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Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival in Buenos Aires and transfer to Cordoba
We start our tour in Buenos Aires, where we catch a flight to Cordoba, Argentina’s second largest city about 700 km northwest of Buenos Aires, and drive to the foothills of the Sierras Centrales. Birding Posada Quinte near Carlos Paz in the afternoon could turn up Tawny-headed Swallow. Night in Icho Cruz.

Day 2 – Pampa de Achala and Chaco Habitat
The Gran Chaco (a Quechua word chaqu means "hunting land") is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region, wet in the east with palm savanna and woodland, and dry in the west with thorn scrub and some scrubby woodland. In the morning, we drive up to the Pampa de Achala plateau for several endemics, and in the afternoon we drive through valleys, birding among the Chaco. The list of species we could find today is long and impressive; it includes endemics such as Olrog's and Cordoba Cinclodes, as well as specialties of the area such as both Brushland and Tataupa Tinamous, Andean Condor, Spot-winged Falconet, Red-tailed Comet, Chaco Puffbird, Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper, Chaco Earthcreeper, Rufous-banded Miner, White-winged Cinclodes, Crested Hornero, Lesser Canastero, Lark-like Brushrunner, Little Thornbird, Great Antshrike, Least Shrike-Tyrant, Grey-crowned Tyrannulet, Chiguanco Thrush, Black-and-chestnut Warbling-Finch, Crested Gallito, Olive-crowned Crescentchest, Black-crested Finch, Stripe-capped Sparrow, Many-coloured Chaco-finch, Golden-billed Saltator, and Band-tailed, Plumbeous and Ash-breasted Sierra-Finches. Night in Capilla del Monte.

Day 3 – Capilla del Monte surroundings
Today we have a full day exploring and birding the Chaco and other areas around Capilla del Monte, with special emphasis on those species we might have missed on Day 2. Night in Capilla del Monte.

Day 4 – Salinas Grandes
We drive to the salt flats at Salinas Grandes to look for the endemic Salinas Monjita and other Chaco specialties, perhaps a Black-legged Seriema with luck. We will plan on staying until dusk for chances of the recently split Chaco Owl and several nightjars. Night at Dean Funes.

Day 5 – Yungas Cloudforest
We may make an early morning return visit to the salt flats to look for species that we may have missed yesterday, and then we continue to Tucuman and ascend the Aconquija range, driving through the Yungas, the mountain forest zone containing cloud forests, to the community of Tafi. We will encounter a new avifauna in this unique habitat. Endemics and specialties include Moreno’s Ground-Dove, White-throated Cacholote, Buff-breasted Earthcreeper, Steinbach's Canastero, Sandy Gallito, White-browed Tapaculo, Yellow-striped Brush-Finch and Tucuman Mountain-finch. Other goodies we are likely to encounter are both Ornate and Andean Tinamous, Andean Lapwing, Andean Coot, the marvelous Rufous-throated Dipper, Torrent Ducks in the rapids, Andean Swift, hummers such as Giant Hummingbird and Andean Hillstar, Black-winged Ground-Dove, the scarce Burrowing Parrot, Mitred Parakeet, Slender-billed Miner, Rock Earthcreeper, Azara's Spinetail, White-winged Black-Tyrant, Slaty Elaenia, White-throated Tyrannulet, Brown-capped Whitestart, Two-banded Warbler, Fawn-breasted Tanager, White-tipped Plantcutter, Plain-colored Seedeater, Greenish Yellow-Finch, Rufous-sided and Ringed Warbling-Finches, and Common Brush-Finch. Night in Tafi.

Day 6 – Birding around Tafi
We spend the day birding the montane forest and high Andean grasslands, below and above the town of Tafi. Night in Tafi.

Day 7 – El Infiernillo Pass and Semi-desert Monte habitat
We leave early today and visit the "El Infiernillo" pass before descending to the other side of the Aconquija, entering the semi desert "monte" habitats. Possibilities here include Bare-eyed Ground-Dove, Brown-capped Tit-Spinetail, Puna Canastero, White-browed Tapaculo and Tucuman Mountain-Finch. Night in Quilmes.

Day 8 – The Monte, Cafayate and Quebreda de las Conchas
We spend the morning birding the Monte habitat, with special emphasis on endemics and specialties, maybe Slender-tailed Woodstar, White-fronted Woodpecker and Rufous-bellied Saltator. In the afternoon, we pass through the vineyards of Cafayate with stunning views of Quebrada de las Conchas (“Gorge of the Shells”), towards Salta. Night in Salta.

Day 9 – Yungas Cloudforest
We spend the day birding the Yungas Cloudforest at the Cuesta del Obispo. We visit the cloudforest itself as well as dry cacti shrubland and high andean grasslands and scrub. Our tally at the end of the day could include Black-winged Ground-Dove, Mitred Parakeet, Brown-capped Tit-Spinetail, Scribble-tailed and Maquis Canasteros, Spot-breasted Thornbird, Zimmer's Tapaculo, White-winged Black-Tyrant, Slaty Elaenia, White-throated Tyrannulet, Band-tailed Sierra-Finch, Brown-capped Whitestart, Two-banded Warbler, Fawn-breasted Tanager, Plain-colored Seedeater, Greenish Yellow-Finch, Rufous-sided Warbling-Finch, Rufous-bellied Saltator and Common Brush-Finch. Night in Salta.

