Birdwatching Holiday Argentina Andes

Argentina: the High Andes

Saturday 15 to Sunday 23 November 2008

Saturday 14 to Sunday 22 November 2009

with Judy Davis and David Fisher as leaders.

Cost: £1310 plus about £800 for flights (2008)
Single room supplement: £100

Click here for explanation of price breakdown

Maximum group size: 8 with 1 leader; 16 with 2 leaders.

The second named leader will only join the tour if there are more than 8 participants.

This tour can be taken in conjunction with Argentina: Main tour and also Argentina: Iguazú

Bird List

Booking Form

'Tour leadership was great – best I’ve ever experienced. Judy and David worked great as a team. Difficult logistics were managed smoothly. They did an amazing job of showing birds to all participants – even those who had difficulty seeing the birds. They always put the comfort of the travellers ahead of their own comfort and took care of all issues quickly and pleasantly. I would love to travel with them again and plan to do that.' J. Holzworth 2007.

'Both David and Judy turn themselves inside out to make as certain as possible that everyone sees the bird - viz the White-throated Antpitta.' D. Metcalfe 2004.

We’ll begin in Salta, a beautiful old city surrounded by countryside that is a mixture of farmland and Yungas forest supporting a wide variety of species including such sought-after birds as Red-legged Seriema and Andean Condor. In Calilegua National Park we’ll seek the endangered Alder Parrot and the largest of the antbirds, Giant Antshrike. Clear Andean rivers should yield Torrent Duck and Rufous-throated Dipper, while the surrounding hillsides shelter Red-tailed Comets.

We’ll then drive up through painted desert landscapes where enormous cactus provide food for Giant Hummingbirds, and on to the altiplano with Puna Rheas and Vicuñas. Finally we’ll visit the unique Lago de los Pozuelos, home to three species of flamingo, Giant Coots and many of the other spectacular birds of the High Andes.

Sunbird has been running tours to Argentina since 1995 and this will be Judy and David's 13th tour there.

Day 1: The tour starts in London with a flight to Argentina. Night in Buenos Aires.

Day 2: We’ll transfer to the domestic airport and fly to Salta in northwestern Argentina, where we’ll spend the night. We should arrive in time for some local birding where highlights may include Red-legged Seriema, Buff-browed Foliage-gleaner, Stripe-crowned Spinetail, and Crested Becard.

Day 3: We’ll take the old road north to San Salvador de Jujuy which passes through beautiful deciduous yungas forest and transitional dry vegetation rich in birds. En route we’ll look for Cream-backed and Dot-fronted Woodpeckers, Chaco (Spot-backed) Puffbird, White Monjita, Greater Wagtail-Tyrant, Yellowish Pipit, and Tawny-headed Swallow, among many others. Just before Jujuy we’ll stop at a reservoir that attracts many waterbirds, sometimes including Andean Duck. We’ll then drive to Libertador General San Martin for the night.

Day 4: We’ll spend a full day in nearby Calilegua National Park with a picnic lunch. The park comprises 75,000 hectares of subtropical cloud-forest and is home to countless birds. We’ll drive directly to the pass early in the morning and then spend the day walking slowly back down through the forest, looking for such species as the rare Alder Parrot, Mitred and Green-cheeked Parakeets, Planalto Hermit, White-throated Antpitta, Ochre-faced Tody-Flycatcher, Highland and Slaty Elaenias, Plumbeous Tyrant, Pale-legged Warbler, Stripe-headed Brush-Finch, and many other forest birds. Night in San Martin.

Day 5: We’ll spend a second morning in the park concentrating on the birds to be found at lower elevations such as Buff-necked Ibis, Blue-crowned Trogon, White-barred Piculet, Ochre-cheeked Spinetail, the spectacular Giant Antshrike, Variable Antshrike, Black-capped Antwren, Two-banded Warbler, and Saffron-billed Sparrow. After lunch we’ll drive to Jujuy with a stop en route along the Yala River in the Yala Valley to look for another Red Data Book bird, the Rufous-throated Dipper, by far the rarest and most localised of its family. Night in Jujuy.

Day 6: We’ll spend the early morning in the Yala Valley looking again for dippers, as well as for Torrent Duck, Dusky-legged Guan, the startling Red-tailed Comet, Sooty-fronted Spinetail, Spot-breasted Thornbird, Streak-throated Bush-Tyrant, Slaty Elaenia, Eastern Slaty Thrush and many others. Later we’ll drive north to Abra Pampa on the high altiplano, stopping en route to explore various desert and semi-desert habitats reminiscent of Morocco and Arizona. Here typical birds include Picui and Golden-spotted Ground-Doves, Andean Swift, Giant Hummingbird, Puna and Rufous-banded Miners, Brown-capped Tit-Spinetail, White-tipped Plantcutter, Brown-backed Mockingbird, Black Siskin, and Black-hooded, Mourning, Ash-breasted and Band-tailed Sierra-Finches. Night in a small, basic hotel in Abra Pampa.

Day 7: Starting early, we’ll drive west across the altiplano to Lago de los Pozuelos National Monument. Those who have seen Jeffery Boswall’s Wildlife Safari to the Argentine, may well recall the wonderful footage of the three South American flamingos surrounded by flocks of wintering Wilson’s Phalaropes. This was filmed at Pozuelos, and our day at the lake may well be one of the most memorable of the tour. Set in the centre of a high plateau and surrounded by distant barren peaks, Pozuelos could not be more atmospheric. Here we should see Puna Rhea, Chilean, Andean and Puna Flamingos, Andean Goose, Puna Teal, Mountain Caracara, Slate-colored, Giant, and, with luck, Puna Plover, Andean Lapwing, Andean Avocet, and Gray-breasted Seedsnipe. We should also see some wild Vicuñas, the ancestor of the alpaca. Night in Abra Pampa.

Day 8: Today we’ll drive back to Jujuy, making various stops on the way and looking for any species that eluded us on our outward journey. We’ll catch an afternoon flight back to Buenos Aires where those continuing onto the Main tour will spend the night. (The following day will be Day 2 of the Main tour). Those going home at this point will transfer to the international airport in time to catch an overnight flight to London where the tour ends on Day 9.

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Last updated August 2008