Day 1: Lima

Your international flights arrive in Lima, the capital city of Peru. We’ll spend the night in a nice hotel next to the terminal, so there is no need for long airport transfers into the city center.

 

Day 2: Coastal mesquite forests and Chaparri

We’ll start with a 1h20m flight to Chiclayo, then drive out of the city and spend the morning birding dry forest and desert scrub. We’ll look for some of the rarest Tumbesian endemics in the gnarled woodland, including Peruvian Plantcutter, Rufous Flycatcher, Cinereous Finch, Tumbes Swallow, and Tumbes Tyrant. With luck, we can also find Peruvian Thick-knee. Later, we’ll drive an hour and a half north to the nice Chaparri Lodge in the dry foothills of the western Andes. A highlight here is seeing the White-winged Guans that were successfully reintroduced and are now breeding on their own in the wild. The lodge also has feeders that attract a variety of dry forest species including White-edged Oriole, Golden Grosbeak, and Croaking Ground-Dove. We’ll spend two nights in the lodge.

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Day 3: Chaparri Reserve

Bird activity can be spectacular right around the lodge early in the morning, with Baird’s Flycatcher, Superciliated Wren, Gray-and-white Tyrannulet, Collared Antshrike, White-tailed Jay, and others singing like crazy and often easy to see. A nearby stream attracts hummingbird like Purple-collared Woodstar and Amazilia Hummingbird, which bathe in the shallows. An easy walk through the woodland near the lodge will give us chances for Pacific Elaenia, White-headed Brush-Finch, Tumbes Hummingbird, Necklaced Spinetail, and Tumbes Pewee among other common Tumbesian species. If we missed Tumbes Tyrant in Pomac, we have another chance to find it here. We’ll spend the afternoon in the lower areas, searching especially for Sulphur-throated Finch, Parrot-billed Seedeater, Collared Warbling-Finch, Short-tailed Field Tyrant, and Scrub Nightjar.

 

Day 4: Chaparri and the Pacific coast

If we’ve missed anything near the lodge, we can look for it this morning; then we can check some lakes and wetlands below the reserve to look for Comb Duck, Black-faced Ibis, and various other waterbirds. We’ll spend the afternoon along the coast. Reedbeds hold Many-colored Rush-Tyrant and Wren-like Rushbird while coastal beaches and wetlands give us a chance for a wide variety of species including Gray-hooded Gull, Peruvian Pelican, Peruvian Tern, numerous migrant shorebirds, and Peruvian Pipit. We’ll spend one night in a nice lodge north of Chiclayo.

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Day 5: Abra Porculla and Jaén

We need a very early start as we drive about two hours up to a low pass over the western Andes. Remnant forest patches here offer the best chance to see Piura Chat-Tyrant as well as other Tumbesian gems like Black-cowled Saltator, Chapman’s Antshrike, Bay-crowned and White-winged Brush-Finches, and Three-banded Warbler. Skulkers like Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaner and Rufous-necked Foliage-gleaner are also here, but can be shy and tough to see. In the afternoon, we’ll drive several hours to the town of Jaén, where we spend a single night. We’ll spend the afternoon trying to see some of the main targets, especially Little Inca-Finch and Marañon Crescentchest.

 

Day 6: Jaén to Huembo

We’ll spend the morning birding various sites near Jaén, looking for some key Marañon endemics like Marañon Spinetail, Marañon Crescentchest, Marañon Slaty-Antshrike, Little Inca-Finch and the endemic races of Black-capped Sparrow and Northern Slaty-Antshrike. We’ll then drive several hours to the Huembo reserve, where we spend one night in the new lodge here. Huembo is home to the Marvelous Spatuletail – the incredible male is often mentioned in discussions about the world’s most beautiful bird! At least one male usually visits the feeders here on a regular basis along with numerous other hummers like Bronzy Inca, Chestnut-breasted Coronet, White-bellied Woodstar, and White-bellied Hummingbird. Occasionally Little Woodstar visits flowering plants near the lodge as well.

