Birdwatching Cancun

This was our first time birding in Mexico and boy was it an awesome experience.Our tour guide Carlos picked us up at our hotel at 6am and it was about a 35 min ride to our destination.We stopped at a few places and saw 43 species.Majority of them were lifers for me.Carlos was very kind and knowledgeable and was great at finding and pointing out the birds for me to photograph.He had lots of patients.Afterwards he took us to get something to eat then took us back to our hotel.I would highly recommend this company and Carlos as a guide.

Yucatán birds were aplenty. Saw our first royal flycatcher, Lesson’s Motmot, black headed trogon. Many other tropical birds were here including some familiar ones like Orioles.

We saw 42 species of birds, plus lizards, iguana and spider monkeys! We had a wonderful authentic breakfast. Carlos was the best! He knew a lot of bird calls and quickly found and identified the birds. He was able to put me right on the bird so I didn't miss it. I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys not only birds but also enjoys nature.i hope to do this again!

Carlos is an exceptional guide. He is very knowledgeable and quickly identifies birds by sight and sound. We saw 45 species in just a few hours. I definitely recommend him.

4 hr (6-10am) Birdwatching trip in Puerto Morales near Cancun. We had a great time with Carlos or guide who was very knowledgeable and passionate. We managed to see 45 lifers in a short span of time. Binoculars provided and Carlos even sent us an eBird checklist at the end logging all the birds. Breakfast was in a small local Mexican house-restaurant and was $10 extra. Overall it was an amazing experience.

Carlos was so knowledgeable and helpful. He picked us up from our hotel, taught us techniques for spotting birds together, and made sure we had everything we needed for a morning of birding. We saw over 35 species of birds. He took us for a coffee and a snack. After the tour, he shared all of his photos that he took on his nice camera with us as well as the mornings’ Merlin Life List for our app. He dropped us back off at our hotel. We felt safe the entire morning. My only advice is to bring a little bug spray or wear long sleeves, there were a lot of mosquitos. If you are interested in seeing a lot of different birds in the Cancun region, I highly recommend booking with Carlos. It was worth every penny!

This excursion was excellent from booking right up to drop off. Communication was kept and anybquestions answered quickly. Carlos was so great, especially with our 11yo son who was the birder in our family. He took time to learn what our sons goals were and then made them a reality. We saw some amazing birds in the wild and it was a trip we'll never forget! If you're hesitating about booking or not, do it, you won't regret it Thanks Carlos and team

It was ok. The 4 hour tour consisted of 1 hour driving there, 2 hours of looking for birds and 1 hour driving back. It just seemed a little expensive to me ($165) for 2 hours of looking for birds when half of the two hours we were in the car. During the 2 hours that we were looking for birds we were just really driving around and pulling over to the side of a road to see some birds. I imagined that we would be walking down some path through the jungle but the places we walked were not very nice looking and some places were littered with trash and the other spot was next to a huge transmission tower. We did see many birds tho.

Carlos was an excellent bird guide and was able to show me and my sister 51 species in 4 hours! Very knowledgeable and helpful, making sure we could get our eyes on the pajaros. He inquired early on about our birding experience to ensure we got the most out of our trip. The last location ended with a tasty local meal, trogons flying over head and a plethora of other birds to watch from the patio. Would definitely recommend!

We had a slight snafu in the morning when our driver was late; however, there had been a traffic accident which caused delays. He more than made up for it by getting us to our destination on time and later dropping us off at an alternate location, which was much appreciated. Our guide, Carlos, was amazing. He has incredible knowledge of birds and can recognize many by their calls alone. We saw 49 species, most of which were new to us. Our favorite was the motmot. Just beautiful! Points for cuteness went to the Pygmy owl—tiny but deadly! We also enjoyed our snack of delicious tacos. This tour was the perfect way to spend an unusually cool morning. Highly recommend!

Carlos was extremely knowledgeable about the birds by sight and sound. He took 4 of us to some rural areas and we found over 4 dozen birds. Very productive.

