Northern Peru

Upon arrival in Lima, you will be greeted at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Our Northern Peru birding tour will begin with our evening meal where we will discuss our exciting birding tour ahead. Night in Lima.

Early this morning, we will visit Pantanos de Villa, one of Lima’s most important coastal wetlands. Here, we will search for Many-colored Rush Tyrant, Wren-like Rushbird, White-cheeked Pintail, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, White-tufted Grebe, Peruvian Thick-knee, and a variety of herons, ducks, grebes, and shorebirds.

We will then continue south to Pucusana for a boat excursion around the rocky coastline and nearby islands. Target species include Peruvian Pelican, Peruvian Booby, Humboldt Penguin, Surf Cinclodes, Guanay Cormorant, Red-legged Cormorant, and Inca Tern.

After completing our morning birding activities, we will transfer to Lima Airport for an afternoon flight to Chiclayo. Overnight in Chiclayo.

We start our tour in one of the few remaining areas of carob trees in the region, the Bosque de Pómac. This dry forest habitat offers our first chances for several important Peruvian and Tumbesian specialties, including Peruvian Plantcutter, Tumbes Swallow, Cinereous Finch, Tumbes Chat-Tyrant, Coastal Miner, Rufous Flycatcher, Peruvian Pygmy-Owl, Pacific Parrotlet, Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Mouse-gray Tyrannulet, Short-tailed Field-Tyrant, and Baird’s Flycatcher. We may also have the chance to spot Sechuran Fox.

Continuing north, we’ll stop at Tinajones, where wetlands and surrounding open country add a different mix of birds. Four species of ibis are possible here Bare-faced, Black-faced, Andean, and White Ibis along with a variety of other wetland species.

In the afternoon, we arrive at Chaparrí Reserve, a conservation area protecting the dry forests of northwestern Peru and an important expanse of Tumbesian habitat. We’ll spend the remainder of the afternoon exploring the reserve, getting our first introduction to its dry-forest birdlife before more birding here tomorrow.
Night in Chaparrí.

After breakfast, we will head toward Casupe Road, where we will initially look for one of the last wild populations of the endemic White-winged Guan, once considered extinct. This area is also excellent for several other Tumbesian dry forest species, including Guayaquil Woodpecker, Piura Chat-Tyrant, Chapman’s Antshrike, Black-capped Sparrow, and Ecuadorian Piculet.

In the afternoon, we will return to Chaparrí for more birding in the reserve. Possible species include Lesser Nighthawk, Scrub Nightjar, Purple-collared Woodstar, Savanna Hawk, Red-masked Parakeet, Collared Antshrike, Pacific Hornero, Sooty-crowned Flycatcher, Snowy-throated Kingbird, White-tailed Jay, Tumbes Sparrow, Peruvian Meadowlark, and White-edged Oriole.

After dinner, we will look for Peruvian Screech-Owl, one of the nocturnal targets of the area. Night in Chaparrí.

After some early birding around Chaparrí, we will head toward the Pacific coast, where we will spend the rest of the morning along the shore. This day adds an important ecological contrast to the itinerary, moving from Tumbesian dry forest to coastal and wetland habitats influenced by the productive waters of the Pacific.

Along the coast, we will look for species such as Peruvian Tern, Peruvian Pelican, Peruvian Booby, Gray-hooded Gull, Gray Gull, Belcher’s Gull, Kelp Gull, Elegant Tern, and Peruvian Pipit. These coastal habitats are an important part of the route because they allow us to include a different group of birds before continuing toward the Andean and Marañón sections of the tour.

The wetland areas also offer a distinct bird community. Here we may find Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, Plumbeous Rail, and Peruvian Thick-knee, among others. The combination of shorebirds, seabirds, wetland birds, and coastal specialists makes this a productive and varied birding day. Night in Motupe.

Jaén is located in the Marañón Basin, one of the most important regions of the tour for dry valley endemics and specialties. The unique desert-like environment around this area supports a distinctive bird community, and the morning will be dedicated to searching for some of its most important targets. Possible species include Little Inca-Finch, Chinchipe Spinetail, Marañón Crescentchest, Marañón Tyrannulet, Marañón Spinetail, and Marañón Sparrow. Additional possibilities include Tataupa Tinamou, Paint-billed Crake,Ecuadorian Ground Dove, Ochre-bellied Dove,Cordilleran Parakeet, Rufous-fronted Thornbird, Fulvous-faced Scrub-Tyrant, and Cryptic Becard.

