| Tourism for conservation
Welcome to our Tourism for Conservation Program
Our tours are designed to share the natural and cultural wonders of Mexico. Home to the world's largest hawk migration phenomenon, the state of Vercacruz, also hosts incredible butterfly and dragonfly migration, over 700 bird species, the cradle of Mexican culture, wonderful archaeological sites, great cuisine and friendly people!
Remember, funds from our tourism program go towards our conservation efforts in Mexico.
River of Raptors and Birds in Veracruz Fall Tours
Join us every fall to witness the greatest raptor migration spectacle in the world, the “river of raptor migration” tours organized by Pronatura Veracruz. Over 25 species of migrating raptors made a count over 4.5 million every year. Good day’s counts can reach over 100,000 migrant raptors and vultures.
Passerine and water birds migration can reach 10 million daytime migrants. Over 700 bird species are known to Veracruz including 25 endemic species - Blue Mockingbird, Red Warbler, Brown-backed Solitaire, Grey Silky, Cinnamon-bellied Flower piercer, and Rufouscapped Brush finch -. Local guides with years of experience birding and guiding in the region will host our groups. Groups are limited to 12 persons maximum. Tour season is from September 25th. – October 25th every year. Advance booking is recommended.
This tour is set to coincide with the peak of fall migration in Veracruz, while visits to tropical rainforest, pine-oak woodlands, fog-shrouded humid forest, coastal mangroves and other habitats will provide us with an excellent introduction to the birds of Mexico.
Our raptor monitoring, environmental education and conservation program has 15 years working towards a better understanding of key issues regarding raptor migration. Your opportunity to witness the raptor migration will be enriched by visiting our monitoring stations and bird observatory with all the counting activity and tourism orientation provided by our trained education internships.
Tour costs: $2,300.00/person - $250.00 / single occupancy.
The mountain chain approaching the Veracruz coast contributes to the greatest raptor migratory corridorin the American continent, in fact, in the world. Passerine and wading birds join this spectacular bird exodus.
Butterflies of Veracruz Tour  
Most butterfly species, however, are found in tropical areas, especially tropical rainforests. 1,750 species found in Mexico represent almost 10% of the world’s total species. Many of these species can not be found anywhere else. Mexico more consistently has greater concentration of butterflies than perhaps anywhere else.
In Veracruz tropical semi-evergreen forest, seasonal forest and tropical evergreen forest is the home to a variety of butterflies: Blue morpho, Banded peacock, Clearwing sp, Dark Kite Swallowtail, Mountain Heliconian, Swordtail beautymark, White peacock.
Veracruz in Mexico is located in eastern side of the country, home to varieties of butterfly as Mexico it is the house of 1,750 species of these colorful creatures of nature. Almost 10% of the world total species. Veracruz, a country with a diversified topography that starts at 10 m. from sea level to 1,300 m. to the highlands within a short distance of an average 80 km originates an opportunity to find this entomological richness. Thus, the great wealth of butterfly diversity in Veracruz becomes apparent from its great bioclimatic variation from tropical and subtropical zone.
Our nature guides will escort you - a keen butterfly watcher or amateur enthusiast alike to search for these beautiful insects. You have the chance to enjoy not only the butterflies of the top Asian butterfly habitats as well as an opportunity to enjoy other wildlife in selective areas of Nepal.
Your tour participation will help Pronatura conservation endeavors.
Butterflies of Ancient Mexico, cultural entomology, multifarious ways that butterflies and moths were woven into ancient Mexican Cultures. These range from transient and simple uses of the lepidopteron form for adornment of pottery and in feather work, to deeply religious symbolism hewn in stone.
 
Clay stamp and a codex symbol
Xochiquetzal is the Goddess of love, flowers, vegetation and fire. This image is a clay flat stamp with a mythical butterfly motif from Tula.
Itzpapálotl is the Mother Goddess of the Chichimec. This image of Itzpapálotl is from the Vatican Codex.
About our tour content and operation
We provide a high-quality guided experience with our experienced local birding guides. With our native knowledge background and experience we strive to provide excellent quality with particular emphasis on specific areas of natural history, specially birds as well as mammals, botany, butterflies and dragonflies of this beautiful country.
All our tours allow exploring local archeological sites, beautiful colonial towns, excellent cuisine and comfortable accommodations and transportation services. We host our tour participants hoping their cultural immersion during their stay will be a unique and pleasant experience.
Quoted prices are inclusive of accommodation, meals, ground transport costs, park entry fees, and specialist guide fees, bottled water while in transit, and personal species checklists and itineraries. Quoted prices exclude all flights, personal travel insurance, bar bills, gratuities and other items of a personal nature.
All tour participants receive a detailed species checklist and comprehensive trip report upon completion of the tour (please allow some time for compilation). You will be invited to contribute with our photo-gallery library. Tour participant’s collaboration is optional and very valuable for us.
Contribute significantly to conservation through tourism by participating in one of our tours and join our “Amigos de las Rapaces” membership, thus helping to our habitat protection an environmental education endeavor.
A message from our Coordinator of Tourism for Conservation
Pronatura “Veracruz River of Raptor” tours is the pioneer tour operator that brought to the world attention the awareness of the continental bottle neck that originate this unique massive raptor migration in coastal Veracruz, Mexico. With 15 years of knowledge and experience behind our tour operations, we are proud to host through the years hundreds of organizations and individuals. Thanks to all of them, we have become one-of-a-kind raptor migration, passerine and resident birds tour operators in Mexico.
For more information and tour registration contact:
Jorge G. Barrios
Pronatura Tourism for Conservation Coordinator
pvecotours@prodigy.net.mx
Kathleen Burger
USA Tour Liaison
kathleen.burger@gmail.com
You can organize your own group-tours: This tours are designed for those birding enthusiast that will prefer to take the tour with a defined group of associates, friends and family members. The price for this tour is $1,850.00 per person; $250.00 individual accomodations.
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