Day 1: Arrive in Lima - Cusco

This day usually is just to arrive into Lima-Peru and we will pick you up from the airport early or late evening as usually international flights arrive to Peru and transfers to the hotel selected for the tour near the airport. But if you have a chance to organize your international flight in time to get a domestic flight from Lima to Cusco the same day of your arrival and flight to Cusco will be perfect, please advice in advance to book your domestic flight in time for your connection. Night in Casa Andina Hotel in Cusco

NOTE: You can arrive day early to Lima and take a rest and next day early flight to Cusco and start the tour.

Day 2: Cusco to Macchu Picchu Town

Today we will start exploring the Cusco mountains and lagoons and also along the sacred valley Ensifera Camp (Santuario de Colibries) a nice natural reserve which holds a great number of species residents and migrants such as Bearded Mountaineer (E), Giant Hummingbird, Green-tailed, Black-tailed, Trainbearers, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Shining and white-tufted Sunbeams, Green and White Hummingbird (E), White-bellied Hummingbird, Tyrant Metaltail just to mention some of them. After nice morning we will arrive to Ollantaytambo for our train trip to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town). According our arrival we will spend some time birding for the rest of the afternoon. Night in Aguas Calientes.

Day 3: Machu Picchu Time!

Early bus drive to visit Machu Picchu where we will have an unforgettable experience along the Inca site for some hours in the morning. Then we can do some birding before our train back to Ollantaytambo and transfer to Cusco with a stop at Huaypo Lake for some wading species. Night in Casa Andina Cusco

Possible Species: Torrent Duck, White-capped Dipper, Inca Wren (E), Green and White Hummingbird (E), Ocellated Piculet, Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch, Pale-legged, Oleaginous, Citrine Warblers, Brown-capped Vireo, Sclater‘s Tyrannulet, Rusty Flowerpiercer, Tricolored Brush-Finch, Variable Antshrike.

Day 4: Lake Huacarpay, Sacred Garden, Acjanaco Pass (3,100 mts) to Manu Road (1,400 mts)

Today we wil start with Huacarpay Lake located at 20 minutes south of Cusco where we will find Anden Gull, Plumbeous Rail, Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, Puna Teal and manmy other species.  Then we will go to San Salvador area to visit (Sacred Garden) for hummingbirds & Tanagers. After few hours birding nearby, we will start our drive up to Manu Road where we will enjoin a lot of different birds and amazing landscapes starting from 3,399 mt (11,150 ft) and ending in the San Pedro area (1,450 mt) which will be our place to stay today. We usually arrive at our first birding lodge at dusk. Night in CORL or MPL

Some species that we can see today: Chiguanco Thrush, Andean Lapwing, Band-tailed Seedeater, Hooded Siskin, Andean Flicker, Rusty-fronted Canastero (E), Creamy-crested Spinetail (E), Chestnut-bellied Mountain-Finch (E), Black-throated, Masked, Moustached Flowerpiercers, Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Golden-collared Tanager, Grass-green Tanager, Montane Woodcreeper, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Band-tailed Tyrannulet, Capped Conebill, Superciliaried Hemispingus just to mentions some. Before or after dinner we will try for Rufescent Screech-Owl and Lyre-tailed Nightjar.

Day 5: Full day birding Manu Road & Lodge surroundings

Early visit for Andean Cock of the Rock  lek and then we will keep birding along the Manu Road with the chance to find mixed flocks of species as Versicolored Barbet, Beryl-spangled, Saffron-Crown, Golden, Orange-eared, Yellow-throated, Slaty, Golden-naped, Paradise, Blue-necked, Bay-headed, black-goggled Tanager, Yellow-bellied, Green & Gold, Spotted Tanagers, Deep-blue Flowerpiercer, Three-stripe Warbler, Russet-crowned Warbler, Black-faced Brush-finch, Golden-headed, Crested Quetzal, Amazonian Umbrellabird. And Wire-crested Thorntail, Speckled Hummingbird, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Peruvian Piedtail (E), Many-spotted Humminbird, Botted Raquetail, Gray-mantled Wren, Blue-naped Chlorophonia, Mountain Foliage-Gleaner, Olive-Backed Woodcreeper, Stripe Threehunter, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, Marble-faced Bristle-Tyrant, Stripe-Chested Antwren, White-backed Fire-Eye, Black-eared Hemispingus, Yellow-breasted Antwren, Yungas Manakin, Yellow-throated, short-billed, common Chlorospingus, Dusky-Green, Russet-Backed, Crested Oropendolas, Rufous-tailed Tyrant, Chestnut-backed Antshrike, Unicolored Antshrike, Yellow-breasted Warbling Antbird and many more. We will visit also during the day two private birding spots where they have hummingbird & Tanager feeders. Before or after dinner we will try for Rufescent Screech-Owl and Lyre-tailed Nightjar. Night in CORL or MPL

Day 6-7: Birding for Bamboo species, hummingbird, Tanager feeder

Early birding along the Manu Road descending to 400 mt for some Amazonian species. There are new birding spots close to the area: Mirador Pico de Oz & Inkamazonia both places have a hummingbird feeder and for tanager species and we are used to visit both places for Rufous-crested Coquette, Golden-tailed Saphire, Saphire-spangled, Blue-tailed Emeralds, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, White-necked Jacobin, Gray-breasted Saphirewing, Brown Violetear, Great-billed, White-bearded, Rufous-breasted, Koepcke’s (E) Hermits and many more. And in the afternoon, we will do some of the trails of the lodge for a bamboo specialist such as Bamboo Antshrike, Striated, Manu, Goeldi’s, White-lined, Antbirds, Rufous-headed Woodpecker, White-cheeked Tody-flycatcher, Black-backed Tody-flycatcher (E) and many more. And we will try to find some Tawny-bellied and Tropical Screech-owls, Black-banded Owl and Pauraque. Nights in Manu Biological Center (Villa Carmen Station)

Day 8-9: Birding Upper Manu Road up to 3,000 m

Today we will have a morning birding for some missing species along the bamboo trail before we leave and start our birding drive up to 3,000 meters where is located our last lodge in Manu Road. This area will provide us to watch: Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Grass-green Mountain-Tanager, Chestnut-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Barred Becard, Red-crested and Chestnut-crested Cotingas, Slaty-backed Chat-tyrant, Golden-collared Tanager, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Blue-banded Toucanet (E), Red and White Antpitta (E), Marcapata Spinetail (E) Andean, white-cheeked Solitaries. One morning we will Early start with Urubamba Antpitta near the lodge. We will try to search for owls before or after dinner. Nights in Wayquecha Station

Day 10: Birding to Cusco airport – Flight to Lima

Early birding along the road for some missing species and then we will head back to Cusco airport for our afternoon flight to Lima or if you stay in Cusco, we can leave you at your hotel.

NOTE: Join extra 3 days of birding for more! Apurimac, Abra Malaga, Carrizales & Ipal Ecolodge

Have an Amazing Birding Holiday in Peru!