After lunch, we will drive toward the eastern Andes, leaving the dry Marañón habitats and moving into the cloud forest region. Our next major target will be one of the most spectacular hummingbirds in the world: the Marvelous Spatuletail. We will visit a hummingbird feeding spot where this wonderful Peruvian endemic is resident. Other hummingbirds such as Andean Emerald, Lesser Violetear, Bronzy Inca, and Long-tailed Sylph may also visit the garden.

This day is one of the most exciting transitions of the itinerary, combining Marañón dry forest endemics in the morning with the first taste of the eastern Andean hummingbird habitats in the afternoon. Night at Owlet Lodge.

We will dedicate another day to Abra Patricia and Alto Nieva, increasing our chances for the most important cloud forest targets. At Alto Nieva, the feeders may attract Royal Sunangel, Rufous-booted Racket-tail, White-capped Tanager, Violet-throated Brilliant, Rufous-vented Whitetip, Collared Inca, and Green-fronted Lancebill.

Nearby trails offer chances for Rufous-vented Tapaculo, Bar-winged Wood-Wren, Cinnamon-breasted Tody-Tyrant, Crimson-bellied Woodpecker, and other eastern slope specialties.

If conditions are suitable, we will make an outing for Long-whiskered Owlet, one of the most famous birds of northern Peru. Other possible nocturnal species include White-throated Screech-Owl, Cinnamon Screech-Owl, and Rufous-banded Owl.
Night at Owlet Lodge.

We will have another morning birding around Abra Patricia looking for any species we may have missed. After lunch, we will start gaining elevation again as we return toward the Andes, birding along the road. Possible species along this section include Lanceolated Monklet, Tawny-bellied Hermit, Ecuadorian Piedtail, Ecuadorian Tyrannulet, Crested Quetzal, Speckle-chested Piculet, Ornate Flycatcher, and Peruvian Tyrannulet.

In the afternoon, we will have our second chance for Marvelous Spatuletail at a hummingbird feeding area in Cocachimba, one of the most spectacular Peruvian endemics of the route, other specialities included here are Peruvian Pigeon, Marañón Thrush, Spot-throated Hummingbird, Black-necked Woodpecker, Cordilleran Parakeet, Buff-bellied Tanager, Fasciated Tiger-Heron, and Torrent Duck. Night in Cocachimba.

We will have a very early start today and travel toward Huaylla Belén, an outstanding cloud forest area in the Utcubamba Valley. Surrounded by remote mountain scenery, this now more reliably accessible site offers excellent birding and several highly localized specialties.

We will spend the morning birding along the forest road, with Pale-billed Antpitta as our main target. Huaylla Belén is one of the best areas for this rare Peruvian endemic and also provides very good opportunities for Chachapoyas Antpitta, Utcubamba Tapaculo, Peruvian Wren, Gray-browed Wren, Russet-mantled Softtail, Yellow-scarfed Tanager, and Coppery Metaltail.

Another particularly exciting possibility is the rare Mountain Avocetbill. Other species we may encounter include Sword-billed Hummingbird, Mountain Velvetbreast, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, White-collared Jay, Streaked Tuftedcheek,Pearled Treerunner, and several other mountain tanagers.

After a productive morning in this scenic cloud forest, we will continue through the Utcubamba Valley toward Leymebamba, arriving in the afternoon. Night at Leymebamba.

We will spend the morning birding in the surroundings of Leymebamba, one of the key areas of the tour for cloud forest and high-elevation specialties. This region gives us access to several important endemics and localized species, making it one of the most valuable sections of the itinerary. Possible birds around Leymebamba include Chachapoyas Antpitta, Leymebamba Antpitta, Utcubamba Tapaculo, Rufous-chested Tanager, Purple-throated Sunangel, and Large-footed Tapaculo. Other species here Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Hooded Mountain Tanager, Grass-green Tanager, Yellow-billed Cacique and Yungas Pygmy-Owl.

In the afternoon, we will bird near Ccalla Ccalla Pass, also known as Barro Negro, where we will begin exploring higher elevation habitats. Possible species here include Coppery Metaltail, Rainbow Starfrontlet, Many-striped Canastero, White-chinned Thistletail, Paramo Pipit, and Andean Lapwing. Before dinner, Koepcke’s Screech-Owl is possible near the town. Night in Leymebamba.