Enjoy Exceptional Birding on this 9-Day Central Peru Birding Tour

On this 9-day central Peru birding tour, you’ll travel with an expert naturalist from Andean highlands to the Amazon Basin. 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.

Highlights

Observe hundreds of diverse species, as well as birds endemic to central Peru
Hike through the breathtaking landscapes and diverse habitats
Travel with an experienced naturalist and expert on Peruvian birds

Itinerary

Day 1: Birdwatching from Lima to Junín
Welcome to Peru! You’ll begin your central Peru birding tour with hotel pick-up in Lima before traveling to the high mountain pass of Ticlio. Here, you’ll stop for breakfast and get first looks at central Peru’s abundant bird life.

In the afternoon, you’ll stop for lunch before heading onward to the Amazon highlands of Junin. Today’s likely birds will include:

White bellied Cinclodes (Cinclodes palliates)
OlivaceousThornbill (Chalcostigma olivaceum)
Rufous bellied seedsnape (Attagis gayi)
Gray breasted Seedsnape (Thinocorus orbignyianus)
Diademed plower (Phegornis mitchellii)
Andean condor (Vultur gryphus),
Crested Duck and other birds.
Junin Canastero (Asthenes virgata)
Puna snape, Streakbacked Canastero (Asthenes wyatti)
Cordilleran Canastero (Asthenes modesta)
Cinereous Harrier (Circus cinereus)
Puna Ibis (Plegadis ridgwayi)
Black Faced Ibis (Theristicus melanopis)
White winged Cinclodes (Cinclodes atacamensis)

Day 2: Birdwatching from Junín to Huánuco.
Today you will visit Lake Junin in order to see freshwater aquatic birds. In the afternoon, you’ll head to your hotel to grab your luggage before continuing your journey to the semi-arid and hilly grasslands near Huanuco. You’ll grab dinner at a local restaurant and spend the night in Huanuco. Today, you’ll likely see the following species:

Junín Rail (Laterallus tuerosi)
Junin Grebe (Podiceps taczanowskii)
OrnateTinamou (Nothoprocta ornate)
Plumbeous Rail (Pardirallus sanguinolentus)
Manycoloret Rush Tyrant (Tachuris rubrigastra)
Chilian Flamengo (Phoenicopterus chilensis)
Andean coot (Fulica ardesiaca)
Puna teal (Anas puna)
Yellow Billed pintail (Anas georgica)
White tufted Grebe (Rollandia Rolland)
Correndera pipit (Anthus correndera)
Puna miner (Geositta punensis)
Andean Negrito (Lessonia oreas)
Black Breasted Hillstar
Line cheeked Spinetail (Cranioleuca antisiensis)
Giant conebill (Oreomanes fraseri)
Black Metaltail (Metallura phoebe)
Andean Hillstar (Oreotrochilus estella)
Thick billed Siskin (Spinus crassirostris)
Cinereous Ground tyrant (Muscisaxicola cinereus)
Plain Breasted Earcreeper (Upucerthia jelskii)
Sliver Grebe (Podiceps occipitalis)
Rufous Backed Inca Finch (Incaspiza personata)
Black Crested Tit Tyrant (Anairetes nigrocristatus)
Torrent Duck (Merganetta armata)

Day 3: Birdwatching from Huánuco to Unchog Forest
Today you’ll travel 2.5 hours from Huanuco to Unchog Forest, where you’ll camp for the night. As you explore the patchy forest, you’ll spot the bird species such as:

Golden-backed Mountain Tanager (Cnemathraupis aureodorsalis)
Rufous Browed Hemmispingus (Hemispingus rufosuperciliaris)
Bey vented Cotinga (Doliornis sclateri)
White Chinned Thistletail (Asthenes fuliginosa)
Coppery Metaltail (Metallura theresia)
Yellow Scarf Tanager (Iridosornis reinhardti)
Golden Collared Tanager (Iridosornis jelskii)

Day 4: Birding at Unchog
Enjoy breakfast and camp, then pack up and continue birding in Unchog Forest. In the afternoon you’ll return to Huánuco for the night.

