Departing from your hotel in San Salvador at around 4 am, you’ll begin your birding adventure in the Cerro Verde area. We’ll explore the parking lot gardens, park trails, hotel Casa 1800 grounds, and along the road, searching for highland resident and Neotropical migrant species present from October to late April. Along the way, we can stop in the Cerro area to observe bird activity in nearby shade-grown coffee plantations, the gardens of local coffee producers’ hotels, and other diverse habitats, expanding our list of bird species for the day.

At an elevation of approximately 6,670 feet, Cerro Verde Park offers pleasant weather and well-maintained trails. Lunch will be at a local restaurant along the Route of the Flowers, with options ranging from traditional Pupusas to the vibrant food festival in Juayua (if the tour is on a weekend) or dining at one of the best restaurants in the area within a local shade-grown coffee plantation. In Ataco, we’ll stroll the cobblestone streets to admire colorful murals in this well-preserved colonial town and enjoy a good Salvadoran coffee at a local café. We will then head back to San Salvador, completing our delightful birding tour.