Experience Truly Exceptional Birdwatching on this 10-Day Northern Peru Birding Tour

On this 10-day northern Peru birding tour, you’ll travel with an expert naturalist across the region’s highlands and river valleys. You’ll encounter hundreds of species, get singular looks at endemic birds unique to the region, add to your Life List, and enjoy outstanding birding each day.

Itinerary

Your itinerary will include bird lists for each location. Bird lists are not definitive. They include native species to each habitat. Like with any experience exploring the natural world, there are no definites as to which species you will come across — and there are always great surprises.

Day 1: CHICLAYO- BOSQUE POMAC – OLMOS
You’ll begin your tour traveling from Chiclayo to the dry forests of Bosque Pomac.

Bosque Pomac Bird List

Peruvian Plant Cutter (Phytotoma raimondii)
***Rufous Flycatcher (Myiarchus semirufus)
Tumbes Swalow (Tachycineta stolzmanni)
Scarlet Backed Woodpecker (Veniliornis callonotus)
Necklaced Spinetail (Synallaxis stictothorax)
Cinereous Finch (Piezorina cinerea).

From Bosque Pomac, you’ll continue to the high, rugged Olmos Pass and Quebrada Limon.

Olmos Pass Bird List

White winged Guan (Penelope albipennis)
Tumbes Tyrant (Tumbezia salvini)
Elegant Crescentchest (Melanopareia elegans)
Guayaquil woodpecker (Campephilus gayaquilensis)
Red masked Parakeet (Psittacara erythrogenys)

You will spend the night at Olmos in a local Hotel.

Day 2: OLMOS – LIMON DE PURCOYA – JAEN
Today, you’ll travel to Limon de Purcoya. These high, dry, brushy slopes are great for birding.

Limon de Purcoya Bird List

Piura Chat Tyrant (Ochthoeca piurae)
Chapman’s Antshire (Thamnophilus zarumae)
Black Cowlet Saltator (Saltator nigriceps)
Ecuadorian piculet (Picumnus sclateri)
Rufous Necked Foliage Gleaner (Syndactyla ruficollis
Henna Hooded Foliage Gleaner (Hylocryptus erythrocephalus)
Purcoya Hermit (Catharus guttatus)
Bay Crowned Brush Finch (Atlapetes seebohmi)

After explore the area you will continue towards your hotel on Jaen. On the way, you’ll pull over at a few local hotspots to add a few more birds to the list.

Little Inca Finch (Incaspiza watkinsi)
Marañon Crescent chest (Melanopareia maranonica)
Chichipe Spinetail (Synallaxis stictothorax)
Marañon Slaty Antshire (Hamnophilus punctatus)

Day 3: JAEN – POMACOCHAS OR FLORIDA
Today, you’ll travel to Pomacochas, a marshy lakeside habitat. As you travel, you’ll pass changing landscapes and habitats and get a great look at a variety of species.

Pomacochas Bird List

Little Inca Finch (Incaspiza watkinsi)
Spotted Rail (Pardirallus maculates)
Marañon Spinetail (Synallaxis maranonica)
Yellow Tailed Oriole (Icterus mesomelas)
Marañon Thrush (Turdus maranonicus)
Buff Bellied Tanager (Thlypopsis inornata)
Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)
Purple Collared Woodstar (Myrtis fanny)
Purple Throated Sunangel (Heliangelus viola)
Andean Emerald (Amazilia franciae) can also be found in the area.

You will spend the night at Puma Cochas.

Day 4: POMACOCHAS – ABRA PATRICIA
Today, you’ll look for an elusive Rusty-tinged Antpitta (Grallaria przewalskii), and the Russet mantled Softail (Thripophaga berlepschi). You’ll spend 2 nights at your lodge in Abra Patricia, for the maximum likelihood you’ll spot the area’s lesser-seen inhabitants.

Abra Patricia Bird List

Rusty-tinged Antpitta (Grallaria przewalskii)
Russet Mantled Softail (Thripophaga berlepschi)
Blackish Tapaculo (Scytalopus latrans)
Red Hooded Tanager (Piranga rubriceps)
White Capped Diper (Cinclus leucocephalus).
Long Whiskered Owlet (Xenoglaux loweryi)

Day 5: ABRA PATRICIA LODGE
Today, you’ll travel under the thick, misty canopies of a cloud forest near Abra Patricia.

