The Birds & Nature of Northern Peru Custom Tour
14 Days - 13 Nights
- Contact is for Pricing
Northern Peru is one of South America’s last great frontiers for birding.
Stretching from the steamy lowlands of the Amazon fringe to the cloud-wrapped ridges of the Andes, it harbors a dazzling concentration of ecosystems and endemic species.
This journey explores the region’s most productive habitats—rainforest lagoons, white-sand forests, montane cloud forests, and bamboo thickets—while visiting lodges specifically designed for birdwatchers. The itinerary combines excellent comfort with privileged access to private reserves and local conservation projects.
From your first sunrise at Laguna El Sauce to your last walk beneath the towering walls of Kuelap, each day brings close encounters with Peru’s extraordinary biodiversity. The constant hum of hummingbird wings will be your soundtrack, from the shimmering Fork-tailed Woodnymphs and Rufous-crested Coquettes of Arena Blanca to the legendary Marvelous Spatuletail at Huembo. Expert guides lead you through prime birding sites such as Aconabikh, Waqanki, and Abra Patricia, where mixed flocks reveal tanagers, antpittas, and flycatchers among moss-draped trees and orchids. The trail networks are designed to balance rewarding observation with manageable effort, ensuring ample time for photography and relaxation at the feeders.
Beyond the birds, the journey immerses you in a living landscape of conservation and culture. You’ll meet local families who protect reserves on their ancestral lands and stay in lodges that sustain reforestation and wildlife initiatives. Along the way, glimpses of Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Spectacled Bear, or Tayra remind you that these forests still pulse with wild life. The itinerary concludes at the pre-Inca citadel of Kuelap and the towering Gocta Waterfall—testimony that Northern Peru’s natural and cultural wonders are inseparable.
This is an expedition for those who travel to understand the living pulse of the forest—the dawn chorus rising over misty valleys, the flash of iridescent feathers in filtered sunlight, and the quiet satisfaction of being part of a landscape where nature still reigns.
Lost World Adventures itineraries can be tailor-made according to your plans and preferences: budget, hotel selections, travel dates, optional excursions, length of trip, etc.
Day 1: Lima
Upon arrival you will be met and escorted to your hotel
Overnight at Wyndham Lima Airport Hotel, located adjacent to the terminal. Breakfast is included.
Day 2: Lima – Tarapoto – Sumaj Lodge
AYou will take a morning flight to the city of Tarapoto, upon arrival you will be transferred to the Sumaj Lodge.
Sumaj Lodge is a high standard lodge located by Laguna El Sauce.
In the afternoon we can explore the lake on a private boat and then do a short hike in the forest. You can spend the last hours of daylight enjoying the toucans, parrots, and woodpecker’s activity from the comfort of your own veranda.
Overnight at Sumaj Lodge. All meals included today.
Day 3: Sumaj Lodge
A morning hike in the morning will allow you to discover the forest inside the lodge’s property. This well preserved forest is full of colorful insects, birds, and even we might have the chance to encounter some monkeys.
We will be back to the lodge on time for lunch.
We will leave on your own in the afternoon to rest from the hike, or we can visit the Butterfly House that is just behind the lodge.
Overnight at Sumaj Lodge All meals included today.
Day 4: Sumaj Lodge – Moyobamba
Early in the morning we will drive to the Aconabikh reserve, a private conservation area created to preserve the Koepcke’s Hermit, an endemic hummingbird of the Cordillera Escalera mountains. Other hummingbirds attending the feeders in the reserve are Gould’s Brilliant, Black-throated Brilliant, Pale-tailed Barbthroat, and others.
A two hours’ hike inside the Aconabikh forest can produce interesting sights of frogs, birds, giant ferns and trees.
By mid-afternoon we will drive for about three hours to our next lodge in the city of Moyobamba.
Overnight at Alta Vista Casa Hotel. All meals included today.
Day 5: Moyobamba
We will spend the first hours of the morning enjoying the birds coming to the feeders in the lodge.
After breakfast we will drive to the Waqanki Private Reserve. This is a family owned reserve in the montane forests near the city of Moyobamba. We will spend the full morning at the hummingbird feeders and the gardens in the lodge’s property. The canopy tower has a great view of the forest.
Near Waqanki’s main house there is also an orchids garden, featuring more than 100 species of these beautiful plants.
In the afternoon we can hike the trail up the Mishquillaquillo creek trying to spot colourful birds and some species of monkeys.
Overnight at Alta Vista Casa Hotel. All meals included today.
Day 6: Moyobamba – Arena Blanca reserve – Abra Patricia
Today we leave Moyobamba driving for about 2 hours to the town of Aguas Verdes, for a visit to the Arena Blanca Reserve. This is a private reserve located in a patch of white-sand forest.
