What better way to start the year 2016 with a 10-day self-organized birding trip to Cuba from 6-16 January!

Together with my birding buddy Jan we visited some of the best birding spots on the island: we started in Soroa where we explored the area, including La Guïra NP. Thereafter, Zapata NP near Playa Larga, thé top birding destination where most of Cuba 28 endemic species can be found. And finally to Caya Coco, an island at the north coast of Cuba that is home to another few endemics.

Out of the 28 endemics on Cuba we managed to see the amazing number of 24, most of them all by our selves and far more than expected. And 22 on photo, albeit some of them a little blurry.

We were very lucky to find the wonderful Bee Hummingbird, the smallest bird in the world and only existing on Cuba!

The whole trip we stayed at casa particulares, privately operated B&B's where you can enjoy the real Cuban life in the house of a Cuban family. We really had an unforgetable trip and we enjoyed great wildlife, very kind people and excellent food. With the recent lift of the American tourism ban however, it will only be a matter of time that the expected flood of Americans will hurt Cuba's unique culture and Starbucks and McDonald's will change the street view of Havana for ever.