Birding Expedi

tions in Peru

     White-tufted Sumbean

 

White-browed Tit-Spinetail                   Royal Cinclodes

   Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant

Tawny Tit-Tyrant

Andean Goose

White-capped Dipper

Lanceolated Monklet

Southern Highlands1   (Cusco)

Trip Basics
Peru's southern mountains are among the world's most spectacular scenery, and also provide excellent birdwatching. We'll experience Cusco's Polylepis forest, Apurimac's isolated cloud forest, Arequipa's salt lakes and Puno's altiplano and Lake Titicaca. This promises to be a rewarding trip. It is also among our most comfortable trips, with hotels every night, and most of them of excellent quality.
Days: 15
Traveling Conditions: Hotels and food at good restaurants  every night, which necessitates pre-dawn driving on some days, but we should not have to drive into the night. Roads are generally excellent.

Itinerary
Day 1
We'll begin the journey with an easy day to adjust to the altitude, beginning at the ruins of Saqsaywaman. The main target here will be Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch, but many other typical highland birds will get us off to a good start, possibly including Green-tailed Trainbearer, Cinereous Conebill and Golden-billed Saltator. In the afternoon we'll drive to Abancay where we'll set up in a comfortable hotel.

Day 2
In the early morning, we'll walk up into the Ampay cloud forest. This trail starts by passing through a scrubby slope, where we may find Rust-and-yellow Tanager, Black-tailed Trainbearer, Mountain Velvetbreast, Apurimac Thistletail (undescribed) and Rusty-fronted Canastero. As we reach the true cloud forest, we'll begin to hear the calls of the local Apurimac Spinetail, a skulker which we should see with some effort. Also in the forest we will search for Apurimac Tapaculo (undescribed) and Undulated Antpitta while Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant is among the most common birds of the area. We'll descend to Abancay in the afternoon and return to the hotel for the night.

Day 3
We'll make an early morning walk on the dry side of the valley near Abancay, where we'll especially hope to find the local race of Pale-tailed Canastero. Other birds in this dry habitat include Mitred Parakeet, Black-backed Grosbeak and White-bellied Hummingbird. We'll drive to Ollantaytambo in the afternoon, again staying in a hotel.

Day 4

Peñas, just above Ollantaytambo, is home to a number of endemics and other interesting birds, and we'll hope to find a number of these on this morning. Creamy-crested Spinetail, White-tufted Sunbeam, Purple-backed Thornbill and Andean Tinamou are among the many possibilities.

In the late morning, we'll move on the Abra Malaga, where we'll walk to a Polylepis forest, which, although threatened by deforestation, still holds Royal Cinclodes, Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant and Tawny and White-browed Tit-Spinetails. In the late afternoon, we'll drive back to Ollantaytambo to our hotel.

Day 5
We'll make an early start, and arrive at the excellent high-elevation forest at Canchayoc in the early morning. The main target here will be the endemic Parodi's Hemispingus, but there are lots of birds to see, including Plush-capped Finch, Rufous-capped Thornbill, White-browed Conebill, Rufous Antpitta and Three-striped Hemispingus. In the afternoon, we'll pass back past Abra Malaga and Peñas, birding as time permits to pick up any missing species. In the evening, we'll take a train to Aguas Calientes, the gate way to Machu Picchu. We'll spend the night in an excellent hotel.

Day 6
We'll have this full day around Machu Picchu, both to enjoy its birds and the archeological wonders. In the morning we'll walk the train tracks near town, hoping especially for Masked Fruiteater, Silver-backed Tanager and Dusky-green Oropendola. In the afternoon, we'll have time to either visit the ruins or check out the hummingbird feeders near town where we could find Gould's Inca, Chestnut-breasted Coronet and Booted Racket-tail among others. We'll spend the night in the same hotel.

Day 7
We'll get the first bus up to the ruins, and walk the Inca Trail back to town. This is always an interesting walk, beginning with the local endemic Inca Wren and White-winged Black-Tyrant near the ruins and moving down through good forest towards the Urubamba River. Among the denizens of this forest are Pale-legged Warbler, Green-and-white Hummingbird, Tricoloured Brush-Finch and Mitred Parakeet. In the afternoon, after a delicious lunch, we'll catch a train back to Cusco for the night in a hotel.

Day 8
This will be a relaxing day, with the only event being the flight from Cusco to Arequipa. Depending on the time of the flight (not yet available), we may bird the road downhill from Arequipa where highlights could include the local Greyish Miner. We'll spend the night in a good hotel.

Day 9
We'll drive to the Colca Canyon on this day, and spend the afternoon in the area, looking especially for the impressive Puna Tinamou as well as Puna Yellow-Finch and possibly Diademed Sandpiper-Plover. We'll spend the night in a hotel in the area. 

Day 10
After enjoying good views of Andean Condors from the famous Mirador Cruz del Condor, we'll drive back to Arequipa, birding along the way. We'll hope for specialties such as Oasis Hummingbird and and Canyon Canastero on the road. 

Day 11
This will be an exciting day, beginning in the Polylepis and scrubland above Arequipa city. Here we'll look for the stunning Black-hooded Sierra-Finch, Dark-winged Canastero and the rare Tamarugo Conebill as well as two good Earthcreepers, Straight-billed and White-throated. We'll then move on to the spectacle of Salinas, where hundreds of Flamingos (Chilean, Andean and Puna) will colour the bleak surrounding landscape. Other birds in the area could include Andean Avocet and Puna Miner. We'll drive on through spectacular mountains to Puno for the night. We'll set up in a comfortable hotel where we'll stay for the next four nights.

Day 12
We'll drive on this day to the bleak puna to the south of Puno, where we'll seek especially Lesser (Puna) Rhea, and also hope for Puna Canasteros and Scale-throated Earthcreeper. We'll return to Puno for dinner and our hotel.

Day 13
Another day trip from Puno will take us around Laguna Umayo, where we'll find more dry puna birds. Among the avian fare could be Short-billed Pipit, Golden-spotted Ground-Dove, Ornate Tinamou and Tawny-throated Dotterel. Also of interest will be the Incan and pre-Incan "tower-tombs" built high above the lake in the bleak landscape.

Day 14
Again heading out of Puno in the morning, we'll head for the the lake-lands near Huancané, north of Lake Titicaca. Waterbirds are prolific in this area, and the possibilities include Red Shoveler, White-backed Stilt, Yellow-winged Blackbird and a good selection of more widespread Andean waterfowl. The main target will be the Short-winged (Titicaca) Grebe. This flightless bird, although not officially considered threatened, seems to be disappearing at an alarming rate, and it will be a thrill to see it. Other birds we may find away from the lakes themselves include Andean Hillstar and Black-winged Ground-Dove. We'll again return to Puno for the night.

Day 15
We'll spend the day driving the picturesque Puno-Cusco highway, stopping in the afternoon at the Huacarpay Lakes. Here, we'll look for the stunning endemic Bearded Mountaineer as well as Rusty-fronted Canastero or even Streak-fronted Thornbird. Waterbirds will be similar to the Huancané area, but Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant and Wren-like Rushbird should be easier, and Yellow-winged Blackbirds are abundant. Hotel is not included this night.