10day Manu Park Birding Road Tour

Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Cusco – Huacarpay - Huayquecha Biological Station.

Today we leave at 5:30am from the hotel heading towards laguna Huacarpay which will take approximately 45 minutes where we can see the ENDEMIC ***Bearded Mountaineer (Oreonympha nobilis) that is a special hummingbird found in the area. It is not the only hummingbird you can see in the region of Cusco but it does not exist in other parts of the world. We can also observe many other types of birds such as: Plumbeous rail (Pardirallus sanguinolentus), Cinnamon teal (Anas cyanoptera), Puna teal (Anas puna),Yellow billed pintail (Anas georgica),White tufted grebe (Rollandia rolland),Cinereous harrier (Circus cinereus), Black chested buzzard Eagle (Geranoaetus melanoleucus), Streak fronted thornbird (Phacellodomus striaticeps), Many colored rush tyrant (Tachuris rubrigastra), ***Rusty fronted canastero (Asthenes ottonis),and ***Creamy crested spinetail (Cranioleuca albicapilla),which are also an ENDEMIC birds, and many others; afterwards, we will have a quick breakfast and then continue looking for more birds around the lake. Later we will take the bus to Manu. Later we arrive in the highest part of the tour to have lunch at the entrance of the national park of Manu (3565masl.) From hear we will enter the cloud forest to see tanagers hummingbirds, antpittas, tyranulets, flycatchers, toucans and toucanets and many other bird species. We will arrive to our lodge Huayquecha around 4:30pm. At night before sleep we will look for Swallow tailed nightjars

Day 2: Huayquecha Biological Station - Cock of the Rock Lodge

Today we will head to Cock of the Rock lodge. In the way we will search birds such as: Golden collared tanager (Iridosornis jelskii),Grass green Tanager (Chlorornis riefferii), Scaled metaltail (Metallura aeneocauda), Mountain Cacique (Cacicus chrysonotus), white collared jay (Cyanolyca viridicyanus), Barred parakeet (Bolborhynchus lineola), Barred fruiteater (Pipreola arcuata), Band tailed fruiteater (Pipreola intermedia), *** Marcapata Spinetail (Cranioleuca marcapatae), Red and white antpitta (Grallaria erythroleuca), Blue Banded Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus coeruleicinctis), Hooded Mountain Tanager (Buthraupis montana), Black and Chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori), Black solitary Eagle (Buteogallus solitarius), White throated Antpitta (Grallaria albigula), Slaty Tanager (Creurgops dentatus),Slaty Backed Chat tyrant (Ochthoeca cinnamomeiventris), Fulvous Wren (Cinnycerthia fulva), Chestnut crested Cotinga (Ampelion rufaxilla), Crested Quetzal (Pharomachrus antisianus),Golden Headed Quetzal (Pharomachrus auriceps), Black Streaked Puffbird (Malacoptila fulvogularis),Yellow Throated Tanager (Iridosornis analis), Buff Breasted Mountain Tanager (Dubusia taeniata),Superciliary Hemispingus (Hemispingus superciliaris) and many more. This night we will look for Rufous-bellied Nighthawk (Lurocalis rufiventris).

Day 3: Cock of the rock lodge all day.

