Photo Birding Tour By Hotspots of South Peru 6D/5N

For many travelers, visiting the most outstanding center of one culture and a wonder of the world, is long planned in advance, and now we will go to visit that famous citadel of Machupicchu built by the ancient Inca civilization in Cusco-Peru.

Our bird watching trip will start early from our hotel, we will leave by car toward to Ensifera camp, where we have feeders and possibilities to make pictures like: Giant Hummingbird, Sparkling Violetear, White-bellied Woodstar, Bearded Mountaineer, Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch (this couple of last ones are endemic of Peru), occasionally also is possible to take a picture of Mountain Vetvetbreast, Sword-billed Hummingbird and obviously  will came there, another resident birds that live close surroundings like: Peruvian Sierra-Finch, Hooded Siskin, Creamy-crested Spinetail, etc. .

after this experience we keep going in our private car to Ollantaytambo city, from there for one a and half hours we take train to Aguas Calientes town, where we will have our hotel.

Surely in this season the level of water of the river that goes through the town will be high and is good chance to look for the Torrent Duck dodging the torrent of mighty water, we look then and others bird that live there the rest of the day.

Cloud forests are excellent places to begin the day observing birds, and Aguas Calientes town is located at bottom of Machupicchu Mountain foothills into cloud forest.

The usual of these places are surroundings are invaded by birdsong and here our day will begin whit them; there is a private place close here that has feeders for tanagers like; Saffron- crowned Tanager, Slate-throated Redstart, Bananaquit, Rust-and-yellow Tanager, Silvery Tanager, Silver-beaked Tanager, etc.

After this photos-moment   we will go up by bus to citadel of Machupicchu where we will have an enlightening explanation about this wonder of ancient architecture.

The railway path is also interesting way for mixed flocks and group of Tyrannulets and Flycatchers such as: Sclater’s Tyrannulet, Marble-faced Bristle-Tyrant, Ashy-headed Tyrannulet, Slaty-capped Flycatcher, streaked Xenops, Versicolored Barbet, Ocellated Piculet, etc. And the Heliconias are growing close to rail path are our chance to catch the collared Inca (omissa) which is resident in south of Peru.

In the afternoon we will return to Cusco city to our hotel

The day begins and the streets are still empty and we are ready to leave to famous Manu road in the Manu Nacional park, our route will be quite varied in elevation and at first hours we will make strategic stops in places where we can have chances to take photos of birds such as: Bearded Mountaineer, Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch, Tit-like Dacnis, Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant, etc.

In some hours we will arrive at the entrance of the Manu National Park (the biggest and famous protected area in south of Peru which goes from highland to Amazonia) and from there we are dropping to cloud forest where this trip will be through many ecological changes that are inhabited by different species that guarantee the diversity

Along this journey we will make strategic stops to take pictures of very colorful and resident birds at the same time, such as: The Golden-headed Quetzal, Masked Trogon, Andean Motmot, Blue-banded Toucanet, etc.

This route is famous for easily showing mixed flocks on its route and for us to take pictures of birds in their natural habitat will be exciting, we will be able to photograph: Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Scarlet-bellied Tanager, Grass-green Tanager, Great Thrush, Masked Flowerpiercer, Saffron-crowned Tanager, Beryl-spangled Tanager, Versicolored Barbet, Black-streaked Puffbird, etc.

At sunset we will arrive to Cock of the rock lodge located in middle of cloud forest in a place called san Pedro.

Where the winds blow the fog from lowlands towards flanks of the mountains, there cloud forests are formed; ecosystems that are ecological niches for wildlife; and the Manu road is a pristine cloud forest where the bird watcher and bird photographer will feel in the paradise.

The surroundings of the lodge are undoubtedly a good place to start our photo-birding day, we will have the opportunity to see: Masked Trogon, Andean Motmot, Blue-banded Toucanet, Montane Foliage-gleaner, Yungas Manakin, Saffron-crowned Tanager, Deep-blue Flowerpiercer, Golden Tanager, Golden-eared Tanager, Versicolored Barbet, Blue-napped Chlorophonia, Wire-crested, Thorntail, Violet-fronted Brilliant, Orange-bellied Euphonia, etc. All of then close to feeders of the lodge.

In our tour in this place, we will find mixed flocks that look for their food made up of many species that are distributed at different levels of the trees to be more successful in their job of looking for food.

And we would see: Saffron-crowned Tanager, Beryl-spangled Tanager, Ash-browed Spinetail, Montane Foliage-gleaner, Buff-throated Saltator, Black-eared Hemispingus, Three-stripe Warbler, Russet-crowned Warbler, Orange-eared Tanager, Streaked Xenops etc.

Throughout the day we will move to different places in our car with the purpose to find birds that inhabit this forest.

The bird that we recognize as our national bird is the Andean-Cock-of-the-rock and we can see it near to our lodge, its particular behavior of visiting a specific point in the jungle to dance in a male competition to get a female, make them predictable; and we will visit this place called Lek to photograph them in courtship; And this movement will also bring other birds and our chances to see birds such as: Crested Quetzal, Golden-napped Tanager, Golden-collared Honeycreeper, Semicollared Hawk, Green Jay, Fulvous-Breasted Flatbill, Olive-backed Woodcreeper, etc.

And at dusk we will go to see the moment when the Lyre-tailed Nightjar becomes active which is an impressive show.

Back to our lodge we will have the possibility to see some owls like: Rufescent Screech-Owl, Band-bellied Owl.

This morning will be still good opportunity to improve some photos that we did  in the feeders of the lodge, our return way is not very long, and we will have our day to make stops at strategic points and take photos of the birds that usually perch on the edge of the road and look for some tanagers that make mixed flocks, so we can find: Slaty Tanager, Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager, Bluish Flowerpiercer, Yellow-throated Tanager, Golden-collared Tanager, Russet-crowned Warbler, Orange-eared Tanager, Black-and-chestnut Eagle, Crested Quetzal, Golden-headed Quetzal, Superciliared Hemispingus, Inca Flycatcher, Black-streaked puffbird, Blue-banded Toucanet, etc.

Once we are in the lodge, some hummingbirds are frequent visitors such as: Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Amethyst-throated Sunangel, Long-tailed sylph, Collared Inca (not frequent).

Also, the surroundings are very good ecosystems for birds that find their food in these places and our chances of being able to photograph them are good such as: Masked Flowerpiercer, Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, White-collared Jay, Gray-Breasted Mountain-Toucan, etc.

After our dinner we can have optional leaving to looking for owls around our lodge.

Today in the afternoon we must take a plane and for that we will have to be a few hours earlier at airport, our trip will begin after breakfast because we still have to travel about five hours to reach the airport where our services will end.