South America: Where? (1 Viewer)

[dwatsonbirder]

Apologies in advance as this question has probably been asked multiple times...

Hopefully a straightforward question(!), having only visited Central America previously, what is recommended as a good introduction to South America?

There are a few limiting factors;

• Unlikely to be travelling in 2025 (most likely 2026) so appreciate that situations on the ground change quite a bit
• We can only spend 15+/- days due to commitments with work and expensive dog care
• In terms of timing, these are constrained by University time-tabling (i.e. reading week, Easter, Summer Break but not xmas) first half of September is most likely
• Ideally we would like to keep to a self-drive type trip, as we want to keep costs down (ideally <£3500 PP in total) and prefer independent travel
• We don't mind budget accommodation (i.e. basic and cheap) and won't spend more than £200 PN unless there is no other option/are offered an opportunity not available elsewhere
• My wife is fluent in Spanish (mine is basic), but neither of us speak any Portuguese
• We don't mind travelling a little whilst in the country, but preference is for 3-5 destinations to increase time in the field rather than flights/buses/driving/boats
• I'm fairly happy to see what I see, though probably have a few target species (see below) depending on country. It would also be beneficial if mammals could be incorporated to satisfy my wife!

Options:

Peru (Lima and San Lorenzo island, Santa Eulalia, flight to Cusco, trek Machu Picchu, Manu Road, flight Cusco to Lima then back to UK)

• No idea on cost/viability of doing this independently - is Manu prohibitively expensive and difficult for independent travel?
• Unsure on whether logistics would work, or whether we would be likely to be spending a long time travelling around.
• Huge numbers of new birds and potential for mammals in Manu

Ecuador (Quito, Bellavista, Papallacta, Cosanga, Parque Nacional Yasuní (Napo?)

• Seems to be less travel, but potentially rather pricey (admittedly a bit ignorant about cost/viability of doing this independently!)
• Huge numbers of new birds and good chance of mammals
• Would love to do some high altitude birding, but a bit worried about suffering with AMS again

Also wondering about Colombia though, a bit worried that it seems pretty sketchy for independent travel and wouldn't know where to start!

Any suggestions and comments are much appreciated.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Ecuador is good, although the Amazon bit will be expensive. If it's only a couple of weeks and the costs are high, I would stay longer in the Mindo area or maybe go to Wild Sumaco. There's tonnes to see in both places.

Although neither of you speak Portuguese, I would recommend Brazil. It's easy to travel in and the birding is generally excellent and varied. If you know Spanish, you should be able to get by there. The southeast around Rio/ Sao Paolo is excellent for two weeks with some good places to stay. Further north in Bahia there are a lot of options and it's easy to do independently.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Thanks Andrew, I will have a look into those options. Perhaps we shouldn't write off Brazil just yet.
The Manu leg in Peru was of particular interest to the OH, but a quick look at accommodation rates has brought me out in a cold sweat...

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

A fortnight including Manu should get 300 plus species, but you probably don’t want to drive the Manu Road yourself.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

A fortnight including Manu should get 300 plus species, but you probably don’t want to drive the Manu Road yourself.

Thanks WP.
Is that due to road conditions/traffic/safety?

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Manu is brilliant but complicated logistically and probably expensive. I would say the eastern slope of the Andes in Ecuador is a better bet for independent travel e.g. staying around Papallacta, San Isidro, Wild Sumaco and then maybe going down to the Amazon. Will have a very good range of stuff and not super expensive, while also being quite comfortable.

 

[Dortmundbirder]

Ecuador a combination of both slopes without going to the Amazon sounds perfect for your conditions, easily to do independently and outside of wild sumaco also not that expensive.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Not in your suggestions, but Chile is an easy to do self driving option and a fantastic opener to South America

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

The Manu road is long, steep and narrow; it was blocked for an hour or more by a fallen tree that the locals had to chainsaw off. It won’t be a relaxing drive!

