The Ultimate 4-Day Tour for Birdwatchers

Lunch

Your 4-Day adventure will begin early in the morning with a transfer to the South Valley of Cusco until arriving to the Huacarpay lakes that are surrounded by xeric ravines (quebradas in Peruvian Spanish) and rocky hills covered with shrubs, various cacti, tree tobacco, and small trees. The area deserves at least several hours of attentive birding and always seems to be a popular place to start our tour, since the viewing conditions are easy. The marshy shores and waters of the lakes support Andean waterbirds and waders, including White-tufted Grebe, Puna Ibis, Puna Teal, Yellow-billed Pintail, Ruddy Duck, Plumbeous Rail, and Andean Lapwing. In addition, there are usually a few boreal shorebird non-breeders or migrants (quite a few later in the season). The extensive rush beds shelter Cinereous Harriers, Yellow-winged Blackbirds, Wren-like Rushbirds, and the beautiful Many-colored Rush- Tyrant, and the scrubby slopes are home to a number of land birds, including Bare-faced Ground-Dove, Giant Hummingbird (at nine inches, the largest-bodied of the hummers), Streak-fronted Thornbird, large flocks of Greenish Yellow-Finches (usually), Ash-breasted Sierra-Finches, Band-tailed Seedeaters, and the endemic Rusty-fronted Canastero. Another Peruvian endemic, the spectacular Bearded Mountaineer, feeds at the tubular yellow flowers of the wild Tree Tobacco that grows in the outwash plains near the lakes. Hanging above the slopes on occasion are Black chested Buzzard-Eagles, and down them hurtle Aplomado Falcons in pursuit of some unsuspecting dove. You will also have some time to explore some wonderful pre-Inca and Inca archaeological complexes as Tipon and Andahuaylillas. In the midafternoon we drive towards the Sacred Valley and you will spend the night in the beautiful Inca Town of Ollantaytambo.

Lunch

We leave Ollantaytambo early in the morning on the way to Malaga Pass (13780ft/4200m) in the high Andes area, with beautiful puna grasses, rugged landscapes, spectacular mountains, as the snow-capped peak Veronica quietly dominating the cordillera in this area, that goes from the upper temperate forest to the tree line down to about 9000 feet. Much of the area below 9000 feet on the east slope has been badly disturbed, so our birding will be above this point and hence restricted to the upper temperate forest and puna zones.

The lush mixture of bamboo, some Polylepis, and moss-festooned trees of the wet slope (on the north side of the pass) is still extremely rich with birds, as is the scrubby canyon of the dry slope (on the south side of the pass). This, of course, is not always apparent since often people can walk the road for fifteen minutes, even under highly favorable weather conditions, and see very little. The main reason for this is that birds in this cloud forest travel in mixed-species flocks, so the situation is often feast or famine for the birder. Yet few phenomena in the tropics hold the excitement off easting one’s eyes on these flocks when they do materialize out of the clouds or out of a shady enclave untouched as yet by the sun. We know how to work this area for flocks and are sure to find lots of species. “Wet-side” endemics include: Marcapata Spinetail, Puna Thistletail, Unstreaked Tit-Tyrant, Inca Wren, Parodiʼs Hemispingus, and Cusco Brush-Finch. Also, possible see Saphire-vented Puffleg, Line-fronted Canastero, and Diademed Tapaculo. Should rain (or sun!) set in, we will head back across the pass to the “dry side,” watching for Andean Ibis, Gray-breasted Seedsnipe, White-tufted Sunbeam, Creamy-crested Spinetail, Stripe-headed Antpitta, and the handsome Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch. There will be an opportunity for the hardy to climb into an area of extensive Polylepis where we will have a chance for Andean Hillstar, White-browed and Tawny tit-spinetails, Junin Canastero, Puna Tapaculo, Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant, and Giant Conebill. And at any time on the “dry side,” a huge Andean Condor could circle right overhead. Returning to Ollantaytambo we will stop briefly at “Las Peñas” for more species, after having all this spectacular birding experience, you will return to Ollantaytambo train station and hop on board of one of the prettiest train rides in South America with final destination Machu Picchu, which rises enigmatic among the clouds of the majestic Andes. This natural environment located on the eastern slopes of the Andes encompasses the upper Amazon basin, with its rich diversity of flora and fauna.

The citadel was probably the most impressive urban creation of the Inca Empire in its heyday. Its giant walls, terraces and ramps look as if they had been carved naturally in the escarpments of the rock.

When, in 1911, the American archaeologist and historian Hiram Bingham discovered “The Lost City of the Inca Empire”, he could not imagine that he had reached the most enigmatic Inca ruins, one of the most spectacular and overwhelming places on earth that still conserves its mystery, charm and mystical appeal, despite its enormous popularity, even more so after having been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Exploring the place continues to be an exciting experience, especially at dawn, when the scenic rays of light extend over the Andean peaks.

At night, visit the bars along the railroad tracks to share stories with some of the hikers who successfully completed the Inca Trail, or end your fantastic day relaxing the muscles in the hot springs.

Lunch

Early after our breakfast we will walk following the banks of the Urubamba river for about two hours, this is an ideal stretch for bird watching, it is a forest full of flocks of Tanager, Parakeets, siskins, hummingbirds, flycatchers, thrushes, and solitaires, and even occasional White-rumped Hawks and Black-and-chestnut Eagles. Later we will take a bus up to the great Inca citadel of Machupicchu where we will have a guided tour for approximately two hours. The area around Machu Picchu has been cleared of forest and so scrub and bamboo thickets are now the predominant habitat, inhabited by the noisy endemic Inca Wren, although some forest patches can be found along the river valley. Other species we may find in the area include Mitred Parakeet, White-tipped Swift, the endemic Green-and-white Hummingbird, Collared Inca, Ocellated Piculet, Streaked Xenops, Variable Antshrike, Mottle-cheeked Tyrannulet, Rusty Flowerpiercer, Oleaginous Hemispingus, Yellow-bellied Seedeater and Hooded Siskin.

We will have a full morning to bird the subtropical cloudforest around the town, before the train leaves. This area is good for species like Green-and-white Hummingbird, Masked Fruiteater, Variable Antshrike, and Silver-backed Tanager. Optionally, some people may wish to return to the ruins for a final visit. In the late afternoon we will return by train to Ollantaytambo and then by bus to Cusco city.