Day 5: Birding at Paty Taril Trail
Today you’ll head to Paty Taril Trail and Carpish Tunnel before returning to Huánuco again for the night. The steep inclines and foggy, dense forests are home to the following species:

Flanked Tanager Brown (Thlypopsis pectoralis)
Orange Breasted Falcon (Falco deiroleucus)
Gray breasted Mountain Tanager (Andigena hypoglauca)
Chestnu tBreasted Wren (Cyphorhinus thoracicus)
Bay Antpitta (Grallaria capitalis)
Yellow Scarf Tanager (Iridosornis reinhardti)
Long Tailed Antbird (Drymophila caudate)
Powerful lwoodpecker (Campephilus pollens)
Crimson Bellied Woodpecker (Campephilus haematogaster)
Chestnut antpitta (Grallaria blakei)
Peruvian tyrannulet (Zimmerius viridiflavus)
Streaked Tufted cheeked (Pseudocolaptes boissonneautii)
Peruvian wren (Cinnycerthia peruana)
Chestnut Antpitta (Grallaria blakei)
Barred Fruiteater (Pipreola arcuata)
Black Capped Hemispingus (Hemispingus atropileus)

Day 6: Birding from Huánuco to Tingo Maria
Today you’ll travel to Tingo Maria National Park, nestled between the Andean Highlands and the Amazon Basin. You’ll spend the night at Tingo Maria. Along the way, you’re likely to observe the following species:

Black Bellied Tanager (Ramphocelus melanogaster)
Red Rumped Cacique (Cacicus haemorrhous)
White eyed parakeet (Psittacara leucophthalma)
Blackish Rail (Pardirallus nigricans)
Amazon King Fisher (Chloroceryle amazona)
Orange bellied Euphony (Euphonia xanthogaster)
Blue headed parrot (Pionus menstruus)
Sapphire Spangled Emerald (Amazilia lacteal)
Black throated Mango (Anthracothorax nigricollis),

Day 7: Birding in Tingo Maria National Park
Today you’ll leave your hotel early to explore the outstanding Tingo Maria National Park. As you hike the trails near “Sleeping Beauty Mountain” — named for range’s likeness to a sleeping woman — you’ll encounter lush forsests and rich biodiversity. In the afternoon, you’ll visit the famous “Cave of Owls,” a misnomer for the cave filled with nocturnal colonies of Oilbirds. Today, you’ll likely encounter the following birds:

Black eyed pale bird (Dendrocygna autumnalis)
Blackish Rail (Pardirallus nigricans)
Green Ibis (Mesembrinibis cayennensis)
Oilbird (Steatornis caripensis)

Day 8: Birding from Huánuco to Junín
In the morning, you’ll enjoy some birding on the jungle trails outside of Huánuco. In the afternoon, you’ll travel to Junín, and stop along the way for some good observing. Today, you’re likely to see:

Inca Rufous backed finch (Incaspiza personata)
Little woodstar (Chaetocercus bombus)
Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas)
White bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia chionogaster)
White-browed Chat-Tyrant (Ochthoeca leucophrys)
Black breasted Hillstar(Oreotrochilus melanogaster)
Ornate tinamou (Nothoprocta ornate)
Puna miner (Geositta punensis)
Cordilleran canastero (Asthenes modesta)
Junin canastero (Asthenes virgata)
Andean negrito (Lessonia oreas)

Day 9: Birding from Junín to Lima.
Your central Peru birding tour is coming to a close! Along the way from Junín to Lima, you’ll stop at a few more locations to end your central Peru birding tour. You’ll grab lunch at San Mateo and enjoy one last meal with your group. Upon arrival to Lima, you’ll head to the airport for your return flight.

Today, you’ll observe species like:

White bellied cinclodes (Cinclodes palliates)
Olivaceous thornbill (Chalcostigma olivaceum)
Rufous bellied seedsnape (Attagis gayi)
Gray breasted Seed Snape (Thinocorus orbignyianus)
Diademed plower (Phegornis mitchellii)

Important Notes

Please note that prices are based on tours booked at least 2 months in advance. If you’d like to book a tour within 2 months, please contact us at info@keteka.com for updated pricing information.