BEST OF MANU ROAD AND TAMBOPATA – 9 DAYS – NOVENBER 2024

VINAYAK – NOVEMBER – 2024

DAY 1.- Our bird day started late since Vinayak, my guest arrived in a delayed flight so we had to drive straight to Wayqecha lodge and had just two stop son the way for owling. This time we could get some good views of White throated screech owl and Swallow tailed nightjar female. Then we arrived around 9pm to Wayqecha lodge.

DAY 2.- This time we tried for some birds around the lodge’s garden and got to see some cool bird species like Black faced brushfinch, Hooded mountain tanager, Scarlet bellied mountain tanager, Black throated flowerpiercer, Long tailed sylph, Cuzco starfronlet( Coeligena osculans) plus Gray breasted mountain toucan calling around and many others.

Then we started moving down the road and had some more bird stops before reaching ouir second lodge Cock of the rock lodge. On the way down we could get two endemics like Marcapata spinetail and Inca flycatcher plus many more good birds like leymebamba antpitta, Maroon beleted chat tyrant, Yungas pygmy owl, Golden headed quetzal, Chesnut crested cotinga, Blue banded toucannet, Golden collared honeycreeper, Mottled backed elaenia, Band tailed fruiteater, Versicolored barbet, Rufous booted racketatil plus some good views of Andean potoo and Lyre tailed nightjar. Along this road we also had the endemic Red and white antpitta, Hooded tinamou singing along the road.

DAY 3.- We started with early breakfast to then look for more birds around the lodge and the road. This time we got to see some cool birds like Wire crested thorntail, two banded warbler, Yungas manakin, Scale crested pygmy tyrant, white eyed parakeet, Lemon browed flycatcher, Stripe chested antwren, Paradise tanager, Fork tailed woodnymph, these are just few birds that visit the lodge garden. Then we birded along the road and got some more like Black streak puffbird, Chesnut backed antshrike, Blue naped chlorophonia, Andean cock of the rock, plumbeous pigeon, dusky oropendola, Spotted barbtail, Slaty capped flycatcher with Brown tinamou and Rufous breasted Wood quail calling by the road. Before lunch I went for a forest walk along the lodge trails while Vinayak had to work online and along the trails I got the endemic Ceruleam capped manakin and others good birds like Orange eared tanager, Buff thighed puffleg, Chesnut breasted wren, Deep blue flowerpiercer, purple honeycreeper and many others.

In the afternoon we went for a short walk by the road and got swallow tanager and try for Rufescent screech owl where we had some good views.

DAY 4.- Early breakfast to then drive at the lower manu road and arrive with some heavy rain to our last lodge along manu road. This time we spend the day around this lodge where we could get many new hummingbirds like many spotted hummingbird, rufous breasted hermit, white bearded hermit, Black throated mango, sapphire spangled emerald, some migrants like yellow green vireo and sulphur bellied flycatcher plus many good birds like white winged becard, olive faced flatbill, undulated tinamou, spangled cotinga, rufous bellied euphonia, chesnut crowned foliage gleaner, bluish fronted jacamar, spix’s guan, lemon throated barbet, pale legged hornero and many others. Late in the afternoon we tried another bird spot where we got Rufous crested coquette, golden tailed sapphire, gray breasted sabrewing, great potoo and amazonian pygmy owl calling around the lodge.

DAY 5 .- DRIVE BACK TO CUSCO

Our last day at Manu road with early breakfast we started driving back to Cusco city but since we had the whole day we could have some bird stops on the way back being the first one for the special White bearded mountaineer and the endemic Black backed tody flycatcher. Around this bird spot we had great views of few of them flying around plus some other birds like Paradise tanager, blue headed macaws close to road some blue and white seedeaters, southern lapwing and many other but not luck with the endemic. So we moved to another birding spot for the endemic and this time our target was singing around plus we could also see a great raptor Black and white hawk eagle and red billed scythebill calling around.

