Birdwaching 7 days / 6 nights

SPECIAL PROGRAM FOR BIRWATCHERS 7/D 6/N

DAY 1: Cusco- Huacarpay- Paucartambo- Píllahuata:

You leave Cusco early in the morning (appr. 05:30 am) by private transportation. Lake Huacarpay is reached after 40 minutes, where we spend time to observe highland lake and marsh birds. We look for the Plumbeous Rail, which is not as elusive here as rails normally are, the Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant and two endemics, the Rusty-fronted Canastero and the spectacular hummingbird, the Bearded Mountaineer. Afterwards the bus takes you to the folkloric village Paucartambo for a late breakfast.

In the early afternoon you arrive at the Ajanaco pass at 3900 m and the beginning of our descent of the eastern Andes. This is also the beginning of the Manu National Park, where the slope forests, unlike at other parts of the eastern Andes, are almost completely untouched. In between the clouds we look for flocks of many different tanager species. Also the Andean Guan, White-collared Jay, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker and the endemic Puna Thistletail belong to this altitude. We make camp for the night at Pillahuata at about 2500 m, a transient zone from Temperate to Subtropical.

DAY 2: Pillahuata- San Pedro:

Early in the morning we start looking for birds near our campsite at this avian rich elevation. Grey-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Blue-banded Toucanet, Fulvous Wren and Marcapata Spinetail are some of the possibilities. Red-and-white Antpitta is quite common here and there is a possibility to see the bird.

Then we slowly descend through the Subtropical Zone, stopping whenever encountering new avian communities. At these altitudes we can expect the Crested~ and the Golden-headed Quetzal, among others. In San Pedro, at 1500m, we spend the following two nights at the Posada San Pedro campsite and have our first exploration in this area bordering the Upper Tropical Zone.

DAY 3: San Pedro – Cloudforest:

At dawn we visit the lek of the Cock-of-the-rock, quite close to the lodge. The rest of the day we look around in this avian-rich zone. It is home to many tanagers, but also the song-birds, flycatchers, jays and hummingbirds are well represented. The colony of Russet-backed Oropéndolas is one of the first tropical elements we encounter. On one of the evenings we´ll search Lyre-tailed Nightjar.

DAY 4: San Pedro- Atalaya- Bonanza Reserve:

We pack up camp early to be able to look for the birds between 1500 and 1000m in the ‘good hours’ of the day. Hereafter the Tropical Zone starts, with some traces of human activity. Most of the species encountered here can be found else where, therefore we do not remain here for long. After Pilcopata we reach Atalaya and change, after lunch, into a motorized canoe. We navigate down the Alto Madre de Dios: a relaxed way of observing birds ¬herons, such as the Capped Heron and the Fasciated Tiger-Heron, vultures, possibly King Vulture, over flying macaws, including Military Macaw! Late in the afternoon we are welcomed at Bonanza Campsite (450 m). At dusk we sit near the river and enjoy the Sand-coloured Night-hawks.

DAY 5, 6: Bonanza Ecological Reserve:

Hikes on the well designed trails around Bonanza Campsite take you through at least eight different habitat types with many rare and endemic species of bird. The many different tinamoes, antbirds and manakins are only a fraction of the 537 species of bird found till this day. As always in primary rainforests, one has to work hard to see the birds well, but it is certainly worth the effort. For variation, one can sit in the garden of the lodge and wait for a passing ‘mixed-species flock’, while enjoying the ever-present hummingbirds. The longest trail takes you up the Bonanza Lands, to its first our Ficus stranguler tree,20 m high, the flan jungle you will pass through an isolated patch of swamp areas, displaced at 350 m altitude. This area is one of the most likely sites to encounter the extremely rare Black Tinamou. We start the hike before dawn, still being able to hear the sounds of the Great~ and the Long-tailed Potoo, while diurnal birds just start their daily activities.

DAY 7: Bonanza ecological Reserve – Cusco:

This is a full day of traveling, first by boat back up the Alto Madre de Dios River and then by bus over the Andes to Cusco.

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