Our Peru Highlands Tour explores an endemic-rich montane region in the Urubamba and Vilcabamba Cordilleras northwest of Cusco along with the Urubamba Valley, also known as the Sacred Valley of Peru. The region supports a broad range of altitudinal zones, everything from high elevation puna and Elfin forest to middle elevation montane rainforest to lowland tropical forest. This 9-day tour covers most of these zones and can be combined with our extension to Machu Picchu and/or our tours along Manu Road and into the Tambopata lowlands.

 

 

 

 

The tour begins in the ancient Inca city of Cusco, located in the highlands of southeastern Peru. After stopping at a couple lagoons outside Cusco, we head to the Apurimac Canyon for a two-night stay. We'll visit the Chonta Condor lookout for an hour-long hike up to the viewing area to hopeully see Andean Condors. The next day and following morning will be devoted to birding the Apurimac Valley, mainly between Mollepata and Soraypampa. Then we transfer to Ollantaytambo, stopping en route at a hummingbird sanctuary to look for Bearded Mountaineer. Next day will be spent at quite high elevation at Abra Malaga, possibly hiking up or down to look for the critically endangered Royal Cinclodes. From there we drive to the Vilcabamba Valley, nestling in the Vilcabamba Cordillera. We'll stop en route at Ipal Ecolodge to look for the Swallow-tailed Hummingbird at their feeders. After a morning birding the Vilcabamba Valley, we transfer to Quillabamba farther north where we'll spend two nights. We'll have a full day birding around there, most likely the nearby Calquiñ Valley. We then transfer back to Ollantaytambo to catch the train to Aguas Calientes for those going on to Machu Picchu or back to Cusco otherwise.

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFO
(Not on Menu Above)

• Country Map
• Accommodations
• Photos from Past Tours
• Travel Information

BIRDING LOCALES

• Abra Malaga Forest Reserve
• Bosque Ampay
• Calquiña Valley
• Ensifera HB Sanctuary
• Huaypo Lagoon
• Ipal Ecolodge
• Soraypampa