Peru Birding Tour
Marvelous Spatuletail & Long-whiskered Owlet — 9 Days
Nine days in the Alto Mayo for the two birds everyone comes north for — Marvelous Spatuletail and Long-whiskered Owlet.
Photo © Carlos Calle
Duration
9 days / 8 nights
Route
Tarapoto to Tarapoto, round trip
Departure
Fly Lima–Tarapoto and back
Group size
2–6 travellers
Single supplement
$520
Season
May–November (driest June–September)
Elevation
200–2,400 m
Fitness level
moderate— Muddy cloud-forest trails, early starts and night sessions; no long climbs.
Overview
9-Day Spatuletail & Owlet
This is the concentrated version of northern Peru: nine days on the Amazon slope, between Tarapoto and Abra Patricia, where the region's two most wanted birds live within a few hours of each other. The Marvelous Spatuletail displays at the Huembo feeders, the male swinging two iridescent rackets on wires longer than his body. The Long-whiskered Owlet lives in the ridge forest above the Owlet Lodge — a bird described in 1978, placed in a genus of its own, and not seen alive again for thirty years.
Between them sits some of the richest mid-elevation forest in the Andes. Abra Patricia's cloud forest holds Royal Sunangel, Bar-winged Wood-Wren, Yellow-scarfed Tanager and the mixed flocks that move through the canopy tower. Fundo Alto Nieva runs antpitta feeding stations where Ochre-fronted and Rusty-tinged Antpittas walk into the open, and its bamboo holds Lulu's Tody-Tyrant. The Arena Blanca hides bring tinamous and quail-doves to within a few metres.
Lower down, Waqanki's hummingbird garden above Moyobamba is one of the best feeder set-ups in Peru — Rufous-crested Coquette, Koepcke's Hermit, Golden-tailed Sapphire — with a ridge trail behind it that climbs into foothill forest, and a hide for the Masked Duck. We finish in the Cordillera Escalera above Tarapoto for the Amazonian foothill species and the ACONABIKH feeders.
Nine days is enough to do this section properly rather than rushing it: four nights at the Owlet Lodge means four dawns and three nights on the ridge, which is what the Owlet actually takes. We run it in groups of two to six with a Peruvian guide who works this road, and every site has a free downloadable eBird checklist on our site — 494 species recorded at Waqanki, 427 at Huembo — so you can see the record before you book.
Highlights
- ✦Marvelous Spatuletail displaying at the Huembo feeders
- ✦Four nights at the Owlet Lodge for the Long-whiskered Owlet
- ✦Antpitta feeding stations at Fundo Alto Nieva
- ✦The Abra Patricia canopy tower and its mixed flocks
- ✦Waqanki's hummingbird garden and the Mishquiyaquillo ridge
- ✦Foothill forest and feeders in the Cordillera Escalera
Pricing
4.9(28)Per person by group size
- 2 travellers$5,200per person
- 3–4 travellers$4,600per person
- 5+ travellers$4,200per person
Book now with a 30% deposit — pay the balance later.
Prices in USD. Custom & private departures available.
Day by Day
Itinerary
Day 1 — Arrive Tarapoto
You are met at Tarapoto airport. If the flight lands in time we head straight up to the ACONABIKH feeders on the edge of town for a first afternoon of Amazonian hummingbirds and tanagers.
Day 2 — Cordillera Escalera, then Moyobamba
A full morning in the foothill forest above Tarapoto for Dotted Tanager, Blue-rumped and Painted Manakins and the local hummingbirds, with a stop at the Ricuricocha hide, before the drive west to Waqanki.
Day 3 — Waqanki
The hummingbird garden at dawn — Rufous-crested Coquette, Koepcke's Hermit, Golden-tailed Sapphire — then the Masked Duck hide and the Mishquiyaquillo ridge trail for foothill specialities and a chance of Blackish Pewee.
