Amazon Wildlife Photography Tour

... / Lima

Welcome to Peru Arrival to the international airport in Lima, where you will be picked up from a Golden Peruvian Tour representative, then you will be transferred to the selected hotel. Assistance with the Check In.15:00hrs Check in.
Overnight: Lima
Meals: ---

Puerto Maldonado

Before breakfast we will visit to the canopy tower. Many of the trees in the Peruvian Amazon grow to heights of 30 plus meters (100 feet or more). It’s a challenge to see birds that frequent the tall canopy of the rainforest but only if you look for them from the ground. Watch for them from a canopy tower and you can get close, eye-level looks at colorful toucans, parrots, macaws, tanagers, jacamars, trogons, woodpeckers, monkeys, and other rainforest wildlife. Then we will visit the Tres Chimbadas oxbow lake. The lake is thirty minutes by boat from Posada Amazonas. Once there we will paddle around the lake in a catamaran, searching for the resident family of Giant River Otters and other lakeside wildlife such as Black Caiman, Hoatzin, Horned Screamers, Scarlet and Red-and-Green Macaws, and more. Then we depart on a short hike in a bamboo patch near Tres Chimbadas Lake. We will be looking for bamboo specialists like White-cheeked Tody-tyrant, Peruvian Recurvebill, Red-billed Scythebill, Rufous-headed Woodpecker, Rufous-breasted Piculet, Brown-rumped Foliage-gleaner, Large-headed Flatbill, Dusky-tailed Flatbill, Bamboo Foliage-gleaner, Flammulated Bamboo-tyrant, Dot-winged and Ornate Antwrens, White-lined Antbird, Rufous-capped Nunlet, Pheasant Cuckoo, and many others. After lunch we can spend the afternoon birding the trails around the lodge. Overnight at Posada Amazonas Lodge.
Overnight: Puerto Maldonado
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Tambopata Research Center

During these three days we will explore different kind of forest habitats. The Macaw clay lick is the largest of the country where hundreds of parrots and macaws of up to 15 species congregate daily. We can expect to see ten to twelve of the following members of the parrot family: Red-and-green, Blue-and-yellow, Scarlet, Red-bellied, Chestnut-fronted and Blue-headed Macaws; Mealy and Yellow-crowned Amazons; Blue-headed, Orange-cheeked and Black-legged Parrots; Dusky-headed, White-eyed, Cobalt-winged and Tui Parakeets, and Dusky-billed Parrotlets. Jaguars and Ocelots can come to the clay lick hunting for big birds. Floodplain and Terra Firme Forest. We will explore the quintessential rainforest on the five-mile Ocelot Trail and the five-mile Toucan Trail systems. The Ocelot Trail is in the floodplain with ponds (anacondas and jaguars are possible in this kind of habitat) and streams forming during the rainy season. The Toucan Trail on the other hand is tall rainforest that rarely or never floods. Both of these trails represent the most speciose habitats for birds. Too many possibilities to list, this is habitat for Starred Wood-Quail, Pale-winged Trumpeter, several Trogons, Foliage-gleaners, many Woodcreepers, Antbirds, Flycatchers, Manakins, and much more. Mixed species flocks are especially diverse with understory flocks led by Dusky-throated Antshrike and Red-crowned Ant-tanagers. They often contain 30-40 species (or more!) including Plain-winged Antshrike, Bluish-slate Antshrike, White-eyed Antwren, Thrush-like Antpitta, White-winged Shrike-tanager, Amazonian Barred Woodcreeper and Spix's Woodcreeper. The Ocelot trail also crosses some permanently flooded old ponds inhabited by Agami Heron, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Green-and-rufous Kingfisher, and Sunbittern. Riparian Habitat. We will explore older river created habitats at the pond five minutes upstream from TRC (anacondas also possible here!) – Forests of Cecropia and Balsa Wood with a bamboo understory. This is the habitat of the legendary Rufous-fronted Antthrush, we could also find Lemon-throated Barbet, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Cabanis Spinetail, Amazonian Antpitta, Blackish Antbird, Fuscous Flycatcher, Guira Tanager and Orange-backed Troupial. As we exit the pond's forests, we will bird on grassy areas with Tessaria and young Cecropia trees. These are not very diverse for birds but are the main habitat for Plain-crowned and Dark-breasted Spinetails, Mottle-backed Elaenia, Spotted Tody-Flycatcher, Floodplain Thrush, Orange-headed Tanager, and Seedeater species among others. Transitional forests above the clay lick. These were bamboo forests until they flowered and died out a few years ago. Now they are akin to riparian forests but will eventually grow into terra firme as they are not affected by yearly floods. Here we would spot White-throated Jacamar, Buff-throated Saltator, Amazonian Grey Saltator, Scarlet-hooded Barbet, Crested and Russet-backed Oropendolas, Piratic Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Nunbird and others. While birding these spots we will have extraordinary views of the Tambopata River winding its way from the highlands. Night walks. We will venture out near the lodge trying to spot-light a Pauraque, Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl, Great Potoo, Long tailed Potoo, Ocellated Poorwill and if we are lucky a Mottled Owl or Crested Owl. Overnight at TRC lodge.
Overnight: Puerto Maldonado
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Puerto Maldonado / Lima

Morning transfer to Puerto Maldonado, before heading to the airport we will have a typical farewell lunch in the native community of Infierno. Afternoon flight to Lima for your international connections.
Overnight: Puerto Maldonado
Meals: Breakfast, box lunch