Peru - Spectacled Bears & Andean Condors

Peru is a vast, spectacular and immensely varied country that supports an enormous wealth of wildlife including a number of the world’s iconic species. On this tour two of these species, Spectacled Bear and Andean Condor act as a tantalising focus that will lead us to some contrastingly different and very special regions of the country and an exciting range of wildlife, scenery and culture.

We begin our tour in the southern city of Arequipa, famous for the beautiful white buildings of its old colonial centre and its dramatic setting beneath the towering volcanic peaks of El Misti and Chachani.  We will have ample time to explore the old city, including the famous and very beautiful Santa Catalina convent. From Arequipa we will then travel across the breathtaking volcano-studded landscapes of the high, dry altiplano towards the small market town of Chivay. Near Chivay is the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world and noted both for its spectacular scenery and its very visible population of Andean Condors. We will spend two mornings here in this dramatic setting watching as the Condors leave their roosts on the cliff ledges and circle around the canyon rim before gaining altitude with the first of the morning’s thermals and soaring off to forage over the surrounding mountains and valleys. This is an almost unique opportunity to see these enormous and majestic birds at such close quarters and will surely be one of the highlights of the tour. As the Condors leave for the day so we can look further afield and enjoy the Viscachas clambering among the rocks, the Giant Hummingbirds flitting around the cactus flowers and a range of other wildlife that adds to the appeal of this fantastic place.

We next undertake a spectacular return journey back to Arequipa. Climbing out of Chivay over a high pass, we will stop at a vast marshy plain called Pampa de Troca, targeting a range of high Andean birds that are likely to include Chilean Flamingoes, Puna Ibis, Grey-breasted and Rufous-bellied Seedsnipes, various ground-tyrants and handsome little Andean Negritos. Noisy Andean Flickers are common on the rocky slopes nearby and small birds of the grassland and scrub include various sierra finches and the striking little Black Siskin. Our journey then progresses out onto the high golden grasslands of the Pampa la Aguada where we are likely to see herds of wild Vicuna, a common and characteristic animal in the region.

After a night in Arequipa, we fly north back to Lima and on to Chiclayo in north-west Peru, a region well known for its tropical dry forests which are home to an extraordinary variety of endemic birds and other wildlife.  We will spend four days in the Chaparri Ecological Reserve, based at a rustic, peaceful and charming lodge from where we can explore our rugged and dramatically beautiful surroundings. This is one of the best places to see Spectacled Bears as they are quite common in the area and relatively confiding because of the longstanding protection and lack of disturbance which the reserve has afforded them. Largely vegetarian, and the only bear in South America, they will be our principal target here and with patience and luck we have a good chance of encountering one during our stay. Chaparri and its surroundings offer much more than just bears however, and during our stay we hope to encounter mammals such as Sechuran Fox, White-tailed Deer and Guayaquil Squirrel plus a wide range of colourful and localised birds including Pacific Parrotlet, Scarlet-backed Woodpecker, Elegant Crescent-chest, White-edged Oriole, Tumbes Tyrant and the critically endangered White-winged Guan.  While at Chaparri we will also visit the humid, higher altitude forests towards Tocmoche where we have further chances of finding a Spectacled Bear and the nearby Tinajones Reservoir where we will look for the rare and distinctive coastal form of Black-faced Ibis.

Leaving Chaparri we will spend a day exploring various sites on the coastal plain around the city of Chiclayo, including the atmospheric Bosque del Pomac with its ancient adobe pyramids and areas of Mesquite forest, home to the Tumbes Swallow and the engaging Peruvian Plantcutter, a rare and enigmatic species now restricted to just a few sites in this part of Peru.

After a flight back to Lima we conclude our time in Peru with a boat trip out to the Palominos Islands. This little archipelago, while not quite as dramatic as the celebrated Ballestas further south, nevertheless supports good numbers of Humboldt current seabirds and a very healthy population of impressive Southern Sea Lions. It will provide a perfect finale to an exciting and action-packed trip that will have introduced us to two very contrasting and very special areas of this fabulous country.