Two new tours in Peru
Short of time for a trip? Try a Weekend Birding Sandwich. Also. Let's look the best bird photography in Peru.
In this newsletter.
- $500 discount on the Spain trip in
May
- The Biggest Weekend Birding Sandwich
- The best Bird Photography in Peru
- A new request for Manu road and Tambopata 14 days Aug-Sep.
- Upcoming 7 Wonders Birding Tours
- Upcoming Kolibri Expeditions tours.
- US Road trip and
Marathon in Las Vegas coming up.
- Music Video. Check out these kids covering Offspring's "Keep 'separated"
Since my last newsletter, several new
bookings have come in, so there are a couple of trips that can take more participants. We believe in providing birding for all types of birders so regardless if you want easy birding, hard core birding maximising the number of species, or if you are a dedicated bird photographer we have the trip for you. Let's jump in.
$500 discount, Andalucia, Spain May 4-9
The trip to Andalucia, Spain is still
available, and I have extended the $500 discount until April 7. Check out https://7wondersbirding.com/alhambra-iberian-lynx/ Use the discount code MOREBIRDS when you click on the Book Now button at the end of the page. It is
possible that we will do a more extensive extensive birding program and the time looking for the Lynx will be the first afternoon and next morning, plus the last afternoon, but one and then the next morning before heading off to Madrid. A more extensive birding program would take us to Tarifa to catch some of spring migration, check out some lakes in the south and the Bald Ibis colony near Vejer de La Frontera. Here is a checklist from the trip in 2023 that pretty much covered this same area.
The Biggest Weekend Birding Sandwich June 14-22
If you are short of time for a holiday, and can't get much time off from work perhaps you could go for a
Weekend Birding Sandwich! This is when you can only get 5 days off from work sandwiched between two weekends to go birding. In effect you get 9 days of birding.
As our experience have shown with our 7 Wonders Birding trips, this concept is actionable pretty much anywhere in the world. Practically, all our 7WB trips are Weekend Birding Sandwiches - but we offer extensions for more birding on practically all the routes.
While the 7WB tours mostly focus on the Bucket List birds and mammals, the Weekend Birding Sandwich concept could also be applied to hardcore birding.
- What is highest number of birds one could expect to see on a focused hard core birding trip for 9 days?
- Where would you go to maximize the number of species to see and still feel
you cover almost all the possible endemics and specialties in the area?
This is pretty much the request I recently got from a young birder in the US.
So I put together a Weekend Birding Sandwich in Central Peru, which I believe would give you the most bang for your buck. Expect 500-600 species on such a trip. The trip has been customized for my US client who has never been to Peru before. All will be new. We have a few more spaces available in the vehicle. Check out the itinerary on the webpage. https://kolibriexpeditions.com/Biggest-Big-Week.aspx?idtourk=288 Central Peru is the most endemic dense area in Peru. Highlights include Golden-backed Mountain-Tanager, Junin Grebe, White-cheeked Cotinga, Rufous-browed Hemispingus, Bay-vented Cotinga, White-bellied Cinclodes, and a bunch of localized Antpittas and Tapaculos and many more.
Also many iconic birds such Diademed Sandpiper-Plover, Inca Tern, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock,
Torrent Duck, Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, Peruvian Thickknee etc.
For this pilot trip we will likely keep it at only 3 clients, so there are only two more spots. Interested?
Bird Photography in Peru for serious bird photographers
It has been requested for a long time. A set departure specifically for serious bird photographers. We will take you to the best
bird photography setups in Peru for 12 days with great lodges and domestic flights included in the price.
There are two ways of doing the trip. The exclusive way will have a photography savvy expert bird guide accompanying, who will also lure out attractive birds with playback. The more budget friendly version does not have an accompanying bird expert guide, but will focus on fixed spots with
set-ups for bird photographers with feeders and hides. The drivers are quite experienced with birders and know all the spots and also some of the species. At the feeder set-ups the local staff also have knowledge about the birds that visit. Check out the itinerary on https://kolibriexpeditions.com/bird-photography-in-Peru.aspx?idtourk=287
The first departure on Sep 7 is guided by a pro-guide, the second departure on the 14th is self-guided. The prices may seem quite high at first glance, but take into account that it includes four domestic flights and high quality lodges, as well as food. Entrance fees are being paid by the clients directly as we go along. The groups
will also remain very small for the best possible experience.
14 days in SE Peru in Aug-Sep. Abra Malaga, Manu Road, Amigos and Chuncho Lodge.
Here is a last minute item added to the newsletter. Two couples that were coming to Peru in 2020 but had to cancel because of COVID. Now they are fit enough to make the dream tour to Peru become reality. They are allowing for
1-2 couples to join them.
It is 14 days in total, but you could just join in part if you wish. It gives you a wide array of bird species of wetlands, Polylepis woodlands, temperate cloud forest, subtropical cloud forest and tropical and upper tropical Amazonian rainforests.
Here is the outline of the itinerary.
Day 1. Fly to Cuzco. Laguna
Huaypo, Ensifera Camp and in the afternoon Abra Malaga. If you want to visit Machu Picchu instead in the afternoon this can be arranged. Night in Ollantaytambo.
Day 2. Abra Malaga. Night in
Pisac
Day 3-7. Manu Road
Day 8-12. Amigos
Day 13-14. Chuncho Macaw lick. Flight to Lima in the late afternoon.
The price for the entire 14 days including flights, superb lodges,
entrance fees, all food, drinks to meals, road transport, boat transport and a comfortable sleeper night bus to Puerto Maldonado and professional bird guiding, is $5515.
You could join for just part of the trip if you like.
