Classic Bolivia Birding: Endemics & Regional Specialities

Airport transfer to hotel in Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Airport transfer provided to your hotel on arrival in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the tour's evening start point.

Dinner

Breakfast

Cerrado-like Savanna Birding near Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Morning birding in grassy savanna with sand dunes, bushy scrub, trees and pools, searching weedy areas for the restricted-range White-bellied Nothura and the near-endemic Bolivian Slaty Antshrike.

Lunch in a local market

Flight from Santa Cruz de la Sierra to Trinidad

An afternoon flight north to Trinidad in Beni province, the gateway to the Llanos de los Moxos.

Dinner

Breakfast

Loreto Road Blue-throated Macaw Search

The palm savanna and gallery woodland of central Beni provide the setting for a focused search for the Critically Endangered Blue-throated Macaw. The landscape can also bring Blue-and-yellow, Red-and-green, Golden-collared and Chestnut-fronted Macaws into view.

Lunch in a local market

Trinidad Wetlands Birding

Marshes, oxbow lakes, open meadows and gallery woodland around Trinidad offer classic Llanos de los Moxos birding. Targets include Orinoco Goose, Hudson's Black Tyrant, Plain Softtail and Fawn-breasted Wren, with Capybaras and other conspicuous mammals possible.

Dinner

Breakfast

Trinidad Wetlands Birding

Marshes, oxbow lakes, open meadows and gallery woodland around Trinidad offer classic Llanos de los Moxos birding. Targets include Orinoco Goose, Hudson's Black Tyrant, Plain Softtail and Fawn-breasted Wren, with Capybaras and other conspicuous mammals possible.

Lunch in a local market

Flight from Trinidad to Santa Cruz de la Sierra

The return flight from Trinidad to Santa Cruz de la Sierra closes the Llanos de los Moxos leg of the route.

Dinner

Breakfast

Transfer Santa Cruz de la Sierra –> Refugio Los Volcanes

Today we pack up and head to the wilds. Our route passes into the southeastern sector of Amboró National Park. Here, the Andes Mountains curve from NW to SW, forming the "Codo de los Andes" (Elbow of the Andes). Multiple ecoregions converge, making this park one of Bolivia's most diverse. We depart early to avoid traffic. Within about an hour’s drive from our hotel we start to make stops to look for birds from small local villages, and our exploring might produce the very rare Huayco Tinamou, as well as White-eared Puffbird, Giant Antshrike, and Green-winged Saltator. En route, we enjoy a picnic breakfast in semi-humid forest along a rushing river on the lower mountain slopes, then hike a dry, gently undulating trail through the forest. We transfer to 4-wheel drive vehicles to reach the lodge, which is truly impressive, set in a small clearing in a thickly forested valley, surrounded by dramatic sandstone pinnacles.

Refugio Los Volcanes Birding Trails

Wake to a fabulous dawn chorus! Just outside our cabins we could find Gray-throated Leaftosser, Rufescent Screech-Owl, Dusky-green Oropendola, Yungas Manakin, Ochre-cheeked Spinetail, Guira Tanager, and with some luck the endemic Bolivian Recurvebill. Channel-billed Toucan, Plush-crested Jay, and several species of parrots are found on the trails. The entrance road is perfect for finding a lot of bird activity with good footing and impressive sightings including Amazonian Motmot, and possible mixed flocks of tanagers, spinetails, and with luck, manakins. Those that wish can walk deeper into the park where Amboro’s steep, densely forested slopes support an astonishing biodiversity. More than 830 different bird species have been recorded here, including rarities such as Military Macaw, and the almost-mythical Horned Curassow. There is a lovely waterfall site and trail time brings a chance to see plants, lizards and even Tapirs or several species of monkey. And the scenic views are astounding!

