Our first overseas birding trip of 2026 was to Belize in Central America, where we joined a group tour organised by the US company Naturalist Journeys. As there are no direct flights from the UK to Belize, we took a British Airways flight to Miami on 12 February and had a few day’s birding in Florida before flying on to Belize City. After landing in Miami, we collected our rental car and drove to the Candlewood Suites hotel near the airport where we spent one night. After resting for a while, we walked the short distance to the nearby Basilico Italian restaurant where we had an excellent dinner.
We only had five full days in Florida before flying to Belize so we had to make the most of our time and, after giving some thought to the various options, we decided to drive down the Florida Keys to Key West, stopping at various birding locations along the way. Highlights of our time in Florida are summarized in the linked pages below.