Very nice birdwatching tour with Carlos. He took us to two places and a third for breakfast. We saw 46 specifies including multiple aracaris, two trogons and a motmot. The only thing I wishes was a bit more clear is the bottled water isn’t provided until breakfast time around 11:00am. If I knew that I would have brought my own water for the first part of the tour

Extremely knowledgeable guide. Laughing falcon, 5 types of orioles, humming birds, motmot, toucans, painted bunting and many types of warbler and tanagers

Carlos picked us up from the hotel (El Dorado) ant 7:50am and it was a short trip to the area to watch the birds. First area birds were feeding from the trees , next area Carlos attracted birds playing bird songs. Next area we drove around stopping where bird activity happened. Finally around 10:00 we had brunch which coincided with the bird activity stopping as the heat came up. Though whilst having lunch 3 toucans entertained us. Back to hotel by 10:15

Our guide, Lugo Castellanos Hernandez and his assistant, Lut, arrived on time. They were friendly, professional, and knowledge about the birds in the area. Lugo's skills at birding were evident as we found over 50 species in three hours along a single road. Thanks to him, my wife and were able to add 20 birds to our life list. Our highlight birds were the Keel-Billed Toucan, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, and the Yucatan Woodpecker. It was exciting and a pleasure to bird with him and would definitely recommend him.

Carlos is an excellent guide and kind person. He was knowledgeable, professional, and patient, and he helped us see and learn not only the birds, but also the mammals of Mexico. We highly recommend this tour!

Carlos is a Yucatan birding professional who really knows birds! He was able to share birds with new and experienced birds very well. Highly recommended!

Our guide Lugo was absolutely wonderful. He was knowledgeable and genuinely excited to be birding with us. He was also a very safe driver. We saw nearly 50 species, including 2 types of toucans!

Carlos is the guide every nature lover dreams of. His passion for birding is absolutely contagious—he radiates excitement with every sighting and goes above and beyond to ensure you have the best possible experience. From vibrant trogons to rare endemics, Carlos knew exactly where to take us to see an incredible variety of birds—both the everyday beauties and the once-in-a-lifetime species. Even outside of migration season, we spotted over 40 species in a single day! His ability to identify birds not only by sight but also by sound (many of which he can replicate himself!) was jaw-dropping. We stopped at a roadside spot for a local snack that was as memorable as the birding—delicious, authentic, and the perfect pause in the middle of an adventure. Carlos started the day as our guide and ended it as our friend. His warmth, knowledge, and joy for what he does made this the absolute highlight of our trip to the Cancún area. If you have the chance—book now, bring your camera, and get ready to create a memory that will stay with you.

If you’re even remotely interested in birding while in the Cancun area, do not miss the chance to book a tour with Carlos Javier from Contoy Excursions. He’s not just a guide—he’s a passionate birder, incredibly knowledgeable, and one of the most enjoyable people I’ve birded with. Thanks to Carlos’s keen eyes and deep familiarity with the area, I was able to see 50+ species in one trip—including Toucans, Motmots, Trogons, and so many other tropical gems I’d only dreamed of seeing before. Every stop was intentional and productive, and Carlos tailored the trip to match my birding goals perfectly. As if the birding wasn’t enough, Carlos also took me to a small, authentic mom-and-pop Mexican restaurant tucked away from the tourist areas. The food was phenomenal—a quick refuel with rich flavors that gave us the energy to get back out there and bird some more. This was truly a top-tier birding experience—professional, personal, and unforgettable. Highly recommend Carlos to anyone who wants to see the real avian magic of the Yucatán!

My boyfriend and I booked a birding tour with Lugo. He was excellent! He took us to a few different spots and he identified over 50 birds for us in the couple hours we spent walking through the trees. He made the drive to the birding area from Cancún really comfortable for us with thoughtful touches by bringing coffee and croissants for breakfast. The majority of the birds we saw were in the first area we went to and within the first 1.5 hours. Definitely an early morning but worth it to catch all the action! Highly recommended to experienced and novice birders alike! Five stars for Lugo!