Lunch in a local market

Dinner

Breakfast

Refugio Los Volcanes Birding Trails

Wake to a fabulous dawn chorus! Just outside our cabins we could find Gray-throated Leaftosser, Rufescent Screech-Owl, Dusky-green Oropendola, Yungas Manakin, Ochre-cheeked Spinetail, Guira Tanager, and with some luck the endemic Bolivian Recurvebill. Channel-billed Toucan, Plush-crested Jay, and several species of parrots are found on the trails. The entrance road is perfect for finding a lot of bird activity with good footing and impressive sightings including Amazonian Motmot, and possible mixed flocks of tanagers, spinetails, and with luck, manakins. Those that wish can walk deeper into the park where Amboro’s steep, densely forested slopes support an astonishing biodiversity. More than 830 different bird species have been recorded here, including rarities such as Military Macaw, and the almost-mythical Horned Curassow. There is a lovely waterfall site and trail time brings a chance to see plants, lizards and even Tapirs or several species of monkey. And the scenic views are astounding!

Lunch in a local market

Night Birding in the Forests around Los Volcanes

An evening and night session in the surrounding forests for Rufescent Screech Owl, the impressive Band-bellied Owl, elusive Rufous Nightjar and Ocellated Poorwill.

Dinner

Breakfast

Higher-elevation Forest and Crater Lake Birding

A morning climb into higher-elevation forest for the elusive Short-tailed Antthrush, then a crater lake usually holding Masked Duck family parties.

Lunch in a local market

Andean Farming Valley Birding to Samaipata

A picturesque farming valley with cultivated and fallow fields, scrub and deciduous woodland, where rare Mitred Parakeets move through cornfield country.

Transfer Refugio Los Volcanes –> Samaipata

We hate to leave this wonderful lodge but more adventures call. We use the 4-wheel drive vehicles to descend the rugged road down to where our air-conditioned bus awaits. Our destination is the picturesque town of Samaipata, an area which holds both archaeological and natural history significance. Our first stop is the ancient Inca site of El Fuerte de Samaipata, a sacred site once inhabited by four different ancient cultures. As we ascend the Andes Mountains, watch the landscape become drier, with less vegetation, giving way to cacti and acacias typical of more arid environments. Over the day, on birding stops here and there we seek sightings of Red-faced Guan, Rothschild’s Swift, Tataupa Tinamou, Olive-crowned Crescentchest, Sooty-fronted Spinetail, and Black-and-Chestnut Warbling Finch.

Dinner

Breakfast

Podocarpus Forest Remnant Birding

A remnant Podocarpus forest for the increasingly rare Tucuman Amazon and Red-faced Guan, found only here and in northwest Argentina.

Lunch in a local market

Drive from Samaipata to Saipina

A drive into the Rio Mizque floodplain to the Saipina area, birding the open scrubby hills en route.

Dinner

Breakfast

Red-fronted Macaw Reserve (Rio Mizque)

A tranquil valley home of the rare Red-fronted Macaw, a Bolivian endemic, seen crossing between feeding and roosting areas; also home to the endemic Cliff Parakeet.

Lunch in a local market

Transfer Red-fronted Macaw Lodge –> Comarapa

Early in the morning, we leave the lodge and head toward the town of Comarapa, with roadside stops focusing on species we may have missed so far. The Cochabamba Valley is an important one for endemic species and blessed with fertile soils. We travel through a rich agricultural region of Bolivia. Our route once again passes through the Inter-Andean Dry Valleys and the Serrano Chaco, landscapes distinguished by their remarkable diversity of cacti. One of the key stops along the way is the Jardín de Cactáceas Reserve, an international Key Biodiversity Area. This is a great place to photograph and observe both birds and cacti. Our accommodations are simple and comfortable with private bath but more of a camp atmosphere. It is the best location for our early-bird start tomorrow.

Dinner

Breakfast

Comarapa and Tambo Canyons Birding

Deep red and orange canyons in cactus-covered hills home to the endemic Bolivian Earthcreeper, with the evening search for Scissor-tailed Nightjar and Tropical Screech Owl.

Lunch in a local market

Siberia Cloudforest Birding (Amboro boundary)

Tall epiphyte-laden cloudforest on the Amboro high ridge, targetting the endemic Rufous-faced Antpitta, Trilling Tapaculo, Violet-throated Starfrontlet and the Bolivian Brushfinch.

