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North Peru DIY Planning (1 Viewer)

ovenbird43

Well-known member
United States
I'm planning a one-week trip through northern Peru for Nov 2-9, ending just before a conference in Paracas that I will be attending. It's just me (unless I can find some people to join! seriously, send me a pm if interested), and I'm trying to keep costs on the low end, though I haven't yet set a firm budget cutoff. Major targets include Marvelous Spatuletail and Long-whiskered Owlet, with plenty of other range-restricted or endemic species targets. My question at the moment mainly concerns transportation: should I rent a car, take public transport/taxis, or shell out more money and hire a driver? I've driven rental cars in Mexico, Dominican Republic, and South Africa before without incident, but just the same the combination of aggressive drivers and Andean roads is a bit intimidating to me. Here is my tentative itinerary:

Nov 2. Afternoon flight from Lima. Overnight in Tarapoto.

Nov 3. AM bird along the Cordillera Escalera (easier with rental car but doable with taxi?), afternoon travel to Moyobamba, with stops along the way (if driving). Overnight at Wakanki Lodge or in Moyobamba.

Nov 4. All day Wakanki - hike to see Ash-throated Antwren, other targets = Rufous-crested Coquette, Fiery-capped Manakin, Black-bellied Tanager, Mishana Tyrannulet.

Nov 5. Morning birding at Wakanki or Moyobamba surroundings (e.g. Indane wetlands for Masked Duck, crakes). Stop at Afluenta area if possible. PM arrive at Fundo Alto Nieva, stay overnight.

Nov 6. All day at Fundo Alto Nieva. Many targets, incl. the owlet, Royal Sunangel, Johnson's Tody-Tyrant, White-capped Tanagers, Ochre-fronted, Chestnut, and Rusty-tinged Antpittas, plus more.

Nov 7. Morning birding at Fundo (or nearby areas if have car), afternoon drive to Huembo for Marvelous Spatuletail. Overnight at new Huembo lodge or in cheap hotel in Pomocochas.

Nov 8. Morning/afternoon at Rio Chido/San Lorezno for Pale-billed Antpitta, Russet-mantled Softail, and some other targets. Evening back at Huembo or Pomocochas.

Nov 9. Return to Tarapoto for pm. flight to Lima.

It seems I could do the bulk of this trip with public transport, I'd have to skip some lesser stops and it's unclear how to get around between Huembo and San Lorenzo but I imagine I could make it work. My main hangup is not wanting to lose a lot of time waiting for buses or trying to figure out how to get around. Renting a car would give me freedom and save time, but would be pricier (cost unknown yet, no online quotes available for Tarapoto) and possibly scary. I'd appreciate any input from folks who have visited the region.
 
I would not fear overly aggressive drivers but be careful for the (very slim but existing) chance of being robbed.

The road you would take is very good, by Peruvian standards but also by international standards.

I did the same route with public transport (and hitchhiking) two years ago and everything is certainly do-able but a bit more time consuming. For San Lorenzo, you can hire a 3-wheel taxi in Pomacochas. Same for Quebrada Misquiyacu (from Moyobamba). But a car definitely gives more flexibility to check out various sites between Tarapoto - Moyobamba (like the oilbird cave along the way, ricefields for crakes) and between Moyobamba and Afluente (sites for e.g. Ocellated Crake, Pale-eyed blackbird etc.) and between Afluente and Fundo Alta nieve (roadside flocks)
 
As in Ecuador.....stay off the roads at night, or even dusk. Robbers are always a potential along some of these quiet roads.... Sounds like a fun trip though. Enjoy, jim
 
Hey Ovenbird, we're going to be in Peru on those dates too, so again we coincide! We were thinking of doing that stretch earlier in the trip though, in September. Bet you'll see more in your 9 days than us in our 3 months with Ronnie! Looking at the gen it looks much harder to get to the sites with a 4 year old than when we last met in Yucatan.

Maybe see you there though :t:
 
When preparing my January trip I could find no car hire in Tarapoto (or Moyobamba), so I hope you can track down something I couldn't.

None of those roads are a problem with a small hire car. Having one is helpful for ducking up and down the Abra Patricia road if necessary, but a taxi would suffice elsewhere in my opinion.

I wouldn't bother staying at Huembo, very expensive, and it can easily be done by taxi from Pomacochas, and birded in a couple of hours or so (entry US$10). Spatuletail was rarely away from the feeders for more than a couple of minutes.

I had two nights at Alto Nieva (and then had Kenny from there travel with me, as a companion rather than guide, for the following week) but didn't get owlet - first night we could get no response in any localities tried, second night the heavens opened the moment we got in the forest and didn't let off all night. Ochre-fronted and Rusty-tinged Antpittas were very cooperative there, Chestnut you need to get up a bit higher near or at the pass (heard only for me), Johnson's is also only higher up.
 
Thanks for the responses so far, folks! Larry - that's great! I'll be in Paracas November 10-14 in case you'll be in the area at that time.
 
I think the gen I've been looking at might be a bit out of date :eek!:, so I wondered if I could add a couple of questions here, based on your itinerary Ovenbird.

What are the current accommodation options (if any) around Alto Nieva?

Where exactly is this Huembo site for the Spatuletail, and is it good for other species too, compared to the site 6km down the road to Pedro Ruiz from Pomacochas (mentioned in Valqui)?
 
Fundo is rather expensive in Peruvian terms (but not as much as the owlet lodge up the road I suspect). If one were prepared to "rough it" and had a vehicle, I'm pretty sure you could find accommodation just the other side of the pass. There are extended settlements along the road there. You can get food at the hut just up the road from Fundo, but this probably requires help from Kenny and much depends on how much Spanish you speak.
 
