BIRDING AND CULTURE IN MACHUPICCHU AND MANU ROAD

Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, is a mesmerizing blend of history, culture, nature. Nestled in the Andes at over 3,300 meters above sea level, it is renowned for its stunning colonial architecture built atop Inca stone foundations. Cusco serves as the gateway to iconic sites like Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley and the emblematic Manu National Park.

We will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel to rest and adapt to the elevation. As you will stay near the dowtown, you may spend some time exploring the vibrant markets, sampling Peruvian cuisine or walking through narrow cobblestone streets steeped in history, Cusco offers a unique connection to both ancient traditions and modern culture. Its charm and significance have earned it recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most captivating cities in the world.

Night in Cusco.

Lower, warmer and more humid than Cusco, right in the place where the Andes meets the Amazon Rainforest, Machupicchu is high in diversity of flora and fauna. The train will take us to Aguas calientes /Machupicchu train station. Short birding around the town and after the lunch we will take a 20 minutes bus ride to finally visit one of the most famous 7 New World Wonders. More than 200 structures constructed covering more than 30 hectares over peaks and slopes makes of Machupicchu a dramatic experience. You will hardly find another place where exhuberant nature meets such a refined architecture.

We will take a beautiful train ride where Torrent Duck and White-capped Dipper are often seen by the river. If time permits, we may have extra time for birding around Aguas Calientes where Highland Motmot, Green-and-white Hummingbird (E), Black-capped Tyrannulet, Bolivian tyrannulet, Sclaters tyrannulet, Variable Antshrike, Andean solitaire, Black-streaked Puffbird are possibilities.

Birding possibilities at the sanctuary include Inca Wren(E), White-tipped Swift, Ocellated Piculet and Tricolored Brush-finch among others.

Once again we will take the train to takes us back to Sacred Valley.

Night in Ollantaytambo.

Urubamba River is one of the most important tributary of the Amazon and forms the Sacred Valley of the Inkas. The places are stunning here, the visito to the megalitic Inca construcction of Ollantaytambo  which stands as a testament of military, agricultural en religious innovation for it´s time. It´s colossal stones showcases advanced technology where history unfolds against a backdrop of stunning views of the mountains. Later Moray, a pre hispanic experimental center shows the best of the engineering and architecture of the pre hispanic peruvians. We end the morning with an adittional visit to a unique salt mine in the Andes.

After lunch, we will visit the lakes in the highlands of Chinchero where Silvery Grebe, Puna Teal, Andean Goose, Short-billed Pipit etc. Additionally, several migrants spend  boreal winter here such as: Pectoral Sandpiper, Wilson´s Phalarope, Baird´s Sanpiper, Upland Sanpiper, etc .

Afternoon at leissure.

Night in Cusco.

Wayquecha is located in the Elfin forest. Chilly and humid, the place is always “on” clouds. Very little is known about this delicate habitat. At 3,000 meters elevation, the place is known, not only for the birds, but several sp. of orchids are found here too. The garden regular visitors are Long-tailed Sylph, Scaled and Tyrian Metaltail, Shinning Sunbeam, “Cuzco” (E) Starfrontlet (Split from Violet-fronted Starfrontlet). The bird life here includes Hooded Tinamou, Stripe-faced Woodquail, Semi-Collared Hawk, Black-and-chestnut Eagle, Sword-Billed Hummingbird, Masked Trogon, Crimson Mantled Woodpecker, Puna thistletail, Marcapata Spinetail, Band-tailed Fruiteater, Rufous-backed Treehunter, Red and White Antpitta (E), Leymebamba Antpitta, Trilling Tapaculo, White-throated and White-banded Tyrannulet, etc. This area is home for Spectacled Bear and Culpeo (Andean fox) as well.

Night at Cock of the Rock.

We will arrive to the next lodge for afternoon, the former Villa Carmen is now renewed as one of the most important biological station and open for tourism as Manu Biolodge, 3,000 hectares of preserved forest at 500 masl at the Foothills of Manu National Park. Night,Urubamba Titi and Spider Monkeys are also possibilities. Villa Carmen Lodge stands as an oasis of comfort and natural beauty. Surrounded by the lush cloud forests and foothills of Manu National Park, this lodge offers a tranquil retreat and excellent activies for birding with its charming wooden cabins that blend seamlessly with the landscape.

We will spend 3 days birding at the lodge and surroundings which permits access to great habitats. Bamboo patches offers Rufous-headed Woodpecker, Manu Antbird, Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, White-lined Antbird, White-cheeked Tody-flycatcher, Bamboo Foliage-gleaner and the several trails in the lodge guarantee good birding of restricted species such as Fine-barred Piculet, Scarlet-hooded Barbet, Foothill Antwren, Brownish-headed Antbird, Cabani´s Spinetail among others. Trails show White Hawk, Military Macaw, Blue-headed Macaw, Great Potoo, Lanceolated Monklet, Rufous-capped Nunlet, Yellow-billed Nunbird, Chestnut-backed Antshrike, Yellow-breasted Warbling-antbird, Blackish Antbird, Black-backed Tody-flycatcher (E), Ornate Flycacher, Mottle-backed Elaenia, Fiery-capped Manakin and many more.

Oxbow lake and acuatic enviroments can be found close where Hoatzin, Gray-cowled Woodrail, Riparian Antbird, Ladder-tailed Nightjar, Pale-eyed Blackbird, Black-Billed Seedfinch, etc. Additionally a garden hummingbird feeder holds White-necked Jacobin, Rufous-breasted Hermit, Black-throated Mango, Rufous-crested Coquette, Koepcke´s Hermit  (E) and find Amazonian Antpitta, King Vulture and Rufous-sided Crake at the feeders. Red Howler and Spider Monkeys are also possibilities.

Nights are very productive since Black-banded & Striped Owl, Common Pottoo and Tropical Screech-Owl use to be found near the lodge.

Nights in Manu Biolodge (Ex - Villa Carmen).

After an early breakfast and birding at trails, we will get back to the road back to the mountains. We will make some stops along the way for missing species and search for Superciliared (Urubamba) Hemispingus, Pale-legged Warbler, Black-faced Brush-Finch, Dusky-green Oropendola, Mountain Cacique on our way back to Cuzco.

Arrival to Cuzco in the mid-afternoon and transfer to your hotel or airport at appropiate time

Night in Cusco