Day 4 — Arena Blanca, up to Abra Patricia
The morning in the Arena Blanca hides, where Little and Cinereous Tinamous and quail-doves walk in to the feeders at a few metres, then the climb into the cloud forest to the Owlet Lodge for four nights.
Day 5 — Abra Patricia
The Owlet Trail and the canopy tower for mixed flocks — Yellow-scarfed and Grass-green Tanagers, Bar-winged Wood-Wren, Rufous-vented Tapaculo — and the first night session for the Long-whiskered Owlet.
Day 6 — Fundo Alto Nieva
The antpitta feeding stations for Ochre-fronted and Rusty-tinged Antpittas at close range, the Royal Sunangel lek in the stunted ridge forest, and Lulu's Tody-Tyrant in the bamboo. A night search for Cinnamon Screech-Owl.
Day 7 — Huembo & the Marvelous Spatuletail
Down the west side to the Huembo reserve, where male Marvelous Spatuletails work the feeders through the morning and display in the scrub behind. Birding the Pomacochas basin on the way back up to Abra Patricia.
Day 8 — Afluentes & down to Moyobamba
A last dawn on the ridge, then the descent through the Afluentes forest for foothill mixed flocks, an Oilbird colony, and the white-sand forest of Morro de Calzada in the afternoon.
Day 9 — Return to Tarapoto
A final morning of birding on the road east, then the transfer to Tarapoto airport for the flight to Lima.
The Route
Where this tour takes you
- 1TarapotoStart
- 2Cordillera Escalera
- 3Waqanki — Moyobamba
- 4Arena Blanca feeders
- 5Alto Nieva
- 6Abra Patricia — Owlet Lodge
- 7Huembo — Marvelous SpatuletailTurnaround
Round trip — the tour returns to Tarapoto. Stylised map at true scale — darker tints mark higher ground and deeper ocean, contour lines fall every 1,000 m, green areas are protected reserves, and the dotted line follows the actual roads between stops (boat, river and rail sections are drawn as simple arcs; driving distances and times are approximate). Road and boundary data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
What's included
- ✓8 nights accommodation, including four at the Owlet Lodge
- ✓All meals from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 9
- ✓Specialised bird guide throughout, plus local reserve guides
- ✓Private vehicle and driver
- ✓All reserve entrance fees and feeder-station contributions
- ✓Tarapoto airport transfers
- ✓Our downloadable eBird checklist for every site on the route
Not included
- –Lima–Tarapoto flights
- –Single supplement ($520) if you want a room to yourself
- –Alcoholic drinks and meals off the set menu
- –Travel insurance, personal expenses and tips
What You'll See
Target species
Species shown in red are Peruvian endemics.
- Marvelous Spatuletail
- Long-whiskered Owlet
- Royal Sunangel
- Ochre-fronted Antpitta
- Rusty-tinged Antpitta
- Lulu's Tody-Tyrant
- Cinnamon Screech-Owl
- Bar-winged Wood-Wren
- Yellow-scarfed Tanager
- Koepcke's Hermit
- Rufous-crested Coquette
- Golden-tailed Sapphire
- Masked Duck
- Cinereous Tinamou
- Oilbird
- Dotted Tanager
- Blue-rumped Manakin
- Andean Cock-of-the-rock
Free downloadable checklists
This tour takes in 5sites — here's the complete eBird checklist for each, in taxonomic order with endemics marked. Tap the boxes on your phone or print them for the field.
Gallery
From the field
Photo © Jean Paul Perret
Photo © Jean Paul Perret
Photo © Jean Paul Perret
Photo © Jean Paul Perret
Photo © Jean Paul Perret
Photo © Jean Paul Perret
Photo © Carlos Calle
Photo © Jean Paul Perret
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“Alfredo with Wild Andes provided a wonderful vacation for my sister, cousin, and myself. He volunteered to coordinate all the tour including the Amazon and Lima environs.”
