Birding South America in the Wet Season (November to April) (1 Viewer)

[Birder_Heath]

Heya, I'm Heath from Armidale in New South Wales, Australia.
I'm currently planning a 6 month+ birding trip to South America starting in November, which I know is the start of the wet season.
Keen to hear peoples recommendations for places to visit for birding and also just general natural history and hiking! My current loose itinerary is as follows - Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and finishing in Colombia.

I've been reading up and it seems as though the wet season can be a difficult time to visit South America, but it's the only time I have available so going to make the most of it!

Cheers and happy birding.

H

 

[mjh73]

Having been dug out of a landslide by Peruvian hydropower workers in February 2020 and disrupted by landslides / washed out bridges in Colombia in October 2023 I concur with yes it can be difficult to get around.... notwithstanding you may have difficult birding days.

Argentina and Chile are less tropical so I reckon less of an issue, though far NW / NE Argentina you might still have some issues.

I reckon if you go with that understanding it's still well worth it. I'm jealous of your six months ability!

 

[nartreb]

It very much depends where you go. Generally, the closer to the equator, the more the rainy season makes a difference. Parts of northern Argentina and basically all of coastal Peru are desert, so no problem in those regions. I don't recall any issues in Argentina or Uruguay in November (except when the Uruguay-Buenos Aires ferry broke down, but that wasn't rain-related). In general if you've got six months and you're relaxed about having a "zero day" once in a while, you'll have a great time with chance of extra adventure, and better prices. There may be spots where most hotels and restaurants are closed for the season, so plan ahead and/or expect to be self-sufficient.
Also, if you've never been to the continent, you'll want to be aware of safety. The US' travel advisories are much more detailed and useful than the Australian ones.

 

[pbjosh]

In a six month trip it’s going to rain. Rainy seasons vary from place to place, it is not the same for “South America” I wouldn’t worry about it much. I have birded all over S America in whatever season it was. Of course a few birds are seasonal but largely, aside from the occasional road washout, it makes less of a difference than you are probably anticipating.

 

[Birder_Heath]

Having been dug out of a landslide by Peruvian hydropower workers in February 2020 and disrupted by landslides / washed out bridges in Colombia in October 2023 I concur with yes it can be difficult to get around.... notwithstanding you may have difficult birding days.

Argentina and Chile are less tropical so I reckon less of an issue, though far NW / NE Argentina you might still have some issues.

I reckon if you go with that understanding it's still well worth it. I'm jealous of your six months ability!

Thanks mate, yep absolutely understand that there will be some difficult days. Having lived in Far North Queensland I've had my fair share of rainy days!

 

[Birder_Heath]

It very much depends where you go. Generally, the closer to the equator, the more the rainy season makes a difference. Parts of northern Argentina and basically all of coastal Peru are desert, so no problem in those regions. I don't recall any issues in Argentina or Uruguay in November (except when the Uruguay-Buenos Aires ferry broke down, but that wasn't rain-related). In general if you've got six months and you're relaxed about having a "zero day" once in a while, you'll have a great time with chance of extra adventure, and better prices. There may be spots where most hotels and restaurants are closed for the season, so plan ahead and/or expect to be self-sufficient.
Also, if you've never been to the continent, you'll want to be aware of safety. The US' travel advisories are much more detailed and useful than the Australian ones.

Cheers mate! Absolutely ok with zero days, as much as I'm going for the birding experience and I wan't to see loads of new species, I'm not treating it like a "big trip" more of an exploration and backpacking birding trip.
Ah thanks so much will definitely check out the US travel advice, that's going to be of great help.

 

[Birder_Heath]

In a six month trip it’s going to rain. Rainy seasons vary from place to place, it is not the same for “South America” I wouldn’t worry about it much. I have birded all over S America in whatever season it was. Of course a few birds are seasonal but largely, aside from the occasional road washout, it makes less of a difference than you are probably anticipating.

Ah yeah, totally get that it's not just one area! More so, I'll be spending the majority (4 months or so) around the equator and the northern part of the continent, so hoping I'll still be able to get a lot out of a trip up there in the wet season.
Will definitely be leaning on your expertise as I get closer to the date mate, someone who's birded the around the whole continent is just who I'm after for advice!
Cheers again for the reply, appreciate it.

 

[Manolito]

You shouldn't have problems in most areas of Chile, Uruguay and Argentina. You would need some planning in Salta and Jujuy, near the border with Bolivia, but that's all.

 

[Birder_Heath]

You shouldn't have problems in most areas of Chile, Uruguay and Argentina. You would need some planning in Salta and Jujuy, near the border with Bolivia, but that's all.

Thanks mate!
Definitely planning on heading up to Salta and then into Bolivia so will get some advice around navigating that part of the trip, if you’d be so kind!
Cheers.