Abra Patricia Bird List

tanagers (Thraupidae)
flycatchers (Tyrannidae)
Speckle Chested Piculet (Picumnus steindachneri)
Ocre Fronted Antpitta (Grallaricula ochraceifrons)
Bar Winged Wood Wren (Henicorhina leucoptera)
Royal Sunangel (Heliangelus regalis)
Cinnamon Breasted Tody Tyrant (Hemitriccus cinnamomeipectus)
Inca Flycatcher (Leptopogon taczanowskii)
Vermilion Tanager (Calochaetes coccineus)
Ecuadorian Pietail
Andean Cock-of-the-Rock (Rupicola peruvianus)
Red Ruffd Fruitcrow (Pyroderus scutatus)
White Capped tanager (Sericossypha albocristata)
Yellow Scarf Tanager (Iridosornis reinhardti)
Chestnut Antpitta (Grallaria blakei)

Day 6: ABRA PATRICIA – RIOJA
Today, you’ll travel to the river valley Rioja.

Rioja Bird List

Golden Collared Honeycreeper (Iridophanes pulcherrimus)
Virsicolored Barbet (Eubucco versicolor)
Black Bellied Tanager (Ramphocelus melanogaster)
Lanceolated Monklet (Micromonacha lanceolata)
Masket Trogon (Trogon personatus)
Crested Quetzal (Pharomachrus antisianus)
Speckle Chested Piculet (Picumnus steindachneri)
Blue Browed Tanager (Tangara cyanotis)
White Collared Jay (Cyanolyca viridicyanus)
Crimson Mantled Woodpecker (Piculus rivolii)
White Capped Diper (Cinclus leucocephalus)
Point Tailed Palmcreeper (Berlepschia rikeri)
Russet Crowned Crake (Anurolimnas viridis)
Yellow Tyrannulet (Capsiempis flaveola)
Stripe Necked Tody Tyrant (Hemitriccus striaticollis)
Blakish Rail (Pardirallus nigricans).

You will spend the night at Rioja in a local hotel.

Day 7: RIOJA – WAKANKY LODGE (MOYOBAMBA)
Today, you will start birding at Morro de Calzada community, where you’ll look for some endemic species.

Morro de Calzada Bird List

Misshana Tyranunnlet (Zimmerius villarejoi)
Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus)
Red-billed Tyrannulet (Zimmerius cinereicapilla)
Stripe Manakin (Machaeropterus regulus)
Cinereous Breasted (Spinetail Synallaxis hypospodia)
Buff Throated Tody Tyrant (Hemitriccus rufigularis)
Fiery-capped Manakin (Machaeropterus pyrocephalus)
Pale Breasted Thrush (Turdus leucomelas)

Later you’ll continue towards Wakanky Lodge, where hummingbird feeders attract several species of hummingbirds (Trochilidae). At the lodge, you’ll have a chance to take some nice photos.

Day 8: WAKANKY – TARAPOTO
In the morning you’ll go birding on several of the lodge’s nearby trails.

Wakanky Bird List

Fiery Throated Fruiteater (Pipreola chlorolepidota)
White Bellied Tody Tyrant (Hemitriccus griseipectus)
White Plumed Antbird (Pithys albifrons)
Spot Backed Antbird (Hylophylax naevius)
Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulean)
Black and White Tody Tyrant (Poecilotriccus capitalis)
Short Tailed Pygmy Tyrant (Myiornis ecaudatus)
Black-faced Tanager (Schistochlamys melanopis)
Misshana Tyrannulet (Zimmerius villarejoi)

After lunch at the lodge, you’ll continue to Tarapoto where you’ll get the chance to see the unique Oilbird.

Day 9: TARAPOTO – YURIMAGUAS – TARAPOTO
Today, as you travel through diverse habitats, you’ll have the chance to see the following species:

Yurimaguas Bird List

Spotted Tanager (Tangara punctata)
Plumbeous Euphonia (Euphonia plumbea)
Koepcke´s Hermit (Phaethornis koepckeae)
Masked Tanager (Tangara nigrocincta)
Blackish Pewee (Contopus nigrescens)
Dotted Tanager (Tangara varia)
Slaty capped Shrike vireo (Vireolanius leucotis)
Solitary Eagle (Buteogallus solitaries)
Scaled pigeon (Patagioenas speciosa)

Day 10: TARAPOTO – LIMA
Before you head to the airport in Tarapoto, you will visit the humid, riverbank habitat of Juanjui. In the area you’ll look for the following birds:

Juanjui Bird List