We plan to spend most of the day at the hummingbird and tinamou feeders. Regular visitors at the hummingbird feeders are Blue-fronted Lancebill, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, Wire-crested Thorntail, Rufous-crested Coquette, Black-throated Brilliant, just to mention a few. The Tinamou feeders are good for Gray-necked Wood-Rail, Rufous-breasted Wood-Quail, Little and Cinereous Tinamous, and others.
We will take a picnic lunch at the reserve.
After lunch we will depart towards Abra Patricia lodge. The lodge is strategically located inside the Abra Patricia Protected Area, surrounded by pristine montane cloud forest.
Overnight at Abra Patricia Owlet Lodge. All meals included today.
Day 7: Abra Patricia Owlet Lodge
Full morning at the hummingbird feeders. Will have ample time to enjoy the myriad of hummingbirds coming to the feeders.
Also, regular visitors to the lodge gardens are birds like White-sided Flowerpiercer, Flame-faced Tanager, and many other colorful birds. A family of Tayras also walks around the gardens regularly.
By mid-afternoon we will hike the 1 Km long “Long-whiskered Owlet trail” looking for this mythical owl. We might also find Spectacle Bears or Yellow-tailed Woolly-monkeys (although they are very rare!).
Overnight at Abra Patricia Owlet Lodge. All meals included today.
Day 8: Abra Patricia: Fundo Alto Nieva
After breakfast we will try to attract the rare Chestnut Antpitta to its feeding station. This is a very rare bird that can be found in this mountains only.
Then, we will drive for about 15 minutes to Fundo Alto Nieva Private Reserve, where the hummingbird feeders attract Botted Racket-tail, Royal Sunangel, Rufous-vented Whitetip, and a few other hummers.
We will drive back to the Owlet Lodge for lunch.
Afternoon hike along the “Tino trail” looking for more birds and mammals of the mountain forest.
Overnight at Abra Patricia Owlet Lodge. All meals included today.
Day 9: Alto Mayo Protected Forest
This morning we will drive down the mountains for a visit to the La Llanteria hummingbird feeders, our targets are Gray-chinned Hermit, White-tipped Sicklebill, and Ecuadorian Piedtail hummingbirds. Around La Llanteria we will try to get good views of the iconic Andean Cock-of-the-Rock.
We will drive back to the Owlet Lodge for lunch.
We will then leave Abra Patricia towards our next lodge.
Overnight at Huembo Lodge. All meals included today.
Day 10: Huembo Lodge
Huembo is a nature reserve created to protect the endemic and endangered Marvelous Spatuletail hummingbird.
After an early breakfast we will drive for about 20 minutes to the town of San Lorenzo, from where we will make a hike up the hills for about four hours along forests with bamboo patches, rocky areas, and paramo. If lucky, we could have good sights of the Pale-billed Antpitta, a rare bird endemic to this kind of forest.
We will be back to Huembo for lunch.
We plan to spend the afternoon at the hummingbird feeders for the Marvelous Spatuletail and other hummingbirds like Andean Emerald, Purple-throated Woodstar, or White-bellied Woodstar. The forest inside the reserve is also an excellent place for Sickle-winged and Andean Guans, Silvery Tanager, and many other bird species.
Overnight at Huembo Lodge. All meals included today.
Day 11: Huembo Lodge – Hacienda Achamaqui
We spend the morning at the hummingbird feeders and the trails around the lodge.
After lunch we will drive for about two hours to hotel Hacienda Achamaqui, near the city of Chachapoyas. From here we will explore the archaeological site of Kuelap.
Overnight at Hotel Hacienda Achamaqui. All meals included today.
Day 12: Kuelap
This morning we will drive to the town of El Tingo Nuevo for the visit to Kuelap archaeological site.
There we will take a cable car to take us to the top of the Kuelap mountain. Here, we will find an imposing building on the edge of a deep cliff. Recent archaeological research points out that this could have been an important religious center dedicated to the Chachapoyans gods, probably the god of thunder and rain.
An impressive 2,000 feet long wall surrounds the citadel, the gates or main entrances are constructed as narrow walled passage ways that continue to narrow as they reach upwards and into the fortress, so the income would remain restricted to the complex. The site has been elected “the best far and away overseas attraction” in 2017 by the National Geographic Traveller Reader Awards in the UK.
Overnight at Hotel Hacienda Achamaqui. All meals included today.
Day 13: Gocta Waterfall
A half day hike to visit one of the highest waterfalls in the world. Its 2,530 feet drop, in two impressive falls, provides a spectacular show and an experience you will always remember. As you walk through the rainforest, you’ll see orchids, giant ferns trees and lots of birds. If you wish, you can swim in the lake below the waterfall.
We will have a typical lunch in the town of Cocachimba before heading back to the hotel.
Overnight at Hotel Hacienda Achamaqui. All meals included today.
Day 14: Hacienda Achamaqui – Jaén – Lima
At proper time you will be transferred to the airport in Jaén for your flight to Lima.
Before heading to the airport we will visit a chocolate and coffee shop in Jaén for a taste of the best Peruvian chocolate and coffee.
Breakfast and lunch included today.
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