Cozumel Birding Tours - Private & Small Group Specialist

The tour with Melba was excellent. Several enjoyable hours spent birding on Cozumel. She found all 3 endemics fairly quickly and many other great species, so I ended with over 25 lifers. Melba is very friendly, helpful and accommodating. She speaks excellent English and found and identified birds extremely well. A great day out

I had the most amazing birding experience with Melba. She is a true expert on local birds and I’ve seen the three endemic birds as well as many many others (and a crocodile and two turtles) during the tour, which I would have never been able to see by myself. Melba adapts to your style of birding whilst providing you with knowledge and her vibrant mood, always with respect for nature. It was the highlight of my trip to Cozumel and I would highly recommend her.

On our most recent cruise, we had a port day in Cozumel. Instead of spending the day on the beach, my boyfriend and I wanted to do something different - so we decided to take our amateur birding international and book a birding tour with Melba, and we are so glad we did. We were able to see multiple hotspots with plenty of time to get back to the cruise terminal, and thanks to Melba’s expertise, we were able to add a total of 37 lifers to our list, including two endemic species we wouldn’t be able to see anywhere else. The locations visited were off the beaten path, places only someone local would likely know to visit. They were quiet locations, and we didn’t feel rushed to hurry through the tour at all. Overall, I’d recommend this experience for anyone looking to do something different - you won’t be disappointed if you enjoy nature at all.

Amazing birding experience in Cozumel with Melba! I had such a wonderful birding experience with Melba in Cozumel. Before the tour, I sent her my list of target species, and from the very beginning she did everything she could to help me find as many of them as possible. Thanks to her knowledge of the island, her incredible eye for spotting birds, and a lot of patience, I was able to add 5 lifers to my list! And she didn’t stop there—she kept trying to find even more of my target species throughout the morning. Melba was incredibly patient, kind, and genuinely excited to help me find the birds I was hoping to see. As someone who also loves bird photography, I really appreciated that she always gave me enough time to observe and photograph each bird without ever making the experience feel rushed. She knows Cozumel and its wildlife extremely well, including exactly where to look for the island’s birds, even when they are hidden deep in the vegetation. Beyond being an excellent birding guide, Melba is simply a lovely person to spend the morning with. She made the whole experience feel relaxed, personal, and fun. If you are visiting Cozumel for birdwatching or bird photography, I absolutely recommend going out with Melba. Send her your target list beforehand and she will do everything she can to help you find them! Thank you, Melba, for your patience, kindness, and determination—and especially for those 5 new lifers! 🐦📸

We had a wonderful trip with our guide Melba. She was extremely easy to coordinate with and was very helpful during pick up and drop off. We had so much fun and clocked 21 new lifers on this excursion. The time flew by and all had a great time together. We would love to see Melba again on our next trip and try another one of her tours !!

Melba was a delightful, knowledgeable birding guide. We enjoyed our time with her very much. Her understanding and passion for her home helped us feel that we finally know Cozumel, at least a bit. Melba is also a talented photographer and a wonderful ambassador for her people. She can guide you on more than birding outings, and I will call on her in the future, like friend in Cozumel!

We have just finished our morning tour of bird watching with Melba. Thank you so much. Melba has so much experience and knowledge it was a pleasure to bird watch with her. She has such enthusiasm for conservation and we saw some amazing birds. And as a bonus, we ate the best tacos for breakfast. A great day ☺️

really nice tour. guide obviously very knowledgeable on birds, good spotter, loves her work. also very attentive to our needs, maintained pace to suit our decreased mobility. super change from ordinary cozumel tours. a MUST do trip .

Visited several locations all around the island (forest, marsh, and beach). Melba was a very helpful and enthusiastic guide and pointed out so many species including the Cozumel emerald, Cozumel vireo, and Cozumel wren. Learned a lot from her about different birds' behaviors and migration patterns in Cozumel. Would definitely recommend!

Melba is FABULOUS! I had a wonderful experience and saw all the Cozumel endemics I hoped for. Melba, the owner/operator, has many years of experience and is an excellent birder and educator. She will take interest in your goals and do all she can to reach them, joyfully. I spent two days birding with Melba and I will never forget them. She will adapt the journey when feasible and if you hire her on a Sunday, she might even find you some cochinita pibil . Her fee is extremely reasonable so don't forget to give her a generous tip. You will have no regrets if you schedule a trip with Cozumel Birding Tours.

We waited 45 minutes for her in front of Hard Rock. She never showed up. We were so disappointed!

WOW! That could say it all, But Melba did so much more. She kept in touch with us, before the cruise, helping us make sure we could find her, during the tour she made sure we birded in comfort. Banana Bread, oops maybe only for her curtain ones. Also asking our comfort level of birding, terrain, recordings, life list, anything else we wanted to see. Cozumel also has blowholes which I enjoy. No problem, off we went. finding a Ruddy Crake, Cozumel vireo, Yucatan vireo, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture Lesser Yellowlegs, Northern Jacana:). At least 4 life birds. Very wonderful, would do bird with Melba again. On top of all this she was able to down load our list so I didn't have to spend the next how ever long trying to remember how to down load the list. Yeah.

Melba is knowledgeable, fun, and flexible. We saw almost 20 lifers for me including the endemic bird species. She has great energy; it's fun to have a guide who is as excited as I am. She provided binoculars and transportation.

