Birds migrating south from Alaska, Canada and United States appear in the Singaita, La Tovara and Isla Isabel areas
RRiviera Nayarit, and in particular the San Blas district, will host the Sixth International Migrating Birds Festival on January 24 to 31, an event that gathers specialists and researchers from around the world, who will be able to view up close the hundreds of bird species that fly away from the northern cold and come to the Nayarit wetlands.
The wetlands are a haven for more than 187 flora and 517 fauna species in the mangrove, water bodies, tropical forest and other systems. They can be found along the Riviera Nayarit, where birds migrating south from Alaska, Canada and United States appear, mainly in the Singaita, La Tovara and Isla Isabel areas, among others, to spend the winter and feed before flying to other parts of the continent.
Riviera Nayarit offers the best conditions for birds and visitors can enjoy watching them in areas such as San Blas, Santiago Ixcuintla, Tecuala, Rosamorada, Compostela and Bahia de Banderas, which have become a huge sanctuary for birds of various species that rest in the wetlands and beaches, attracted by warm weather.
San Blas is a typical coastal village full of aromas, warm weather and history, and it sports the best wetlands, only after Panama, to welcome over 300 species of birds between the months of November to March. The presence of these species enhances the exuberance of this marvelous Nayarit place, which can be reached by road on Highway 200; and it is only 145 kilometers from the Puerto Vallarta International Airport.
There is a variety of activities during the festival along with bird watching, among which stands out the photographic exhibition of San Blas and its birds, along with conferences and artistic events like the presentation of the Mexcaltitan Folkloric Ballet.
Bird watching routes have a cost between 500 and 3000 pesos per person; and they include specialized guide, besides a local guide, box lunch, transportation and participant badge.
Rivera Nayarit has developed ecotourism activities as part of its offer to the national and international tourism, as it concentrates over 60% of the most extensive mangrove areas in the American Pacific Shoreline. These include bird watching routes, reptiles and other species in the ecosystem.