We combined two of my favorite things, Birding, and Biking, along with a boat tour to the mangrove swamps. Carlos has excellent knowledge of all the birds in the area and was really good at spotting them and using their calls. I added at least a dozen lifers, including pigmy owl, bare throated tiger heron, and broad billed heron. The boat tour through the mangrove swamps was amazing, we saw lots of birds and even the courtship ritual of two crocodiles - what a special sight.

Carlos Tek is one of the most knowledgeable birders i have ever had guide is. We saw 60 species on an amazing day in December and were truly blessed both by nature and with having a wonderful guide

Carlos our tour guide was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. We saw many different species of birds and Carlos was very patient and answered any and all questions that we had regarding the birds. We were so happy to see a Motmot on this tour! Our tour was in English and Spanish, which was perfect for my husband and I. We also stopped and had a snack at a roadside restaurant and we had a lovely time. We absolutely loved our experience, and Carlos was truly a delight!

My wife and I were very pleased with our guide, Lugo, for our Birdwatching Cancun expedition this February. The company communicated very well about our pickup time, arrived promptly, and it was only a twenty-minute drive from our Excellence Riviera Resort to the birding site. We appreciated the small group size of six participants. We walked on rough roads in the Yucatan back-country, our exercise tracker recording about 7000 steps, with a stop halfway through for snacks provided by Lugo. We are casual birders, and Lugo was very helpful to birders of all experience levels on our tour. Lugo recorded all 47 of the bird species we observed on “ebird”, and sent us the list after the tour, which included Red-throated Ant-tanagers, Yellow-throated Euphonias, Black-headed Trogons, Turquois-browed Mot-mots, Pygmy Owls, many others. This trip was a memorable present for my 70th birthday. Highly recommended!

This was the perfect birding excursion from Cancun. Transportation was seamless. Our guide was such an expert and helped us spot over 40 species in just a few hours. I will do this every time I’m in the area. I can’t say enough good things

Lugo was a great birding guide! We saw 45 different species of birds that were new lifers! He recorded the entire list for us so all we had to do was look and watch the birds! He had a great laser pointer that was helpful in pointing out the birds so we could see them before they flew away. Hope we get and opportunity to com back!

We had a fantastic time with Carlos who gave us a little history mixed in with a lot of knowledge on local birds. We are beginner photographer/birders and Carlos was gave us some lessons and helpful pointers and catered the tour to our level since it was just the 3 of us. Loved seeing 58 different species including the motmot, toucans, parkeets, trogan, woodpecker, hawk, hummingbird, flycatcher, oriole, warblers, and bunting.

Very skilled and knowledgeable. Trust in the expertise of Carlos. Very friendly. Bring comfortable shoes and maybe a long sleeve top for the morning. Be prepared for many many birds. Possible saw 50 plus species.

Second bird guide with viator, the guides were very knowledgeable and Carlos was awesome adding the list of birds to my bird account GRACIAS

It is an immersion into the local habitat and variety of birds in Quintana Roo. The guide had great knowledge and was helpful, attentive and highly knowledgable.

Just fantastic! I have been birding for nearly 50 years. I have been from coast to coast in the US. This certainly was one of the best single days of birding for me. 35 life birds! Two different Tucans, Owls, Warblers, oh then there were the monkeys!

Wonderful trip! Our guide was very knowledgeable and helped us to find and identify many birds. We went to three different habitats for the maximum number of different species. This was fun and we'd do it again!

This is the trip to book, Carlos knows the bird calls and how and where to bring out the birds in the area. He is very knowledgeable and a very pleasant personality. Highly recommend!

Amazing journey with Carlos finding birds! We saw so many different kinds. A must do when you are in Cancun. Highlight of our trip.

