ABRA MALAGA AND MACHU-PICCHU EXTENSION

EXTENTION TO THE INCA RUINS OF MACHU-PICCHU AND THE ABRA MALAGA POLYLEPIS AND CLOUD FORESTS 

SUBTROPICAL AND TEMPERATE CLOUD FOREST AND INCA  RUINS 

4 DAYS

This trip is a perfect short trip, that may be added before a Manu trip. We not only visit the famous Inca ruins of Machu-Picchu but also some very good subtropical, temperate cloud forest as well as looking for some of the rarest birds on earth in the Polylepis woodlands.  On this trip we stay at comfortable country inns thru-out. 

Day 01 : We leave Cusco early in the morning for the  4.5 hour train journey to Machu-Picchu. From the train we will certainly see Torrent Ducks and White-capped Dipper on the Urubamba River and get closer looks as we leave the train.  Arriving at  the ruins, birding takes a back seat for once as we explore this mystical archeological complex. White-tipped Swifts will be flying overhead. After lunch we will look for Inca Wren which is quite common in the bamboo around the ruins and then descend into the Urubamba gorge for late afternoon birding.  Night at our hotel in Aguas Calientes 

Day 02 : All morning birding the railway track along the Urubamba River. In the remnant cloud forest we will be looking specifically for Sclaters and Bolivian Tyrranulets, Silver-backed Tanager, Pale-eyed Thrush, Oleaginous Hemispingus  and Capped  Conebill. Mixed flocks contain many species of Tanager and the endemic Green and White Hummingbird is common here. After a late  lunch, we return on the tourist train to the historic town of Ollantaytambo and on to Urubamba in the sacred Valley of the Incas for the night. 

Day 03 : Very early start .  At dawn, if we are early, we will witness  the strange aerial display of the Andean Snipe and we should get good looks at this bird. The rare Imperial Snipe is here too, but  much more difficult to see  - we may  be lucky. After a substantial breakfast we'll have all day   to work the humid temperate  forest. Starting at  a large patch of Chusquea bamboo we should see Parodi's Hemispingus (endemic) and Puna Thistletail (endemic). Other  possibilities thruout the day include : Drab, Three-striped, Black-eared and Black-capped Himispingi, Golden-collared and other Tanagers,  White-throated and White-banded Tyrannulets, Andean Ibis, Unstreaked Tit-tyrant,  White-rumped Hawk, Sierran Elaenia, Marcapata Spinetail  (endemic), Inca Wren ( endemic), plus a lot more.  We'll return to the Sacred Valley of the Incas  in the evening. 

Day 04 : Early start  for the Polylepis woodland at Abra Malaga. We'll devote the whole morning to explore  this unique habitat. Possibilities include Line-fronted Canastero, Ash-breasted Tit-tyrant (endemic), White-browed Tit-spinetail (endemic), Tawny Tit-Spinetail, Giant Conebill, Stripe-headed Antpitta, Andean Tapaculo, Tit-like Dacnis, Blue-mantled Thornbill,  Andean Condor, Thick-billed Siskin, Junin Canastero ( endemic)  and more. On the valley  floor we'll check a variety of Ground-tyrants and Sierra-finchs.  After a picnic lunch we'll concentrate on some local endemics on the west  side, including Creamy-crested Spinetail, (endemic) Rusty-fronted Canastero, (endemic) White-tufted Sunbeam (endemic) and Chestnut-breasted Mountain-finch (endemic).  In the early evening  we will return to Cusco for the night.