16 Feb 2026 - 01 Mar 2026 (14 days)
USD8,995 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Lev Frid
Tour Leader: Ryan Chenery
Tour price (Per person): USD8,995 * GBP7,126 * EUR8,563 * AUD14,145
Single Supplement: USD950 * GBP753 * EUR904 * AUD1,494
Flight costs: USD2,310 * GBP1,830 * EUR2,199 * AUD3,633
An epic adventure covering 6 countries and 10 islands, taking in all the single island and Lesser Antillean Endemics. Made up of the southerly Windward and the northerly Leeward Islands, the Lesser Antilles are the last frontier of Caribbean birding. These volcanic islands on the edge of the Caribbean Plate are the gateway between the harsh Atlantic Ocean and the warm, tranquil Caribbean Sea. Originally settled by the Taino of South America, the islands have played host to multiple colonisers from the Caribs to the more modern European giants of Britain, France and the Netherlands. Through multiple wars, slavery, epidemics, natural and man-made destruction, the island’s wildlife has managed to escape mostly intact, but equally lives a precarious existence that can be wiped out by a single event.
Starting from Barbados, the most easterly of the islands we embark on numerous short hops to Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Barbuda and ultimately Antigua. Hosting 18 single island endemics, 10 Lesser Antillean endemics, 9 Caribbean endemics and upwards of 43 endemics sub-species (with many liable to be full splits), this travel intensive, but birding relaxed tour appeals to the birder, twitcher and photographer alike. Gaudy birds, picture postcard beaches, turquoise seas, rugged landscapes and friendly locals make this tour one of our birding highlights.
St. Vincent, Red-necked, Imperial & St. Lucia Amazons, Barbados & Lesser Antillean Bullfinches, Green-throated & Purple-throated Caribs, Antillean Crested & Blue-headed Hummingbirds, West Indian Whistling Duck, Grenada Dove, Lesser Antillean Swift, Caribbean Elaenia, Grenada Flycatcher, Lesser Antillean Tanager, Whistling, Plumbeous, Barbuda & St. Lucia Warblers, Brown & Grey Tremblers, Cocoa & Forest Thrush, Rufous-throated Solitaire, Scaly-breasted Thrasher, St. Lucia Black Finch, St. Lucia, Montserrat & Martinique Orioles, Lesser Antillean Pewee, Rufous Nightjar, Lesser Antillean Saltator, Antillean Euphonia, Guadeloupe Woodpecker, Bridled Quail-Dove.
Short-finned Pilot, Humpback & False Killer Whales.
tropical islands, beaches, volcanic foothills, forest
tropical
8 with 1 Rockjumper Leader & Local Leader
relaxed with some moderate walks
good to very good
easy, with some tricky species
stunning local cuisine, deserted beaches
good to excellent
This tour far exceeded our expectations. The pace was mostly fast, and many days were long with early starts, but we fully expected this for an endemic search tour; but we still managed lots of comradery, jokes, and cocktail time. We fulfilled our tour goal of finding all the endemic island species plus most of the endemic subspecies, including those that are most likely to be split in the future. We also got to sample the local culture and food of every island. Our tour was extremely productive and a very fun trip. We had a very experienced group of participants, and everyone was pleased with the tour. Our leaders were exceptional. Forrest Rowland and Ryan Chenery made an excellent team. Both are very knowledgeable, personable, and funny, as well as expert birders. Their knowledge of the species was profound. They worked hard to find each target and to make sure that everyone got on the birds. On several islands, we also had local leaders/drivers who were top-notch birders. They thoroughly knew their local species habits and vocalizations. The Lesser Antilles are Ryans domain; he expertly planned and conducted the tour. When you lead a group of people to ten different islands in 14 days via airplanes, ferries, and speedboats, you know that various matters will require attention and Ryan adeptly dealt with all issues that cropped up, most of which were not even apparent to us. Thanks, also, to Ryans wife Alexandria, who we got meet on their home island of Barbados, who ran the back-office logistics dealing with confirmations and handling real-time changes, as needed. The team of Forrest, Ryan, and Alex kept everything running smoothly and seamlessly. The Rockjumper home office also did a great job of handling the registration and payment processes and all associated travel paperwork and communications. This was our first Rockjumper tour, but it certainly wont be our last.
We have travelled with Rockjumper many times and have been totally satisfied. However, this trip was easily the best we have experienced. We saw many birds we have not seen before, but the highlight was the way in which the tour was run. We have travelled with Adam before. This time we found his knowledge amazing despite the fact that he had never been there before. Ryan was different in that he lives in this part of the world and his birding knowledge was extraordinary. Add to that his ability to organise all other aspects of the tour made life so much easier for us.
A fantastic trip with Ryan Chenery and Adam Walleyn, just the logistics of this trip are mind blowing and seeing ALL the endemic birds out of this world.
This tour far exceeded our expectations. The pace was mostly fast, and many days were long with early starts, but we fully expected this for an endemic search tour; but we still managed lots of comradery, jokes, and cocktail time. We fulfilled our tour goal of finding all the endemic island species plus most of the endemic subspecies, including those that are most likely to be split in the future. We also got to sample the local culture and food of every island. Our tour was extremely productive and a very fun trip. We had a very experienced group of participants, and everyone was pleased with the tour. Our leaders were exceptional. Forrest Rowland and Ryan Chenery made an excellent team. Both are very knowledgeable, personable, and funny, as well as expert birders. Their knowledge of the species was profound. They worked hard to find each target and to make sure that everyone got on the birds. On several islands, we also had local leaders/drivers who were top-notch birders. They thoroughly knew their local species habits and vocalizations. The Lesser Antilles are Ryans domain; he expertly planned and conducted the tour. When you lead a group of people to ten different islands in 14 days via airplanes, ferries, and speedboats, you know that various matters will require attention and Ryan adeptly dealt with all issues that cropped up, most of which were not even apparent to us. Thanks, also, to Ryans wife Alexandria, who we got meet on their home island of Barbados, who ran the back-office logistics dealing with confirmations and handling real-time changes, as needed. The team of Forrest, Ryan, and Alex kept everything running smoothly and seamlessly. The Rockjumper home office also did a great job of handling the registration and payment processes and all associated travel paperwork and communications. This was our first Rockjumper tour, but it certainly wont be our last.
This was an excellent trip. Ryan and Adam were great at getting the birds, and handling all of the complicated travel logistics seamlessly. Best of all, they were fun! I had an incident where my passport fell out of my bag. I did not discover it until we were boarding the plane. They handled it so well and we were able to track the passport down.