Peru - Three to six months trip (1 Viewer)

[SLopezM]

Hello everyone! I will travel to Peru in August and stay there for 3-6 months. I will spend most of the time in the rainforest areas of Madre de Dios and Cusco departments, but I will try to visit some other habitats too (including the coastline).

This post is intended to ask for information that could be of interest for my trip:

-I have already asked for field guides in other posts, so I include the links here just in case you want to mention something there (Any bird guide for Peru?) (Looking for Peruvian animal field guides).

-I live in Spain and all the flora and fauna will be thrilling for me, but... are there any "star targets" to look out for (endemic and/or threatened species, etc.)? I am referring not only (although mostly) to birds, but to any other animal group.

-As I have already mentioned, I will spend most of the time in the rainforest areas of Madre de Dios and Cusco departments. However, I would like to visit other habitats too. What are your recommendations to cover the widest variety of habitats in the country and, thus, also cover as much biodiversity as possible?

-Any other advice or information is welcome .

By the way, I don't know if this is the right place to post this. If it is not, just let me know and I will change the location of the post.

Thank you all!

 

[Jim M.]

I'm envious that you can spend so much time there! Sounds great.

Checking out trip reports or websites of tour companies that offer tours to those areas would give you a good overview (e.g. Rockjumper, Field Guides, Wings, Birdquest). Also, it is dated (1995), but if you want a quick overview of the bird highlights of the entire country, and nearby countries, you might want to consider seeing if you can find a copy of Where to Watch Birds in South America by Nigel Wheatley. I have all his books, and they are masterful in digesting an enormous amount of information into a small space.

There are too many endemics and threatened species to list--e.g. lots of endemic ant-things (Antbirds, Antthrushes, antpittas, etc.). For Madre de Dios, things that stand out in my mind from a two week tour to the Tambopata area are Giant River Otter, Hoatzin, macaws and other threatened and rare parrots at the clay licks, Harpy Eagle, three species of Potoos, Gray-winged Trumpeter, and the various primates. I haven't been to Cuzco, so I'll let others comment on that.

I would strongly recommend going to the coast and the other side of the Andes to visit the dry areas and desert there. It is a completely different world biologically. In just a few days around Lima for example, you can get Inca Tern, Cactus Canastero, Least Seedsnipe, Seaside Cinclodes, Peruvian Pelican, and many others, plus a whole host of other new flora and fauna.

The one thing it's not easy to see in Peru is big mammals. E.g. Jaguar, giant anteater, spectacled bear, tapir. But since you are there for quite a while, you might luck out.

 

[Maroon Jay]

I just returned from three months in Peru. At the moment, there are a lot of political problems there. The former president is in jail, and his followers are protesting and sometimes rioting. They often set up roadblocks, making travel impossible for days at a time. Several people have been killed. Access to Maccho Piccho has been closed, as well as several airports in the south. Some tourists have been trapped in their hotels for days. The situation changes by the day. Some days are very bad and others are peaceful. Hopefully, this will clear up before you go. If not, I suggest you postpone your trip. If you do go, one of the best birds to see is the Marvellous Spatultail. This rare hummingbird lives only in one valley in the northern Andes mountains. You can also see birds that reside along riverbanks by taking a boat tour. I did tours on the River Mayo. Of course, you will want to see the Andean Cock-of-the-rock. There are several places to see them. I went to a breeding colony of them in the north. Also, several birds are endemic to the Tumbes region in the northwest corner of the country. There are lots of other great birds to see all over the country. Besides birds, there are many interesting insects and snakes, and I especially liked the poison dart frogs, the sloths, and the monkeys. I can suggest a couple of guides in the Tarapoto area if you go there.

 

[Jim M.]

I just returned from three months in Peru. At the moment, there are a lot of political problems there. The former president is in jail, and his followers are protesting and sometimes rioting. They often set up roadblocks, making travel impossible for days at a time. Several people have been killed. Access to Maccho Piccho has been closed, as well as several airports in the south. Some tourists have been trapped in their hotels for days. The situation changes by the day. Some days are very bad and others are peaceful. Hopefully, this will clear up before you go. If not, I suggest you postpone your trip. If you do go, one of the best birds to see is the Marvellous Spatultail. This rare hummingbird lives only in one valley in the northern Andes mountains. You can also see birds that reside along riverbanks by taking a boat tour. I did tours on the River Mayo. Of course, you will want to see the Andean Cock-of-the-rock. There are several places to see them. I went to a breeding colony of them in the north. Also, several birds are endemic to the Tumbes region in the northwest corner of the country. There are lots of other great birds to see all over the country. Besides birds, there are many interesting insects and snakes, and I especially liked the poison dart frogs, the sloths, and the monkeys. I can suggest a couple of guides in the Tarapoto area if you go there.

