Columbia, Ecuador and Peru - where to see the most species (1 Viewer)

[Tomeitsparadise]

If I had to choose between visiting Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. Which country would I see the most species over 4 weeks? Often its easier to see more species in one country than another for a similar amount of effort. What are your opinions and experience?

 

[pbjosh]

Depends on how much you want to drive, how many internal flights you want to make, and how hard you want to push. If you're really going after it, Colombia (not Columbia which is a river and a university in the US but not a country in S America) would likely be the place to get the highest species total in a month but you'll have to do a lot of driving and moving from destination to destination.

 

[Tomeitsparadise]

LOL, I was never the best speller. I didnt know about the river - also in US? And I have heard of the University. This reminds me of another mistake i have made often before emanciated and emancipated. A starving lion is one of them LOL, I am not sure which one. The starving one is the one I worry about on my walks.

Thanks for the info. If i did do the trip it would in the end probably be 3 months, visa permitting. Just because Colombia has the longest list, I wasnt sure if it was where one could actually see the most species.

 

[Jacana]

Colombia has the longest list, due to there being so many mountain ridges across the country, allowing for lots of allopatric species to pop up. As a result, to see them you'll need to do a serious amount of travelling.

I suspect, without much to back it up, that Peru would be easier going. The Tarapoto and Manu roads allow for excellent and relatively easy birding across the altitudinal gradient in both the north and south of the country. Throw in some high altitude stuff near Cuzco/Titicaca; a bit of coastal birding and a short trip to the dry forests around Tumbes and you'd come away with a very respectable list with comparatively little logistical problems, compared to Colombia.

 

[Tomeitsparadise]

Colombia has the longest list, due to there being so many mountain ridges across the country, allowing for lots of allopatric species to pop up. As a result, to see them you'll need to do a serious amount of travelling.

I suspect, without much to back it up, that Peru would be easier going. The Tarapoto and Manu roads allow for excellent and relatively easy birding across the altitudinal gradient in both the north and south of the country. Throw in some high altitude stuff near Cuzco/Titicaca; a bit of coastal birding and a short trip to the dry forests around Tumbes and you'd come away with a very respectable list with comparatively little logistical problems, compared to Colombia.

Thank you. This is good to know

 

[Montereyman]

Panama is another country to consider although some air travel is needed in country. There are 1020 species that have been spotted in Panama.

Good idea to check state department and CDC advisories for Latin America. Tourists can be taken hostage for ransom and there are diseases like yellow fever and Chagas disease as well as malaria, etc. My wife and I needed to schedule with a doctor who specialized with tropical medicine to get the vaccinations we needed for our trip to the Pantanal.

Most Common Diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean - Fundahigado America

The most common deadly diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean could be eliminated with the implementation of medical programs.

fundahigadoamerica.org

We also rely on treating our clothing with permethrin and protecting our exposed skin with picaridin and both are safe for optical gear.

 

[Mysticete]

Panama is another country to consider although some air travel is needed in country. There are 1020 species that have been spotted in Panama.

Good idea to check state department and CDC advisories for Latin America. Tourists can be taken hostage for ransom and there are diseases like yellow fever and Chagas disease as well as malaria, etc. My wife and I needed to schedule with a doctor who specialized with tropical medicine to get the vaccinations we needed for our trip to the Pantanal.

Most Common Diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean - Fundahigado America

The most common deadly diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean could be eliminated with the implementation of medical programs.

fundahigadoamerica.org

We also rely on treating our clothing with permethrin and protecting our exposed skin with picaridin and both are safe for optical gear.

This must depend on where you are going. IIRC the canal zone is Malaria free and during my visit I didn't nor was I advised to take any extra special health precautions for the Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge

 

[pbjosh]

Panama is another country to consider although some air travel is needed in country. There are 1020 species that have been spotted in Panama.

Good idea to check state department and CDC advisories for Latin America. Tourists can be taken hostage for ransom and there are diseases like yellow fever and Chagas disease as well as malaria, etc. My wife and I needed to schedule with a doctor who specialized with tropical medicine to get the vaccinations we needed for our trip to the Pantanal.

Most Common Diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean - Fundahigado America

The most common deadly diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean could be eliminated with the implementation of medical programs.

fundahigadoamerica.org

We also rely on treating our clothing with permethrin and protecting our exposed skin with picaridin and both are safe for optical gear.

While nowhere on earth is completely safe, and while each person should make their own decisions on safety when traveling, I've spent 10+ years in the neotropics and never felt the least bit unsafe. A few friends have had issues in remote and adventurous areas but I only know of one case of kidnapping and that was some 20 years ago in an area that is now completely safe but wasn't then. I know of a few cases of robbery but many of these could have / should have been avoided by taking care where people were camping. Malaria is not actually widespread and I rarely use prophylactic medications as I might in parts of Africa, for instance. Chagas disease can be easily avoided by not sleeping exposed under thatched roofs in endemic areas. Dengue is perhaps a bigger threat these days than either of those two diseases.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Returning to the original question; I did 3.5 weeks in Peru (guided) comprising the standard Lima - Manu loop, a week in the North targeting species and a Lake Junin trip from Lima, finishing with 630+ species. Hope this is useful as a benchmark.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Returning to the original question; I did 3.5 weeks in Peru (guided) comprising the standard Lima - Manu loop, a week in the North targeting species and a Lake Junin trip from Lima, finishing with 630+ species. Hope this is useful as a benchmark.

Similar but slightly longer Peru trip:-

https://ebird.org/tripreport/293947

All the best

Paul

 

[kb57]

I was robbed of my phone in the street in Poland once, 20 years ago - my fault for not being more careful, standing outside a pub at night. More recently a couple of guys tried to trip me up late at night in Brussels-Midi rail station (slightly dodgy area, alone at night in a quiet station). And I got my (empty) wallet pickpocketed in a crush on the Paris Metro. These are safe European countries I wouldn't have any hesitation travelling alone in - I just wasn't exercising enough caution (apart from hiding my valuables somewhere other than my wallet!).
In contrast I left my rucksack with all my camera gear in the street in Puerto Boyaca, Colombia in the care of a couple of ladies selling bus tickets while I went for a coffee - no problem. I travelled on the Medellin metro and walked past a student demo in Bogota - again, no problems. It's a question of doing your own research and avoiding situations that can get you into trouble, being extra vigilant where and when you access cashpoints etc., and assessing the risks for yourself as you go along.
As far as travel health is concerned, I did an online tropical medicine consultation in Portugal before my recent trip to French Guiana, got a prescription and came out with half the contents of my local pharmacy...I exaggerate a little, but tropical health consultations do seem designed to scare you, especially if you tell them you're going birding in a tropical forest. One of the things I was prescribed which I'm not sure is licensed outside EU is the Qdenga vaccine for Dengue fever - if you can get it, probably a good idea, as you don't have to have had the disease to take the vaccine, and as Josh says it's maybe a bigger issue than things like malaria. The other thing is yellow fever vaccine, which is an administrative necessity in some South American countries.

 

[pbjosh]

The other thing is yellow fever vaccine, which is an administrative necessity in some South American countries.

It's a good call for any intrepid birder / traveler, as are: Rabies, Typhoid, Hep A, and Japanese encephalitis (the tick borne one).

Regarding the new Dengue vaccine(s) I've not gotten one yet but it's in the plans, need to get around to it.

I would assume most people are vaccinated against Cholera, Measles, Polio, etc anyways.