Day 1: Arrival and Transfer to Your Lima Hotel

Upon arriving in Lima, after collecting your luggage and clearing customs, you’ll find your name displayed at one of the three taxi services directly in front of you on the left. A private service will transport you to your comfortable three-star hotel in Lima’s Miraflores district. Meals are not included on this day.

Accommodation: Hotel Girasoles

Day 2: Lima Coast – Inca Tern, Humboldt Penguin, and Many-colored Rush-Tyrant

After breakfast, we travel 40 minutes to Chilca Lagoon, which has recently become a hotspot for the rare Peruvian Tern and Peruvian Martin. While sightings aren’t guaranteed on every visit, the opportunity exists. Regardless, Chilca Lagoon offers excellent viewing of many shorebirds and ducks, as well as the recently split Peruvian Pipit. You’ll also have good chances of spotting Peruvian Thick-knee, Great Grebe, and Many-colored Rush-Tyrant nearby.

In the vicinity of Hacienda San Andres, we typically find Vermilion Flycatcher, Drab, Parrot-billed, and Chestnut-throated Seedeaters, Collared Warbling-Finch, Streaked Saltator (the unstreaked immaculatus form, which may be classified as a separate species in the future), and the recently split Rufescent Flycatcher.

After enjoying freshly baked bread with various fillings and ice cream, we continue to the picturesque fishing port of Pucusana, where we’ll have excellent opportunities to photograph the striking Inca Tern. We’ll also take a short boat ride for closer views of Humboldt Penguin, Red-legged Cormorant, Peruvian Seaside (Surf) Cinclodes, Blackish Oystercatcher, Guanay Cormorant, Peruvian Booby, and Peruvian Pelican. Occasionally, Blue-footed Booby and Peruvian Diving-Petrel can also be observed.

If time permits, we’ll make a stop at Lima’s most renowned wetland, Pantanos de Villa.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Accommodation: Hotel Girasoles, Miraflores

Day 3: Santa Eulalia – Peruvian Sheartail and Andean Condor

We’ll make an early 4:00 or 4:30 AM departure directly to Santa Eulalia Canyon to be in position when the Condors begin their morning flights. We also have excellent chances of seeing the rare Rufous-breasted Warbling-Finch. Other west slope specialties commonly found here include Black-necked Flicker, Oasis Hummingbird, Purple-collared Woodstar, Peruvian Sheartail, Bronze-tailed Comet, Great Inca-Finch, Peruvian Pygmy-Owl, Canyon Canastero, Rusty-bellied Brush-Finch, White-winged Cinclodes, Pied-crested Tit-Tyrant, Rusty-crowned Tit-Spinetail, Streaked Tit-Spinetail, Peruvian and Mourning Sierra-Finch, and many others.

We’ll enjoy a picnic breakfast and lunch during this outing.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Hotel Girasoles, Miraflores

Day 4: Cusco – Sacsayhuaman – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes

The day begins with a 5:00 AM flight from Lima, arriving in Cusco around 6:30 AM. We’ll take a short drive around Cusco’s main plaza with its cathedral, and if time permits, make a brief stop to bird near the impressive Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman above the city. Here we may encounter Creamy-crested Spinetail, Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch, Peruvian Sierra-Finch, Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant, Chiguanco Thrush, Red-backed Hawk, Black-backed Grosbeak, Sparkling Violetear, and Golden-billed Saltator.

We then travel across the Chincheros plain, offering breathtaking views of the glaciers in the Vilcanota range.

We’ll leave our main luggage at the Ollantaytambo Hotel and repack our day packs with sufficient clothes and toiletries to last until the following evening.

At approximately 11:53 AM, we board the train to Aguas Calientes. From the train, we’ll look for Torrent Duck, White-capped Dipper, and Torrent Tyrannulet in the stream running alongside the railroad tracks. These species are also commonly seen in Aguas Calientes, depending on water levels. To maximize our time, we’ll carry boxed lunches to eat on the train.

