COASTAL- HIGHLAND ENDEMICS 10 Days/09 Nights

Day 1: Arrival to Lima and overnight

Depending on arrival time, we will organize a short city tour or a quick visit to Museo Larco, overnight in Lima.

Day 2: Lima to Villa Marshes, Pucusana & Santa Eulalia

 After breakfast we will head south from Lima on the Pan-American Highway which connects northwestern Canada with Tierra de Fuego, the southernmost tip of South America. Our first port of call will be the Pantanos de Villa marshes just to the south of Lima. Here we will see Andean Coot, Puna Ibis, Great and White-tufted Grebes, Cinnamon Teal, White-cheeked Pintail, Franklin's Gull, Gray-hooded Gull, Bay-winged and Variable Hawk. Wren-like Rushbird and Many-colored Rush tyrant are also here.This small wetland is very attractive to birds and a good selection of species should be present, including Great Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, various ducks, herons and waders, Wren-like Rushbird, Many-coloured Rush-tyrant and Peruvian Red-breasted Meadowlark. Heading further south to our lunch stop at the small fishing village of “Pucusana”, we will start to familiarise ourselves with some of the common Peruvian coastal birds on a short boat trip around the bay: Peruvian Pelican, Peruvian Booby, Killdeer, Band-tailed Gull and Pacific Dove among others. The boat trip around “Pucusana” Bay which will produce nesting Guanay and Red-legged Cormorants as well as Peruvian Boobies. Our targets here are the lovely Inca Tern, Blackish Oystercatcher, Peruvian Pelican, Red-legged Cormorant, Gray Gull, Peruvian Seaside Cinclodes and perhaps Humboldt Penguin. After lunch, we have a little chance for more coastal birding.  On the way to Santa Eulali, and if we didn´t get them before we shall diligently search recently plowed fields for the cryptic Peruvian Thick-knee and the diminutive Short-tailed Field-Tyrant, while in hedges and brushy areas we may find Groove-billed Ani, as well as Parrot- billed and Chestnut-throated Seedeaters, then we’ll carry on to our Hotel in Santa Eulalia.

Day 3: Santa Eulalia – Huachupampa

We will make a 6 AM start straight for Santa Eulalia Valley in order to be in position when the rare Rufous-breasted Warbling-Finch is more active. There are many west slope specialties here, such as Black-necked Woodpecker, Oasis Hummingbird, Peruvian Sheartail, Bronzetailed Comet, Great Inca-Finch, Peruvian Pygmy-Owl, Canyon Canastero, Rusty-bellied Brush-Finch, Bright- rumped Yellow-Finch, Thick-billed Miner, Pied-crested Tit-Tyrant, Rusty-crowned TitSpinetail, Streaked Tit-Spinetail and many others. We stay in the quite comfortable Huachupampa hotel with private bath and hot water at around 2900 m.

Day 4 - 5: Huachupampa – San Mateo – Chez Victor Hotel:

In the early morning, we will be at the lookout to spot Andean Condors flying out from their roosting cliffs. At the Polylepis Forest we have been very successful with White-cheeked Cotinga in the past. Also present are Striated Earthcreeper, Stripe-headed Antpitta, Giant Conebill, Tit- like Dacnis, Rufous-webbed Bush-Tyrant, Torrent Duck, White-capped Dipper and maybe we spot White-tailed Shrike-Tyrant found here twice. We will continue over the 4900m pass to the Milloc bog for things like Puna Tinamou (rare), Giant Coot, Gray-breasted and Rufous-bellied Seed-snipes, Puna Snipe, Southern Pochard (twice), Andean Ibis and of course all the targets: Diademed Sandpiper-Plover, White-bellied Cinclodes, Olivaceous Thornbill, Black-breasted Hillstar, Dark-winged Miner, Junin Canastero, Ground-Tyrants and many more. In the afternoon we shall drive on the main Central Highway to a small but comfortable chez Victor Hotel located at the small town of San Mateo.

Day 6: San Mateo: Chez victor hotel – Lima

Today in the morning we will explore the Rio Blanco Valley for some more localize birds like: Torrent Ducks, Black-throated Flowerpiercer, Golden-billed Saltator, another chance for Anden Condors, etc. After lunch, we’ll drive straight back to Lima, arriving in Lima at night.

 Day 7: Lima to Paracas

After breakfast we will head again south from Lima on the Pan-American Highway, depending on the time we may stop again at villa marshes for a second quick visit. Then we will continue making selected stops along the way to Paracas in agricultural areas particularly for Peruvian Thicknee, Yellowish Pipit, Short-tailed Field Tyrant and others. Other possibilities include a variety of Seedeaters including Drab (endemic), Parrot-billed and Chestnut-throated as well as Scrub Blackbird and long-tailed Mockingbird. We hope to arrive at the small town of Paracas during the late afternoon where we will check in to our comfortable hotel.

Day 8: Full day Paracas & the Ballestas Islands

The Peninsula de Paracas and the nearby Islas Ballestas make up La Reserva National de Paracas, the most important wildlife sanctuary on the Peruvian coast. Pelagic birds nest on the offshore islands in such numbers that their nitrogen-rich droppings (guano) collect in quantities large enough to be commercially exploited for fertilizer. During a morning excursion to the islands, we will hope to see Humboldt Penguin, Guanay Cormorant, Red-legged Cormorant, Chilean Skua, Peruvian Tern, the beautiful Inca Tern, up to four gull species and many more. There is also a large sea lion colony on the islands, which helps lend a feel to the islands of being a “mini-Galápagos!” After the boat trip, we may do some birding in the dry scrub behind the village. Coastal Miner, Seaside Cinclodes, Yellowish Pipit, Short-tailed Field-tyrant, Peruvian Sheartail, Peruvian Thick-knee and Scrub-Peruvian Meadowlark are species we can hope to see. After lunch, we drive back north to Paracas. Depending on how the day has panned out, people may choose to relax at the hotel if there is an opportunity or join us out on the spectacular cliff-tops of the peninsula for some sea watching as the sun sets over the Pacific.

Day 10: Transfer from Lima Hotel to airport. End of our servicies.

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