Cusco Birding Machu Picchu
Birding in Machu Picchu and Cusco 4 Days
Among the 352.590 hectares that protects the citadel of Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains, have been recorded 406 species, a spectacular number considering the small size of the sanctuary.
Cusco is a magnific place that you should visit at least once, enjoy the cultural places, amazing landscapes, and excellent birds, with this tour you could explore beautiful areas looking for Cusco birds, especially rare and endemic birds.
Cusco Birding Machu Picchu
ITINERARY:
DAY 1: Cusco – Ollantaytambo – Machu Picchu
We will pick you up early from your hotel, we will drive to Poroy Train Station, Them, we will take the train to Aguas Calientes Pueblo for about 4 hours, during the middle day we are going to look for some endemics species like, Inca Wren Masked Fruiteater, Variable Antshrike, Plain Xenop, Streaked Xenop, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch, Highland Motmot, Musician Wren, Golden-Olive Woodpecker, Crimson Mantled Woodpecker, Black Streaked Puffbird, Masked Trogon, Buff-Tailed Sicklebill. In the Urubamba River, we will look for Torrent Ducks and White-capped Dipper and Others. White-tipped Swifts will be flying overhead. Night at a hotel in Aguas Calientes.
Day 2: Machu Picchu – Ollantaytambo
Cusco Birding Machu Picchu
This day very early we will take the bus to Machupicchu archeological site, in 2 hours we will visit all the complex, then we will have a great chances to see many birds species like White-Bellied Hummingbird, Green and white Hummingbird, Collared Inca, Ocellated Piculet, Mottle-Cheeked-Tyrannulet, Sclater’s Tyrannulet and some others species. During the afternoon we are going to descend by bus to Aguas Calientes, and then we will catch the Train to Ollantaytambo, there is the intermontane Valley habitat, and we might see Bearded Mountaineer, Torrent Tyrannulet, Black Phoebe, Giant Hummingbird. Night at a hotel in Ollantaytambo.
Day 3: Ollantaytambo – Abra Málaga – Carrizales – Cusco
We are going to depart in our car for 1 hour to Abra Malaga, (4316 mt) the habitat is the Grassland Paramo and Polylepis forest we will look for Royal Cinclodes, Cordilleran Canastero, Bright-Rumped Yellow Finch, White-Winged Duica Finch, Junín Canastero, White-Tufted Sunbeam, Stripe-Headed Antpitta, with a good luck we might the majestic Andean Condor flying overhead, continuing down road to Carrizales we will look for Cusco-Brush Finch, Parodis Hemispingus, Marcapata Spinetail and some others species, At late afternoon we will drive back to Cusco, arriving approximately 6:00 pm. Night at the hotel in Cusco.
Cusco Birding Machu Picchu
Day 4: Cusco - Huacarpay Wetlands
Huacarpay is a great place for watching birds, especially some endemics ones, this Lake is located at 40 minutes driving from Cusco, where the habitat is marsh, wetland, we will look for Bearded Mountaineer, Many-Colored Rush Tyrant, Wren-like Rushbird, Cinereous Harrier, many species of ducks, teals, Crakes and some ones that we missed, Birding activities will be in the morning, then we will drive back to Cusco.