional Uganda Mountain Gorilla Extension​ on Mar 13, 2024
      This was truly the trip of a lifetime. Sheridan and her team always deliver an excellent experience and this trip was no exception. All the camps we stayed at were wonderful and I loved that they employed so many local people. Sheridan put a real focus on ensuring we were supporting the communities we visited and giving back to those communities, which I truly appreciated. While you are often at the mercy of the Mother Nature when looking for wildlife, having such knowledgeable and professional guides who knew the area, knew the individual animals and their behaviors, and knew just where to look ensured that we got to see as many species as possible. I have used Reefs to Rockies now for custom trips where I self guided and group travel. In both situations Reefs to Rockies is a class act that you can count on to deliver a truly wonderful and well-thought out wildlife experience. Thanks Sheridan and team for making this a truly extraordinary trip!
      By Scott S for Kenya Big Cat Safari w/ Optional Uganda Mountain Gorilla Extension​ on Mar 12, 2024
      This was our second trip with Reefs to Rockies and it did not disappoint! In Search of Big Cats Safari was absolutely wonderful. Guides were outstanding, accommodations wonderful and food delicious. Sheridan and R2R does an excellent job of putting together top rate trips! We plan to have them arrange a few more for us.
      By Lorraine L for Kenya Big Cat Safari w/ Optional Uganda Mountain Gorilla Extension​ on Mar 12, 2024
      This was a wonderful trip. There wasn’t anything we had hoped to see that we missed. We enjoyed the group, the guides, and the accommodations. It was a pleasure having Sheridan along with the group. Her knowledge and commitment to assure that all the participants had an exceptional time helped make it a special experience. Thank you. We recommend Reef to Rockies to anyone looking to plan a special vacation.
      By Victor S for Kenya Big Cat Safari w/ Optional Uganda Mountain Gorilla Extension​ on Mar 12, 2024
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