 

Day 7: Huembo to Moyobamba

We’ll enjoy some easy birding around Huembo Lodge in the morning, targeting the endemic Speckle-chested Piculet, the Marañon race of Speckle-breasted Wren, the local Buff-bellied Tanager and more widespread species such as Southern Emerald-Toucanet, Rufous-winged Tyrannulet, and Silvery Tanager. We’ll then drive east through the Andes, making roadside stops based on bird activity, and arrive at Waqanki Lodge near Moyobamba in the afternoon. We should have some time to check out their feeders for some late afternoon hummer activity. Some species that visit their feeders include Rufous-crested Coquette, White-chinned and Golden-tailed Sapphires, Sapphire-spangled Emerald, Black-throated Hermit, Long-billed Starthroat, and Gray-breasted Sabrewing. We have two nights at this great lodge located right next to the forest.

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Day 8: Waqanki Lodge and the Moyobamba Area

An amazing variety of birds inhabit this area due to a variety of habitats. Lush cloudforest blankets the mountain slopes, and a good trail will give us a chance to see some great birds like Fiery-throated Fruiteater, Black-and-white Tody-Flycatcher, Chestnut-throated Spinetail, Fiery-capped Manakin, Bluish-fronted Jacamar, Mishana Tyrannulet, White-bellied Pygmy-Tyrant, Peruvian Warbling-Antbird, Blackish, Spot-backed, and Spot-winged Antbirds, Black-bellied Tanager, Paradise Tanager, Golden-collared Toucanet, Gilded Barbet, and many, many more. We’ll also spend time birding the dry scrub around Moyobamba where quite different birds can be seen such as Cinereous-breasted Spinetail, Stripe-necked Tody-Tyrant, Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant, Rusty-backed Antwren, and Burnished-buff Tanager. Rice fields have some neat birds like Oriole and Pale-eyed Blackbirds, Black-billed Seed-Finch, and Spotted Rail. We’ll also be sure to visit a bridge about 30 minutes away where Oilbirds roost during the day. At night, Band-bellied Owl can often be seen near the lodge clearing.

 

Day 9: Moyobamba to Abra Patricia

After another morning of birding in the Moyobamba area, we'll drive back west to Owlet Lodge in Abra Patricia, named after the Long-whiskered Owlet, a bird that was almost never seen outside of a mistnet until this lodge was built in 2008. We’ll spend some time at the hummer feeders, which usually have Long-tailed Sylph, Emerald-bellied Puffleg, Speckled Hummingbird, Peruvian Racket-tail, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, along with some species we would have seen at Huembo. Depending on the weather, we may make a first attempt at trying to see the owlet. We will spend four nights in this well-located lodge.

 

Days 10-12: Abra Patricia Area

This area has unique elfin ridgetop forests that support numerous rare and extremely localized species, some of which were only described to science in the last 30 years. We’ve got a good chance to find Bar-winged Wood-Wren, Royal Sunangel, Johnson’s Tody-Tyrant, and Cinnamon-breasted Tody-Tyrant, and will make a serious effort to see three difficult endemic antpittas, Rusty-tinged Antpitta, Chestnut Antpitta, and Ochre-fronted Antpitta, some of which come to worm feeders. Other interesting birds here include Yellow-scarfed, Yellow-throated, White-capped Tanagers, Silvery, and Blue-browed Tanagers, White-faced Numbird, Inca Flycatcher, Chestnut-crested Cotinga, Rufous-vented Tapaculo, and Variable Antshrike. Along with the owlet, nightbirding near the lodge might turn up White-throated Screech-Owl and Rufous-banded Owl. During one of our full days here, we’ll leave early and drive down into the foothills to a private reserve called Arena Blanca. A blind offers the chance to see Cinereous Tinamou, Little Tinamou, and Rufous-breasted Wood-Quail as they come in to eat corn at dawn. It’s a good spot to look for Zimmer’s Antbird, and the hummer feeders sometimes attract some different species like Blue-fronted Lancebill and Black-throated Brilliant. On our way back to the lodge, we'll bird roadsides in the foothills  hoping for mixed flocks that can be truly superb with dozens of species. A few birds we might see include Spotted, Green-and-gold, Paradise, and Orange-eared Tanagers, Bronze-green Euphonia, Chestnut-tipped Toucanet, Lanceolated Monklet, Ecuadorian Tyrannulet, Marble-faced Bristle-Trant, Plumbeous-crowned Tyrannulet, Gray-mantled Wren, Montane Foliage-gleaner, and Olive-backed Woodcreeper.