Then some more stops, this time we could get the endemic urubamba antpitta and some other birds like Gray breasted mountain toucan, white collared jay, scarlet bellied mountain tanager, andean cock of the rock, blue banded toucanet and more. This time we had our lunch at the main gate of Manu national park in a local restaurant at 3300m  and around this area we tried for another endemic since we had good areas covered with nice paramo for Junin canastero and the uncommon Scribble tailed canastero with nice photos along with variable hawk.

Our last stops were around some local towns where we could get the last 02 endemics like Chesnut breasted mountain finch and Bearded mountaineer with some extra birds around like Plumbeous sierra finch, golden billed saltator, Ash breasted sierra finch, Andean flicker and the uncommon andean ibis. At the end we arrived to cusco at 7:00pm then we went for a lovely Indian food.

DAY 06.- CUSCO – PUERTO MALDONADO – TAMBOPATA

Our departure flight from Cusco was a bit delayed so we did not bird much today and when we got to our jungle lodge at Tambopata river we could photograph some birds around the lodge like sunbittern, black tailed trogon, chesnut tailed antbird, thrush like wren and others. Then we walked to the tower where we could get some Tanagers like Yellow backed tanager, opal crowned tanager, scarlet tanager(boreal migrant) and some more birds around like Red throated caracara, Olive oropendola plus Thrush like antpitta and amazonian pygmy owl calling around. After dinner we tried the nice looking Tropical screech owl giving us great views and photos.

DAY 07.- COLLPAS INN LODGE – MACAWS CLAY LICK – TAMBOPATA NATIONAL RESERVE

This time we started at 4.30am to take the boat and navigate the beautiful Tamboapta river for 40 minutes to see one of the highlights of southern jungle. The biggest macaws clay lick where we got a nice bird activity with the three biggest macaws in peru like red and green, blue and yellow plus the colorful Scarlet macaw. Many other birds around like Blue throated piping guan, Purplish jay, Black skimmer, Orange cheecked parrot, Mealy amazon, Chesnut fronted macaw, Yellow browed sparrow and many others around this special place. While wacthing this particular bird activity we also had a nice breakfast facing the interesting Tambopata river and spot some birds while eating, right after breakfast we also went for a extra ride in order to see some more birds and animals by the river.

Later this day we went for a walk and we visited the small clay lick the lodge has where we could get some extra birds like Yellow billed nunbird, Olive faced flatbill, laurence’s thrush, white shouldered antshrike, round tailed manakin, pavonine quetzal and many others. That night we also got some good views of tropical screech owl and common potoo.

DAY 8.- COLLPAS INN LODGE – LAKE SANDOVAL – PARADISE LODGE

Before our departure we went for another early walk around the lodge and the nice bamboo Trail they have, here we had some extra birds like Large headed flatbill, cream colored woodpecker, red necked woodpecker, lineated woodpecker, wing barred piprites, pale legged hornero, rufous motmot and many others. Then we took the car back to town where we took a nice boat ride along the great Madre de dios river, drop our staff at the lodge and then we went for another adventure into Tambopata national reserve again. This time we visited lake Sandoval where we were lucky to find the uncommon Agami heron and only family of Giant river otters. Then some more classic lake birds like Green and rufous kingfisher, pale rumped Swift flying around, red bellied macaws, long billed woodcreeper, point tailed palmcreeper, sungrebe and many more. Along the path to get to the lake we had a great find of the rare Zigzag heron calling and some more birds like Euler’s flycatcher, gray headed tanager, buff breasted wren, american pygmy kingfisher, yellow browed tody flycatcher, bluish fronted jacamar and many more.

DAY 9.- CANOPY WALKWAY – LODGE TRAILS

Our last day at this beautiful day we went to visit the tower and the canopy bridge for some canopy birds, this time we could get some cool birds like Gilded barbet, white bellied parrot, bare necked fruitcrow, epaulet oriole, turquoise tanager, Paradise tanager, scaled pigeon, boat billed flycatcher and more. We also had time to go for a walk around terra firme forest and got green and gold tanager, thick billed euphonia, short tailed pygmy tyrant, roun tailed manakin, plumbeous antbird, starred woodquail, band tailed manakin and screaming piha. Nice and last lunch at the lodge to then take the boat back to town.