ABRA MÁLAGA PASS TO MACHUPICCHU 5 Days/4 Nights

DAY 1 CUSCO TO THE SACRED VALLEY-OLLANTAYTAMBO

Our day starts early when we pick you up at your hotel or the airport in Cusco and head to the Sacred Valley.

On our way we stop at Lake Piuray where we have a large number of high-altitude birds including the silvery grebe. Then we will make a mandatory stop at Ensifera camp, this place has some species of hummingbirds that are very easy to observe apart from other species in the area.

Lodging: Hotel Ollantaytambo

Shinning sunbeam

DAY 2 OLLANTAYTAMBO – ABRA MALAGA

After an early morning breakfast, we will drive over the Abra Malaga Pass (4316m/14,160ft) to the opposite side of the pass and the goblin forest in Canchayoc. Here we will look for the Diademed Tapaculo, Streakless Tit-Tyrant, Golden-collared Tanager, Violet-throated Starfrontlet, Parodi’s Hemispingus, Spinetail Marcapata, Tit-like Dacnis, Slaty (Cusco) Brush-Finch, Rufous-bellied Bush-Tyrant, Puna Snipe and many others. Hopefully, we will hear and see the red and white, red and wavy bulls.

After a box lunch, we will hike through a vast subalpine Polylepis forest, bird watching for the rare Royal Cinclodes, Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant and White-browed Tit-Spinetail. Others we will see are the Giant Conebill, Line-fronted and Junin canasteros, Puna (Andean) Tapaculo, Stripe-headed Antpitta, Thick-billed Siskin, Tawny Tit-Spinetail, Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant, Puna Thistletail and various species of tyrants from the earth. Back on the main road, we will have the opportunity to see the Chestnut-breasted Mountain Finch and Golden-billed Saltator.

Lodging: Hotel Ollantaytambo

Cusco brush finch

DAY 3 OLLANTAYTAMBO – MACHU PICCHU

We will spend the morning on the slopes of the Port of Malaga looking for the birds that we did not see the day before. We return to the hotel, have lunch in a nice restaurant and take the train to Machu Picchu. The two-hour train ride takes us along the picturesque Urubamba River to the town of Aguas Calientes (2,000m/6,561ft). We may see torrent ducks, white-headed blackbirds, and other waterfowl along the way. We will have a relaxed dinner and spend the night in Aguas Calientes.

Lodging: Hotel Aguas Calientes

DAY 4 MACHU PICCHU

After an early breakfast and a twenty-five minute bus ride, we arrive at the entrance to Machu Picchu. Before beginning our formal tour of these impressive Inca ruins, we will have the opportunity to walk around and observe endemic birds Inca Wren, Cusco Brush-Finch and Green-and-White Hummingbird. A guide will help us explore this architectural and archaeological gem, one of the wonders of the world!

The lower elevations, just below Machu Picchu, are teeming with species such as the Mitrated Parrot, Barred Parrot, Andean Guan, Cock-of-the-Rock, Ocellated Piculet, Long-eared Solitaire, Highland Motmot, Variable Anteater, the Grey-breasted Mountain Parrot. Toucan, black-striped vulture, white-crowned, sierra and mountain elaenias, endemic masked frugivore, saffron-crowned tanagers, rust and yellow and beryl spangles, as well as spotted-cheeked and sclater’s tyrants.

Overnight: Aguas Calientes Hotel

DAY 5 BIRDWATCHING IN AGUAS CALIENTES – OLLANTAYTAMBO-CUSCO

During our second day in Aguas Calientes we will be observing and photographing birds around the place. We should see Rufous-crowned and Pale-legged Warblers, Masked Frugivores, Saffron-crowned, Rust-and-yellow, and Beryl-sequined Tanagers, Inca Flycatchers, Spotted-cheeked and Sclater’s Flycatchers, as well as Peru’s national bird: the Andean. Cock of the rocks. After lunch in Aguas Calientes, we will take the afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo. From there we will take our private vehicle to Cusco and the end of our tour.