We had the best morning bird watching with Lugo!! He was so warm, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and friendly, we couldn't have asked for a better guide. In April, I had thought I'd be lucky to see 35 birds. We saw over 50 species! He told us his English wasn't very good but I disagree! I learned so much from him and had no problem communicating. I loved that he seemed excited to find each bird and talked about them all, even though I'm sure many were common and maybe not that exciting for someone who lives there all yhe time! He was wonderful about checking in to see how my 73 yo mom was doing on our trip and made sure we were going at a pace that was comfy for her. This was an unforgettable experience to share with my mother, who instilled a love of birds in me. He shared drinks, snacks, and took us for a local quesidilla. I wish we could bird with him everyday!

Carlos was fantastic! He helped me see 44 new lifers on the tour (56 species in all). He knew the birds instantly and was great at pointing them out. He was also very friendly and was as excited as I was to see these birds! His mimicked bird calls were also very good he truly did his best to insure my success. He shared photos too!

Lugo is an exceptional guide and we saw over 40 species of birds, including a ferruginous pygmy owl he worked so hard to find! What a great experience, hope to be back again someday. Highly recommended

Lugo was excellent! And he knows his birds. Nearly 30 lifers in one day. It's been over twenty years since I've been able to say that! Fantastic tour.

This experience was phenomenal. Lugo was very knowledgeable and passionate about birding. The drive can be a little long depending on where you get picked up. We were picked up in Punta Sam and the drive was roughly 2 hrs one way. It was well worth it though.

Carlos was a great guide - very knowledgeable- thoroughly enjoyed the trip - we saw many different birds and Carlos enthusiasm was infectious

The morning after a rain - many sightings (56 species ) with a knowledgeable guide - Carlos. I was skeptical at first as we walked through public streets but had some great views.

Carlos took me to several birding spots and I had wonderful experience over there. I had opportunity to take shots for over 20 different birds and most of them are first time to see. I will come back again next winter.

Carlos picked me up on time, we picked up 1 other person and then he took us to 4 different spots. We saw 50 different species including Pygmy owl, tucans, motmot. Carlos spotted them all! Was very knowledgeable. Wasn’t the most scenic places but great for birding! Was very glad I went !

Carlos was FANTASTIC. He not only knew the birds, he knew something almost more important—where to find the birds. Highly recommended. We recorded over 60 species yesterday morning, not counting some others which he heard. Some of the birds were stunningly beautiful.

I had a great birding trip this morning! Carlos is a fantastic guide. We spotted 48 different birds, had a tasty lunch, and some really nice conversation. I highly recommend it and will do it again. Thanks!

We had an amazing time viewing so many beautiful birds of the Yucatán. We saw over 47 species of birds, all just as beautiful as the last. Our guide Lugo did an awesome job identifying and locating birds for us, plus his enthusiasm and passion for birds is contagious. Seriously, he has an eye for spotting birds. The whole experience was a 10/10 for my wife and I.

I am staying for a few days in the Cancun area at a large resort and wanted to observe birds here in the Yucatán. This trip was the perfect excursion. I was picked up promptly early in the morning and just two other people were on my trip. Our guide, Lugo , was personable and knowledgeable. He asked what birds I wanted to see and when we saw them, he was quick to point them out. He even put in extra effort to get to all the wish list birds, including a Keel-billed toucan we saw just at the end of the trip. I felt safe and comfortable and saw more than 40 species of birds. Lugo uses e-bird so go there and look up the species you’ll see before you go. This is a great trip for anyone who loves birds or even those who want a few hours off the resort who want to quickly get into nature and see what beautiful birds live in or migrate to this area. I would do it again!

Highlight of my trip! I started birding casually during the pandemic and this excursion took my interest to a whole new level. We saw nearly 60 species in just a few hours -- from toucans to owls and much more. Incredible. Carlos was a terrific and knowledgeable guide. I'd highlight recommend this trip to any birding enthusiasts, no matter your experience level.