Unique opportunity to hike and bird an Inca Trail in the Vilcabamba Mts at an unbelievably low price.  

Ever dreamt about birding while hiking on the famous Inca Trail? Well, good luck with that! The classic Inca Trail is very regulated and full of people, so it is hard to get decent birding along the way.

I just got invited to do a 5 day trek a bit south-west of Machu Picchu, that partly goes along a very well preserved Inca Trail. The organizing agency wants me to test whether it is feasible to offer this route to hikers who also like to bird - or birders who like to hike. This could be an interesting partnership. 

The tour lasts for one week May 3-9, with a night in Cuzco before and after. Since the Southern Spain trip that I announced in my last newsletter is seemingly not running in spite of the offered discount, I decided to accept the invitation. There will be four representatives from tour agencies, mine included, plus max four paying customers. 
One of the client spots is already taken, so only three remains. 

It is a very special price. Only $1250 for the full week including camping gear, food, porters and hotels in Huallapata and Santa Teresa before and after the hike that lasts for 5 full days. Flights from Lima are additional. 

The birding is superb with subtropical rainforest with species such as Andean Cock of the Rock and Torrent Duck, temperate forest with many colorful Tanagers, Polylepis woodland with Cusco endemics such as Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant, White-browed Tit-Spinetail, and Royal Cinclodes, and the VIlcabamba endemics Vilcabamba Thistletail and Vilcabamba Tapaculo. 
In essence this route has the same species one could see on the classic Inca Trail.

And the views are going to be the most spectacular you can imagine with the glacier clad peaks of the Salcantay and Pumasillo massifs. While we are hiking you will likely not see a single other group of tourists. It is a one of a kind experience. Here is a link to the route on Google Earth. 

What about Machu Picchu then? 

If you like you can add Machu Picchu at the end of the program with train to Aguas Calientes from Hidro electrica. The pre-booked tickets to Machu Picchu are sold out for most of April and May, but 600 full circuit tickets daily are sold for the following day in the Aguas Calientes village. If you allow for two relaxing nights in Aguas Calientes after the hike, you can be sure to get tickets any of the two following days. Let me know if you want to add Machu Picchu. 

What about the high altitude?

We will pass a few passes of some 16000 ft (4500m) and sleep at camp grounds at 12000 ft (3600m). To preparre for the altitude could take a few cultural or birding day tours to higher altitude from Ollantaytambo or from Lima in the Santa Eulalia Canyon and this way gain exposure to altitudes above 4000m (13000 ft). 
I think the best preparation would be to do Santa Eulalia and Marcapomacocha Road from Lima on May 1-2, sleeping at 2900m (9500ft) and reaching 4800m (16000 ft) the following day by car,  then take an evening flight to Cusco and stay overnight in Cuzco at 3400m (11000 ft).
This way you get some exposure before the first camp night at 3600m (11800 ft).
Let us know so we can set it up for you. 

Regardless, you need to be quite fit for this adventure. It is by no means an easy trek. It has three high passes. 

Who is the bird guide? 
I am the guide. This trek is very special for me since it is in the same area where I was doing field work in 1992. Then this was a hot spot area for the infamous and brutal maoist guerilla the Shining Path - Sendero Luminoso. There was trekking along this route before the Shining Path, but it has not picked up by other agencies since the area was pacified in the mid 90s. 

The birds of the region are very familiar to me. I have some remarkable stories to tell around the campfire about our field work in the early 90s. 
 

There will only be max 3 birders in the group which will be given personal guiding by myself. The others in the group will be keen to learn more about the nature along the way. My guess that everyone will be birders after the hike. 

There will also be a native Cuzqueño trekking guide knowledgable about the archaeology we encounter on the way.

Join me for an adventure of lifetime. Because of the limited number of spaces available I need you to sign up before Friday April 11.

The Weekend Birding Sandwich 

In the last newsletter, I introduced the Weekend Birding Sandwich concept for birders taking five days off from work sandwiched between two weekends and this way get 9 days of birding when taking a red-eyed flight.  

Here is a link if you did not see it. The newsletter also makes mention of other trips in Peru, and elsewhere around the world planned for 2025 and 2026. So check it out if you feel like traveling with Kolibri Expeditions or 7 Wonders Birding this year or next. 