After checking in at Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, we’ll take the bus to the Machu Picchu citadel for an afternoon visit. A little-known fact is that the light for photography at Machu Picchu is significantly better in the afternoon than early morning, and there are far fewer visitors. Near the ruins, one can find the endemic Inca Wren, White-winged Black-Tyrant, Dull-colored Seedeater, Highland Elaenia, and occasionally Peregrine or Orange-breasted Falcon and Green-and-White Hummingbird.

Upon returning to Aguas Calientes at dusk, those interested can look for Lyre-tailed Nightjar near the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel

Day 5: Birding Machu Picchu

We’ll make an early start with a pre-dawn breakfast. The area below the ruins is rich with birdlife, and many notable species can be observed, including: Torrent Duck, White-capped Dipper, Mitred Parakeet, Barred Parakeet, Andean Guan, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Ocellated Piculet, White-eared Solitaire, Highland Motmot, Variable Antshrike, Black-streaked Puffbird, White-crowned, Sierran and Highland Elaenias, the endemic Masked Fruiteater, Saffron-crowned, Flame-faced, Rust-and-Yellow and Beryl-spangled Tanagers, Mottled-cheeked and Sclater’s Tyrannulet, and many more.

We’ll conduct additional birding in the Pueblo Hotel gardens, where both hummingbirds and tanagers visit the feeders. After a late lunch, we’ll return to Ollantaytambo, allowing sufficient time to visit the impressive Ollantaytambo ruins.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Posada de Julieta, Ollantaytambo

Day 6: Birding Abra Malaga

For physically fit participants, we’ll depart at 5:30 AM for the drive to the Abra Malaga pass at 4,200 meters, where we’ll undertake a short but strenuous walk to the Polylepis woodland. This area is home to numerous endemic and rare birds, including Royal Cinclodes, Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant, and White-browed Tit-Spinetail. Other specialties include Giant Conebill, Line-fronted and Junin Canastero, Puna Tapaculo, Stripe-headed Antpitta, Thick-billed Siskin, Tawny Tit-Spinetail, Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant, and Puna Thistletail.

While the more active participants complete this walk, our driver will return to Ollantaytambo to collect those who opted not to undertake the hike.

At 11:00 AM, we’ll all rendezvous at the pass to continue to the north side and explore the wet temperate forest at Canchayoc. The scenery here is stunning.

In this area, we may observe Diademed Tapaculo, Unstreaked Tit-Tyrant, Golden-collared Tanager, Violet-throated Starfrontlet, Parodi’s Hemispingus, Marcapata Spinetail, Tit-like Dacnis, Plushcap, Cuzco Brushfinch, and Rufous-bellied Bush-Tyrant. Leimebamba, Urubamba, and Undulated Antpitta are frequently heard but can be challenging to lure into view.

Returning to Ollantaytambo, we have good chances of encountering Andean Parakeet, Tit-like Dacnis, Junin Canastero, Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch, and Golden-billed Saltator.

In the late afternoon, we drive back to Cusco, arriving in the early evening. Your hotel in Cusco is included. The included return ticket to Lima is flexible if you wish to extend your Peru experience.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Accommodation: Hotel Campesina, Cusco

Extension Option: Some travelers may wish to remain in Ollantaytambo for an additional two days to explore Abra Malaga again and visit two hummingbird feeder stations featuring Sword-billed Hummingbird and Bearded Mountaineer. This extension also allows for further exploration of the Sacred Valley’s cultural highlights, such as the Maras salt mines and the village of Pisac.

Another option is to join a five day trip on the famous Manu Road, which has a large number of feeder stations for hummingbirds and tanagers. The route follows a transect of continuous temperate, subtropical, upper tropical and lowland rain forest from 3600m (12000 ft) to 450m (1500 ft). Around 1000 species of birds have been recorded along this road and the adjacent Manu lowlands. 
Birds like Toucans, Barbets, Andean Cock of the Rock (the lek is only 10m off the road), Trogons and raptors like Solitary Eagle and Black-and-Chestnut Eagle stand out.