Birding Abra Malaga Tour, Peru | Birdwatching

Abra Malaga Birdwatching Tour

This leisurely paced 2-day Birding Abra Malaga Tour is available on request and begins and ends in the city of Cusco. Abra Malaga is a high pass at the foot of Nevado Veronica mountain in the Urubamba range of the Andes. It is a richly biodiverse area with many distinct habitats that are home to a wide range of high-elevation birds.

The tour starts in the groves of Polylepis woodland to find several globally threatened species. This unique scrubby habitat, made up of trees from the rose family, is known only in the Andes mountains and provides the ideal conditions for species such as Royal Cinclodes, Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant and the endemic White-browed Tit-Spinetail.

Birding Abra Malaga means slow walking and careful observation. These areas above the normal tree line can be steep and the high altitude dictates that we don't rush but proceed at our leisure. Surrounding the Polylepis forest are puna grasslands and paramo. These Andean moorlands are chilly and humid and support a surprising variety of mammals, birds, insects, amphibians, and reptiles. In these environments you may see Andean Goose, Crested Duck, Mountain Caracara, Andean Lapwing, Blue-mantled Thornbill, Giant Conebill and Black Siskin, among many others.

Our two-day adventure requires an early start on Day 1 because we need to negotiate the winding mountain roads to reach an altitude of 4,316m. After we have filled our birdwatching Abra Malaga bird list with Streak-throated Canastero, Stripe-headed Antpitta, Puna Tapaculo and many, many others, we retire to spend the night in Ollantaytambo village.

Up early again the next day we spend some time targeting species found in the roadside bushes. There you can find the exciting endemic species White-tufted Sunbeam, Creamy-crested Spinetail and Chestnut-breasted Mountain Finch.

The next stage of this Abra Malaga birding tour is through the mountain pass to evergreen and Chusquea bamboo forests and the streams that run through them. There we can see the Emperor Sandpiper, Golden-plumed Parakeet and many hummingbird species - Sword-billed, Great Sapphirewing, Violet-throated Starfrontlet and Sapphire-vented Puffleg, among a range of other tiny nectar-lovers. Apart from these you can look forward to finding several different flycatchers and tyrants along with delights such as Stripe headed Brush Finch, Golden-bellied Grosbeak and Mountain Cacique.

Birding Abra Malaga Tour highlights include:

Glorious views in a high Andean mountain pass
Views of the White-browed Tit-Spinetail and other endemics
Birds of the unique Andean moorland environments
A dazzling array of hummingbird species

If you only have a day to spare and want to see some great birds, look at what this Birding Huacarpay & San Salvador Lakes Trip, Peru has to offer.

Alternative Tour Name: Andean Mountain Pass Birding Tour

Day 1

Day 1 - Abra Malaga(the pass 4316m)

We will need an early start as we drive up to a very high pass at 14,000 ft (4,316 m). Near the pass are groves of Polylepis woodland with several globally threatened species such as Royal Cinclodes, Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant, and the endemic White-browed Tit-Spinetail. The walking is quite moderate due to the elevation. Sourrouding the Polylepis forest we may see Andean Goose, Crested Duck, Mountain Caracara, Andean Lapwing, Blue-mantled Thornbill, Andean Flicker, Tawny Tit-Spinetail, Streak-throated Canastero, Line-fronted Canastero, Stripe-headed Antpitta, Puna Tapaculo, TaczanowskiÂ´s Ground-Tyrant, Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant, Rufous-webbed Bush-Tyrant, Giant Conebill and Black Siskin Later in the day we will target other species in the roadside scrub such as the endemics White-tufted Sunbeam, Creamy-crested Spinetail and Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch. Night in Ollantaytambo. B:L:D.

Day 2

Day 2 - Abra Malaga (cloud forest 2700m)

Early start to drive up the pass and arrive to the upper montane evergreen forest, chusquea bamboo forest, streams and scrubs. We may see Imperial Snipe, Golden-plumed Pararakeet, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Great Sapphirewing, Violet-throated Starfrontlet, Sapphire-vented Puffleg, Scaled Metaltail, Purple-backed Thornbill, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Puna Thistletail the endemic Marcapata Spinetail, Pearled Treerunner, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Rufous Antpitta, Rusty-breasted Antpitta, Undulated Antpitta the endemic Red-and-white Antpitta, Diademed Tapaculo, Trilling Tapaculo, Highland Elaenia, Sierran Elaenia the endemic Unstreaked Tit-Tyrant, Black-throated Tody-Tyrant, Bran-colored Flycatcher, Rufous-bellied Bush-Tyrant, Smoky Bush-Tyrant the endemic Inca Wren, Mountain Wren, Great Thrush the endemic Parodi´s Hemispingus, Rufous-chested Tanager, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager, Plushcap, Tit-like Dacnis, Blue-backed Conebill, Moustached Flower-piercer, Stripe-headed Brush-Finch the endemic Cuzco Brush-Finch, Golden-bellied Grosbeak, Mountain Cacique and many more. In the late afternoon we will drive back to Cusco.B:L.

Note: Abra Malaga birding tour, in One day-on request

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Why book with Manu Birding Lodge?

Manu Birding Lodge is a Peruvian birding lodge located next to Manu National Park, with the highest biodiversity of any protected area in the world. This birding lodge in Peru provides local, professional birding guides with visits to canopy towers, tapir and macaw clay licks.

What is the climate like?

Rather variable. At high altitudes, conditions range from cool to decidedly cold in the early morning. At middle elevations, many days are dry and sunny, though on other days it can be cool and overcast.

How difficult is the tour?

Walking: The walking effort is easy to moderate.

What is the accommodation like?

The hotels/guest houses are mostly of normal Amazon Birding standards.