13 Day Birding Tour in Cusco and Manu National Park

Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Cusco – Chonta - Limatambo - Mollepata

The goal before reaching Mollepata is to visit “The Mirador of Chonta”, Chonta is a place where we can see Andean Condors. At the same time along the way we will do some stops for Birding that are very good to observe the Black chested buzzard Eagle, puna Ibis, Spot Winged Pigeon, Andean Flicker, Bare face Ground Dove, Peruvian Sierra Finch, Ash Breasted Sierra Finch and Band Tailed Sierra Finch. We will also look for the following birds. White Bellied Hummingbird, Black Backed Grossbeak, Golden Billed Saltator and Eared Dove. In the Afternoon we will continue traveling towards Mollepata another good place to observe some endemic species like***Chestnut Breasted Mountain Finch, ***Rusty fronted Canastero, ***koepcke’s Screech Owl, Aplomado falcon, Rust and yellow tanager, Cinereous Conebill, Buff-fronted Owl and Black throated Flowerpiercer. We will spend the night at Mollepata

Day 2: Mollepata to Soraypampa - Cusco

Early morning after breakfast at the hostel we will travel towards Soraypampa, along the road as well as in Soraypampa we will have great chances to observe the following endemic species: ***Creamy Crested Spinetail, ***Apurimac Spinetail, ***Apurimac Brush Finch, ***White Tufted Sunbeam, ***Vilcabamba Thisthletail. Among the other bird species we can observe this day are: Tufted tit Tyrant, Purple Backed Thornbill, Tawny Rumped Tyrannulet, White Banded Tyrannulet, Crimson Mantled Woodpecker, Bar Bellied Woodpecker, D’orbigny´s Chat Tyrant, Red crested Cotinga, Creamy Winged Cinclodes, Tit Like Dacnis, Andean Condor, Mountain Caracara, Variable Hawk and many other Bird species.
We will return to Cusco in the afternoon.

Day 3: Cusco – Laguna Ayacan – Laguna Huaypo – Ollantaytambo

This day we will head towards the Incan Sacred Valley and before we reach Ollantaytambo we will stop in two Andean lakes, at the lakes we will see Cinnamon teal, Plumbeous Rail, Puna teal, Giant Hummingbird, Many-coloured rush tyrant, etc. with luck you will also might observe a “Blue-winged teal”.

Day 4: Ollantaytambo - Abra Malaga - Cloud forest – Ipal Lodge

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), ***Cusco Brush Finch (Atlapetes canigenis), Parodi's Hemispingus (Hemispingus parodii), ***Unstreaked tit tyrant (Anairetes agraphia), and Puna Thistletail (Asthenes helleri), and a lot more birds traveling in flocks. In the afternoon we will spend the night at Ipal Lodge.

Day 5: Ipal Lodge - Abra Malaga – Ipal Lodge.

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.

Day 6: Ipal Lodge all Day.

This day we will visit a Lek of the Andean cock of the rock (Rupicola peruvianus) along the way we will also observe Green jay (Cyanocorax luxuosus), Swallow-tailed hummingbird (Eupetomena macroura), Red-crested Finch (Coryphospingus cucullatus), Masked trogon (Trogon personatus), among other tropical and semi-tropical species.

Day 7: Ipal Lodge – Abra Malaga - Ollantaytambo.

Today after breakfast we will explore the road that connects our lodge with Ollantaytambo, we will spend the night in Ollantaytambo.

Day 8: Ollantaytambo – Ensifera garden – Sacred garden – Wayqecha Biological Station.

This day we will visit the Ensifera bird garden where several unique species of birds like the sword-billed hummingbird, Great sapphirewing, later we will visit another bird garden where we can see the endemic and beautiful Bearded mountaineer. From here we will head to the border of Manu Park Jungle, in order to reach Huayquecha Lodge we will have to drive around three and a half hours.

Day 9: Wayqecha 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 10: 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 Umbrellabird (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), Green 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 hummingbirds 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 11: 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. In the lowlands around 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).

Day 12: 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 13: Manu Lodge – Parrot Clay Lick - Cusco

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 start with our journey back to Cusco.