Dinner

Breakfast

Siberia Watershed and Dry-valley Birding to Cochabamba

An early crossing of the Siberia watershed into dry valleys, searching Polylepis gullies for the endemic Black-hooded Sunbeam, Wedge-tailed Hillstar and Rufous-bellied Mountain Tanager.

Lunch in a local market

Drive from Comarapa to Cochabamba via Siberia

A long drive crossing the Siberia watershed into dry valleys en route to Cochabamba, with birding stops.

Dinner

Breakfast

Quillacolla Road Birding above the Cochabamba valley

The Quillacolla Road climbing past Cerro Tunari (5035m) to a 4000m pass, targetting the endemic Cochabamba Mountain Finch, Giant Conebill, Wedge-tailed Hillstar and high-Andean boulder-field birds.

Lunch in a local market

High-altitude Lake Birding near the Quillacolla Road

Late afternoon at a lake rich in waterfowl: White-tufted and Silvery Grebes, Red Shoveler, Puna and Cinnamon Teals, Rosy-billed Pochard, Andean Duck, Andean Lapwing and the Wren-like Rushbird.

Dinner

Breakfast

Chapare Road Birding from puna to subtropical forest

The Chapare Road climbing out of the Cochabamba valley through puna and dropping through elfin, temperate and subtropical forests toward Villa Tunari, for specialists like Hooded Mountain Toucan, Upland Antshrike and Yungas Tody-Tyrant.

Lunch in a local market

Dinner

Breakfast

Chapare Road Birding from puna to subtropical forest

The Chapare Road climbing out of the Cochabamba valley through puna and dropping through elfin, temperate and subtropical forests toward Villa Tunari, for specialists like Hooded Mountain Toucan, Upland Antshrike and Yungas Tody-Tyrant.

Lunch in a local market

Dinner

Breakfast

Cochabamba Blackbird Search and Puna Drive to La Paz

Near Cochabamba, endemic Bolivian Blackbirds and the range-restricted Brown-backed Mockingbird, then a puna drive to La Paz with stops for Ornate Tinamou, White-winged Cinclodes and Puna Yellow Finch.

Lunch in a local market

Drive from Cochabamba to La Paz

The long drive to La Paz passes through puna habitat with birding stops, arriving in the highest capital city on earth.

Dinner

Breakfast

Drive from La Paz to Coroico via the Coroico Road

The drive drops from the high puna pass down through cloudforest to Coroico, birding along the spectacular Coroico Road.

La Cumbre High-Andean Birding

Lunch in a local market

Middle-elevation Yungas Forest Birding (Coroico)

Middle-elevation Yungas forest for the restricted-range Diademed Tapaculo and uncommon near-endemic Scimitar-winged Piha, with Long-tailed Sylph, Andean Solitaire and Plushcap.

Dinner

Breakfast

Middle-elevation Yungas Forest Birding (Coroico)

Middle-elevation Yungas forest for the restricted-range Diademed Tapaculo and uncommon near-endemic Scimitar-winged Piha, with Long-tailed Sylph, Andean Solitaire and Plushcap.

Lunch in a local market

Dinner

Breakfast

Coroico Road Birding (Yungas gradient)

Birding along the spectacular Coroico Road gradient from high puna pass through cloudforest to verdant subtropical forest, revisiting the Yungas specialities.

Lunch in a local market

Drive from Coroico to Sorata via La Paz

The drive returns to La Paz and continues to the town of Sorata at the base of the Illampa mountains.

Dinner

Breakfast

Sorata Berlepsch’s Canastero Search

The dry valley below the Illampa mountains is a reliable setting to search for the highly localised Berlepsch’s Canastero, whose large stick nests stand out in taller eucalyptus. A high-altitude lake adds Giant Coot and Silvery Grebe to the day's birding.

Lunch in a local market

Lake Titicaca Grebe Scan

Lake Titicaca's reed edges offer the localised Titicaca (or Short-winged) Grebe, with Andean Goose, Crested Duck, Plumbeous Rail and other high-Andean waterbirds. Puna Snipe is a fortunate possibility. The source itinerary continues to La Paz in the late afternoon.

Drive from Sorata and Lake Titicaca to La Paz airport

The tour ends with a transfer to La Paz airport for a late afternoon departure.