Bolivia Endemic Macaw Birding Expedition

Early BoA flight La Paz to Cochabamba (45 minutes). Private 4x4 transfer south through the Valle Alto, the high valleys that have supplied Cochabamba with grain and fruit since Inca times. Lunch in Aiquile of uchuku aiquileño, the town's festival dish of chuño, charque, eggs, and locoto pepper in a rich broth, paired with chicha de maní, a cold peanut-based drink. Afternoon at the Museo Nacional del Charango and a workshop visit to Nelson Claros Trujillo or the Torrico family in Común Pampa, where guests can commission a bespoke charango. Continue south to Omereque, arriving at the Frente Roja lodge in time for the evening cliff session as the Red-fronted Macaws return to roost.

A pre-dawn session in the purpose-built hides at the base of the Frente Roja nesting cliffs, where the Red-fronted Macaw can be photographed at close range without being detected. This is the only site in the world that offers this kind of access to the species. Late-morning return to the lodge for breakfast and a rest break through the hot midday hours when the canyon goes still. Afternoon choice between two cultural sites: Tunas Mok'o, the pre-Hispanic defensive structure above the Mizque valley with visible Omereque-culture pottery fragments, or Pucará, a ridge-top rock-art site with pre-Inca petroglyphs. Evening cliff session at the main viewpoint. Dinner at the community lodge.

Dawn cliff observation at the main viewpoint for the Red-fronted Macaw flight pattern as pairs leave the roost and disperse to feeding grounds. Late morning visit to one of the three partner communities (San Carlos, Perereta, or Amaya) for a textile and dryland-farming walk with Quechua families who have managed the reserve with Armonía since 2006. Afternoon hide session for photography, or a guided dry-forest birding walk for the other 180-plus species of the area: Bolivian Blackbird, Cliff Parakeet, Andean Condor, and Peregrine Falcon at the viewpoints. Optional night walk for owls, nightjars, and the pampas cat recorded in recent camera-trap surveys. Dinner at the lodge.

Early departure by road from Omereque back to Cochabamba, roughly five hours through the Inter-Andean Dry Valleys. Lunch in Cochabamba at a local restaurant known for its saltadito and sillpancho. Afternoon BoA flight north to Trinidad, capital of the Beni lowlands. Transfer to Hotel Boutique del Rey in the town centre. Late afternoon walk to Plaza Ballivián, where sloths live in the mango trees around the square and the evening bajón fills the plaza with families circling on motorbikes. Dinner at La Terraza del Club or Churrasqueria La Estancia for camba cooking: majadito with shredded jerky, sonso de yuca, and grilled surubí or pacú from the rivers.

Morning transfer from Hotel Boutique del Rey to Trinidad airport for the one-hour charter flight north to Barba Azul's grass airstrip. Transfer by 4x4 to the lodge and lunch at the open-sided dining hall overlooking the palm savanna. The four double cabins sit along the gallery forest above the Omi River, each with a private bathroom, hot shower, and a veranda facing the flooded grassland. Afternoon trail walk with the reserve ranger, orientation to the five habitat types of the 12,200-hectare reserve, and the first look at the Blue-throated Macaw flight line. Late afternoon at the monitoring point where 20 to 50 macaws arrive at sunset to roost. Family-style dinner at the dining hall.

Dawn walk into the savanna-forest mosaic with the specialist guide, listening for the pre-sunrise chorus and watching Orinoco Geese lift from the wetlands. The morning target list is the Beni grassland specialists: Cock-tailed Tyrant, Sharp-tailed Tyrant, Black-masked Finch, Buff-breasted Sandpiper on its austral summer stopover, and Greater Rhea in the termite-mound country. Mid-morning breakfast and a rest through the midday hours in the hammocks along the main dining hall. Afternoon boat trip on the Omi River, the clear-water channel winding through gallery forest where Cocoi Heron, Horned Screamer, and capybara sit close to the banks. Second sunset at the monitoring point.

Dawn ride across the open savanna on horseback through the termite-mound country, the traditional way the Beni's ranchers move through the grasslands. Late morning at the wetland hide for Jabiru stalking the shallows, Plumbeous Ibis along the water's edge, and Southern Screamer on the pond margins. Rest through the midday heat. Afternoon walk into a different forest island from the one worked on Day 6, targeting understorey mixed-species flocks. Final sunset roost at the monitoring point, typically with higher macaw counts than Day 6 as more pairs return. Optional post-dinner camera-trap check with the ranger where jaguar, maned wolf, giant anteater, and ocelot have all been recorded.

Early morning charter from Barba Azul's grass airstrip back to Trinidad. Commercial BoA flight TDD to CBB to LPB, the routing via Cochabamba being the more reliable same-day schedule. Arrive La Paz in the afternoon with time to rest at Hotel Anami, freshen up, and shed the dust of the Beni savanna. Evening farewell dinner at Gustu, the ten-course tasting menu built around native Bolivian ingredients by the kitchen Claus Meyer founded, paired with Bolivian wines and singani, the country's national grape brandy distilled from white Muscat of Alexandria grown above 1,600 metres in the Tarija and Cinti valleys. Late return to the hotel.

Morning transfer from Hotel Anami to El Alto International Airport for the international departure. Hotel check-out is 12:00 and late checkouts can be arranged in advance on a space-available basis. For guests connecting through Lima, Panama City, or Bogotá, outbound international flights typically depart between 07:30 and 13:00, so the airport transfer is timed to match each guest's individual onward schedule.