International Birding Tours
Bird the world with Tucson Audubon!
All 2024 Tours are FULL
Upcoming 2025 Tours (More Info to Come)
- January 23 – February 2, 2025 – Belize with Victor Emanual Nature Tours and Tucson Audubon
- October 2025 – Chile with Sabrewing Nature Tours and Tucson Audubon
Chile: Condors, Penguins, and Albatross with Sabrewing Nature Tours
October 16 – 27, 2025 (and extension Oct 27 – Nov 1) with Rob Ripma and Tucson Audubon host Luke Safford
Chile is an incredible birding destination that you are sure to love! From fantastic pelagic birds to the wonderful birds in the stunningly beautiful high Andes, the diversity and beauty of this country is simply amazing.
Our tour will start in the capital city, Santiago. After visiting several great birding locations that are day trips from the city, we’ll transfer to the seaside town of Quintero. From here, we’ll take a pelagic trip into one of the most productive areas for seabirds. We’ll also visit some amazing coastal marshes in the area. During this part of the trip, our targets will include Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, Ticking Doradito, Black-browed, Salvin’s, Buller’s, Chatham, Wandering, and Royal Albatrosses, multiple petrels, shearwaters, and storm-petrels, Humboldt Penguin, and Seaside Cinclodes.
From here, we’ll head south to Vilches and the higher-elevation species that call this area home such as Rufous-legged Owl, White-throated Treerunner, and Chestnut-throated Huet-huet. After birding here, we’ll head back to Santiago and catch our flight to Temuco, the gateway to Patagonia.
While in this part of Chile, we’ll visit Conquillio National Park and Llaima Volcano. Our targets where include Slender-billed Parakeet, Magellanic Woodpecker, Rufous-tailed Hawk, and Black-throated Huet-huet. From here, we’ll continue south to Puerto Montt and Chiloe Island. Here we hope to find Chilean Hawk, a variety of migrant shorebirds, Snowy-crowned Tern, and a diversity of seabirds including Pincoya Storm-Petrel
Our extension for this tour will start with a flight to Punta Arenas in Patagonia. From here, we’ll travel to Tierra del Fuego. On our ferry ride to the island, we’ll search for a variety of seabirds including Black-browed Albatross, Southern Giant-Petrel, Southern Fulmar, White-chinned Petrel, Sooty Shearwater, Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, and Magellanic Diving-Petrel. Our main target once in Tierra del Fuego are the King Penguins that have formed a colony on the shore of Useless Bay. In addition to the penguins, we will look for highlights such as Rufous-chested and Tawny-throated Dotterels, White-bridled Finch, Magellanic Plover, Least Seedsnipe, and Band-tailed Earthcreeper.
After a short ferry ride back to the mainland, we’ll drive through the scenic steppe habitat towards the famous Torres del Paine National Park. We’ll spend our time in this region birding throughout both the park and Sierra Baguales. Avian highlights during this part of the trip could include Ruddy-headed Goose, Magellanic Woodpecker, Yellow-bridled Finch, Austral Parakeet, and much more!
Main Tour Summary
- October 16 – 27, 2025
- $7499 (double occupancy)
- Arrival/Departure Airport is Santiago, Chile
Extension Summary
- October 27 – Nov 1, 2025
- $3699 (double occupancy)
- Arrival/Departure Airport is Santiago, Chile
See the full itinerary and registration info here. See Sabrewing Nature Tours for terms and conditions.
Your participation supports conservation, and a portion will be donated to Tucson Audubon! For registration, contact our partner company for this tour, Sabrewing Nature Tours from the registration link on this page.
Grand Uganda: Fabulous Birds & Mammals with Naturalist Journeys
June 15–July 2, 2025 with Naturalist Journeys and Tucson Audubon host Jennie MacFarland
Join Tucson Audubon in Africa! In support of conservation we have selected Uganda, a country fast gaining fame for hosting a rich geography of wetlands, savannas, and montane rainforests. Experience the Albertine Rift, backbone of the continent, a high plateau where Africa’s great rivers are born and 20+ endemic bird species can be found. From the shores of Lake Victoria to lush forests skirting the beautiful Virunga Volcanos, Uganda hosts both a rich bird and mammal fauna which we find birding and on classic African safari game drives. A bonus to time in Uganda is the chance to explore some of the best forests remaining on the continent; Uganda’s wild forest reserves are home to myriad beautiful birds, rare Mountain Gorilla, Chimpanzee, and other primates. The Gorilla and Chimpanzee treks on this trip are optional, but highly recommended.