Anyway, I immediately got 3 people signing up for the 9 day Central Peru Birding Sandwich on June 14-22, and there was a request for an alternative date May 10-18. 

Perhaps this earlier departure will attract a few more people. Let me know if so. The Vilcabamba Mountains trek is a birding trip that will suit anyone, regardless of previous birding skills, who is fit enough for demanding trekking. The birding sandwich is very hard core, but less physically demanding. It is in stark contrast to the trekking days. If you are an experienced birder and don't mind hiking, you may enjoy taking both trips  back to back.  . 

Technically you could do the trail birding with me and then go back to Lima to start a whirlwind of the best birding in Central Peru. So over three weekends this would be a double decker birding sandwich - The Big Mac of Birding. 😏

The Best Bird Photography in Peru in 12 days.

I also got much attention for the new Best bird photography in Peru trip with two different service options, which also was mentioned in the last newsletter. The guided tour starts on Sep 7, and the self-guided tour together with drivers that have been trained to take care of birders starts on Sep 14. 

Gunnar's recent marathon in Las Vegas and West US National Parks Road Trip. 

Once again, I fell short of my Sub 3h goal race. I thought I had a chance, since the Mt Charleston Marathon was all downhill, and I had done a considerble amount of downhill training. But I was also aware that I missed crucial training while on the Flock to Marion in South Africa in the end January, as well as getting the flu 6 weeks before the marathon, which developed into bronchitis, and made me lose many training days. It did not heal completely until right before the race. I was taking antibiotics the last days before the race to clear my lungs.

In spite of the shortcomings in training, I did extremely well the first part. I hit the half marathon point in 1:27:26 and kept good speed until km 28.4 (around 18 miles), after which I ran out of juice and slowed down to a patheticly slow pace. 

You find a race report and details on Strava.

I liked the course and would like to do it again, However, since it falls on Mother's Day in 2026, I can't do it next year. I need to stay at home with the family then. 

Before and after the race, my wife and I did a road trip visiting some of the splendid national parks of the region with Joshua Tree National Park, Sedona, Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. 

And I got my Kicks on Route 66. 

I am not sure yet which marathon will be my next to try to beat the 3h limit. But I am determined to do so eventually. Unfortunately, fast organized marathons are mostly in the US. One really fast one is in Salt Lake City in September, but it will not work, since I will be on tour with my band Guran Guran in Sweden.

However, I am thinking that the Revel Big Cottonwood Marathon in Salt Lake City in September, next year, 2026 could work quite well. 

Going to marathons around the world is expensive. My company Kolibri Expeditions has still to recover after COVID, the civil unrest in Peru in 2023, our van stolen, and other blows that I won't go into here. Therefore, I usually try to combine my hobbies with some business. Either in combination with a birdwatching festival or organizing a birdingwatching tour that connects in time. 

My next marathon race in the US, needs to be financed, one way or the other. You have the chance to give support by going birding with me before the race.

I have been playing with the idea of offering Birdwatching in Spectacular National Parks in inland West US. A road trip that starts in Los Angeles and ends in Salt Lake City, and also including some National Parks in Utah, such as Arches NP and perhaps others, apart from the national parks mentioned above that I visited with my wife . 

Something like 7-9 days, a small group of just 3-5 passengers, shared driving, and a scouting trip price of just $200/day in double occupancy, including car rental, trip planning, hotels and entrance fees. Meals would be self paid. 

I will put together species lists of the potential species, and will have an ample sound library for playback, but I am not pretending to be an expert on US birds. It will be a collective effort to identify birds with the help of tools like Merlin and eBird. 

It is not regular tour, but more of a scouting trip and at a very good price. The main goal is to visit the scenic national parks, and getting all the special birds along the way. 

If you are also a runner, you can join me for training runs some evenings. You may also want to sign up for the marathon or the half marathon. Remember this is for Sep 2026, not this year, so you have a long time to train for it. But of course, you don't need to be a runner to participate in the birding tour. 

Here is a tentative itinerary. Details where to stay and timing needs to be sorted still, but it gives you an idea. 

Send me a reply on this email if this sounds like your kind of fun. 

That is all for this newsletter! Now go birding!

Saludos

Gunnar