 

[Maroon Jay]

Ecuador is good but more expensive than Peru. Manu is good but expensive and a bit difficult to organize. Consider northern Peru, from Tarapoto in the Amazon to Cocachimba in the Andes mountains. Lots of species, including the Magnificent Spatueltail, Cock of the Rock, and Long-whiskered Owlet, to name just a few. Excellent birding, but it is not a main tourist area, so it is fairly inexpensive. You would need a flight from Lima to Tarapoto and then travel by group taxi and share the price. There are guides and bird lodges in the area.

 

[Matt Slaymaker]

Northern Argentina has a nice selection of habitats and species, including some iconic birds and good mammals.

Buenos Aires is an enjoyable city and driving is fine outside of the city centre. A loop up to Iguazu and back is achievable in a couple of weeks and would get a decent species list. It was also quite affordable (a couple of years ago) with some excellent budget accommodation options.

 

[mjh73]

Having visited Colombia in March 2020 and October 2023 on the whole it felt pretty safe.
Even the sketchier areas seemed to be more by reputation than feeling any real and present danger.
A couple of weeks doing Bogota and across into the Andes would be well worth it and likely significantly cheaper than Argentina or Chile. Cant speak for Ecuador (never been) or Peru (spent 3 days Lima/ Santa Eulalia only)

 

[simmojunior]

Hi Dan,

I'd suggest the central Andes in Colombia. You could fly into Pereira, do a 3 or 4 night package at Montezuma, and then hire a car for c10 days taking in Manizales area and San Cipriano. Plenty of non-birding things on that route such as the thermal springs or hiking in Los Nevados. This would be well within your £3500 budget and get you over 400 species.

 

[temmie]

It really depends what your tactics are:
Do you want to see as many species as possible, have a higher chance to miss out on some goodies and potentially get overwhelmed by birds?
Go e.g. to either the Manu, Ecuador or C-Colombia (for example).

Do you plan more S-America trips, and want to get a grip on the birds, get a more gentle introduction and are thus prepared to see fewer birds, but see them better and remember them for longer?
Go e.g. to N-Argentina, coastal Brazil, the Santa Marta area in Colombia (for example).

If you have some fear of missing out, I wouldn't recommend a very species rich region, as it will inevitably lead to stress and frustration having to combine birding with your partner's wishes. If you are very fine with missing out, and don't care about building a S-America list but would rather enjoy a good sample of iconic birds, you can't go wrong with the species-rich destinations I (and others) mentioned above. But think about it: in N-Argentina you'd have beautiful landscapes, good food, great wine and plenty of (relatively easy to see) birds, vs. Ecuador where you can easily end up in a place with mediocre food, muddy slippery trails and hard-to-see birds in foggy conditions in the cloud forest (just pointing to the extreme, I know and have experienced great destinations / days out in Ecuador).

With your budget, you can probably go to any of those places in the recommendations except maybe (but it would average out over the whole trip) around the Napo river in Ecuador or some of the Manu lodges. As fas as I can remember, the Proaves (Colombia), Jocotoco (Ecuador) and Ecoan (Peru) lodges aren't cheap but could be fitted in your budget as long as you're not going there all the time.
I haven't mentioned Bolivia, a country where I travelled last month, but even though I think a more comfortable trip (than mine) should be possible, I fear the combination of driving times with some uncertainties about fuel and transport modes (bloqueos) make it maybe a bit too adventurous. I could (from the top of my head) design a 2-week trip with comfortable accomodation (like Volcanes, Red-fronted Macaw reserve and Blue-throated Macaw reserve, both can be booked through Armonia, an organisation reminiscent of Proaves / Jocotoco / Ecoan) and relative OK driving times, but you'd be the guinea pig to test it out ;-)

In short, here are my recommendations:
1. Bahia, Brazil. Stunning landscapes, great food, easy to self-drive, gorgeous beaches, excellent accomodation often full of character / in a lovely place to bird. Northern summer could be a bit suboptimal over there in terms of climate, though, but I haven't checked in detail. SE Brazil is another pretty similar destination, but with a lot of different birds.
2. N-Argentina. Same as above except for the beaches. Best season is probably Oct-Dec, austral spring will be a bit chilly...
3. N-Colombia (Santa Marta and around). An excellent part to quickly access different habitats, from semi-desert around Riohacha to some higher altitude on the cuchilla San Lorenzo. Maybe 2 weeks is a bit generous if you're birding constantly, but then again, with a partner it should be a very good match in terms of time invested and combining it with some culture / beaches.
4. A classic E-Andes route in Ecuador. My concern would be that it's mainly birds / nature and not much else. Cuzco / Manu is better for that, but 2 weeks is maybe a bit short for such a destination with enough to bird / visit around Cuzco and the Manu road and not even visiting any of the Amazon lowlands.