Tour Highlights Include:
- Explore the labyrinth of lagoons at Mabamba Swamp by canoe in search of Uganda’s iconic Shoebill
- Enjoy a game drive in Lake Mburo NP for views of Zebra, Impala, Eland, Topi, African Buffalo, and more
- See some of Africa’s most beautiful birds: turacos, barbets, bushshrikes, bee-eaters, and broadbills
- Enter Bwindi’s Impenetrable Forest NP, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to approximately half the world’s endangered population of Mountain Gorilla
- Discover Bwindi’s productive montane forest birding along the mountain spine of Africa—lush forests support 23 of Uganda’s 24 Albertine Rift endemic birds
- Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park on the Equator in search of Elephant, Spotted Hyena, Leopard, Lion, Ugandan Kob, Side-striped Jackal, Baboon, and other mammals, as well as abundant birds
- Take an exciting boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel for excellent sightings and photo opportunities of wading birds and abundant Hippopotamus
- Find out why Kibale Forest National Park is the best safari destination for Chimpanzee tracking in East Africa, a place where up to 13 species of primates can be seen (and the bird list is 325 species!)
- Discover Murchison Falls, a stunning end to our journey!
Tour Summary
- June 15 – July 2, 2025
- 18-Day / 17-Night Uganda Safari
- $8790 (double occupancy), $9735 (single occupancy)
- Arrival/Departure Airport is Entebbe International (EBB)
See the full itinerary and registration info here. See Naturalist Journeys for terms and conditions.
Your participation supports conservation and a portion will be donated to Tucson Audubon. For registration please contact Naturalist Journeys, let them know you wish to travel on the custom Uganda journey set up for Tucson Audubon and they will help you with forms, payment and tour information. Email: travel@naturalistjourneys.com / 866-900-1146. Naturalist Journeys is located in Portal, AZ.
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West Mexico: Thorn Forest to the Sierra Madre with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours
January 7–17, 2024 with Brian Gibbons and Tucson Audubon host Luke Safford
Western Mexico possesses one of the highest rates of avian endemism in North America, and the foothills and mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental are an outstanding area to observe a superb cross-section of Mexican species.
On this trip, arranged exclusively for members of Tucson Audubon Society, participants will experience the exceptional richness of birds and habitats of the mountains, foothills, and coastal lowlands of western Mexico’s Nayarit and Jalisco states. Based in two choice locations, we will seek the specialty birds of this region—including many endemics—and a wonderful panoply of more widely occurring species.
Very comfortable accommodations and great food; easy to moderate terrain; mostly birding from dirt roads, but some uneven rocky terrain will be encountered; elevations up to 8,000 feet on a few days and lodging at 4,500 feet; midday breaks some days; dusty and bumpy van rides to reach birding areas; mostly dry conditions expected, but very chilly mornings with mild to hot days; rain possible in the mountains.
Tour Summary
- 11-Day / 10-Night West Mexico Birding Tour
- $4515 (double occupancy), from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Arrival/Departure Airport is Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- See the full itinerary and registration info here. See Victor Emanuel Nature Tours for terms and conditions.
Your participation supports conservation, and a portion will be donated to Tucson Audubon! For registration contact our partner company for this tour, Victor Emanuel Nature Tours from the registration link on this page, or call the VENT Operations Manager at 800.328.8368 or 512.328.5221.
Costa Rica Wildlife and Birding with Naturalist Journeys
February 27 – March 9, 2024 with Tucson Audubon host Jennie MacFarland
ONLY ONE SPOT AVAILABLE
Few places rival Costa Rica’s ecological diversity. Over a quarter of the country is protected lands, boasting 850 bird species and 200+ mammals. Costa Rica has remained at the top of the list for traveler satisfaction, with talented guides, superb nature lodges, and fabulous birds and mammals.
On this custom journey for the Tucson Audubon Society, hosted by Jennie MacFarland, search pristine forests at La Selva Biological Station for Neotropical specialties. Traverse the Continental Divide, from lowland rainforest to cloud forest. Glide down a river looking for secretive birds such as Sunbittern and Green Ibis, several species of kingfisher, Green Iguana, and Mantled Howler Monkey. Relax at a mountain lodge and witness Northern Emerald-Toucanet and Collared Redstart in the wild Savegre Valley, a special place where Resplendent Quetzal nests and American Dipper feed in the rushing stream.
This is a moderate-paced tour with some full field days and walks of 1-2 miles over uneven terrain. The walks are at a birder’s pace but do require standing and waiting at times to fully observe species. Multiple nights at hotels allows you to choose how much you do on those field days. We travel in a comfortable air-conditioned bus and stay at lovely nature-oriented hotels with dining services and private bath in room. Some of the lodges have stairs and rooms may be situated away from the main dining area. Special diets can usually be accommodated, please ask.
Tour Summary
- 12-Day / 11-Night Costa Rican Birding & Nature Tour
- $4990 (double occupancy), $5580 (single occupancy) from San Jose, Costa Rica
- Arrival/Departure Airport is Juan Santa María International, San Jose Costa Rica (SJO)
- See the full itinerary and registration info here. See Naturalist Journeys for terms and conditions.
Your participation supports conservation, and a portion will be donated to Tucson Audubon! For registration, please contact Naturalist Journeys, let them know you wish to travel on the custom Costa Rica journey set up for Tucson Audubon and they will help you with forms, payment and tour information. travel@naturalistjourneys.com / 866-900-1146. Naturalist Journeys is located in Portal, AZ.