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Travellers on Wild Andes
Rated 4.9 out of 5
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“Alfredo with Wild Andes provided a wonderful vacation for my sister, cousin, and myself. He volunteered to coordinate all the tour including the Amazon and Lima environs. We are birders and he ensured that we had the best birding experience. We saw over 240 species of birds!”
Debbie Jacquez
Google review
“I recently returned from an 8-day custom expedition to Manu National Park with Wild Andes Tours and I could not be happier with the experience. This was my first time in the Amazon, so I wanted something truly personal and far from the typical “off-the-shelf” tour.”
Luis Jose Arana
Google review
“We just got back from a full day birding tour of the Sacred Valley with Wild Andes Tours. We couldn't be happier with the day. Our guide Frank was the perfect guide. He knows the exact areas to see specific birds which is major in leading these tours.”
Jan Espe
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Good to Know
Frequently asked questions
How long is the 9-Day Spatuletail & Owlet tour?
9 days / 8 nights.
Where and when does the tour depart?
Fly Lima–Tarapoto and back.
How big are the groups?
2–6 travellers. Small groups keep the experience unhurried and photography-friendly.
How much does the 9-Day Spatuletail & Owlet tour cost?
Prices start at $4,200 per person and depend on group size — see the pricing table for details.
What is included in the price?
8 nights accommodation, including four at the Owlet Lodge, All meals from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 9, Specialised bird guide throughout, plus local reserve guides, Private vehicle and driver, All reserve entrance fees and feeder-station contributions, Tarapoto airport transfers, Our downloadable eBird checklist for every site on the route.
Which species can I expect to see?
Key targets include Marvelous Spatuletail, Long-whiskered Owlet, Royal Sunangel, Ochre-fronted Antpitta, Rusty-tinged Antpitta, among others. 8 of the tour's target species are Peruvian endemics.
Will I actually see the Long-whiskered Owlet?
Nobody can promise it — it is a small, scarce, strictly nocturnal bird in dense ridge forest, and it went unseen alive for three decades after it was described. What we can do is give it the best odds: four nights at the Owlet Lodge, which puts you on the ridge rather than driving to it, and three separate night sessions with local guides who know the current territories. Groups that give it that much time see it more often than not.
How is this different from your 17-day Northern Peru circuit?
This tour is the eastern half only, done thoroughly. The 17-day circuit adds the Tumbesian dry forest on the Pacific slope — White-winged Guan, Peruvian Plantcutter, Chaparrí — and the Marañón canyon with its isolated endemics like Marañón Crescentchest and Yellow-faced Parrotlet, then returns west over Leymebamba and Balsas to Cajamarca. It roughly doubles the endemic count. Pick this one if your time is tight or the Spatuletail and the Owlet are what you came for.
How many species should I expect?
Nine days on this route usually produces between 300 and 380 species, with a heavy weighting toward mid-elevation cloud-forest and foothill birds and something like 30 to 40 hummingbirds. The eBird record for the sites we work is on our site as free downloadable checklists — 494 species at Waqanki, 427 at Huembo, 372 across Alto Nieva and the Alto Mayo, 310 at Abra Patricia — so you can see exactly what has been logged where.
Can I extend it to the full circuit or add the Amazon?
Yes to both. The natural extension west is the Tumbesian and Marañón section, which turns this into the 17-day Northern Peru circuit. If you would rather add lowland Amazon, Tarapoto connects easily to our Tambopata programme via Lima. Tell us what you want when you enquire and we will build the connection rather than selling you two separate trips.
When is the best time to go?
May to November, with June to September the driest. The cloud forest gets rain in any month — that is what makes it cloud forest — but the drier window means fewer washed-out dawns at the antpitta stations and better odds on the night birding. The Spatuletail is at the Huembo feeders year-round.
How do I book this tour?
Reserve directly on this page with the Reserve Now form — we accept PayPal. A 30% deposit secures your tour date, and the remaining balance is payable up to two weeks before departure. See our Terms & Conditions for the full policy.
Have a different question? Get in touch — we answer quickly.
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