Machu Picchu, Cusco Andes, Manu & Tambopata
Day 1: Arrive in Lima
Usually, international flights arrive in Peru from 9:30 pm to 11:30 pm. We will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to your hotel selected. We mainly stay in the Miraflores area or close to airport. Overnight in Hotel
Day 2: Humboldt Penguin - Cusco
Morning birding for some sea birds a long the Pacific coast, Our first stop will be Villa marshes located at 30 minutes south of Lima where is a spectacular reserve for shore birds migrants & residents. Then we will go a bit further for about 3o minutes again to visit a nice fishing town Pucusana for a short boat trip searchign for humboldt Penguien, Red-legged & Guanay Cormorants, Surf Cinclodes (E), Peruvian Pelican, Inca Tern, Peruvian Booby. Then we will have a very fresh peruvian seafood & Pisco Sour to celebrate your arrival to Peru & amazing day. After great lunch we will head to Lima airport for our domestic flight to Cusco. Night in Cusco
Day 3: Birding drive to Limatambo/Mollepata
Morning flight to Cusco. There we will explore some of the Andean Lakes Piuray & Huaypo located 30 minutes from Cusco. Then we will start our drive for 2 hours to Limatambo/Mollepata north of Cusco. We will make some stops after Limatambo village for White-eared Puffbirds, Pale-breasted Spinetail. After checking into our hotel, we will start our birding drive up to Soraypama for Apurimac Brush-Finch (E), Apurimac Spinetail (E), White-tufted Sunbean (E), Creamy-crested Spinetail (E), Rusty-fronted Canastero (E), Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch (E), and many others species found along the road and if we are lucky Andean Condor flying over our heads. In the evening we will try to find Kopeck’s Screech-Owl and Buff-fronted Owl before or after dinner. Night in Mollepata Hotel
Day 4: Morning birding and Ollantaytambo
After breakfast, we will start our birding drive up to the Mountain of Soraypampa (3,900 m), where we can find Vilcabamba Tapaculo (E), Golden-billed Saltator, Andean Flicker, Giant Conebill, Tit-like Dacnis, Black-throated Flowerpiercer, Paramo Seedeater, Tufted Tit-tyrant, Andean Lapwing and several other species. We will be back for lunch to our hotel and then we will head to the Sacred Valley to visit Emisfera Camp a nice place with feeders for hummingbirds and Tanagers. Dinner & Night in Ollantaytambo town.
Day 5: Early drive to Abra Malaga – Carrizales – Ipal
Early drive up to Abra Malaga Pass at 3,400 m, where we will explore the main trail along the Polylepis forest for White-browed Tit-Spinetail (E), Tawny Spinetail, Junin Canastero (E), Puna Tapaculo, Stripe-headed Antpitta, Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant and other species. Then we will back to the main road to keep driving into the other side of the Pass to get to the Carrizales area where Chusquea Bamboo and cloud forest specialist as Cusco Brush-Finch (E), Parodis Hemispingus (E), Inca Wren (E), Marcapata Spinetail (E), Inca Wren (E) and also Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Golden-Collared Tanager, Blue-black Tanager, and several other species. Depending on our arrival at our next birding spot we will spend birding for the rest of the afternoon. Night in Ipal Ecolodge
Day 6: Full-day birding Ipal Ecolodge
After breakfast, we will drive for 30 minutes to get to the main birding spot along the hill forest searching for mixed flocks of Tanagers, Flycatchers, Barbet, Toucans, Quetzal and many others. This area provides a chance to find the endemics Masked Fruiteater (E), Creamy-bellied Antwren (E), Blue-banded Toucanet (E), Ocellated Piculet, Golden-headed and crested Quetzal. In the afternoon we will explore other spots and before dinner, we will try for some Owls. Night in Ipal Ecolodge.
Day 7: Morning birding up to Carrizales/Abra Malaga – Cusco
This morning will depend on which birding spot we will choose for some missing species. We will pass through Ollantaytambo and then we will make some stops at Huaypo Lake for some other species. Dinner & Night in Ollantaytambo
Day 8: Machu Picchu Time!