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Day 13: Abra Patricia to Leymebamba

We’ll leave again in the dark and drive about an hour to the start of a difficult trail where we hope to see Pale-billed Antpitta. We will only attempt this steep, rocky trail if it is dry, and it takes at least an hour to walk up, but there is a reasonable chance to see the antpitta. We’ll also try to find Russet-mantled Softtail, Unstreaked Tit-Tyrant, Red-hooded Tanager, and a distinct subspecies of Plain-tailed Wren. In the afternoon, we’ll drive through the scenic Utcubamba canyon, where we’ll look for Marañon Thrush and Black-necked Woodpecker before arriving at the bustling town of Leymebamba, where we spend one night. Depending on what time we arrive, there could be a chance to check out some hummer feeders nearby. Koepcke’s Screech-Owl can sometimes be seen near the hotel after dark.

 

Day 14: Leymebamba to Celendín

A long but spectacular day as we traverse the Marañon Canyon. We’ll start in patches of temperate forest that can be superb early in the morning with great birds like Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Barred Fruiteater, and Yungas Pygmy-Owl; feeding flocks can be loads of fun with various tanagers, hemispinguses, flycatchers, warblers, and more. We’ll then drive up to the grassy paramo and scrub near the rim of the canyon, where we’ll look for the endemic Coppery Metaltail, then try for páramo species such as White-chinned Thistletail, Many-striped Canastero, and Neblina Tapaculo. We’ll then descend into the canyon along one of the most amazing roads in the world. As we get lower the habitat becomes much drier, and we’ll keep an eye out for Marañon endemics like Yellow-faced Parrotlet, Peruvian Pigeon, and Buff-bridled Inca-Finch. In the afternoon we drive up over the western rim, stopping at stakeouts for two more endemics: Gray-winged Inca-Finch and Chestnut-backed Thornbill. We’ll spend two nights in a hotel in the small town of Celendín.

 

Day 15: Marañon Canyon and the Celendín Area

There is a good chance we will have missed at least one of our Marañon targets, so we’ll plan to head back down to nail them this morning. If we got lucky with all of them the previous day, then we’ll get a head start on some of tomorrow’s targets.

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Day 16: Celendín to Cajamarca

This road passes through a mixture of farmland and montane scrub, yet can be surprisingly productive. Cajamarca Antpitta, Rufous-webbed Bush-Tyrant, Black-crested Tit-Tyrant, Rusty-crowned Tit-Spinetail, Tit-like Dacnis, Peruvian Sierra-Finch, Streak-throated Canastero, Black Metaltail, Shining Sunbeam, White-browed Chat-Tyrant, and Golden-billed Saltator are just some of the birds we’ll be trying to see along here. We’ll spend the last night of the tour in Cajamarca, the ancient city where the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro defeated a force of 80,000 Inca warriors and captured their emperor Atahualpa with a band of only 200 well-armed soldiers. In the afternoon, we’ll search for Gray-bellied Comet at a well-known site not far from the city, where we should also find White-winged Cinclodes.

 

Day 17: Great Spinetail and Departure

In the morning, we drive east of Cajamarca into arid intermontane valleys to search for another rare endemic, the Great Spinetail. We should also find Spot-throated Hummingbird if we haven’t seen it yet as well as a few other species that might include White-winged Black Tyrant, Giant Hummingbird, and Black-lored Yellowthroat. If we find the spinetail quick;y, we may be able to visit a highland lake to look for Puna Teal, Plumbeous Rail, and a few other species. We’ll check out of the hotel and have a long lunch to celebrate the end of a great tour, before heading to the airport and catching a flight to Lima, which should arrive in time to connect with some late evening international departures. Should you require an extra night in Lima, we would be happy to help arrange it.