Looking to expand your horizons and see new birds? Check out these travel opportunities!

Wildlife Wonders of Mexico-Birds, Butterflies, and More
January 19-26, 2025

Join Reefs to Rockies and Denver Audubon for this 8-day wildlife expedition highlighting Mexico’s natural and cultural wonders. Every winter, montane cloud forests in central Mexico host millions of over-wintering monarch butterflies. This aggregation of monarchs in Mexico’s central highlands ranks as one of the most impressive wildlife spectacles on the planet. It’s a must see for nature lovers!

The monarch sanctuaries aren’t the only highlights during our wildlife expedition to Mexico. In addition to two days at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve west of Mexico City, we’ll explore wildlife hotspots in Oaxaca, a coastal state that has the highest biological diversity in Mexico. Oaxaca is home to almost 800 species of birds with close to 100 of them endemics. The butterfly list in Oaxaca is even longer. In case the birds and butterflies aren’t enough, we’ll even explore some of Oaxaca’s beaches famous for nesting sea turtles. We’ve timed this trip to maximize our chances for incredible wildlife sightings throughout.

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Spring Magic in Nebraska

March 22 – 26, 2025

Some people regard Nebraska as flyover country – a state to be missed as you move from one coast to the other. We wholeheartedly disagree.

Every March, Nebraska becomes home to one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in North America. More than half a million Sandhill Cranes, the world’s largest congregation of cranes, converges on the Platte River Valley in Nebraska. Joining the Sandhill Cranes are another 20 million birds – waterfowl, shorebirds, and the endangered Whooping Crane. They stop to rest and refuel in the adjacent Rainwater Basin before continuing further north to their summer breeding grounds. So many birds are here during spring migration that vast expanses of open sky are filled with sounds of flapping wings and a chorus of calls.

At the same time, male Greater Prairie-Chickens gather at ancient breeding grounds and compete for the chance to mate in Nebraska’s prairie grasslands. Their raucous displays include stomping, booming, whooping, and sparring. With exposed tail coverts and balloon-like air sacs flashing orange and yellow, few performances in the bird world are more memorable than this dawn dance of chickens.

We’ll spend five days exploring Nebraska’s wildlife hotspots. We have strategically selected areas away from crowds so that we have the time and space to truly enjoy these wildlife spectacles in true Reefs to Rockies style. We’ll travel in a custom American safari van with a conversion pop-top and spacious seating. This is not the traditional passenger van you may have traveled in on past trips. This one-of-a-kind vehicle has been specially designed by two wildlife biologists to allow for optimal viewing. It makes a perfect ‘blind’ and there’s ample room for everyone to view at the same time. Get ready for Spring Magic in Nebraska!