 

[Steve Babbs]

Bolivia is the cheapest country in South America and I suspect one of the safest. It is also a strong contender for my favorite country. I was there recently but it is 20 years since I last visited independently. Then we mostly travelled by public transport. As Temmie mentions it is rather prone to protest as I don't know if the diesel shortages that were happening in August are still an issue.

 

[njlarsen]

The places I have knowledge of are Ecuador, Chile and Northern Colombia, and those have all been covered here.
However, I would not have a problem spending 2 weeks in Northern Colombia, by doing something like this:
One week in Minca, with at least three nights at El Dorado lodge (even this does fit within your per night budget or did when I visited). Also spend a little time at a level of Minca to just below.
About 3 nights in the area around Camarones in the Guajira peninsula for some dry land species you wont see elsewhere in Colombia.
About 3 nights in the Tayrona area.

At least for the Camarones area you would need a guide for safety but there are cheap places to stay and eat. Having guiding some of the time in the Minka area certainly can be worthwhile.
Niels

 

[lgonz1008]

As mentioned by others, if you want a clear introductory experience to South American birding, then Northern Ecuador is a must, however, outside of the odd mammal or vista, it is exclusively for the birds and butterflies. Food is also just on the ok side of things, but sometimes sitting down by the feeders can give you some great lifers and seeing the Andean Condor in Antisana is always a highlight.

Having just done a trip around Sao Paulo, I can say that it's some of the best birding in the world, so long as you are with someone that knows the birds well, the Atlantic Rainforest has some of the most beautiful megas of the Neotropics but outside of Bare-throated Bellbird and feeder birds, you need to know the territories/habitat for a lot of species if you want to make the most of it, but 3-4 days of hardcore birding in Legado das Aguas can give you over 150 species, of which, 100 would be regional endemics.

Finally, I'll play devil's advocate and recommend Guyana, this one definitely requires a local guide since even a car rental is a fight and there's no set public transportation, but if you don't mind someone showing you the birds, it can give you some of the most pristine lowland rainforest left in South America, alongside some of the most iconic species in the continent, from Giant Anteater to Harpy Eagle and Guianan Cock-of-the-rock. Plus the beautiful landscapes, good Carib food and if you want to make the trip to Kaieteur Falls, it can let you see some memorable places that a non-birding partner will love. But again, it requires a local guide to arrange things for you.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Just a quick thank you to all who have taken the time to respond so thoughtfully, plenty of options for us to digest.
Peru may be a bit ambitious given the time constraints (we're both keen on this trip, but would want 3 weeks ideally), so perhaps N Ecuador or Columbia are the most logical. I'll dust off the Neotropic section of my Helm library and see what species take my fancy.
It looks as though our house sale is progressing (fingers crossed) so we will most likely be planning in 2025 for a 2026 departure.

 

[pbjosh]

I think Ecuador makes the most sense given your parameters. Colombia is absolutely lovely but travel between sites can be a bit more painful (traffic and distances and road quality) depending on where you want to go. If your itinerary is reasonable that might be a not too large factor or a real wrench in the works.

SE Brazil out of São Paulo / RdJ or NW Argentina around Salta / Catamarca / Jujuy are logistically easy and have great scenery and food and accommodation but fewer species, and notably fewer mammals in SE Brazil. Lovely and relaxed areas to bird however.

Realistically you can have a successful trip of the style you seek just about anywhere in S America though BO (current fuel shortages and general logistical headaches), VZ (obviously) and more remote areas are going to be less in line with your desires.