From the dry chaco with its distinctive avifauna, to the southernmost cloudforests in the Andes, to the high altiplano with its flamingo-studded lakes, this tour offers a fascinating variety of habitats and birds. There is a huge number of different species for birders who have only visited the north Andean countries, with evocative names like earthcreepers, brushrunners, cacholotes, and gallitos. We cover a lot of ground on this tour, but it is quite comfortable thanks to Argentina’s good infrastructure and friendly people. Wine aficionados will enjoy sampling the great local vintages during our evening meals. 

Day 1: Córdoba
Our flights arrive in the afternoon, and we’ll head straight to a hotel at the base of the mountains, just outside the city.

Day 2: Sierra de Córdoba
This isolated, misty mountain range is strikingly beautiful with its rocky crags and grassy valleys. We search small streams for the endemic Olrog’s and Córdoba Cinclodes, but won’t ignore the more common birds like the unique Spectacled Tyrant and colorful Long-tailed Meadowlark. Later on, we’ll leave the mountains and head north into the chaco, a type of arid, stunted woodland that covers much of interior Argentina.

Day 3: Salinas Grandes
The strange, endemic Salinas Monjita manages to eke out a living around the edges of just a few salt pans in this area of Argentina. We hope to score this bird early and have some time to bird the chaco for Spot-winged Falconet, Black-crested Finch, Crested Hornero, and other specialties. Later on, we have a fairly long drive through the heat of the day to the mountain village of Tafí del Valle, where we spend two nights.

Day 4: El Infiernillo and Rio Sosa
We’ll bird this high mountain pass at dawn for Buff-breasted Earthcreeper, Scribble-tailed Canastero, and Tucuman Mountain-Finch before dropping down into the forested Rio Sosa Valley. Here we’ll check the river looking for Rufous-throated Dipper, the rarest member of the family, as well as the endemic White-browed Tapaculo and Yellow-striped Brush-Finch.

Day 5: Tafí del Valle to Salta
On the far side of the pass, the road drops into an upland desert characterized by tall, columnar cacti. This is home to two more Argentine endemics, the ghostly Sandy Gallito and noisy White-throated Cachlote. We’ll continue north and spend the night close to Salta.

Day 6: Salta to Cachí
This road snakes up a steep valley known as the Cuesta del Obispo, where roadside scrub and woodland hold some extremely localized species like Iquico Canastero and Rufous-bellied Saltator. Dropping down into the desert again, we can enjoy great views of the weird Burrowing Parrot, and we’ll spend time targeting the endemic Steinbach’s Canastero. We’ll have one night in the village of Cachí.

Day 7: Cachi to Jujuy
We head back over the Cuesta de Obispo, searching for any remaining specialties and then drive north to the city of Jujuy for one night.

Day 8: Rio Yala and the Humahuaca Valley
Birding the idyllic Rio Yala valley will give us another chance at Rufous-throated Dipper, although the rare Red-faced Guan will be our main target in the alder forests. We should also find Spot-breasted Thornbird, Rusty-browed Warbling-Finch, and Fulvous-headed Brush-Finch. Later, we head north, climbing up the Humahuaca valley into the altiplano. Roadside stops can be very productive, highlighted by the endemic Bare-eyed Ground-Dove and flocks of finches that should include the cracking Black-hooded Sierra-Finch. We’ll spend the night in a small Altiplano village.

Day 9: Laguna de los Pozuelos
This huge lake is a magnet for flamingos, high Andean waterfowl, and shorebirds. Depending on the water levels, we could see Chilean, Andean, and Puna Flamingos towering over the smaller Puna Plovers, Andean Avocets, and a variety of ducks. The dry scrub around the lake is great for Puna and Common Miners, Gray-breasted Seedsnipe, Short-billed Pipit, and a variety of finches. In the afternoon, we drive to the border town of La Quiaca for a two-night stay.

Day 10: Sierra de Santa Victoria
We climb up to a 14,700 ft (4500 m.) pass, the highest elevation we reach on tour. The scenery here is nothing short of spectacular, and while species numbers are low, what we do see is quite different. The smartly-dressed Red-backed Sierra-Finch is usually easy to find, and we’ll also look for Plain-breasted Earthcreeper, Slender-billed Miner, Black-fronted Ground-Tyrant, and Andean Swallow.

Day 11: La Quiaca to Calilegua NP
By doing some early morning birding close to a quaint village, we should score Citron-headed Yellow-Finch or even a Wedge-tailed Hillstar. We then have a long drive back through Jujuy and onto San Martin, where we’ll spend the next two nights. We may arrive early enough for some afternoon birding in Calilegua NP. This park protects a huge tract of wet yungas cloudforest.

Day 12: Calilegua NP
We’ll spend the day birding various elevations of the park. Some of the key birds here include Tucuman Parrot, Blue-capped Puffleg, White-throated Antpitta, and Saffron-billed Sparrow. If we stay out late, we may find Hoy’s Screech-Owl or Stygian Owl.

Day 13: Palomitas and JV Gonzales
Today we return to the chaco, first birding a foothill road that is good for the elegant Black-legged Seriema. This bird is much shyer than it’s more common cousin, the Red-legged Seriema, and we’ll need some luck to pick one out of the dense scrub. This area is also good for Cream-backed Woodpecker and Spot-backed Puffbird. We then drive to the town of JV Gonzales, where we spend the night. Before dusk we will search for the outstanding Olive-crowned Crescent-chest, which most people find hard to believe is actually a tapaculo.

Day 14: JV Gonzales to Salta
We have most of the day to scour the chaco for the last few specialties we’re after, such as Little Thornbird and Black-bodied Woodpecker, before driving to Salta.  

Day 15: Salta
The tour ends this morning as we take flights out of Salta.

TOUR INFO:

CLIMATE: Hot in the chaco to chilly in the high Andes, with a bit of rain in some areas.

DIFFICULTY: Mostly easy. Nearly all birding is from roadsides, and there is only one optional strenuous hike. This tour does require some long days and a few long drives.

ACCOMMODATION: Very good, except for two nights in basic hotels - they still have private bathrooms and hot water, but the rooms are rather small and simple.