Yes, hopefully things will be better in the south by August! I made it out in November just before things got dicey. As for Marvellous Spatuletail, in addition to the location being a long way from Cuzco (and longer from Madre de Dios), you need to make sure you time any visit so it coincides with males having fully grown spatule feathers--I'm not an expert on that but I believe its primarily in the late fall.

 

[Maroon Jay]

If the situation in Peru does not improve, you could consider going to Ecuador instead. The majority of birds in Ecuador and Peru are the same. You could combine Ecuador with northern and northeastern Peru. Most of the rioting is in the south near Cuzco. I saw the Marvelous Spatutale in November. I don't know if they keep their long tails all year round. I am heading to Ecuador in September.

 

[Jim M.]

I saw the Marvelous Spatutale in November. I don't know if they keep their long tails all year round.

As I indicated, they do not.

Also, by one count, Peru has 552 bird species (out of 1897) not found in Ecuador.

 

[THE_FERN]

Many of the things people are talking about are further north. If you head south and west you should have good birds. There are various things in the West and South. E.g. West, to Abancay for cool Andean hummers, tapaculos etc, and royal cinclodes if you're lucky/make the journey. S in Puno you should see titicaca grebe, from there Inland to Arequipa for red-fronted coot, lesser rhea, flamingoes (maybe detour to colca for Condors); further South still for green-capped tanager, good forest birds, nightjars etc (but be careful some areas are dangerous). Ebird hotspots map is good for planning. Pisac has things like bearded mountaineer. Gosh, you might see green-and-white hummingbird (a bird I don't believe exists...)

The obvious inc manu road and Abra Málaga but I guess you already know about those

 

[Maroon Jay]

Also, by one count, Peru has 552 bird species (out of 1897) not found in Ecuador.

According to Clements and IOC (which vary slightly from each other), Peru has approximately 200 more species than Ecuador and about 80 more endemics. It still remains that the vast majority of birds are the same in both countries out of more than 1,900 species. Ecuador has about 40 endemics. So Peru is a little better, but I would consider the political situation. You would not want to get trapped in a hotel for a week, unable to go out because of riots and roadblocks. Anyways, just my opinion. I wish you all the best.

 

[Jim M.]

According to Clements and IOC (which vary slightly from each other), Peru has approximately 200 more species than Ecuador and about 80 more endemics. It still remains that the vast majority of birds are the same in both countries out of more than 1,900 species. Ecuador has about 40 endemics. So Peru is a little better, but I would consider the political situation. You would not want to get trapped in a hotel for a week, unable to go out because of riots and roadblocks. Anyways, just my opinion. I wish you all the best.

I have been to both Ecuador and northern, southern, and coastal Peru. Northern Peru and Ecuador share a lot of species, but your statement that "the vast majority of birds are the same in both countries" is not supported by the numbers nor by my experience. As I indicated, fully 29% of Peru's bird species are not found in Ecuador, so only 71% are shared with Ecuador, which hardly constitutes a "vast majority". Comparison of Bird Species Composition Between Countries in Neotropics No knock against Ecuador; Peru is a much larger country.

 

[Maroon Jay]

OK. 71% is not a vast majority. Just a big majority. Also, Ecuador is a much smaller country than Peru. With a couple hundred fewer species overall, Ecuador probably has three times as many birds as Peru in the same amount of space. Ecuador presents more opportunities for a person who has never been to either country. I hope you have a great trip, and I look forward to your report. Cheers.

 

[THE_FERN]

Ecuador presents more opportunities for a person who has never been to either country.

Well it all depends. Broadly, Peru is easier to do as a single traveller and probably as a budget traveller (Ecuador is quite expensive). I personally think the seabird spectacular you can see from Lima beats what Quito has: who doesn't love penguins?

