Marvelous Spatuletail, Long-whiskered Owlet, Yellow-scarfed Tanager, 4 Endemic Antpittas, Lulu’s Tody-Tyrant – and that’s just a few of the mind-blowing, highly sought-after species we’ll be looking for.
From our base in Tarapoto, we search for the tricky Dotted Tanager and rare Koepke's Hermit. We move slowly northwards, taking in Moyobamba and the highly localised endemics Painted Manakin and Mishana Tyrannulet before spending a good number of days in the brilliant, and little-known forests of Abra Patricia. Top bird species here include Bar-winged Wood Wren, Lulu's Tody-Flycatcher, Royal Sunangel, the scarce Yellow-scarfed and White-capped Tanagers and the enigmatic Long-whiskered Owlet.
Near Pomacochas, we deliver one of the great highlights of the trip, Marvelous Spatuletail and possibly Pale-billed Antpitta in a single day! Heading into the drier Maranon Valley, Little Inca Finch, Maranon Crescentchest and Maranon Spinetail await. We have some time at the enchanting pre-Incan fortress of Kuelap, arguably as impressive as the famed Machu Picchu, before continuing on our quest for another suite of endemics.
Coppery Metaltail and the scarce Russet-mantled Softtail await at Abra Barro Negro before we descend once more into the stunning Maranon Valley searching for the beautiful Buff-bridled and Grey-winged Inca Finches and Yellow-faced Parrotlet. Near the town of Cajamarca, we are likely to add the recently rediscovered Grey-bellied Comet and pick up the dazzling Black Metaltail too.
After Cajamarca, we journey to the Pacific Coast, and the town of Chiclayo, stopping to search for the endemic Great Spinetail and Peruvian Planctcutter en route. Having reached the coast, we travel north to our base at Chaparri, deep in the Tumbes region. From here, we shall explore a number of habitats, targeting White-winged Guan (until recently believed to have been extinct, and with fewer than 300 birds estimated to survive in the wild), Tumbes Hummingbird, Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaner, beautiful Elegant Crescentchest and Cinereous Finch. We end the tour in Trujillo after searching for some of Peru’s most poorly known endemics including Russet-bellied Spinetail and Piura Chat Tyrant.
2023 Tour price is an estimate and will change. Tour dates could be adjusted.
Top Birds
Marvelous Spatuletail, Long-whiskered Owlet, Royal Sunangel, Pale-billed, Ochre-fronted, Rusty-breasted, Chestnut-crowned & Rusty-tinged Antpittas, Lulu’s Tody-Flycatcher, Great, Necklaced & Baron’s Spinetails, Yellow-faced, Pacific & Spot-winged Parrotlets, Bar-winged Wood Wren, Coppery & Black Metaltails, Grey-winged, Little & Rufous-backed Inca Finches, Koepcke’s Hermit, Chestnut-backed Thornbird, White-capped, Yellow-scarfed, Huallaga, Dotted and Blue-browed Tanagers, Equatorial Greytail, Peruvian Pigeon, Russet-mantled Softtail, Blackish Pewee, Plumbeous Euphonia, Ashy-headed Greenlet, Mishana Tyrannulet, Tumbes Tyrant, Rufous, Baird’s & Inca Flycatchers, Gould's Jewelfront, Rufous-crested Coquette, Grey-tailed Piha, Ash-throated & Rusty-backed Antwrens, Fiery-capped & Western Striped Manakins, Wedge-billed & Tumbes Hummingbird, Crimson-mantled, Guayaquil & Bar-bellied Woodpeckers, Tanager, Peruvian Plantcutter, Rusty-crowned Tit-Spinetail, Large-footed Tapaculo, Jelski’s Chat-Tyrant, Maranon Tit-Tyrant, Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo, Buckley’s Forest Falcon, Sulphur-bellied Tyrant-Manakin, Black-fronted Nunbird, Sharpbill, Violet-throated Starfrontlet, Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan, Black-crested Warbler, Many-striped Canastero, Least Seedsnipe, Tawny-throated Dotterel, Peruvian Thick-knee and Short-tailed Field Tyrant, Many-coloured Rush Tyrant, Andean Ibis, Andean Tinamou, Montane Solitary Eagle, Short-tailed Woodstar, Grey-and-white Tyrannulet, Collared Antshrike, Maranon & Elegant Crescentchests, White-tailed Jay, Superciliated Wren, White-headed Brushfinch, White-edged Oriole, Ochre-bellied Dove, Ecuadorian Piculet, Ecuadorian Trogon, Rufous-necked and Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaners, Black-cowled Saltator, Grey-and-white Tyrannulet, Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Peruvian Plantcutter, Oasis Hummingbird, Tumbes Sparrow, Cinereous Finch. Rufous-banded, Striped, Cinnamon Screech, West Peruvian Screech, Koepcke’s Screech, Andean Pygmy & Peruvian Pygmy Owls. Lyre-tailed, Swallow-tailed & Scrub Nightjars, Rufous-bellied Nighthawk.
Top Mammals
Tayra, Southern Tamandua, Guayaquil Squirrel, Sechura Fox and Spectacled Bear.
Habitats Covered
cloud forest, dry deciduous forest, coastal desert, unique Marañon valley
Expected Climate
warm to hot in the lower lying areas; cool with colder nights at the higher elevations
Max Group Size
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader
Tour Pace & Walking
moderate
Accommodation
basic to comfortable
Ease of Birding
moderate with some tough species
Other Attractions
exceptional scenery, amazing pristine forests, unique, seldom-explored habitats
Photographic Opportunities
good
Rob Williams was a brilliant guide in all respects. Throughout the three weeks, he gave the group his all. He is outstanding, and we would love to travel with him again.
This was an excellent tour! We saw so many great birds, and had many delicious meals from pizza to ceviche. The time spent birding and touring Kuelap was a highlight. To top everything off, Forrest Rowland is an awesome leader. In addition to hearing, seeing and getting everyone on the birds, he told wonderful stories and kept everyone laughing. All in all, we had a terrific time.
The tour met all of my expectations. Rob Williams is an excellent tour guide - knowledgeable, manages logistics well, interacts with participants in a fun and caring way, and strives to find the birds that are on participants' "wish lists".
Our guide, Rob Williams, was exceptionally well qualified, good humoured in all circumstances and remarkably diligent in accommodating all levels of birding skills within our group. He went out of his way to make sure that each member of the group realised their expectations for the trip. We would welcome the opportunity to join him on additional trips; he is a quality individual with sound values and a superb representative of Rockjumper Birding Tours.
The tour was fantastic. Forrest Rowland, did a terrific job spotting birds, giving us clear directions to actually sight the birds and displayed plenty of patience in the process.