Apols again Ovenbird, I'm struggling here more than I've ever struggled making sense of gen before!

@Temmie (or anyone), is the Oilbird cave that you mention the cave briefly mentioned in Valqui, at Aguas Verdes, west of Moyobamba?

..and my rubbish internet skills aren't allowing me to pinpoint this place Fundo Alto Nieva, even with Temmie's useful link! The Valqui map has the town of Alto Nieva at around km385. Is it right there, or if not, how far from there? :smoke:....

ordinarily it wouldn't matter, but a few km can make all the difference with a four year old if you're getting dropped off by a bus.

thanks!

EDIT:- Ah, sorry, if my spanish is ok, I think I've worked out from Temmie's link that Fundo A N is at km374, so west of the town on the Valqui map (??)
 
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Fundo Alto Nieva is just down the road from the Royal Sunangel trail that features in many reports, but which is now only accessible to those staying at the Owlet Lodge.
Staying at the Fundo is much cheaper than Owlet Lodge (but still expensive), but presumably much less luxurious. Whilst the accommodation (at the Fundo) itself was very comfortable, the food was pretty poor and the corrugated tin roofs on the rooms were a nightmare during the continuous torrential rain all of both nights.
There is alternative accommodation at Aguas Verdes town, above the restaurant on the main drag, although it's not outwardly obvious that it has accommodation and you need to ask inside. Also there is a small hospedaje in the first settlement down (Progreso) on the Pomacochas side of the pass. It didn't look great, so I commuted from either Aguas Verdes or Pomacochas those nights I was at the Fundo, but apparently (I found out after) isn't too bad.
For those with a car there are roadside restaurants either side of the pass not too far from it.
To get owlet you'd have to stay at either the Owlet Lodge or the Fundo I think.

Birding is good at the Huembo Reserve, which is only a few km out of Pomacochas on the Pedro Ruiz road, easily done in a moto taxi from Pomacochas. As well as the feeders there is a nice trail through a cocoa plantation. I was there only a couple of hours, in the rain, and amongst other species saw Buff-bellied Tanager and Speckle-chested Piculet. Mitred Parakeets come in to roost in the eucalypts opposite the entrance gate (which is extremely obvious, right by the road) after 5pm.

Happy to answer any further questions - I had 4 weeks Jan-Feb this year, driving up from Lima to do the northern circuit, then having four days in the stunning Cordillara Blanca on my back south. Just don't seem to have enough spare time to write a report.
 
I stayed at Aguas Verdes for one night. If you do go there, it might be worth trying the path to the right which goes down to the river a few hundred m after the bridge in the direction of Abra Patricia. I know the path at the bridge (to the left) is known, but less sure about the one further on. It's some distance from there to the owlet area and if it were me I'd probably stay on the other side of the pass at Progreso which is closer. You can walk the owlet Lodge paths if you pay, although I don't think you can do so very early or late (depends when they're open). This isn't necessarily a problem since high altitude species' activity will depend more on weather conditions. We saw Slaty finch. There is sub tropical Doradito at Pomacochas lake
 
I also had Slaty Finch, by the road exactly at the pass, but missed the doradito.

Problem I had with walking the Owlet Lodge trails was with doing so early. I popped in during the day one day and made arrangements for someone to let me in the following day (making sure I cleared up on the hummers at the feeders whilst I was there). Unfortunately when I arrived at the pre-arranged time nobody showed. Fortunately I was with Kenny from the Fundo, who knew where to find the key-holder. But then when we finally got it the heavens decided to open (a common theme around Abra Patricia in January) and we didn't see much at all, although sightings did include my only Yellow-scarfed Tanagers. Chestnut Antpitta and Maroon-chested Ground-Dove were heard, but were impossible to find.
Only good thing about the rain was that we gave up and left the Lodge grounds before anyone had had the chance the extract the extortionate fee from us (about US$25-30 per person just to walk the trails).
 
Larry,

The cost of the night at Alto Nieva about the same as entrance for Owlet with guide, feeders and now also a hand fed Rusty-tinged Antpitta.

Good inexpensive accommodation in Pomacochas. With WiFi.

Gunnar
 
Wow just seen this: http://perubirds.org/rutas_San_Lorenzo_Rio_Chido.shtml
for the Rio Chido site.

If I understand it right, it would now be possible to get a taxi to San Lorenzo from Pomacochas, from where it is a 2km hike to (or through) good birding habitat? Anyone know how to find the right trail from the village (just ask when there?), and how far before you hit good habitat (is it 2km of cleared hillside first?) I'm assuming it's a steep/difficult (not toddler-friendly) track after San Lorenzo?

Seriously considering this site now, whereas older site gen made it look too hard for us as a family.
 
The trail starts in by the far left corner of the football field in San Lorenzo village. It's a pretty steep climb up to 3000 metres altitude which is prime area for Pale-billed Antpitta (and where I also had Russet-mantled Softtail).

To be honest, you never really hit good habitat, the trail (which is mostly good, if slippery at times and probably not toddler friendly) follows a ridge which is cleared either side pretty much all the way with just a narrow strip of poor vegetation with just enough bamboo for the antpitta. In my opinion it's a miracle there are good birds here at all, and one has to wonder for how long there will be, but there is a fair bit of decent habitat visible on surrounding hillsides so presumably once this site becomes no longer viable someone resourceful will identify another nearby.

Getting a taxi here from Pomacochas isn't a problem. One evening, with a couple of hours to kill before dark when the rain finally stopped bucketing, I walked the road for a couple of miles from the main road at Chido and records included a male spatuletail.

PS: don't recommend the trail with a hangover ;-)
 
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