Peru | Spectacles of Nature: Amazonia, Andes, and the Desert Coast

Arrive in Lima and travel to your hotel.

Following breakfast and orientation, take a field trip to Lomas de Lachay National Reserve, an oasis of mist in the Peruvian desert. Attend a lecture titled 'The Desert Birds Among the Mist.' The reserve covers an area of 12,528 acres in the foothills of the Huaral Province, and its unique geography and resulting climate have created a special ecosystem where dwarf forests and small birds and mammals thrive. Species often spotted in the area include the Vermilion Flycatcher, Cactus Canastero, Andean Tinamou, and Burrowing Owl, as well as a variety of hummingbirds. This afternoon, return to the hotel for a lecture overviewing the birds of Peru before dinner.

After breakfast, travel to the airport for a flight to Puerto Maldonado. Upon arrival, transfer 1-hour by bus to the Infierno River Port to board a boat for a 1-hour trip to the lodge, stopping along the way to look for birds like Pied Lapwing, Collared Plover, King Vulture, Bat Falcon, Olive and Russet-backed Oropendola, Ringed Kingfisher, and Amazon Kingfisher. The lodge is a short walk from the river's edge and is located within the territory of the Ese Eja Native Community of Infierno, adjacent to the Tambopata National Reserve. Then, attend a welcome orientation and dinner at the lodge.

After breakfast, take a 30-minute walk to the 137-foot canopy tower for bird observation. This area offers the best chance to see hawk-eagles, and on a lucky day perhaps even a Harpy Eagle. The flocks here are composed mainly of tanagers (Paradise, Green-and-gold, Flame-crested, Turquoise, Opal-rumped, and others), as well as Cream-colored Woodpeckers, Gilded Barbets, Plum-throated Cotingas, and Western Striolated-Puffbirds. Macaws and toucans are often seen flying along the horizon, including Chestnut-eared, Lettered, Curl-crested, and Ivory-billed Aracaris. From the canopy tower, venture toward a small clay lick that attracts Dusky-headed, Black-capped, and Cobalt-winged Parakeets. Only a twenty-minute walk from Posada Amazonas is the parrot clay lick. From a blind located about twenty meters away, you will see dozens of parrots and parakeets descend on most clear mornings to ingest the clay on a riverbank. Species such as Mealy and Yellow-headed Amazon, Blue-headed Parrot, and Dusky-headed Parakeet descend at this clay lick. The clay lick is active at dawn, during the late mornings, and in mid-afternoon. Return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, go birding along the Shahue Trail in search of Fiery-capped Manakins, Round-tailed Manakins, Pale-winged Trumpeters, and Pavonine Quetzals.

This morning, enjoy a 30-minute boat ride followed by a walk to an oxbow lake. Search the palm swamp and grassland vegetation for species such as the Pale-vented Pigeon, Azure Gallinule, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Gray-breasted Crake, Rufous-sided Crake, and the unusual-looking Hoatzin. Have lunch at the lodge followed by afternoon birding in a secondary forest. Secondary forest can be created in a number of ways, such as degraded forest recovering from selective logging, or areas cleared by slash-and-burn agriculture that have been reclaimed by forest. Generally, secondary forest is characterized by a less developed canopy structure and smaller trees. Focus on species like the Barred Antshrike, Short-tailed Pygmy-Tyrant, Streaked Flycatcher, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Solitary Black Cacique, Gray-fronted Dove, and Ruddy Ground Dove. After dinner this evening, venture out near the lodge to spot Common Pauraque, Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl, Great Potoo, Long-tailed Potoo, Ocellated Poorwill, and if lucky, a Mottled Owl or Crested Owl. There is also the possibility of taking macro shots of horned frogs, tree frogs, and other nocturnal wildlife.

After breakfast at the lodge, walk to the river to board the boat back to Tambopata River Port and travel to the Puerto Maldonado airport for the flight to Cusco. Upon arrival in Cusco, watch for a variety of hummingbird species during the journey to the Sacred Valley. This afternoon, take an excursion to the famed Pisac Market before heading to the hotel for dinner and a lecture on Andean birds.

Wake up early in the morning to go birding around the hotel before having breakfast and traveling to the Ollantaytambo train station. The scenic train ride to Aguas Calientes follows the meandering Urubamba River on a journey through the Peruvian Andes. Upon arrival, the journey continues with a bus drive to Machu Picchu. Known as "The Lost City of the Incas," Machu Picchu is probably the best-known yet least understood of all Incan sites. The quality of the stonework and the abundance of ornamental sites indicate that Machu Picchu must have been an important ceremonial center, but knowledge of the city's history has been lost over time. While here, look for the endemic Inca Wren and Cuzco Brushfinch among the ruins. Later, enjoy dinner at the hotel. Please note: there is a strict hand luggage only policy on Peru Rail, so be prepared to pack a backpack weighing less than 11 pounds for the journey to Machu Picchu; the rest of your luggage will be stored until you return.

After spending another early morning birding in the cloud forest, travel by train to Ollantaytambo Station. The journey to Cusco includes a visit to the town of Chincheros, an early Inca center that is still primarily inhabited by members of the Chanka Indigenous community. Enjoy an opportunity to tour a local weaving cooperative and learn about the styles and techniques of this ancient tradition. After the late afternoon arrival in Cusco, check in at the hotel and spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Later, have dinner at the hotel.

Have breakfast at the hotel before going on a field trip to Huacarpay Lagoon, a small highland lake and a favorite birding spot near Cusco. Receive a lecture on the birds of the area and have some time to seek out a variety of Andean birds including ducks, herons, and grebes. The reed beds here house species such as the Wren-like Rushbird, Many-colored Rush Tyrant, and Yellow-winged Blackbird. Eat a picnic lunch on site, and then enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure to explore the city of Cusco or continue birding. Have dinner at a local restaurant for a taste of the regional fare.

After breakfast, travel to the airport for a morning flight to Lima. Upon arrival, board a bus to Paracas, stopping en route to enjoy a birding field trip to Pantanos de Villa, a protected area recognized by the Ramsar Convention as a Wetland of International Importance for aquatic birds. After a box lunch, continue the journey to Paracas and walk to the salt marsh observation tower to view flamingos and shorebirds. Later, go to the hotel for a lecture on the Peruvian desert and the Humboldt Current, followed by dinner.

Today, embark on an early morning boat excursion to the Ballestas Islands, a breeding site for seabirds like the Humboldt Penguin, Peruvian Booby, and Inca Tern. Other target birds are the near-threatened Peruvian Diving-Petrel, skuas, and even albatrosses. Continue toward the continental shelf, possibly spotting shearwaters, petrels, storm-petrels, and other pelagic birds. After lunch at the hotel, visit the Paracas National Reserve to see shorebirds, the cathedral, and a sea lion colony from the mirador. In the evening, have dinner at the hotel.

Have breakfast at the hotel before venturing into a morning birding exploration of dunes and desert, which includes a box lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy birding in agricultural fields before traveling back to Lima. Upon arrival to Lima in the late afternoon, travel to Jorge Chávez International Airport for your evening flights back to the U.S.

Arrive to the U.S.