BIRDING MACAW CLAYLICK OWBOW LAKES
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Trip Outline
AMBOPATA AMAZON BIRDING TOUR: MACAWS, OTTERS & LOWLAND SPECIALTIES
Step into the heart of Peru’s Amazon rainforest with this 4-day Tambopata birding tour—designed to immerse you in one of the planet’s richest birdlife regions. With easy access from Puerto Maldonado and comfortable lodge accommodations, this journey combines intense biodiversity, unforgettable wildlife spectacles, and classic lowland rainforest birding.
🌿 Why Bird in Tambopata? A South American Birding Icon
Tambopata is one of the most biologically diverse areas on Earth, home to over 600 bird species and the world’s most active macaw clay lick. This short expedition is packed with extraordinary opportunities to observe parrots, macaws, antbirds, cotingas, manakins, woodcreepers, toucans, and tanagers—many of which are only found in the Amazon basin.
With its combination of towering canopy platforms, oxbow lakes, bamboo thickets, and pristine riverine habitats, Tambopata offers an Amazon birding experience that’s both accessible and intensely rewarding.
🦜 Target Birds and Wildlife Highlights
This Tambopata birding tour focuses on both quality and spectacle. You’ll encounter a wide array of species, including:
- Macaws & Parrots: Red-and-green Macaw, Scarlet Macaw, Blue-and-yellow Macaw, Mealy Amazon, Yellow-crowned Amazon, Orange-cheeked Parrot, Blue-headed Parrot, White-eyed Parakeet, Dusky-headed Parakeet, Tui Parakeet
- Canopy & Midstory Species: White-throated Toucan, Channel-billed Toucan, Spangled Cotinga, Plum-throated Cotinga, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Gilded Barbet, Lemon-throated Barbet, Paradise Tanager, Green-and-gold Tanager, Masked Tanager, Flame-crested Tanager, Amazonian Pygmy-Owl
- Oxbow Lake Specialties: Giant Otter, Hoatzin, Least Grebe, Anhinga, Pale-winged Trumpeter, Red-bellied Macaw, Amazonian Motmot, Ladder-tailed Nightjar, Black Skimmer, Green-and-rufous Kingfisher
- Understory & Mixed Flocks: Fasciated Antshrike, Black-spotted Bare-eye, Goeldi’s Antbird, White-browed Antbird, Black-faced Antthrush, Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner, Elegant Woodcreeper, Plain Xenops, White-winged Shrike-Tanager.
- And much more—including nocturnal birds like the Amazonian Potoo and owls during optional night walks.
🚤 Comfortable Lodging in Remote Rainforest
You’ll stay at a well-equipped ecolodge accessible by boat, with comfortable rooms, excellent trails, and superb local meals. The lodge offers direct access to prime birding habitats and supports night walks, photography opportunities, and optional wildlife excursions.
💸 Compact, Affordable, and Unforgettable
This 4-day Tambopata birding trip is ideal for birders on a tight schedule or as an extension to a larger Peru birding itinerary. It’s easy to combine with tours in the Andes or visits to Cusco and Machu Picchu.
Whether you’re building your Amazon life list or seeking up-close views of iconic macaws and cotingas, this tour delivers big biodiversity in a compact and comfortable format.
Itinerary
Arrival in Puerto Maldonado – Tambopata River Birding & Lodge Transfer
Upon arrival in Puerto Maldonado from Cusco or Lima, our birding adventure begins as we drive toward the Tambopata River, scanning the roadside and open habitats for early highlights. Possible species include Scaled Pigeon, White-tailed Kite, Southern Caracara, Brazilian Teal, Purus Jacamar, White-throated Jacamar, and the striking Point-tailed Palmcreeper.
We’ll then board a motorized canoe for a 45-minute boat ride into the heart of the rainforest, heading toward our remote ecolodge nestled in primary forest. As we settle in, the lodge trails offer a perfect opportunity to begin exploring the rich lowland habitats of Tambopata, with possibilities for mixed flocks, antbirds, and woodcreepers.
