Description

Ruinas de Quilmes. Photo by Luis Segura.

This journey covers all the natural habitats of northern Argentina, and it has been specially designed for those who enjoy birds, general wildlife, culture and spectacular sceneries.
Northwestern Argentina is a land full of spectacular landscapes and with a vast cultural heritage. Remnants of buildings and roads from the “Great Inca Empire of the Sun” can still be found everywhere here, and many cultural events and pre-Hispanic rituals, such as that in honor of the “Pacha Mama” (Mother Earth), are still celebrated by the locals. Andean music is heard everywhere, and people still play their traditional instruments.

This incredibly varied region has a great diversity of natural habitats, ranging from Yungas Cloudforest to dry Chaco Woodlands. The three provinces in the northwesternmost part of Argentina, Jujuy, Salta and Tucuman, host some pristine representatives of these habitats, all worth visiting for birders to find both diversity and good numbers of native species.

Forming a wedge along the southern Andean chains of Bolivia and northwestern Argentina, the Yungas Cloudforest supports one of the greatest biological diversities in the Neotropics. It harbors a wide variety of forests and woodlands, each hosting its own and unique community of flora and fauna, and all varying according with their altitudinal ranges. Wildlife is abundant in this humid environment. Ferns, bromeliads and other epiphytic plants are particularly stunning here, and they cover every single corner of the forest. This biological treasure is well protected within the boundaries of several national parks and nature reserves, and we plan to explore it thoroughly in different areas.

Vicuna. Photo by Luis Segura.

Just south the Humahuaca Valley lays the small village of Yala and the Yala River, which is bordered by lush Yungas cloudforest. Exploring this area is a must for birders, since it is here where chances are high to find such unique species as Rufous-throated Dipper, Torrent Duck, Red-faced Guan and Lyretailed Nightjar. A local reserve just above Yala protects a good stand of pure Alder forest, offering great chances to visit yet another habitat, with its own and particular wildlife. Continuing north, and up to higher elevations, we will leave behind the Yungas and the Alder forest, to enter the pre-Puna. The Andes in this part of Argentina are very dry, but they are crossed by a series of humid valleys, with Humahuaca standing out for its unique setting. Nestled amidst spectacular rock formations of the most incredible and diverse colors, this is the heart of one of the richest cacti flora on Earth, and home to a wide array of birds, mammals and other wildlife.

Lake Pozuelos Natural Monument, a mountain ringed basin with shallow brackish water lies some 90 km. north of Abra Pampa, in the heart of the Puna. It harbors thousands of Andean, Chilean and Puna Flamingoes so we hope to witness the spectacle of large concentrations of these creatures amidst the solitude and grandeur of High Andean landscape.
After visiting the Humahuaca Valley area, we will drive back into the Province of Salta, where we plan to explore the Chaco habitats. The Chaco is a very particular ecosystem, mainly a thorny woodland, which covers most of the northernmost part of Argentina, and it is is well divided into a dry, a montane and a wet area, each of them with different flora and fauna. We will spend three days exploring the Chaco, searching for its unique birds.

No birding tour to northwestern Argentina would be complete without visiting the Andean habitats of the famous Cachi Road, an area well reputed among birders the world over for the quantity and quality of bird species present here.
We will follow this road on our way to los Cardones National Park, looking for birds like Aplomado Falcon, Andean Flicker, Rock Earthcreeper, White-tipped Plantcutter, Brown-capped Tit-Spinetail, Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant, Whitewinged Black-Tyrant, Black Siskin, Rufous-sided Warbling-Finch and the localized Rufous-bellied Saltator.

Northeastern Argentina is a land of extensive marshlands, grasslands and rainforests. Iguazú National Park is perhaps the most well known protected area in this region, but it is certainly not the only one. The two north-easternmost provinces of Argentina contain the highest concentration of bird diversity in our country: these are Corrientes and Misiones.

Misiones is the province where the Iguazú Falls are located, and the second half of our birding journey throughout the north of Argentina starts here, watching birds of the Interior Atlantic Forest.

Iguazu Falls. Photo by Luis Segura.

It is here where we will see such exotic birds as Toucans, mixed flocks of colorful Tanagers and many other rainforest dwellers. Great Dusky Swifts fly overhead and into the falls by the thousands in the area of Devil’s Throat, the place where the highest and most impressive falls are located. In the evening we will search for Owls, Potoos and Nightjars. Several provincial parks in Misiones do protect other types of forests and extensive bamboo fields. We will visit some of these in search of local bird specialties and rarities.

The last bit of our tour will take us to the Province of Corrientes. Our journey will continue towards the south west, crossing the “Campos”, a restricted area of savannas in smooth hills with patches of forests. The wide diversity and vast numbers of Finches, Tyrants, Furnarids, Storks, Herons, ducks and other wetland species are overwhelming in this part of the country. This is the habitat where the endangered Saffron-cowled Blackbird and the gorgeous Streamertailed Tyrant live. The last few days will be spent exploring Iberá Marshes, the largest wetland in Argentina. Here we’ll have our best chances to find birds with highly restricted distribution ranges in Argentina, such as Strange-tailed Tyrant, Ochre-breasted Pipit and White-tailed Goldenthroat.