FROM THE AMAZON TO THE ANDES Where to see birds in Peru?

Stories

Where can I see birds in Peru?

Peru is one of the most biodiverse places in the world and has more than 1,800 species of birds, but where can you see birds in Peru? Here we will try to locate the main access points to carry out this activity.

As every year The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, on its eBird platform, commemorating World Migratory Bird Day, celebrated Global Big Day. An event that brings together all amateur and professional bird watchers, in the record the largest number of birds in 24 hours.

But it was probably the results that helped answer the original question that introduced us to this topic: Where can you birdwatch in Peru?

Below is a graph with some of the results of the event.

Check out all Global Big Day Results 2023 here

In this way, we can suggest that you can see birds in Peru in the provinces with the largest number of bird species such as Cusco, San Martín, and Madre de Dios. So here we explain to you why these 3 places have to be on your itinerary when planning a birding itinerary to Peru:

  1. Cusco, in the southeast of Peru, should certainly be on the list of bird watchers, since here you can find cloud forests, tropical forests, wetlands, and open areas with specific birds.
  2. San Martín, located in north-central Peru, is famous for its orchids and hummingbird-filled cloud forests.
  3. Madre de Dios, next to Cusco, has extensive areas of state-protected tropical forest, home to colorful macaws and different species of parrots, as well as large aerial predators such as the Harpy Eagle, this place has great opportunities to see curassows and trumpeters, due to the state of its forests.

However, since you will be in Peru you should not forget about the coastal birds and those of the altiplano. In any case, you will pass through the coast when you arrive or leave, so here you can add a couple of days to cover the coast. For those in the highlands, if necessary, extend your trip a couple of days to the south.

In the chart, we can also observe the top hotspot places, which facilitates the planning of an itinerary to observe birds in Peru.

At Rainforest Expeditions, every year our expert guides participate in the Global Big Day bird registry. Led by one of the best bird guides in Peru, Silverio Duri, a member of the Infierno Ese Eja Native Community, the team was able to obtain first place in the event in Madre de Dios with 413 bird species out of the 648 registered in the Tambopata National Reserve.

Tambopata Research Center Birder Team

The Tambopata Research Center team led by Silverio Duri

Puerto Maldonado and Posada Amazonas Birder Team

The Refugio Amazonas and Posada Amazonas birding Team

Where to see birds in Peru

Pheasant Cuckoo by Silverio Duri and Collared Puffbird by the Refugio Amazonas team

Interested in organizing a birding trip in Peru?

As an expert in birds, Silverio can organize a tailor-made itinerary throughout Peru, focused on covering the largest number of ecosystems and therefore the largest number of birds. Request a quote with Silverio here.

And if you already have the entire part of the coast and mountains covered, you can count on us for the birds of the tropical forest. Here is our suggestion to make the most of your visit to Tambopata.

8 nights Birding Expedition in Tambopata

  • What our guest say

    • Valuation Excellent
    • 5/5

Jacob Shama May 2024

Yaacov May 2024

secaBoulder May 2024

Cecilia D May 2024

Andrea Breanna Apr 2024

A user Apr 2024

Niko Dietsch Apr 2024

Yuting C Apr 2024

Yuting Chen Apr 2024

Víctor Moscoso Apr 2024

Ari S March 2024

Dreamer627120 March 2024

The lodge is located in the middle of the forest accessible only by boat. The experience was very unique and exciting. Service is great, and the fun part are the nature activities and tours the hotel offers for free. We had an amazing tour guide that had a lot of knowledge and was fun to spend time with. The rooms are totally open to the forest which is really cool the struggle is the there is no privacy at all in between the rooms, also food was pretty basic. All together a very unique experience. Read all

This hotel is the perfect blend of comfort and hospitality, with the natural experience. The hotel is reached by a hours boat ride from Puerto Maldonado, expertly organized and accomplished. Most staff are members of the local Esa Ejja community. The food is good and plentiful. Hot water is always available and lovely bedding features mosquito nets. There is of course no air conditioning (one side wall is open in rach room) and the electricity is off for a few hours at night affecting overhead fans, so I was glad to have brought a small battery powered fan for sleeping. But the best of the experience is the wildlife. Our expert guide Oscar Mishaja introduced us to nearly 100 bird species, along with caimans, river otters, poison dart frogs and capybara. A trip of a lifetime. Read all

Excellent experience overall— really kind and welcoming staff at every point of the journey. All transfers were well organized and smooth. Excellent and educational excursions all around the rainforest. Delicious food for every meal. We had wonderful guides- Freet and Alvaro. Enjoyed our time here! Read all

Unbelievable.... Magical Everything I have dreamed of since I was 8 years old but MORE Read all

We had a surreal experience at Refugio Amazonas. From the well organized transportation to the warm welcome, hospitality and the experience of living in nature - we loved it all. Huge shout out to our guide Boris who went out of his way to ensure we had a good experience and got to watch all kinds of wild life. The meals and cocktails were delicious. And even though this place is smack in the middle of the jungle there was super fast WiFi available. We made unforgettable memories. Read all

We had an amazing time in TRC. From the guide, tours, lounge staff, food and room, everything has exceeded our expectation and like an amazing dream came true. We highly recommend to directly book with the lounge website, so that you got a private guide for your group. Special thanks to our guide Saul, who made this experience extra special! We were so impressed by his knowledge about all the animals and the rainforest. Read all

We had an amazing time in TRC. From the guide, tours, lounge staff, food and room, everything has exceeded our expectation and like an amazing dream came true. This is the only lounge available in Tambopata national park, and this eco lounge takes environment seriously. We highly recommend to directly book with the lounge website, so that you got a private guide for your group. Special thanks to our guide Saul, who made this experience extra special! We were so impressed by his knowledge about all the animals and the rainforest. If you are a natural lover, you can’t miss this place Read all

Excellent and luxurious place, wonderful experience and our guide Boris was first class, he had a unique patience with my 8 year old son. An experience in the tropical rainforest that marks the life of its visitors. In addition to the scientific research that takes place in the place: a whole research center. Rooms: Very comfortable and luxuriou Read all

El mejor hotel para visitar la Amazonia peruana. Hotel eco turístico metido en medio de la selva, equipado para visitar y vivir la selva, su flora y fauna, en todas sus facetas. Todo incluido, con guías preparados y amables, resultó una experiencia increíble para mi familia. Dentro de las opciones no se debe perder el Canopy de 45 metros de altura para observar y escuchar la selva, así como el lago de las tres Chimbadas, lugar único para ver caimanes, nutrias gigantes, monos y aves exóticas. Recomiendo mínimo dos noches!!! Read all

Wunderbare lodge mit freundlichen Menschen. sehr persönliche guides, tolle Tourangebote und super kulinarische Verpflegung ! Wir wurden herzlichst von Caesar empfangen und unser guide JuanJo hat uns phantastische Dinge gezeigt. Wir können die lodge nur wärmstens empfehlen! Read all

Join To Our Newsletter

Write your e-mail

Join
-->