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Birding and Cultural Trips Throughout Mexico |
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Sierra Madres in the Summertime!
We still have room on three great trips this summer coming up soon! Each of them offers unique opportunities to see great birds, spectacular scenery and enjoy interesting areas of the beautiful Sierra Madre and northwest Mexico.
August 11-16, 2011
$1900 ($375 single)
This tour is a great way to get a big dose of great Mexican birds including a number of endemics and a visit to one of the most spectacular natural wonders in all of north America, Basaseachic Falls! We spend a full week in beautiful pine and oak habitat searching out a number of high elevation specialty birds. Possibilities include all of the birds on the following tour (Madera) plus tropical deciduous specialties like Elegant Quail, Spotted Wren, Black-throated Magpie-Jay, Happy and Sinaloa Wren, Gray-crowned Woodpecker and Lesser Roadrunner. Click here for more details.
August 19-22, 2011
$895 ($200 single)
This trip may not be long in duration but it is packed with great birds! We will focus primarily on visiting the habitat of the Thick-billed Parrot, but there is also the possibility of seeing several other interesting Mexican birds like Eared Quetzal, Mountain Trogon, Russet Nightengale Thrush and Pine Flycatcher. This trip could easily be dove-tailed into a birding visit to southern Arizona for the "second spring", or for a quick introduction to Mexico birding for the tropical beginner. Click here for details.
. September 16-24, 2011
$2350 ($425 single)
 This tour takes advantage of the "Chepe", the last passenger train in Mexico. The route of the Chepe climbs up through impossibly rugged canyons from the humid lowlands in the state of Sinaloa to the cool emerald pine covered mountains of the Sierra Madre. The train trip alone is worth it; an amazing engineering feat that is still a marvel to this day. But there is also the birding! The Sierra Madre is home to a number of Mexican specialty birds: Pine Flycatcher, Russet Nightengale Thrush, Striped Sparrow, Black-headed Siskin, Elegant Euphonia, White-striped Woodcreeper, Mountain Trogon and many more. This is the best times of year to find the late-nesting Eared Quetzal. The lowlands are loaded with more including Yellow-winged Cacique, Russet-crowned Motmot, Black-throated Magpie-jay, Purplish-backed Jay, Sinaloa and Happy Wren and Yellow Grosbeak to name but a few. Beyond the birds, throughout the trip we are able to appreciate the Tarahumara Indian culture which is alive and well, Click here for details.
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TRIP REPORTS
Our last trip this spring was great fun and the birding was some of the best we've ever had in Sonora! Follow the link below to read about our epic Yecora-Alamos THREE species of Pygmy Owls!
Yecora-Alamos in May 2011
From Sonora in the springtime, we flew up to Alaska to lead trips for High Lonesome Bird Tours. David lead trips in Adak, Gambell (where Jen cooks for the groups), Nome and the Pribiloffs. Follow the link below to read about the Adak trip.
Adak- Spring 2011
More Alaska Trip Reports to come...
Keep checking back to our News and Trip Reports page on our website for updates!
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More Birding Trips for 2011 and 2012!
Veracruz
September 28-October 9
$3000 ($600 single)
Yucatan - Endemics
October 12-18
$1995 ($375 single)
Yecora Alamos
October 21-29
$2200 ($450 single)
San Blas
November 7-14
$2250 ($450 single)
2012
Yucatan - Birds, Biospheres, Ruins and Mayan Culture
January 10-19
$3250 ($625 single)
Alamos - Birds and Music Festival
January 22-28
$1900 ($325 single)
Durango Highway and San Blas
February 4-13
$2850 ($525 single)
Colima and Jalisco
February 15-23
$2300 ($475 single)
Oaxaca
February 20-March 2
$3150 ($625 single)
Chiapas - Pacific Coast and Central Valley
March 5-10
$1850 ($375 single)
Chiapas - Highlands, Lacandon Jungle and Palenque
March 10-20
$2900 ($550 single)
Yecora Alamos
April 14-22
$2250 ($475 single)
Beyond our scheduled dates, we also specialize in doing custom trips! For more information, please go to Custom Trips . We look forward to hearing from you!
www.solipaso.com |
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 Guest Appreciation Trips!
