To enjoy the differences in ecosystems needs instinctive feeling, and this specialized birdwatching trip offers to you an excursion through the best ecosystems in southern Peru.

When we say goodbye to Cusco city, will show you a life area very close to Cusco where we will find four of the Andean ducks that inhabit this place: Puna Teal, Yellow-billed Teal, Yellow-billed Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Andean Duck. Also, the surroundings of this lake that has the title Ramsar ((treaty Relating to Wetlands of International Importance especially as bird habitat) is inhabited for some species that take refuge in the reeds such as: Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, Wren-like-Rushbird, Yellow-winged Blackbird and Plumbeous Rail.

The vegetation that surrounds this lake is a good place to see very local species such as: White-crested Elaenia (from Cusco south urubambae, albiceps which are migratory resident), Giant hummingbird, Black-throated Flowerpiercer, Blue and yellow Tanager, Streak-fronted Thornbird restricted to southern Peru and part of Bolivia, Hooded Siskin, Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant, Golden-billed Saltator, Great-horned Owl that can occasionally be seen, Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant. Etc.

The route is long trip so our possibilities to keep going with strategic stops along the route will give us the opportunity to see birds in different ecosystems, starting in the high landscapes and going through the initial forest at the entrance to famous Manu-road (Cloud Forest) until get to our lodge, we would see on the road:

American Kestrel, Variable Hawk, and it would also be great to see Aplomado Falcon, Creamy-crested Spinetail, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Great Thrush, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Golden-headed Quetzal, Crested Quetzal, the biggest raptors in the cloud forest such as: Solitary Eagle and Black and chestnut Eagle. Arrival to lodge.

This part of the route is also interesting area in altitude change and environmental temperature offers us new species of birds, and some that were rare so far for us will become more frequent and common such as: Russet-backed Oropendola, Blue-headed Parrot, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Tropical kingbird, etc.

Mixed groups of birds will bring us new surprises that will shape our checklist of birds at this altitude and we will enjoy: Blue Dacnis, Blue-necked Tanager, Black-faced Dacnis, Black-fronted Nunbird, Long-tailed tyrant, Plumbeous Kite (migrant), Black-throated Antbird, Golden-bellied Warbler, Bluish-fronted Jacamar etc.

We are moving away from the cloud forest and we enter an interesting ecotone where the cloud forest and the lowland and some of its species come together, this is the area where our next lodge has been located at 480 meters above sea level. And because of its location it is a rich ecosystem and the birds can be seen and heard from the garden, and to get there we will take our motor boat from the port of Atalaya for ten minutes.

Here we will enjoy bird watching with species such as:

 Golden-tailed Sapphire, Great-breasted Sabrewing, White-necked Jacobin, Gould’s Jewelfront, Rufous-crested Coquette, and we have here great possibility to see the endemic Koepcke’s Hermit.

We will depart to Manu Birding Lodge. This trip will be fun. We will do it in our motor boat for six hours on the Madre de Dios River, downstream. From the boat, nature is best enjoyed and on both sides of the river there will be the possibility of seeing some birds that inhabit the banks.

In the first hours of the trip, we will surely see the Fasciated Tiger-Heron that can only be seen in the part where the river runs the most,

  Cocoi Heron, Capped Heron, Snowy Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, etc.

As we go down the river it is slower and it is also much more the possibility of seeing a Black Skimmer, Yellow-billed Tern, Large-billed Tern, Ringed Kinfisher, Amazon ingfisher and Macaws like: Red and green Macaw, Blue- and-yellow Macaw, some raptors like Roadsite Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Great-black Hawk, Crane, Osprey surely will overfly the sky.

In the afternoon will have at the lodge a delicious dinner.

One of the richest and best habitats for bird watching is the meandering lakes and its diversity is an indicator of pristine jungle.

Today we have to go to the Blanco lake, this place is a meandering lake where we can find many birds. We will use a catamaran to navigate it and we will have the possibility to take photos of birds such as: Hoatzin, Purus Jacamar, Little Cuckoo, Greater Ani, Black-capped Donacobios, Ring Kingfisher, Limpkin, Purple Gallinule, Amazon Kinfisher, Wattled Jacana, Black-collared Hawk, Anhinga, etc.

After this activity we will return to our lodge for lunch and we will be able to do more bird watching on the trails of our lodge.

 The manakins leks are places in the jungle where Manakins can be seen more easily and in the paths of the Manu birding lodge there are some such as Band-Tailed Manakin, Blue Blacked manakin, Blue Crowned Manakin leks, after these places we go to canopy tower from where we can observe canopy birds and wait to owl’s time.