Day 1 - Lima
Arrive in Lima and transfer to your hotel, located near the airport. Overnight Casa Andina Select
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Day 2 - Lima
Following breakfast and orientation you will take a field trip to Lomas de Lachay National Reserve, an oasis of mist in the Peruvian desert, where you will receive a lecture on ‘the desert birds among the mist.’ The reserve covers an area of 5,070 hectares in the foothills of the Huaral Province. The unique geography and its resulting climate have created a special ecosystem where dwarf forests and small birds and mammals thrive. Lachay boasts 55 species of birds from 15 families including residents and migrants. Species often spotted in the area include the Vermillion Flycatcher, Cactus Canastero, Andean Tinamou, and Burrowing Owl, as well a variety of hummingbirds. This afternoon you will return to the hotel for a lecture overviewing the birds of Peru before dinner. Overnight Casa Andina Select (BLD)
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Day 3 - Tambopata
After breakfast you will transfer to the airport for your flight to Puerto Maldonado. Upon arrival you will transfer to the Infierno River Port to board your boat for a 45-minute trip to the lodge. Stops will be made along the way in order to search for Pied Lapwings, Collared Plovers, King Vultures, Bat Falcons, Olive and Russet-backed Oropendolas, Ringed Kingfishers, and Amazon Kingfishers. The lodge is a short walk from the river’s edge and is located within the territory of the Infierno Community, adjacent to the Tambopata National Reserve. A welcome orientation and
dinner will be provided at the lodge. Overnight Posada Amazonas (BLD)
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Day 4 - Tambopata
Early this morning you’ll take a 30-minute walk to the 98 ft tall Canopy Tower for bird observation. This area is the best chance to see Hawkeagles, and on a lucky day perhaps even a Harpy Eagle. The flocks here are mostly composed of tanagers (Paradise Tanager, Green-and-gold Tanager, Flame-crested Tanager, Turquoise Tanager, Opal-rumped Tanager, and others) as well as Cream-colored Woodpeckers, Gilded Barbets, Plumthroated Cotingas, and Striolated Puffbirds. Macaws and toucans are often seen flying against the horizon, including the Chestnut-eared, Lettered, Emerald, Curl-crested, and Brown-mandibled Aracaries. You will return to the lodge for breakfast followed by a 15-minute boat ride to the bamboo patches around Tres Chimbadas Lake to look for endemics. The afternoon’s birding along the Shahue Trail will be in search of Fiery-capped Manakins, Round-tailed Manakins, Pale Rumped Trumpeteers, and Pavonine Quetzals. Overnight Posada Amazonas (BLD)
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Day 5 - Tambopata
After breakfast you will enjoy a 30-minute boat ride followed by a walk to an oxbow lake, which has palm swamp and grassland vegetation. Here you can try to spot species such as the Pale-vented Pigeon, Azure Gallinule, Rufescent Tiger-Herons, Gray-breasted Crake, and Rufous-sided Crake. Lunch at the lodge will be followed by afternoon birding along the Shije’eje Trail. This trail offers opportunities to spot Variegated Tinamou, Curlcrested Aracari, and mixed species flock. A small clay lick attracts Duskyheaded and Black-capped parakeet and Cobalt-winged Parrotlets. Overnight Posada Amazonas (BLD)
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Day 6 - Yucay
After breakfast at the lodge, you will walk to the river to board the boat back to Tambopata River Port where you will transfer to the Puerto Maldonado airport for your flight to Cusco. Upon arrival in Cusco you can watch for a variety of humming bird species during your transfer to the Sacred Valley. This afternoon you will take an excursion to Pisac Market before heading to your hotel for dinner and a lecture on Andean birds. Overnight Posada
del Inca Yucay (BLD)
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Day 7 - Machu Picchu
Early morning birding around the hotel will be followed by breakfast and transfer to Ollantaytambo train station. The scenic train ride to Aguas Calientes follows the meandering Urubamba River on a journey through the Peruvian Andes. Upon arrival, your journey continues with a bus transfer to Machu Picchu. Look for the endemic Cusco Brush-Finch, Inca Wren, and Tricolored Brush-Finch. Dinner will be at the hotel. Overnight Machu Picchu Pueblo (BLD)
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Day 8 - Machu Picchu
After breakfast you will bird around the hotel’s gardens, looking for Sclater’s Flycatcher, Inca Wren, tanager flocks, barbets, and hummingbirds. Following lunch at a local restaurant you will take a field trip to the cloud forest. The area of Machu Picchu characterized by mountains, valleys, and streams which support humid mountain scrub, second-growth scrub, and evergreen forests. Up to 406 bird species have been recorded here, over half of them migratory. Species commonly seen in the area include the
Gray-breasted Mountain Toucan, Inca Wren, Tri-colored Brush-Finch, White-winged Black Tyrant, Masked Fruiteater, Yellow-scarfed Tanager, and Cusco Brush-Finch. Overnight Machu Picchu Pueblo (BLD)
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Day 9 - Cusco
After breakfast and birding at the hotel you will travel by train to Ollantaytambo station. Your transfer to Cusco includes a visit to Chincheros town, an early Inca center where you will tour a local weaving cooperative and learn about the styles and techniques of this ancient tradition. Upon your late afternoon arrival in Cusco you will check-in at the hotel and spend the rest of your afternoon at leisure. Dinner will be at the hotel. Overnight Casa Andina - Private Collection Cusco (BLD)
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Day 10 - Cusco
Breakfast will be at the hotel before a field trip to Huacarpay Lagoon, a small highland lake that is a favorite birding spot near Cusco. You will receive a lecture on the birds of the area and some time to seek out a variety
of Andina birds including ducks, herons, and grebes. The reed beds harbor species such as the Wren-like Rushbird, Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, and Yellow-winged Blackbird. A picnic lunch will be served on site, with the rest of the afternoon at leisure to explore the city of Cusco or continue birding. Dinner will be at a local restaurant for a taste of the local fare. Overnight Casa Andina - Private Collection Cusco (BLD)
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Day 11 - Paracas
After breakfast you will transfer to the airport for a morning flight to Lima followed by a transfer by bus to Paracas. En route, enjoy a birding field trip to Pantanos de Villa, a protected area recognized by the RAMSAR Convention as an internationally important wetland for aquatic birds. After a box lunch you continue your journey to Paracas and walk to the salt marsh observation tower to view flamingos and shore birds. Later you will transfer to the hotel for a lecture on ‘the Peruvian desert and the Humboldt current’ followed by dinner. Overnight Hilton Paracas (BLD)
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Day 12 - Ballestas Islands
This morning you’ll take an early morning boat excursion to the Ballestas Islands, a breeding site for seabirds such as Humboldt Penguin, Peruvian Booby, and the Inca Tern. Other possibilities are the endangered Peruvian Diving Petrel, skuas, and even albatrosses. As you continue towards the continental shelf, you may spot shearwaters, petrels, storm-petrels, and other pelagic birds. After lunch at the hotel you will visit Paracas Reserve to see the Cathedral, shorebirds, and the Mirador colony of sea lions. Dinner will be at the hotel. Overnight Hilton Paracas (BLD)
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Day 13 - Lima
Breakfast will be at the hotel followed by a morning exploration of dunes and desert for birding (boxed lunch). This afternoon you’ll bird in agricultural fields before a late afternoon arrival to Lima. Dinner will be at your hotel this evening. Overnight Casa Andina - Select (BLD)
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Day 14 - Lima
After breakfast at the hotel you will transfer to the airport for your flight home. (B)
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