Day 10 – Yungas Cloudforest, Montane Woods and the Humahuaca Valley
We continue today along the Camino de Cornisa, exploring yungas cloudforest and montane woods, and enter the Humahuaca valley in the afternoon, birding the pre-puna scrub habitats. We should be treated to a wealth of interesting species: Andean Condor, Mountain Caracara, three species of flamingos (Chilean, Andean, Puna), Puna Teal, Andean Goose, Puna Ibis, Andean Avocet, Andean Gull, Mountain Parakeet, Rufous-banded and Puna Miners, Andean Swallow, Puna Yellow-Finch, White-winged Negrito, Brown-backed Mockingbird, Black-hooded Sierra-finch and Black Siskin. Night in Humahuaca.

Day 11 – Higher Altiplano
We spend the day at the higher Altiplano and its lakes, looking for species we may not have located up to now. Night in Humahuaca.

Day 12 – Yala and the Alder forests
We descend to Yala and bird the Alder forests, before continuing on to Jujuy to catch the flight to Buenos Aires. In these forests, we could find Red-faced Guan, Rothschild’s Swift, Spotted-breasted Thornbird and Rusty Flower-piercer. Night in Buenos Aires.

Day 13 – Fly to Iguazu
Situated on the Brazilian border, Iguazu Falls is the biggest waterfall on earth, and is an awesome spectacle. Surrounding the falls are subtropical forests with large stands of bamboo. This morning we catch a plane to Iguazu, and upon arrival we visit stands of Atlantic Forest where there are many chances for some choice species: Solitary Tinamou, Black-Fronted Piping-Guan, Rusty-margined Guan, Slaty-Breasted Wood-Rail, Reddish-Bellied Parakeet, Blue-winged Parrotlet, Great Dusky Swift; Black-faced and Surucua Trogons; five species of Toucans including the splendid Toco Toucan, twelve species of Woodpeckers, Black-billed Scythebill; White-eyed and Black-capped Foliage-gleaners; Rufous-capped and Gray-bellied Spinetails; Tufted and Spot-backed Antshrikes; Plain Antvireo, Rufous-winged Antwren, Short-tailed Antthrush, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow; Blue, White-bearded and Band-tailed Manakins; Southern Antpipit, Long-tailed Tyrant, Yellow Tyrannulet, Three-striped Flycatcher, Sirystes, White-throated Spadebill, Eared Pygmy-Tyrant, Gray-hooded Flycatcher, White-winged Swallow, White-necked Thrush, Creamy-bellied Gnatcatcher, Streamside Warbler, Blue Dacnis; Violaceus and Chestnut-bellied Euphonias; Blue-naped Chlorophonia; Guira, Green-headed, Magpie and Chestnut-headed Tanagers; Black-throated Grosbeak, Giant Cowbird and Red-rumped Cacique. Night at Iguazu.

Days 14 and 15 – Iguazu National Park
We spend both days exploring this fascinating and awesome park, with its extensive network of boardwalks, trails and tracks. The trails could produce goodies such as Robust Woodpecker, Bay-ringed Tyrannulet and Blackish-blue Seedeater in bamboos. The splendid Red-ruffed Fruitcrow is also a possibility. Nights in Iguazu.

Day 16 – Return to Buenos Aires
We spend the early morning birding near Iguazu, perhaps concentrating on the hummingbird feeders, before catching our flight to Buenos Aires for connection with homebound flights.

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What to Expect

We often begin birding early in the morning, usually having breakfast before dawn. There will be a few optional nocturnal hikes, to search for owls and nightjars. Generally, the tour will proceed at a relaxed pace; occasionally, activities will involve some longer walks and some hill climbing. In general, we keep to less traveled roads and fairly easy walking trails, but at times it may be necessary to walk on some rocky trails. We visit rather high elevations in the Andes up to 3500 m; on those days, we keep our pace slow and gentle, and bird mostly from the vehicle. We may rest for a midday 'siesta' on some days. We lunch at a local restaurant or take a picnic lunch into the field. Temperatures will be variable. It will be hot and humid in parts of the north, but cool or even quite cold in the Andes. We will most likely encounter some rain and mud in some of the places we will visit, so appropriate clothing and footwear is desirable. Iguazu is tropical, so expect heat and humidity and predictable afternoon thunderstorms. Overall October and November is a pleasant time to visit Argentina as temperatures are more moderate and migration is at its peak. Our aim is to sample some of the local culture, going to typical restaurants offering good food and a comfortable atmosphere. After dinner we discuss the day's activities and review the day's list of sightings.