Venezuela: The Tepuis and the Imataca Forest Reserve Wednesday 4 March to Sunday 15 March 2009
Cost: £1820 (2008) (not including international airfare) Allow £580 for flights if booked by Sunbird 2008 Maximum group size: 8 with 1 leader; 14 with 2 leaders. The second named leader will only join the tour when if there are more than 8 participants This tour can be taken in conjunction with Venezuela: Coastal Mountains, Andes and the llanos |
'The Imataca Forest Reserve and Tepuis area have also left us with wonderful memories of the Harpy Eagle and chick and the bellbirds. Thank you so much for your kindness, patience, knowledge and ability to run the trip so smoothly.' M & J Buontempo 2007. 'David is a superb tour leader. One of the very best at taking care that all participants get as much out of the trip as possible. He's also really good at communication. We knew what to expect, when and where we should meet, etc., something that many leaders aren't good at.' J. Lobel 2006 'The trip was excellent - birds, people, country-side. Accommodations were very good considering we were out in the back-country. David was great as usual - our third trip with him.' C. Fulton 2002. |
Eastern Venezuela is a remote region that has only recently been opened up to tourists, primarily due to the paving of a road to Brazil that runs south parallel to the border with Guyana. This passes through vast tracts of lowland Guianan rainforest, before climbing up five thousand feet through a rainforest-covered escarpment where it is known as the Escalera (staircase). It then continues through the rolling grasslands and 'lost-world' plateaus of the Tepuis, which form the magnificent landscape of the Gran Sabana. This is one of the most exciting birding roads in South America along which a wide selection of species can be seen, many of which are confined to this dramatic region that overlaps the borders of Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil – the pan-Tepui endemics. Most of our tour will concentrate of finding as many of these endemics as possible, as well as enjoying one of the widest variety of cotingas available anywhere in the Neotropics, including Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock, two species of bellbird, and the bizarre Capuchinbird. However, before all that we’ll spend three nights close to the Imataca Forest Reserve, world famous for its healthy population of Harpy Eagle, one of the world’s most spectacular raptors. Local guides stake out active nests each year, and seeing a wild Harpy is often the highlight of the tour for many participants. We should mention that in this remote part of Venezuela tourist hotels do not exist. Our accommodation in the Tepuis area will be clean and functional but fairly basic. Sunbird has been running tours to Venezuela since 1987 and this will be David’s 17th tour there. Day 1: The tour starts in London with a morning flight to Caracas. We should arrive in time to see a few coastal birds including Magnificent Frigatebird and Brown Pelican. We’ll spend the night in a hotel near the airport. Day 2: This morning we'll catch an early flight to Ciudad Guyana, and shortly after landing will visit the magnificent rapids on the Caroni River, close to where it joins the Orinoco, to look for Black-collared Swallow, a local speciality that nests in rocks amongst the cascades. We'll also see a variety of waterbirds here perhaps including the beautiful Capped Heron. We'll then drive to El Palmar, stopping for some pleasant roadside birdwatching en route. Night in El Palmar. Days 3-4: We'll spend two days birdwatching in the Imataca Forest Reserve. Although it is being selectively logged much of the forest here is still largely intact. The avifauna is amazingly rich, as evidenced by the presence of one of the most sought-after birds in South America - Harpy Eagle. The Imataca Forest is probably the best place in the world to see this magnificent raptor and we'll devote most of one day to the search. In the process we can expect to see a host of other birds such as Greater Yellow-headed Vulture, Red-throated Caracara, Painted Parakeet, Paradise Jacamar, Black Nunbird, White-throated Toucan, Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, and Cayenne Jay. We'll also hope to find an antswarm which seem to be fairly common in this forest, and we’ll stand quietly and watch the birds which come in to feed on the insects disturbed by the ants. Here these usually include the stunning White-plumed and Rufous-throated Antbirds as well as various woodcreepers and foliage-gleaners. We’ll also search for local specialities such as Crimson Topaz and Ferruginous-backed Antbird. Nights in El Palmar. Day 5: This morning we'll drive south through open ranchland reminiscent of the llanos in central Venezuela. We’ll stop at various roadside pools that hold a good selection of wetland-associated birds including Sunbittern, Purple Gallinule, Black-collared Hawk, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, White-headed Marsh-Tyrant, and Yellow-hooded Blackbird. We'll arrive at Las Claritas after lunch and then in the late afternoon we'll visit a lek of the bizarre crow-sized Capuchinbird. These strange cotingas form loose leks in the high canopy of lowland rainforest, their presence given away by their loud calls which some people liken to the mooing of a cow, giving them their alternative name of Calfbird. Night in Las Claritas. Days 6-9: We'll have four days to explore the Escalera and the nearby Guianan lowland forest. Our days on the Escalera should provide repeated views of the striking scenery of the Tepuis. These flat-topped mountains rise steeply from dense forest or from the rolling grasslands of the Gran Sabana. Their characteristic silhouettes create an unforgettable effect of immensity and remoteness. Along the lightly travelled road we'll look for such pan-Tepui endemics as Fiery-shouldered Parakeet, Tepui Swift, Velvet-browed Brilliant, Roraiman Barbtail, Streak-backed Antshrike, Scarlet-horned and Orange-bellied Manakins, Rufous-brown Solitaire, Ruddy Tody-Flycatcher, and Golden-tufted Mountain-Grackle.
The area is famous for cotingas and other spectacular possibilities include flashy Pompadour and Spangled Cotingas, brilliant orange Guianan Cocks-of-the-Rock, and noisy White and Bearded Bellbirds. We'll also walk a rainforest trail that offers an entirely different selection of birds including Blackish Nightjar, Eastern Long-tailed Hermit, Tiny Tyrant-Manakin, Screaming Piha, and White-browed Antbird to name just a few. Nights in Las Claritas. Day 10: Today we'll drive back to Puerto Ordaz stopping en route to walk a side road through lowland rainforest where in previous years we've seen Great Jacamar, Black-spotted Barbet, Guianan Slaty Antshrike, and Purple-throated Fruitcrow. In the late afternoon we'll fly to Caracas. Night near the airport. Day 11: We’ll spend a morning birding in the nearby coastal mountain range where many species will be new for this section of the tour. After lunch we’ll catch an afternoon flight to London where the tour ends on Day 12.
E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.
Last updated June 2008 |
Capuchinbird White Bellbird Photos by David Fisher.
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