Perhaps security is better in Ecuador right now. But tomorrow... Ecuadoreans are famously unhappy with their government and show it every few months...

Tbh I'd be surprised if there were big problems in Peru outside the capital, macchu Picchu. The latter's an obvious target as it's so important to the tourist industry. As long as Cusco is calm one can still have a great trip; Abra Málaga and manu road would be outstanding for example.

 

[Maroon Jay]

(Ecuador is quite expensive).

I'd be surprised if there were big problems in Peru outside the capital, macchu Picchu

Fern, you are correct about Ecuador being expensive. That is one advantage for Peru which is quite cheap. As for the political problems in Peru, I just came from there. There have been roadblocks even in the northern Andes. A friend of mine got trapped in a small town in the north for several days. This situation is the main reason for not going to Peru at the moment. But you are right; the situation in Ecuador could also become problematic in future. The governments in these counties are unstable, and the situation is unpredictable. Peru has had six presidents since 2018. This is sad, as the people of Peru are very nice and friendly, and the country is amazing to explore.

 

[lgonz1008]

Fern, you are correct about Ecuador being expensive. That is one advantage for Peru which is quite cheap. As for the political problems in Peru, I just came from there. There have been roadblocks even in the northern Andes. A friend of mine got trapped in a small town in the north for several days. This situation is the main reason for not going to Peru at the moment. But you are right; the situation in Ecuador could also become problematic in future. The governments in these counties are unstable, and the situation is unpredictable. Peru has had six presidents since 2018. This is sad, as the people of Peru are very nice and friendly, and the country is amazing to explore.

Could you expand a bit on how Ecuador is more expensive than Peru? From what little I've seen online, Peru seems like the more expensive location in most cases outside of maybe the Amazon region and the Galapagos (which Peru obviously lacks). I'm just wondering for future reference, since I was able to enjoy a week in Ecuador relatively cheap but if I tried a similar week in Peru, the cost would have been almost double just in the Lima area and surroundings.

 

[THE_FERN]

Could you expand a bit on how Ecuador is more expensive than Peru? From what little I've seen online, Peru seems like the more expensive location in most cases outside of maybe the Amazon region and the Galapagos (which Peru obviously lacks). I'm just wondering for future reference, since I was able to enjoy a week in Ecuador relatively cheap but if I tried a similar week in Peru, the cost would have been almost double just in the Lima area and surroundings.

Ecuador is in dollars and has oil. These things push prices up.

Yes Lima is expensive, at least if you go to the expat bits like Miraflores. But why would you? And, whilst I think a visit to Callao, Los Pantanos de Villa is worthwhile (especially in northern winter: huge nos of Franklin's gulls: quite a sight, sound) I don't think you'd spend many days there if just for birds (but probably more than in Quito).

Very many places in Ecuador involve expensive lodges. This is true of Peru too in the Amazon, but elsewhere lodges are few and far between. E.g. nothing really like that at Abra Malaga, Abancay is +/- free access throughout: just transport costs. Same for the Manu Road. Elsewhere you can pay a fair bit at the Owlet Lodge etc but you can/could also just pay to hike the trails. The archaeological sites cost—and have a crazy unfathomable charging system so that you can't just pay to get into [e.g.] Sacsayhuaman; you can only enter on a ticket which covers a bunch of other places—.

Surprise, surprise hiking or taking the train to Macchu Pichu is expensive. The birds there are quite good but it's not necessary to go there to see the same species.

 

[lgonz1008]

Ecuador is in dollars and has oil. These things push prices up.

Yes Lima is expensive, at least if you go to the expat bits like Miraflores. But why would you? And, whilst I think a visit to Callao, Los Pantanos de Villa is worthwhile (especially in northern winter: huge nos of Franklin's gulls: quite a sight, sound) I don't think you'd spend many days there if just for birds (but probably more than in Quito).

Very many places in Ecuador involve expensive lodges. This is true of Peru too in the Amazon, but elsewhere lodges are few and far between. E.g. nothing really like that at Abra Malaga, Abancay is +/- free access throughout: just transport costs. Same for the Manu Road. Elsewhere you can pay a fair bit at the Owlet Lodge etc but you can/could also just pay to hike the trails. The archaeological sites cost—and have a crazy unfathomable charging system so that you can't just pay to get into [e.g.] Sacsayhuaman; you can only enter on a ticket which covers a bunch of other places—.