As a way of thanking our guests for traveling with us, we have come up with a great offer....
Sign up for any trip that we are offering from August 2011 to May 2012* and you will be automatically entered to win a spot on a very special 'guest appreciation' trip to Alamos. We will have two different trips (to be scheduled) and will be open to 7 guests each...so there are 14 chances to win! Simply sign up for a trip between now and August 1st and we'll put your name in the hat to win a spot on one of the two trips to Alamos, staying at El Pedregal. And, in keeping with your past promotional offer...we'll have FREE BEER on these trips! The drawing for winners will take place on August 2, 2011. Mention the Summer Newsletter when you sign up to get added to the list!
(*this offer is valid for all of our trips, with the exception of our short Madera trip)
www.solipaso.com
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NEWS FROM EL PEDREGAL IN ALAMOS
The summer monsoons cause the forest to burst into green, with flowers and new blooms everywhere. It is remarkably beautiful and we wanted to share some of the images we see everyday here at El Pedregal!
Alamos - Crafts, Culture and Cuisine
Our new cultural trip to Alamos promises to be a great time! As part of our expanding Beyond Birds trips, this trip to Alamos will take place over the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday. Join us for a week of great food, cultural events, cooking classes, trips into the countryside and rural towns, shopping and much more. Being that Alamos is our home town, you will get a truly local perspective on life in Mexico! For more information go to:
Alamos - Crafts, Culture and Cuisine
For more information on all our trips, classes and events in Alamos go to:
www.elpedregalmexico.com
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SOLIPASO IN THE MEDIA
INCREASE YOUR WINGSPAN - A great article about bird watching featuring Solipaso..and Ethan 'hawk'
Several years ago, we were approached by a person looking for a custom, high-end private birding trip to the best location in Mexico. We decided on Alamos and we admit that when David picked him up at the Obregon airport wearing a black leather jacket, tight jeans and black boots, our guest didn't really look like a birder at all! After a week of birding adventures far and wide, lots of good meals and good times, our guest, Douglas Anthony Cooper, confessed to us that he was actually doing an article for an international travel magazine. Even though Douglas wasn't a 'birder' after all, he was a keen observer,professional photographer, interested in everything and great company! The article is now featured in a brand new, cutting edge, travel website, www.fathomaway.com . In the article, David is described as 'a guru', 'a cheerful version of the Marlboro Man', is attacked by an injured raptor and is mildly accused of being a wildlife poacher! To read this very well-written article for an interesting perspective on why people like to go birding, follow the link: IncreaseYour Wingspan
Douglas Anthony Cooperis a novelist who lives in Oaxaca, because it's warmer than where you live. He travels because he thinks it's going to get better. It rarely does. Still, he was included in The Best American Travel Writing, and his sarcastic YA novel, Milrose Munce, became an unlikely bestseller.
BIG BIRDING DAY- A short documentary about a big day birding adventure and a 'bromance'...to air on PBS!
You may have heard abou the Big Year moving coming out this fall...but, you probably haven't heard about the BIG DAY! A couple years ago, David and some friends set out to break the Sonora Bid Day record and it was documented by David Wilson and crew. Our friends, Chris Hitt and Marty Riback, along with the film crew, drove from Missouri to Mexico to do the big day...then drove back! The short documentary that resulted is extremely well done and has been selected to be part of an episode in the POV series on PBS! It airs on August 23rd! Don't miss it...and look for us at the Oscars!
Trailer for the BIG BIRDING DAY
(features the opening scene, filmed in Oklahoma...on their way to Mexico)
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We are enjoying being back home in Alamos after a great couple of months away! We worked in Alaska, which we look forward to each May/June. And then we spent about a month in the Midwest, visiting family and friends, road-tripping through the UP of Michigan, seeing a couple great concerts (U2 and Cracker) and made our way home, just as the monsoons started! It was great to 'get away' and see new places and enjoy some downtime together. Travel always reminds one of how much there is to see in this world and how many different ways there are to live. It makes us appreciate our unique life and the the warmth of Mexican culture. We hope you can travel to our world here in Alamos or explore Mexico with us on our trips! Looking forward to hearing from you!
Saludos!
David and Jennifer MacKay
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Madera - Thick-billed Parrots