Melba's birding tour was fantastic. I saw loads of new birds I wouldn't have seen on my own, including a couple of species endemic to Cozumel! We visited two sites (more like three, with two extended visits at the same car stop) over a few hours. Melba was friendly and knowledgable, and I absolutely recommend it.

Melba our guide was amazing. She spotted so many birds for us, and is a very knowledgeable birder. We also saw deer and coati. When she heard that we hadn’t yet seen a crocodile, she drove us to the other side of the island so we could see a couple of crocodiles. Then we needed to get a few things, and she knew exactly which store to go to get them so we wouldn’t be overcharged for things. She grew up in Cozumel and she knows this island like the back of her hand. She shared many interesting facts. Her English is excellent. Also, we didn’t feel like we were being scammed in anyway. Her quoted price didn’t change even though we went a bit overtime. I would highly recommend the five hour tour with her. She also has an assortment of other tours that you can take.

This is the 2nd time we’ve used Cozumel Birding Tours. This time I added four Lifers to my list, Melba was just as happy as I was seeing those birds. Also, I finally saw a Sora, after hearing it many times. That was such a thrill. Melba is phenomenal, speaks fluent English, and is a great driver and host. While I didn’t have a list of birds I wanted to see, she made sure we saw endemics, warblers, and shorebirds. She picked us up at the cruise ship terminal and took us to four spots. She tailors the tour to you and your time constraints. I cannot emphasize enough how good she is finding birds, identifying them (both by sight and sound), and making your time enjoyable. Highly recommended.

This was my first professional birding tour and I could not have had a better guide or experience! Melba’s knowledge of Cozumel and its history enhanced the trip! We saw over forty different birds in four different locations! Her patience with a newbie and her passion for preservation and wonder shone through! I am not sure if any other birding tour will live up to my first one!

OMG, what a fantastic tour! We saw SO MANY amazing birds with Melba and in the process we really got to fully explore Cozumel and see areas that most of our fellow cruise passengers will never get to see. Melba is so sweet and lovely and she has so much knowledge concerning the local bird population. Great for kids too! Forget the “cattle car” ship tours where you are herded from place to place and spend the day with Melba instead.

We had a fantastic tour with Melba looking for the endemic birds of Cozumel. Melba is knowledgeable, fun and laid-back. She got us on all of our target birds, including Cozumel wren, Cozumel vireo, Cozumel emerald, white-crowned pigeon, Caribbean elaenia, Caribbean dove, Yucatan vireo and western spindalis. It was a pleasure birding with a Cozumel local who knows the birds and habitats so well.

Amazing experience that I would recommend to birders of any level. Melba is an expert in the field. She knows all the best spots. We saw over 30 species of birds and 2 out of the 3 endemics. She went above and beyond to deliver a personalised and tailored experience. She also managed to arrange a tour for me last minute. And when she heard I hadn't seen the east side of the island because I didn't have a car she went out of her way to drive me around and watch the sunset!! Thank you again for the best day!

I just had a wonderful birding experience with Melba! She is a great host and knows her birds, their habitats, and likely hiding spots! Once at a particular spot, she has the insight and knowledge to be able to find birds that are hard to locate. As an example, we went to a site that I had visited the day before and had found five birds. On our visit today we created a list of 22 bird species including multiple lifers I would recommend Cozumel birding for anyone who is interested in nature or is a beginning or moderately or even highly experienced birder! The time goes by very pleasantly and quickly as Melba continues to check on how you’re doing, what you would like to see and just to ensure that your experience is wonderful!

We had an enjoyable half day excursion with the delightful and enthusiastic Melba. She was waiting for us at the ferry dock, attended to our needs/desires, was a good driver, and a knowledgeable amiable host. She drove us to her favourite spots, where we saw so many Northern Jacanas, the elusive Ruddy Crake, White-crowned Pigeon, Green-breasted Mango, Cozumel Emerald, Rufous-browsed Peppershrike, Yucatán Vireo, Caribbean Elaenia, American Pygmy Kingfisher & Cozumel Wren!! Next time I make it to the Yucatán, I’ll be reaching out to Melba for more!!

Melba is an AMAZING birder! Our cruise ship docked in Cozumel, and we decided to take the birding tour as an excursion. Even though we had a short time, she managed was able to show us 32 different species of birds. She patiently explained where each bird was hiding in the trees and bushes. She even asked us about our birding preferences, like whether we count hearing a bird or need to actually see it. I can’t say enough about how amazing our experience with Melba was. You won’t be disappointed to book a tour with her!

Melba gave us a wonderful day of birding, including many lifers. She, with her enthusiatic cheerful way, is a joy to be with. We recommend her highly to anyone visiting Cozumel

Lovely experience with Melba! Wow! Does she know her birds! And she knows where to find them. We learned so much. And we had great photography moments as well. A great way to see the biodiversity on this amazing island.

We had a great time with Melba! Her enthusiasm is contagious. She shares her passion as well as her knowledge about birds in a clear, accessible, and captivating way, even for beginners. The tour was both enriching and very pleasant. As a bonus, she helped us discover the best tacos in town! An experience that we recommend without hesitation to all nature lovers and to those who wish to discover the region differently.

Superb activity for birdwatchers and people who love birds and nature, Melba is a very good guide to tell us about the places on the island to see beautiful birds. She listens to our needs and what we want to do during the activity!