Birding Escape from Cusco - Cheap Bird Watching Holidays in Peru

Breakdown of Day 1;
• Bird watch - Acjanaco Pass.
• Sapansachayoq Lodge.

This morning we travel along the Andes. During our trip we will pass through dry habitats, and this provides great chances to search for a couple of endemics; Bearded Mountaineer, Chestnut Breasted Mountain Finch and other interesting bird for the high Andean Mountains such as; Andean Flicker, Mountain Caracara, Andean Lapwing, Giant hummingbirds, Rufous Webbed Shrike-Tyrant, Ground Tyrants and others.

We continue and passing by the Intermountain valleys, we stop briefly for the Undulated and Rufous Antpitta, Rust, and Yellow Tanager, Red Crested Cotinga, Creamy Crested Spinetail, Sword Billed Hummingbird, Brown Backed Chat-Tyrants, Flowerpiercers, and Flycatchers.

Driving uphill we will reach the high mountains which is locally known as Puna, we will be searching diligently for Sedge Wren, Line Fronted and Junin Canastero, while descending the Acjanacu Pass (1066 feet). The vegetation is scattered and we will look for birds of this habitat such as; Chestnut Bellied, Hooded, Scarlet Bellied Mountain-Tanager and the bird’s flocks that travel at this misty forest are quite productive also to find some specialists at this elevation, Crimson Mantled Woodpecker, Plushcap, White Banded & throated Tyrannulet, Pearled Treerunner, Puna Thistletail, Black-throated Tody-Tyrant, Sierran Eleania, Golden Collared, Grass Green, Blue Capped Tanagers,  Band-tailed and Barred Fruiteater, Streaked Tuftedcheeck, Purple Backed Thornbill   among others in the mixed flocks as they are more frequently to find them flying across the road.

Other interesting targets at Tuneles  and Esperanza location are; Gray Breasted Mountain-Toucan, Chestnut Crested Cotinga the Endemic Red and White Antpitta, while transecting along the Cloud Forest as we keep driving down into the mountain. The vegetation will gradually have changed into a more dense vegetation. It holds birds species like; Golden Headed Quetzals, Stripe-faced Wood-quail, Yungas Pigmy Owl , Blue-Banded Toucanet, Collared Jay Mountain Cacique, Greater Scythebill.

If lucky enough we may see the umbrella as far driving down the mountains we will arrive to Sapansachayoq Lodge which on of the best, to observe the Cock of the rock, (Peru’s national bird). It more easy to find them while they are displaying at their lek, (the male birds are a vibrant reddish-orange, and as many as several dozens get together for an exhibition of a mating ritual dance in a place called Lek) overnight at the Lodge.

Breakdown of Day 2;
• Early Start, - Cloud Forest.
• Bird watch - Bamboo Forest.
• Guadalupe Lodge.

Early morning we will be searching diligently for more species of the Cloud forest; Yungas Manakin, Versicolored Barbed, Orange Eared Tanager, Streak Necked Flycatcher, Andean Motmot and the Cock of the Rock.

The driving downhill give us chances to explore the bamboo forest that holds a unique collection of birds, " White Checked Tody-flycatcher", Red-billed Scythebill, Bamboo Antshrike, Ornate, White-Eyed and Dot Winged Antwren, Peruvian Recurbill, Dusky Cheeked, Ruddy , Buff Throated Foliage Gleaner, Large Headed Flatbill, Manu and Black Antbird, the Unmistakable Rufous Headed Woodpecker and Yellow-Billed Nunbird.

Upon our arrival at Guadalupe Lodge, we will be exploring part of the palm forest to look for psittacines, Blue-Headed, Chestnut Fronted Macaw, Blue-Headed, Yellow-Crowned Parrots.  The riverine forest also offers a great spot to look for the Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Sunbittern. Our target species this afternoon will be the Endemic Black-Backed Tody-Flycatcher which commonly heard along the road, as well as the Rusty, Fronted Tody-Tyrant.

Before dusk, we look for nightjars, potoo and owls, the road it’s by far the best place to see them. Overnight at Guadalupe Lodge.

Breakdown of Day 3;
• Bird Watch & Breakfast.
• Hoatzin Kingdom - lagoon.
• Drive through the Cloud Forest. Waterfalls, bird watch / Journey back to Cusco.
• Arrival in Cusco at night.

We will wake up with the amazing variety of birds call that emerges out from the forest. The diversity of callings are incredible here, the most frequently heard are specialist from bamboo forest; Mustached and Scaly Breasted Wren, Golden Bellied and Buff Rumped Warbler, Warbling Antbird, Dot Winged Antwren, Bluish Fronted Jacamar, Manu, Striated, White Line Antbird, Stripe Chested Antwren among others. Calls you heard coming just behind your cabins, we also heard the calls of the Blue and Yellow Macaws overflying at dawn. 

Exploring the garden we get chances to spot the; Golden Tailed Sapphire, Blue-tailed Emerald, Rufous Breasted, White Bearded and White Browed Hermit, Gray Breasted Sabrewing, Buff Tailed Sicklebill, Rufous Crested Coquette, Golden Tailed Sapphire.

During our way back, we visit a lagoon that is packed by Hoatzins known as pre-historic birds due its appearance, most of the bird sights here are also ; Brazilian Teals, Southern Lapwings, Flycatchers, Amazon, Green Kingfishers, Little, Lineated  and Spot Breasted Woodpeckers, Gray Breasted and Rufous Sided Crake, Capped Heron, Little Cuckoo, Silvered Antbird, Amazonian Antpitta and many more.  Continuing the journey back we start climbing the Andes and arriving in Cusco at night.