VI International Bird Watching
Encounter Itinerary

San Juan La Laguna - February 04th to 10th 2009

EIn February 2010, Guatemala will be hosting is VI International Bird Watching Encounter!!  This is an event for all those who want to watch and learn about Guatemalan birds and our efforts to promote the country as a birding destination.   This time the VI Encounter will be held in the Community of San Juan la Laguna counting with the support of the Bird Watching Round Table, INGUAT, Counterpart Organization, Los Tarrales Reserve, Los Andes Reserve, CAMTUR Sololá, Laguna Lodge, Cervecería C.A., CONAP, ANACAFE, PROSOL, Agexport,       

Who should attend?
* International birders who want to experience high-quality birding in Guatemala along with other birders around the world.
* International and Local Tour operators who seek new destinations to promote in their bird watching tours and who seek business partners in this venture.
* Nature reserves, community-based ecotourism projects, national parks and protected areas that want to promote their services as a bird watching destination
* Guatemalan and international Guides who want to increase their knowledge on Guatemalan birds and birding destinations.
* National and international organizations that support wildlife conservation efforts.
* General Public and students interested in learning about our native birds species.

Highlights of the event:
• Lectures
• Trade Show for new sites on Guatemala 
• Photographic Exhibition and activities
• Short Bird watching tours to nearby sites  (mini tours to subtropical humid forest, mountain forest, cloud forest.
• Longer bird watching tours around different regions in the country (Postours)


Basic Program for the Encounter

Thursday, February 4th
Arrive at La Aurora International Airport, where you will be meet by representatives of INGUAT Guatemala Tourism Board and operators of the Bird Watching Encounter. Your transportation will take you to Los Tarrales, 2 ½ hours away, located in Santa Bárbara, Pacific Slope.
Accommodations at Hotel Chiya.   

Friday, February 05th
Early morning Guatemalan Coffee will be served at the meeting point and then you will start birding.  Los Tarrales Natural Reserve is located at Atitlan Volcano, in the Pacific Slope.  The area protects pristine forest from the upper volcano slope at 3,000 m (9,800 ft) down to 700 m (2,300 ft). Cloud forest occurs above 1,800 m (5,900 ft), and below this elevation you will find humid broadleaf forest, interspersed with coffee plantations. Mean annual rainfall is 3,400 mm. The reserve protects a watershed which provides drinking water to several communities.

Los Tarrales Reserve is an important area for conservation in Guatemala.

The reserve is private and auto sustainable, costs for its conservation are covered from income in the zone of multiple use (coffee and ornamentals) and
Through providing tourism services.

Los Tarrales Reserve provides income to 60 Maya Kaqchikel families, which live within the protected area. People work in cultivation and processing of coffee and ornamentals, as forest rangers, and in providing tourism services.

Coming back from birding, you will have your breakfast.  Then we will start the business round table activity.  Afterwards you will be transferred to San Juan La Laguna town.

Saturday, February 06th
if you selected San Juan la Laguna tour, you will have the experience to see a cultural visit Start breathing the tranquility and the amaze view at the San Juan la Laguna Town.  Some good pictures can be taken of the murals and paintings from the San Juan artist, then share a few moments with women’s waving cooperative with the traditional methods of dying thread with native plants.  Neat work, hand made with the original process of extracting natural dyes used to create textile products.  Get to know Medicinal plants, Museum, Traditional Fishing, Spirituality and the Natural Exploration.  Meanwhile the other group, will enjoy the visit (mini tour) to San Pedro Volcano trail.  Climbing up the volcano and looking forward to see the Horned guan and some other species as Lesser Roadrunner and some others, quite an experience come and joing us!!  Our last visitors were the Ohio Ornithological Society and Mike Bergin from 10,000 birds.

Sunday, February 07th
This morning you will visit the Laguna Lodge Hotel, birding at the trail and having a brunch and then transfer to Panajachel.

Preliminary Itinerary

Preliminary Itinerary
First Day Thursday Feb 4th	Arrival to Guatemala and Transfer to “Los Tarrales” Natural Private Reserve	www.sanjuanlalaguna.org
Second Day Friday Feb 5th	Soft Birding	Hard Birding
06:00	Bird Watching in “Los Tarrales”; “La Rinconada” trail		Bird Watching in “Los Tarrales”; Las Pavas” trail http://www.tarrales.com/
09:00 - 09:30	Breakfast
10:00	Business round table for Tour Operators
13:00 – 14:00	Lunch
14:00 – 16:00	Business Round Table Activity
16:30	Transfer from Los Tarrales to San Lucas Tolimán
19:30	dinner
Third Day  Saturday Feb 6th	Soft Birding	Hard Birding
06:00	Transfer from Hotel to San Juan la Laguna town , communitarian project for Birding	Transfer from Hotel to San Pedro Volcano for Birding  Box Breakfast & Lunch
09:30	Snack and short cultural circuit at the San Juan la Laguna Community	Birding at the San Pedro Volcano
13:00 – 14:00	Lunch
14:30	Conference	Transfer to San Juan la Laguna
15:30	Birding	Birding optional
17:00	Transfer to Hotel	Transfer to Hotel
19:30	Dinner	Dinner
Fourth Day. Sunday Feb 7th	Soft Birding	Hard Birding
06:00	Coffe & cookies at the Hotel Lobby	Coffe & cookies at the Hotel Lobby
06:30	Transfer to “Laguna Lodge” Birding “Ranchito” trail	Transfer to “Laguna Lodge” Birding, “Belted Flycatcher” Trail
09:30	Breakfast at “Laguna Lodge”	Breakfast at “Laguna Lodge”
12:00	Transfer from Laguna Lodge to Panajachel town. Return to Guatemala City   End of the event to continue with the Post Tours	Transfer from Laguna Lodge to Panajachel town, Return to Guatemala City   End of the event to continue with the Post Tours
POST TOURS