Birding at Otun Quimbaya Flora and Fauna Sanctuary, Colombia

October 23, 2012

We arrived to Otun Quimbaya after dark on a Saturday. On the way from Pereira we stopped along the Otun River in town in search of the torrent duck, a local highlight. We struck out on the duck, but did see a white-capped dipper in the river. Otun Quimbaya is located in the west slope […]

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Colombia Birding Trip – Los Alcazares Ecopark in Manizales

September 27, 2012

Nestled between two urban Manizales neighborhoods, Los Alcazares Ecopark proved to be a surprise highlight of the trip. Upon arrival, our guide informed us that a typical two-hour morning birding session at this location often yields 50+ species without walking more than 100 yards down the road from the entrance. We showed up late in […]

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Colombia Birding Trip – Santa Marta and El Dorado Reserve

September 25, 2012

Approximately 10% of Earth’s living species are found in Colombia. At present, Colombia ranks first in the world when it comes to the number of bird species. Our first major stop for birding on this trip was El Dorado Reserve in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and a two-three hour drive from Santa Marta. El Dorado […]

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Conservation and Sustainable Tourism in Colombia

September 21, 2012

Back in Bogota after 7 days of birding (Santa Marta, Otun Quimbaya and Cali regions). Final tally of birds seen comes to 317 different species (the group saw a total of 355). To put that into perspective, we saw approximately 1/3 of the total number of species recorded in the US in Canada in just […]

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September – Our Choice for Travel to Peru

September 5, 2012

Labor Day has come and gone, the days are getting shorter, and summer seems to be waning. All of these point to the month of September, one of our top choices for travel to Peru. September marks the end of Peru’s winter and the weather is spectacular. In addition, crowds are smaller at big attractions […]

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Eating our way across Isla Mujeres, Mexico

August 28, 2012

Isla Mujeres, Mexico is one of our top destinations in the summer because of the large congregations of whale sharks that can be found from June through August. Numbers of whale sharks tend to peak between mid-July and mid-August. If swimming alongside the largest fish in the world isn’t reason enough to visit Isla Mujeres, […]

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Shark Week – Isla Mujeres, Mexico

August 18, 2012

Today, we’re headed south to Isla Mujeres, our favorite island in Mexico, for our annual whale shark trip. Whale sharks, the largest fish species swimming the world’s oceans, congregate off the coast of Isla Mujeres during the summer months. Hot, sunny days and ocean currents cause upwellings of plankton (tiny morsels of whale shark food). […]

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Humpback whale bubble net feeding near Chichagof Island, Alaska

August 7, 2012

In the summer months, humpback whales are a relatively common sight in Alaska’s Inside Passage. Humpback whales start their annual migration from their breeding grounds near Hawaii and Baja California, Mexico to Alaska in the spring. Alaska’s nutrient-rich waters provide ample food for humpbacks during the summer months. During that time, they replenish fat stores […]

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Alaska’s Trifecta: Mendenhall Glacier, Brown Bears and Humpback Whales

August 6, 2012

On July 25, 2012, we booked the” Trifecta” with Alaska Galore Tours in Juneau. This afternoon tour lasted approximately seven hours and it was hands-down one of the best day tours I’ve ever been on. We started with a scenic flight from Juneau Airport over Mendenhall Glacier and Juneau Icefield. It was a cloudy afternoon […]

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Half Day in Ketchikan, Alaska

July 30, 2012

If you opt to explore Alaska’s Inside Passage via a big ship cruise, Ketchikan is likely to make the list of ports of call. This morning, we arrived to Ketchikan just after 6 am and we didn’t have to be back until 3:30 pm. When traveling as part of a group, you never know if […]

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