In the evening, a short night walk or owling session may reward us with nocturnal species such as Spectacled Owl, Tropical Screech-Owl, or Amazonian Potoo.
🛏️ Overnight at Sachavacayoc Finca Lodge
Macaw Clay Lick, Canopy Tower & Mixed Flocks in Tambopata
We begin the day before sunrise, setting off on a 45-minute boat ride to one of the Amazon’s most spectacular natural phenomena: the Macaw Clay Lick. As the light breaks over the riverbank, hundreds of parrots, parakeets, and macaws gather to feed on mineral-rich clay that helps neutralize toxins from their daily diet.
In the early wave, look for Mealy Amazon, Yellow-crowned Amazon, Blue-headed Parrot, Orange-cheeked Parrot, Dusky-headed Parakeet, Tui Parakeet, and White-eyed Parakeet. As the activity peaks, the forest erupts with color as the Red-and-green Macaw, Scarlet Macaw, and Blue-and-yellow Macaw descend to the clay wall together—an unforgettable moment for any birder or wildlife lover.
After mid-morning, we return slowly by boat to the lodge, keeping a sharp eye out for Capybaras, Howler Monkeys, and even elusive species like Jaguars along the riverbanks.
In the afternoon, we’ll explore the lodge trails and canopy tower, targeting understory mixed flocks and fruiting trees in the mid and upper levels of the forest. Possible sightings include: White-throated Toucan, Channel-billed Toucan, Spangled Cotinga, Plum-throated Cotinga, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Amazonian Pygmy Owl, and dazzling tanagers such as: Paradise Tanager, Opal-rumped Tanager, Opal-crowned Tanager, Green-and-gold Tanager, Turquoise Tanager, Masked Tanager, Flame-crested Tanager, Yellow-bellied Dacnis, Black-faced Dacnis, Blue Dacnis, as well as other canopy specialists like Gilded Barbet and Lemon-throated Barbet.
🛏️ Overnight at Sachavacayoc Finca Lodge
Oxbow Lake Birding
We begin our morning at Lake Chimbada, one of the most scenic oxbow lakes in the Tambopata region. Quietly gliding across the water by catamaran, we’ll search for a resident family of Giant Otters—a rare and thrilling sight in the wild.
The surrounding forest and lake margins are home to an impressive diversity of birds, including: Least Grebe, Anhinga, Hoatzin, Green-and-rufous Kingfisher, Amazonian Motmot, Pale-winged Trumpeter, Red-bellied Macaw, Epaulet Oriole, Ladder-tailed Nightjar, Black Skimmer, Fasciated Antshrike, Black-spotted Bare-eye
After lunch, we explore terra firme trails near the lodge, targeting secretive Amazonian understory specialists such as: White-browed Antbird, Goeldi’s Antbird, Rufous-capped Antthrush, Black-faced Antthrush, White-flanked Antwren, Plain-winged Antshrike, Ihering’s Antwren
Mixed flocks in this dense forest often bring fast-paced action, with possibilities for: Elegant Woodcreeper, Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, Dusky-throated Antshrike, Plain Xenops, Buff-throated Foliage-Gleaner, Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher, White-winged Shrike-Tanager, Black-faced Antbird, and many more surprises.
🛏️ Overnight at Sachavacayoc Finca Lodge
Last birding and out
On our final morning in Tambopata, we’ll enjoy a relaxed birding session in the lodge’s gardens—an excellent opportunity to observe canopy-edge and open-area species. Common visitors here include: Rusty-margined Flycatcher, Sulphury Flycatcher, Epaulet Oriole, Golden-bellied Euphonia, among others.
After breakfast and a final stroll around the lodge grounds, we’ll begin our journey out of the rainforest, following the trail to Lake Sandoval and then navigating the Tambopata River by boat back to Puerto Maldonado.
From here, we’ll transfer to the airport for your flight to Lima or Cusco, concluding this unforgettable birding adventure in the Amazon.
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