Chatters and others,
Rather then write another trip report with the usual bird list on areas
that seem to be well covered already, I have decided to just fill in
some information for those of you who will be embarking on trip in the
near future. Our trip took us to the following areas: Tuxtepec, Valle
Nacional, Oaxaca City, Tehuantepec/Playa Ventosa, Boca Del Monte in
Oaxaca state, and Las Tuxtlas and Cordoba in Vera Cruz state
We flew into Mexico City and rented a vehicle through Thrifty. The
original price was good at $190/ week. I was quoted a fare of $15/day
for insurance, but that was bumped up to $27/day when we arrived.
Luckily I was able to persuade them to honor the original quote. Check
you car carefully when you leave, they do. When we returned they said a
little insignia from the center of the hubcap was missing and I'm still
in negotiations over this item. Buyer beware.
Here's a list of the hotels we stayed at with approximate prices (all in
US dollars, with a 13 peso to the dollar exchange rate): Almost all
hotels had hot water, most had air conditioning.
Tuxtepec- Hotel Hacienda- nice place, good deal at $35. Along highway so
good for a fairly easy getaway. Quiet enough
Valle- None of the hotels in town are very nice. We were best served by
the Valle Real hotel on the main road for $33. One room was clean which
we took, another was not with the dreaded numerous hairs on the
supposedly clean sheets .
Playa Ventosa- None that we can recommend. Posada Rustrian was in bad
shape, so we stayed at the Limones hotel along the main road in town for
$15. The room we were in was claustrophobic, and crawling with
mosquitos.Probably best to stay in Tehuantepec.
Tehuantepec- Hotel Guiexhoba. Pool and really nice rooms for $45. Though
when we got ready to go to bed there were lots of hairs on the sheets.
We called the front desk and they said there was nothing they could do
about it. All other rooms were full and they couldn't get more sheets.
Then they tried to bring in used sheets from another room. Disappointing
after being initially very happy. Check the sheets before putting your
money down. Otherwise good location for getting out in the morning.
Boca Del Monte- Hotel Finca a nice place in town for $33. People at the
front desk extremely nice.
San Andreas Tuxtla- Hotel Posada San Martin- overpriced at $42. Though
worth staying somewhere in this town if you're going to Ruiz Cortines
and want to get out early in the morning.
Catemaco- Hotel Los Arcos at $33 in the center of town. Might be too
bustling for most, but we liked being on the 3rd floor with a nice
balcony looking over the lake and town. We stayed 3 days and really
enjoyed it.
Santiago Tuxtla-Castellanos $47 a day for a suite on the 16th floor and
luxurious. Great building with a circular staircase in the middle.
Interesting town. Restaurant ok, but very slow.
Other notable observations from our journey:
Ruiz Cortinas, north of Santiago Tuxtla, is a wonderful place to spend a
few days birding. The road is now paved most of the way to the village
and is about a 15-20 minute drive through some decent forest. Robert
Straub, and Pronatura have helped set up Braulio Malaga as a guide for
the area, and Braulio is on a very fast learning curve. He and his
family, who run a restaurant in town, are a joy to be with. The menu is
simple but delicious. Just spending time in this small village and
meeting the locals was well worth the time. Braulio can take you back
into the forest on a difficult track that one if on their own, you would
need very high clearance to negotiate. This is a spot where people have
seen Ornate Hawk-Eagle, though we had to be content with a juvenile
Solitary Eagle and it didn't hurt that the first bird we saw walking
across the road was a Tuxtla Quail-Dove. There's also a bat cave with
vampire bats nearby. They can take you in there as well.
Braulio didn't have a Mexican book, so we gave him an old version of
Peterson's book. I'm sure he would love to get his hands on Howell and
Webb if someone was willing to tote an extra copy.
The road out to the Nava Wren spot (Howell ) is still in bad shape.
These are the areas to be really careful of, as there are huge holes
that can literally eat your car. The first 14-15 kilometers are mostly
good with some bad spots. Probably best to follow a local driver who
knows the road. The road by the way has much more traffic than one would
probably guess when looking at a map. Once the road turns to dirt it's
pretty much all washboard with potholes that must be driven over at a
slow rate. Kilometers 25-28 are extremely treacherous areas. From 30 on
to the bridge you must go slow the whole way except the last couple of
kilometers to the bridge. Here you can ride on a concrete track that
both your tires fit on. After the harrowing ride to that area, it is a
welcome relief. If you climb around the limestone karst be aware that it
can be very slippery and I would only recommend it for the sure footed.
Best to allow somewhere between 1 3/4 - 2 hours from Boca Monte.
The site for the Sumichrast's Wren that Howell mentions out of Tuxtepec,
is no longer worth going to. We tried it but there were no entry points
into the forest and there was a lot of traffic in the area. Instead I
ventured out on my own and found a couple of spots into the limestone
karst to the east of Tuxtepec and finally found the wren. Finding trails
into the forest is not all that easy, but persistence paid off.
We had only 1/2 of a day to try the Valle area. Not even close to being
nearly enough I'd plan 2-3 days. Unfortunately for us it was a beautiful
day as well, and there was very little moving around after an initial
flurry. This is another area where we encountered lots of slippery
rocks.
If you are in Oaxaca on the 23rd of December, try to take in the yearly
Radish Festival. Very fun and unique. A highlight for us. Also in the
area is Herve De Agua, a petrified waterfall, an amazing sight to see.
One of only 2 in the world. Are there birds there? Yes there are, though
you can see these birds at some of the better known locations.
Out of Catemaco we hired a boat to look for sungrebe and lucked out with
Eulio Concepcion. He and his son took us out to the eastern edge of the
lake, and we lucked out with an accommodating Sungrebe, an alligator,
Boat-billed Heron and other good birds. He and his son were
knowledgeable about the area and are really interested in doing this for
other birders. One of those great experiences where you see a kid really
enjoying entering into a brave new world. They had a great sense of the
quiet necessary to see wildlife, and I'd heartily recommend them.
Hope this is helpful.

Barry Levine
Seattle, Wa. USA
levineb at bsd405.org



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