Surprise, surprise hiking or taking the train to Macchu Pichu is expensive. The birds there are quite good but it's not necessary to go there to see the same species.

Thank you for the input, I've been looking mostly as someone with little time and little wallet, so I tend to hire a local guide and just ramp up the birding as much as possible with it, think less than 2k for little less than a week in the Mindo area and seeing over 360 species or less than 4k for 10 days in Guyana (this one is a country infamous for being expensive and gatekept by the big tour companies but I found the one guide not bought by them and made it work).

Peru always seemed very much on the side of, let charge you for over 3k-4k for the same amount of time as in Ecuador, but guess that just means I'm not looking properly or at the right places.

 

[THE_FERN]

less than 2k

Depends which currency of course... North Colombia was good value when I was there.

I wouldn't expect to spend 2k dollars for less than a week in Peru, but then I don't hire many guides. If interested I'm sure you'd get good value from Carlos of waqanki in moyobamba. Marvellous spatule tail would be reachable within a week, for example, and then there's pale-eyed blackbird and more owls than you thought possible

 

[lgonz1008]

Depends which currency of course... North Colombia was good value when I was there.

I wouldn't expect to spend 2k dollars for less than a week in Peru, but then I don't hire many guides. If interested I'm sure you'd get good value from Carlos of waqanki in moyobamba. Marvellous spatule tail would be reachable within a week, for example, and then there's pale-eyed blackbird and more owls than you thought possible

Sounds like all I need is to wait for Peru to calm down again

 

[Dortmundbirder]

Ecuador is in dollars and has oil. These things push prices up.

Yes Lima is expensive, at least if you go to the expat bits like Miraflores. But why would you? And, whilst I think a visit to Callao, Los Pantanos de Villa is worthwhile (especially in northern winter: huge nos of Franklin's gulls: quite a sight, sound) I don't think you'd spend many days there if just for birds (but probably more than in Quito).

Very many places in Ecuador involve expensive lodges. This is true of Peru too in the Amazon, but elsewhere lodges are few and far between. E.g. nothing really like that at Abra Malaga, Abancay is +/- free access throughout: just transport costs. Same for the Manu Road. Elsewhere you can pay a fair bit at the Owlet Lodge etc but you can/could also just pay to hike the trails. The archaeological sites cost—and have a crazy unfathomable charging system so that you can't just pay to get into [e.g.] Sacsayhuaman; you can only enter on a ticket which covers a bunch of other places—.

Surprise, surprise hiking or taking the train to Macchu Pichu is expensive. The birds there are quite good but it's not necessary to go there to see the same species.

When we were in Northern Ecuador, outside of Wild Sumaco and of course the deep amazon which we dindt visit because of this ( where it is the same in Peru) there was no need to use expensive lodges at all to get into good birding areas.

 

[THE_FERN]

I think the 2 countries are broadly equivalent, with Ecuador somewhat more expensive. But my experience of there isn't so recent

 

[Las Vegas Birder]

I just returned from three months in Peru. At the moment, there are a lot of political problems there. The former president is in jail, and his followers are protesting and sometimes rioting. They often set up roadblocks, making travel impossible for days at a time. Several people have been killed. Access to Maccho Piccho has been closed, as well as several airports in the south. Some tourists have been trapped in their hotels for days. The situation changes by the day. Some days are very bad and others are peaceful. Hopefully, this will clear up before you go. If not, I suggest you postpone your trip. If you do go, one of the best birds to see is the Marvellous Spatultail. This rare hummingbird lives only in one valley in the northern Andes mountains. You can also see birds that reside along riverbanks by taking a boat tour. I did tours on the River Mayo. Of course, you will want to see the Andean Cock-of-the-rock. There are several places to see them. I went to a breeding colony of them in the north. Also, several birds are endemic to the Tumbes region in the northwest corner of the country. There are lots of other great birds to see all over the country. Besides birds, there are many interesting insects and snakes, and I especially liked the poison dart frogs, the sloths, and the monkeys. I can suggest a couple of guides in the Tarapoto area if you go there.