In order to visit the “Lek” of the Peruvian National Bird called the Andean Cock of the Rock we will have to start the tour very early in the morning. At the lek we can see the “Gallito de las Rocas” displaying; besides the Andean Cock of the Rock we can also see species like: White crowned Tapaculo (Scytalopus atratus), Yungas Manakin (Chiroxiphia boliviana),Crested Quetzal (Pharomachrus antisianus), Versicolored Barbet (Eubucco versicolor), Orange Eared Tanager (Chlorochrysa calliparaea), Highland Motmot (Momotus aequatorialis), and many more. After the morning activity we will return to the lodge for breakfast then go out for a walk along a trail to see more birds and such as: Slaty Gnateater (Conopophaga ardesiaca), Chestnut breasted Wren (Cyphorhinus thoracicus), Cinnamon faced Tyranulet (Phylloscartes parkeri), Spotted Nightingale Thrush (Catharus dryas), Amazonian Ambrella Bird (Cephalopterus ornatus), Tyrannine Woodcreeper (Dendrocincla tyrannina), Masked Trogon (Trogon personatus), Crimson Bellied Woodpecker (Campephilus haematogaster), Black Streaked puffbird (Malacoptila fulvogularis), Paradise Tanager (Tangara chilensis), Saffron Crowned Tanager (Tangara xanthocephala), Golden Tanager (Tangara arthus), Brown Tinamou (Crypturellus obsoletus), and possibly monkeys. Later we will return to the lodge for lunch, around the lodge we have flowers that attacks hummingbirds; in total we will be able to see around 13 species of them: Booted Racket Tail (Ocreatus underwoodii), Wire crested Thorntail (Discosura popelairii), Gree Hermit (Phaethornis guy), Buff Tailed Sicklebill (Eutoxeres condamini), Many Spotted Hummingbird (Taphrospilus hypostictus), Violet Fronted Brilliant (Taphrospilus hypostictus),White Bellied Woodstar (Chaetocercus mulsant),Peruvian Piedtail (Phlogophilus harterti), long Tailed Sylph (Aglaiocercus kingi), Wedge Billed Hummingbird (Schistes geoffroyi),Speckled Hummingbird (Adelomyia melanogenys),Fawn Breasted Brilliant (Heliodoxa rubinoides), and common Sparkling Violetear (Colibri coruscans), are the species of humming birds we can see. After lunch we will take another walk along the road to see the (Uropsalis lyra) and the Rufescent Screech Owl (Megascops ingens). Then we will return to the lodge to have dinner.

Day 4: Cock of the Rock Lodge - Manu Lodge

After breakfast we will drive towars our third lodge, in the way we will have chances to observe birds like Ornate flycatcher (Myiotriccus ornatus), Lanceolated monklet (Micromonacha lanceolata),Peruvian piedtail (Phlogophilus harterti),Black backed tody flycatcher (Poecilotriccus pulchellus), Black faced tanager (Schistochlamys melanopis), Blue headed Macaw (Primolius couloni),Chestnut fronted Macaw (Ara severus), Fiery capped Manakin (Machaeropterus pyrocephalus), White eyed parakeet (Psittacara leucophthalma), Chestnut backed Antshrike (Thamnophilus palliatus), Golden Tanager (Tangara arthus), Orange eared Tanager (Chlorochrysa calliparaea), Black solitary eagle (Buteogallus solitarius),and much more. At the Lodge we will be able to see: Rufous crested coquette (Lophornis delattrei), Violet headed humminbird (Klais guimeti), Golden tailed sapphire (Chrysuronia oenone),koepcke´s Hermit (phaethornis koepckeae),Amethyst woodstar (Calliphlox amethystina), Rufous webbed Brilliant (Heliodoxa branickii),and Gould´s jewelfront (Heliodoxa aurescens). Along the trails we can also see: Amazonian Antpitta (Hylopezus berlepschi), Blue headed macaw (Primolius couloni),Great Tinamou (Tinamus major), Spot back antbird (Myrmeciza exsul), Hoalzin (Opisthocomus hoazin),Sungrebe (Heliornis fulica),Chestnut capped puffbird (Bucco macrodactylus), among other birds. After dinner we will return to the trail to observe owls such as: Tawny bellied screech owl (Megascops watsonii), Long tailed potoo (Nyctibius aethereus), Black bandad owl (Strix huhula), Great potoo (Nyctibius grandis), and Band Bellied owl (Pulsatrix melanota).

