Itinerary

Andean Avocet. Photo by Luis Segura.

Our meeting point is at the international airport of the City of Buenos Aires, where your Tour leader will receive you in the morning of day 1. From here we will drive to the domestic airport to take a flight to the city of Jujuy, and a short drive to the small village of Termas de Reyes, located in the southernmost end of the Humahuaca Valley.

On day 2, we will drive all the way up to the Humahuaca Valley, in the dry Andes of Jujuy. As we get there, we will cross different habitats, with chances to find some very special birds, like Rufous-throated Dipper. We will spend the following two nights in the picturesque village of Uquía, conveniently located in the heart of the valley.

On day 3 we will drive to higher elevations to go exploring the high Andean lagoon of Runtuyoc, located near the small city of Abra Pampa. We expect to find here all three species of South American flamingoes: Chilean, Andean, and James’s, and also other specialties, like Giant Coot and Andean Avocet.

Return to Uquía in the late afternoon. Time permitting; we will make a stop in the historical city
of Humahuaca, to go visiting the local market. We will drive to the city of Salta on day 4, all the way down the Humahuaca Valley, and crossing the Yungas Cloudforest. On our way there we will have the chance to go visiting the pre- Incan citadel ruins of Tlcara. This place is also very interesting for birding, and species like Black-headed Sierra-Finch, Andean Parakeet, D’Orbigny’s Chat-Tyrant and White-sided Hillstar are all possibly seen.

D’Orbigny’s Chat-Tyrant. Photo by Luis Segura.

Later this day, as we drive across the Yungas, chances are to find birds like Buff-browed Foliage-Gleaner, Variable Antshrike, Fawn-breasted Tanager and Black-backed Grosbeak to name but a few. We will arrive to the area of San Lorenzo (very close to the city of Salta itself), where we are going to spend the following three nights.

We are going to spend day 5 exploring the dry Chaco habitats in the surroundings of the city of Salta. We expect to find here birds like Ultramarine Grosbeak, Blacklegged Seriema, Chaco Puffbird, Greater Wagtail-Tyrant and many others.

On day 6 we will go exploring one of the most famous birding locations in southern South America: the “Cuesta del Obispo,” also known as the “Cachi Road.” The great diversity of habitats here includes Yungas Cloudforest, cacti scrubland and high Andean grasslands. Andean Condors, Plain-colored seedeater, the rare Rufous-bellied Saltator and Maquis Canastero are all possible to see in this area.

On day 7 we will fly from Salta to Iguazú. Depending on our arrival time to Iguazú, we will have time to do some birding in the surroundings of our hotel, which is located on the edge of the Subtropical rainforest. We will spend the following three nights in this hotel.

We will spend days 8 and 9 in the Area of Iguazú National Park and its surroundings.

Great Dusky Swifts. Photo by Luis Segura.

Besides birding in the area of the falls, we will also have chances to visit other isolated trails, normally closed to the general visitors, where we’ll search for bird specialties of the “Parana” Rainforest.

On day 10, we will bird one of the most “species-rich” habitats in the whole country: the Campos of Misiones. We will stop several times on our way to explore the wide diversity of wetlands and forest patches present in this area. We expect to arrive to our lodge in Iberá Marshes in the early evening, and check in for the following three nights.

The last two days of this tour in northeastern Argentina -days 11 and 12- will be spent in the spectacular IberáMarshes, exploring such diverse habitats as savannas dotted with patches of forest, lagoons, marshes and rice plantations. This is the realm of a wide array of mammals, such as Capybaras, Black-and-gold Howler-Monkey and Marsh Deer among others, and it is also here where we will have the opportunity to find spectacular reptiles, like Cayman and Yellow Anaconda. Birds are surely unique here, and waterfowl is abundant. Jabiru nests in this area, and some passerines are really remarkable, like Black-and-white Monjita, Yellowish Pipit and Strange-tailed Tyrant to name but a few.

Golden-winged Cacique. Photo by Luis Segura.

On day 13, we will drive to the city of Posadas, to take our flight to Buenos Aires. Depending on the flight schedule, we will have time to do some more birding in the surroundings of our lodge in Iberá, and also along the road to Posadas. We will spend the last night of the tour in the city of Buenos Aires.

In the morning of day 14, we will pay a visit to Costanera Sur Nature Reserve, to have a last contact with the birds of the Argentine Pampas. After lunch, we will drive to the International Airport of Buenos Aires in time to take your return flights home.

Some Birds We’ll Look For

Yungas: Dot-fronted and Cream-backed Woodpeckers, Mitred Parakeet, Scalyheaded Parrot, White-bellied Hummingbird and Rufous-capped Antshrike. The long list of passerines includes White-winged Becard, Brown-capped Redstart, Stripe-crowned and Azara’s Spinetails, Buff-browed Foliage-Gleaner, Roughlegged and Sclater’s Tyrannulets, Mountain Wren, Fulvous-headed and Stripeheaded Brush-Finches, Fawn-breasted Tanager and Golden-winged Cacique.

Humahuaca and The High Andes: Tawny-throated Dotterel, American Golden Plover, Least Seedsnipe, Andean Gull, Mountain Caracara, Andean Flicker, Golden-spotted Ground-Dove, Ornate Tinamou, Andean Goose, Andean Avocet, Crested Duck, Puna Teal, Andean, Horned and Giant Coots, Puna Plover and several North American migrants such as Baird’s and Pectoral Sandpipers and Wilson’s Phalarope.

Dry Chaco: Spot-winged Falconet, Chaco Chachalaca, Gilded Sapphire, Checkered and White-fronted Woodpeckers, White-barred Piculet, Brown Cacholote, Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper, Crested Gallito, Stripe-backed Antbird, Variable Antshrike, Cinereous Tyrant, Swainson’s Flycatcher, Greater Wagtail-Tyrant, Hepatic Tanager and Ultramarine Grosbeak.

Iguazú and Iberá: Greater Rhea, Red-winged Tinamou, Jabiru, Black-fronted Piping-Guan, Yellow-breasted Crake, Rusty-barred Owl, Common Potoo, Helmeted Woodpecker, Large-tailed Antshrike, White-bearded Antshrike, Short-tailed Antthrush, Variegated Antpitta, Streamer-tailed Tyrant, Strangetailed Tyrant, Ochre-breasted Pipit, Saffron-cowled Blackbird… and roughly 350 more!


Andean Goose. Photo by Luis Segura.	Planalto Hermit. Photo by Luis Segura.

Short-tailed Antthrush. Photo by Luis Segura.