Early train ride to Aguas calientes around 2 hours and then bus drive for about 20 minutes to reach the Machu Picchu entrance 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 Cusco. Dinner & Night in Cusco
Day 9: Lake Huacarpay, Sacred Garden, Acjanaco Pass (3,100 mts) to Manu Road (1,400 mts)
Early morning we will go to Huacarpay Lake located at 30 minutes south of Cusco where we will find Anden Gull, Plumbeous Rail, Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, Puna Teal and many other. After few hours birding around this amazing place, we will head to San Salvador area to visit (Sacred Garden) for hummingbirds & Tanagers. Then we will start our birding adventure up to the most popular road in Peru Manu Road where we will enjoin a lot of different birds and amazing landscapes starting from 3,300 mt (11,150 ft) to San Pedro area at (1,450 mt). 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 10-11: Full days 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, Peruvian 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 just to mention some. We will visit also during ou birding days some private birding for hummingbird & Tanager feeders. Before or after dinner we will try for Rufescent Screech-Owl and Lyre-tailed Nightjar. Night in CORL or MPL
Day 12-13: 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 14: 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 15: Birding & Back to Cusco
Early birding for some missing species and then we will drive back to Cusco. Night in Cusco
Day 16: Flight to Puerto Maldonado
Flight to Puerto Maldonado town (120 mt). As soon as we arrive to Southern Amazon, we will be transfer to the main river dock at Madre de Dios River side to take our short boat trip for 30 minutes downstream with the chance to watch some wading bird species as Drab Water Tyrant, Southern Lapwing, Collared Plover, Large and Yellow-billed Tern. As soon we arrive to the entrance of Lake Sandoval located in Tambopata National Reserve, we will take the only trail available for visitors which in last few years was build a woody platform walkway along the trail making much easier to walk because before was all muddy and too hard to walk through. The trail is only 3 km to reach a small waterway where all visitors take a small boat with paddles and get into the main lake and lodges located at one side of the lake Sandoval allowed by the National Reserve. We will have a chance to find several species along the trail and along the lake on our way to our lodge to stay. Night in Sandoval Lodge
Day 17-18: Oxbow Lake birding, Giant River Otters, Monkeys
Early birding by boat along the lake for several species such as Ringed, Green, Amazon, Green and Rufous, Pygmy Kingfishers, Agami, Capped, Cocoi Herons, Green ibis, Sungrebe, Silvered, Banded Antbirds, Streak Antwren, Long-billed Woodcreeper, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Hoatzin, Black-cowled Wood-Rail, White-winged, White-banded Swallows and many others species and with good luck a family of Giant River Otter, Black Caiman, Red-howler Monkey. After a great first hour of the morning, we will back for breakfast and then some birding along the trails with the chance to find: Cream-colored, Lineated, Ringed Woodpeckers, Crimson-crested, Red-necked Woodpeckers, Great, Bluish and Paradise Jacamar, Black-tailed, Blue-crowned, Collared, Amazonian Trogons, Amazonian, Rufous, Broad-billed Motmots, Pale-winged Trumpeter, Curl-crested, Ivory-billed, Letter, Chestnut-eared Aracaris, Buff-throated, Cinnamon-throated, Elegant, Inambari, Wedge-billed, Plain-brown, Long-tailed Woodcreepers, Black-faced, White-browed, Chestnut-tailed, Gray, White-throated Antbirds, Purple-throated, Bare-necked Fruitcrow, Golden-Collared Toucanet. Night in Sandoval Lodge
Day 19: Birding to Puerto Maldonado – Refugio Amazonas Lodge
Morning birding along the trails and after we will start our trip back to Puerto Maldonado to be transfer to our last lodge in Tambopata. The lodge is located at one side of Tambopata River by boat is 1 hour and with by car and boat 2 hours from Puerto Maldonado town. The lodge surrounding provides different types of forest to find some species that we did no see yet and there is a canopy tower about 43 mt hight providing an amazing view and better chances to see canopy species. Night Refugio Amazonas
Day 20-21: Macaw Clay lick & birding trails
Early visit the biggest concentration of macaws & parrots in Tambopata Reserve knows as Macaw Clay Lick, where more than hundred species meet every morning to socialize and some clay from the river cliff as part of their diet. After amazing morning we will head back to our Lodge. In the afternoon we will do the canopy tower and some trails, if time permits we will search for some owls. Night in Refugio Amazonas
Day 22: Morning birding & Back to Puerto Maldonado - Flight to Lima
Early birding and then we will be transfer to Puerto Maldonado hotel and after we will keep birding for some species only found near Puerto Maldonado as Purus, White-throated, Bluish-fronted Jacamars, Straight-billed Woodcreeper, Hooded Tanager, Blue-headed Macaw, Rusty-backed Antbird, Black-bellied and white-faced whistling-duck, Brazilian Teal, Southern and Pied Lapwing and several other species. Then we will be tranfer to Maldonado Airport for the flight to Lima