Day5: Manu lodge All Day

This day we will start our day after breakfast and do some birding along the trail as well as from a observation tower where we may see canopy bird species such as: Plum-throated Cotinga (Cotinga maynana), Spangled Cotinga (Cotinga cayana), Opal rumped tanager (Tangara velia), Turquoise tanager (Tangara mexicana), Round tailed Manakin (Ceratopipra chloromeros), Striolared puffbird (Nystalus striolatus), Half collared Gnatwren (Microbates cinereiventris), Tawny-throated Leaftosser (Sclerurus mexicanus), Razor billed Corassow (Mitu tuberosum), Military Macaw (Ara militaris), and much more. Then we will return to the lodge for lunch before hiking into another trail to observe: Scarlet Hooded Barbet (Eubucco tucinkae), Lemon throated Barbet (Eubucco richardsoni), Buff Throated Woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus guttatus), Red Billed Tyrannulet (Zimmerius cinereicapilla), Fine Barred Piculet (Picumnus subtilis), Double Toothed Kite (Harpagus bidentatus), Undulated Tinamou (Crypturellus undulatus), Rufous breasted Piculet (Picumnus rufiventris), and Plain browen Woodcreeper (Dendrocincla fuliginosa), Blue crowned Trogon (Trogon curucui), Red Throated Caracara (Ibycter americanus), Chestnut fronted Macaw (Ara severus), Black Capped Tinamou (Crypturellus atrocapillus), Cinereous Tinamou (Crypturellus cinereus), Bluish fronted Jacamar (Galbula cyanescens), Pygmy Antwren (Myrmotherula brachyura), Goldi’s Antbird (Myrmeciza goeldii), and others. Late in the afternoon we will return to the lodge for dinner

Day 6: Manu – Parrot Clay Lick - Ollantaytambo

Early in the morning we will visit a Parrot Clay Lick, this is a clay Lick wall on the riverside, where different species of parrots and macaws come down each morning to extract necessary minerals for their diet balance. The Parakeets, Amazon Parrot, the Blue headed Parrot, Chestnut fronted Macaw, and the Blue Headed Macaw give an unforgettable pallet of colored wild life. After this activity we will sail up river towards Atalaya from where we will continue our tour by bus all the way to Ollantaytambo.

Day 7: Ollantaytambo - Abra Malaga

Today again we will leave early and travel by bus from Ollantaytambo to Abra Malaga, in the area we will look for several endemic species and some other interesting bird species such as: ***Inca wren (Pheugopedius eisenmanni), ***Marcapata Spinetail (Cranioleuca marcapatae), ***Cuzco Brush Finch (Atlapetes canigenis), Parodi´s Hemispingus (hemispingus parodii),Unstreaked tit tyrant (Anairetes agraphia). and Puna Thistle tail (Asthenes helleri), and a lot more birds traveling in flocks. In the afternoon we will return to Ollantaytambo where we will spend the night.

Day 8: Ollantaytambo – Machu Picchu

Today we will start our day birding at 4,316masl. In a Polilepys forest that has unique specialized birds to the area; the birds we can see are: White browed tit Spinetail (Leptasthenura xenothorax), Royal Cinclodes (Cinclodes aricomae), Puna Tapaculo (Scytalopus simonsi), Andean Hillstart (Oreotrochilus estella), Giant conebill (Oreomanes fraseri), Creamy Crested Spinetail (Cranioleuca albicapilla), White tufted Sunbean (Aglaeactis castelnaudii), Chestnut Breasted mountain finch (Poospiza caesar), Stripe Headed Antpitta (Grallaria andicolus),and many more Birds. After lunch we will go back to Ollantaytambo in order to take train to Aguas Calientes and spend the night there in a Hotel.

Day 9: Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu all day

The area of Machu Picchu has very good forest for birding and to see same endemics and special. ***Masked Fruiteater (Pipreola pulchra), Ocellated Piculet (Picumnus dorbignyanus), Slaty tanager (Creurgops dentatus), Sclater´sTyrannulet (Phyllomyias sclateri), Torred Duck (Merganetta armata), White Capped Diper (Cinclus leucocephalus), Andean cock of the rock (Rupicola peruviana), Highland motmot (Momotus aequatorialis) and a lot more species of birds.

Day 10: Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu – Cusco

Today after breakfast we will visit Machu Picchu Incas old town, at Machu Picchu you will have a guided tour for about two hours and after that you will be free to explore the Citadel and take pictures, or if you desire, ascent toward the Huaynapicchu Mountain (entrance ticket not included). At 2:26pm. or 6:03pm. (Depending on availability), you will be taking a train to Ollantaytambo and from there; a bus will drive you to your hotel in Cusco.