Machu Picchu and Abra Malaga

7th July – 10th July 2011                                                        Price $1099

18th August – 21th August 2011                                           Price $1099

1th October – 4th October 2011                                            Price $1099

 

Birding in the land of the Incas

 

Day 1: Cusco, Huacarpay, Ollantaytambo

After the morning flight from Lima to Cusco we will board a private bus to take us to the Huacarpay lagoon where we can see a variety of Andean waterfowl. The pace of this first day will be a little slow in order to get used to the altitude of the area (11000 feet). Some of the birds we can expect to see include Cinnamon, Speckled and Puna Teal, Andean Duck, Puna Ibis, Andean Lapwing, Andean Gull, Andean Flickr, Rufous-fronted Canastero, Wren-like Rushbird, Spot-billed and Rufous-naped Ground-Tyrants, Whitebrowed Chat-Tyrant, Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant, Chiguanco Thrush, Yellow-winged Blackbird, Greenish Yellow-Finch and the endemic Bearded Mountaineer. We will take a bus back to the city of Cusco and then to the Sacred Valley where we spend the night.

Day 2: Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu

We take the early morning train in Ollantaytambo station toward the Inca site of Machu Picchu. The trip lasts 2 hours and the route runs along the Urubamba River where you can easily see the Torrent Duck and White-caped Dipper. Along the valley you will see beautiful snow-capped mountains as our route goes into the lush subtropical forests. On our arrival at the town of Aguas Calientes we will stop to check into our hotel. During the day we will tour the famous ruins of Machu Picchu. In the afternoon we will explore the patches of nearby bamboo in search of the endemic Inca Wren. Other possible species in the area include White-tipped Swift, Black-tailed Trainbearer, Tufted Tit-Tyrant, Variable Antshrike, White-crested Elaenia, Spectacled Redstart, Black-throated and Rusty Flowerpiercer, Silver-backed Tanager and Blue-capped Tanager. We will overnight in Aguas Calientes.

Day 3: Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo

We will spend the morning birding in the subtropical forests on the banks of the Urubamba River where we might see flocks of tanagers, parakeets, orioles, trushes and solitaires. After lunch we will take the train back to Ollantaytambo station. We will then overnight in Urubamba.

Day 4: Ollantaytambo, Abra Malaga, Cusco

We will leave very early in the morning en route to Abra Malaga. The road climbs slowly through a glacial valley to a pass located at 14,000 feet above sea level. This pass is surrounded by snow-capped peaks. We will spend the day exploring a small Polylepis patch in search of the endemic White-tufted Sunbeam, Creamy-crested Spinetail, and Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch. Other specialties of this area include Royal, Bar-winged and White-winged Cinclodes, White-browed and Tawny Tit-Spinetails, Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant, Stripe-headed Antpitta and Giant Conebill. We will then turn to the rainy side of the mountain to look for Coppery-naped Puffleg, Marcapata Spinetail, Puna Thistletail, Unstreaked Tit-Tyrant, Inca Wren, Parodi’s Hemispingus, and Cusco Brush-Finch. At the close of the afternoon we make our way back to Cusco to continue the trip to the Manu Cloud Forest or to catch a flight back to Lima the next day.

Tour Map