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Birding
in the Venezuelan Andes Tour
An
in-depth birding experience amid diverse habitats
Day
1: Start in the capital of the Venezuelan Andes,
Merida and then visit a forest excellent for mountain birding
close to the town of Jaji. Overnight at Posada Papa Miguel
(L, D)
Day
2: Visit the area of La Azulita, the first ecological
town in Latin America. This forest is reputed to be one
of Venezuela's 1st class birding areas. Within the forest
one night see Orange-breasted Sunangels, Quetzals, Rose-headed
Parakeets, Emerald Toucanets, Plush-capped Finches, Red-ruffed
Fruitcrows and Wattled and Andean Guans. Overnight at El
Tao Ecological Center, a truly lost paradise in the cloud
forest with excellent gardens for birding (B, L, D)
Day
3: Birding in the surrounding areas of El Tao and
La Azulita followed by afternoon transfer back to Merida.
Overnight at the award-winning Estancia Mucunuy, a restored
colonial hacienda located in tropical cloud forest (B, L,
D)
Day
4: Visit La Mucuy, located in the Sierra Nevada National
Park. An easy walk up by the Humboldt Trail through misty
cloud forest will take us to an area where the following
birds might be seen: Long-tailed Sylphs, Razor-billed Curassow,
Beryl-spangled Tanagers, Collared Incas, Azara's Spinetails,
Mustached Brush Finches, Mountain Elaenias, Golden-breasted
Fruiteaters, Pearled Treerunners, Emerald Toucanets, Band-tailed
Pigeons and Golden-bellied Starfrontlets. Then head up to
the Andean highlands known as paramos and witness the rich
assemblage of species forming this unique ecosystem. Overnight
at Hotel Los Frailes, a charming mountain inn based in an
17th century monastery (B, L, D)
Day
5: Visit Mucubaji Lagoon at 10,800 feet, where we
might see the Speckled Teal, Brown-bellied Swallows, Great
Thrushes, Paramo Pipits, Paramo Wrens and the Black-chested
Buzzard Eagle. If we're lucky enough, we will spot the Andean
Condor. We may have also a chance to see the only high altitude
hummingbird in the world, the Bearded Helmetcrest. We should
also see the Streak-backed Canasteros, Bar-winged Cinclodes,
Plumbeous Sierra-Finches and the Paramo Seedeaters. Other
birds likely to be seen in the Andes are Torrent Ducks,
White-capped Dippers, Tyrian Metaltails, White-vented Plumeleteers,
Sparkling Violetears, Brown-backed Chat-Tyrants, Streak-throated
Bush-Tyrants, Slaty Brush Finches, Bluish and Coal-black
Flower-piercers and Andean Siskins. Overnight in Hotel Los
Frailes (B, L, D)
Day
6 : Journey through tropical cloud forest to bird
in the San Isidro region, the nesting grounds of the Andean
Cock-of-the-Rock. A large variety of other cloud forest
birds like the Golden-winged Manakins, Crested Quetzal,
Masked Trogon and the Blue-necked, Bay-headed and Orange-eared
Tanagers are also to be found. We will look for the following
birds in the cloud forest and coffee plantations: Striped
Manakin, Spangled Coquette, Booted Racket-tail, Black-and-chesnut
Eagle, Wire-tailed Manakin, White-browed Antbird, White-bearded
Manakin, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Cerulean Warbler, Golden
Tanager, Pectoral Sparrow, White-tailed Trogon and the White-bearded
Hermit, to name just a few. After passing the cloud forest
area, we approach the grassland. Overnight at Posada Rosa
Elena, close to Barinas (B, L, D)
Day
7 : If time permits, do some final birding in a cocoa
plantation before embarking on your journey elsewhere (B)
Contact
us to include this tour in
the Andes
as a part of a customized itinerary of travel to Venezuela.
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Trip
length:
7 days and 6 nights
Accommodations:
Posada
Papa Miguel -
La Mesa de Los Indios
(1 night)
El
Tao Ecological Center -
Near La Azulita
(1
Night)
Estancia
Mucunuy -
Nearby Merida
(1
night)
Hotel
Los Frailes -
Santo Domingo
(2 nights)
Posada
Rosa Elena -
Near Barinas
(1
Night)
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