Compare Northwest Argentina: The High Andes, Yungas, and Monte Desert by Tropical Birding vs Exploring Argentine & Chilean Patagonia in 15 days by Qwerty Travel Argentina

Day 1: Salta

On arrival in Salta, you will be transferred to great hotel in a wooded suburb of the city. If you arrive in time, we can do some easy birding near the hotel for species like White-bellied Hummingbird, Golden-billed Saltator, Scaly-headed Parrot, Plush-crested Jay, White-barred Piculet, and Cream-backed Woodpecker.

Day 2: Salta to the Rio Yala

Leaving Salta, we’ll drive north stopping along a scenic highway through the mountains. Lakes here have a good variety of waterbirds such as Brazilian Teal, Yellow-billed and White-cheeked Pintails, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, White-winged Coot, White-tufted Grebe, Black-necked Stilt, and others. Tawny-headed Swallow can often be found flying over the shore, and wooded areas nearby have Black-and-rufous Warbling-Finch, White Monjita, Stripe-crowned Spinetail and others. After lunch, we’ll reach a small park along the Yala river, spending one night in a nearby hotel. Birding the idyllic Yala valley will give us our first chance at Rufous-throated Dipper, although the scarce Red-faced Guan will be our main target in the Yungas forests. We may also find Dusky-legged Guan, Spot-breasted Thornbird, Rusty-browed Warbling-Finch, Fulvous-headed and White-browed Brush-Finches, Plush-crested Jay, Red-tailed Comet, Plumbeous Black-Tyrant, and others.

Day 3: Rio Yala and the Humahuaca Valley

We’ll have another morning in the Yala area, looking for more Yungas specialties such as Slender-tailed Woodstar, Large-tailed Dove, and Yungas Pygmy-Owl along with more common species like Buff-browed Foliage-gleaner, Rufous-capped Antshrike, and Rust-and-yellow Tanager. Later in the morning, we head north, climbing up the scenic Humahuaca valley into the altiplano, stopping for lunch at a restaurant that specializes in llama (don’t worry, there are other things on the menu!). Later in the afternoon, we’ll bird a small lake that should have Puna and Yellow-billed Teal, Ruddy Duck, Andean Goose, Giant and Slate-colored Coots, Puna Ibis, Silvery Grebe, and Andean Negrito. There are other lakes in this area that are sometimes dry, but if they have any water in them, we’ll likely see our first Chilean, Andean, and Puna Flamingos as well as Andean Avocet. if the lakes are dry, we will save these species for the next day, and concentrate on puna birds such as Gray-bellied Shrike-Tyrant, Andean Flicker, Bright-rumped Yellow-Finch, and several species of sierra-finch. We spend one night in a small hotel in a sleepy altiplano village.

Day 4: Laguna de los Pozuelos

An early start and packed breakfast and lunch are necessary today as we drive a long way on rough roads to the remote Laguna de los Pozuelos. This huge lake is also a magnet for flamingos as well as high Andean waterfowl, Puna Plovers, and wintering shorebirds. The dry puna around the lake is great for Golden-spotted Ground-Dove, Puna and Common Miners, Gray-breasted Seedsnipe, Short-billed Pipit, and a variety of finches. During some years, Horned Coots nest on this lake, though many years they are absent. Herds of Vicugnas also roam the lake edge, and we’ll keep a lookout for Lesser Rheas. In the afternoon, we drive to the border town of La Quiaca for a two-night stay. Later in the afternoon, we’ll drive a dirt road near town that can be good for Least Seedsnipe and Tawny-throated Dotterel, and time-permitting we may make a first visit to Yavi.

Day 5: Sierra de Santa Victoria and Yavi

We’ll need another early start as we drive east to a 14,700 ft (4500 m) pass, the highest elevation we reach on the tour. The scenery here is nothing short of spectacular, and while species numbers are low, what we do see is quite different. The smartly-dressed Red-backed Sierra-Finch is usually easy to find, and we’ll also look for Ornate Tinamou, Mountain Parakeet, Slender-billed Miner, Straight-billed and Plain-breasted Earthcreepers (now lumped with Buff-breasted), Puna Canastero, Cream-winged Cinclodes, Black-fronted and Cinereous Ground-Tyrants, Andean Swallow, Brown-backed Mockingbird, Andean Hillstar, and others. If the weather is nice, we stand a good chance of seeing Andean Condor. Later on, we’ll bird some montane scrub lower down for Puna Yellow-Finch, Rufous-banded Miner, Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail, and others before driving back west. We’ll spend the afternoon in the small village of Yavi. A river runs through this village, providing water for small farms and creating an oasis that is amazingly “birdy”. This is the best place in Argentina for Citron-headed Yellow-Finch and Wedge-tailed Hillstar, and while these are the biggest targets, we’ll see plenty of other great birds that may include Black-hooded Sierra-Finch, Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant, Spot-winged Pigeon, Bare-faced and Black-winged Ground-Doves, D’Orbigmy’s Chat-Tyrant, Brown-backed Mockingbord, White-winged Black-Tyrant, and Andean Swift.

Day 6: Yavi to Salta

We’ll spend the morning targeting anything else we still need in this area before driving back to Salta, where we spend another two nights in the same hotel. In the afternoon, we’ll look for foothill species such as Saffron-billed Sparrow, Giant Antshrike, Green-cheeked Parakeet, and Stripe-capped Sparrow.

Day 7: Palomitas

Today we leave early and drive down into the dry foothills east of Salta. Some superb birds can be found here along an easy dirt road, such as Many-colored Chaco Finch, Spot-backed Puffbird, Ultramarine Grosbeak, Stripe-backed Antbird, Black-capped Warbling-Finch, Checkered and Cream-backed Woodpeckers, Chaco Chachalaca, Little and Rufous-fronted Thornbirds, Chaco Earthcreeper, Brushland Tinamou, and many more. Red-legged Seriema is sometimes easy to see in some open fields farther along the road, but we will need a lot of luck to find the smaller and shier Black-legged Seriema. In the afternoon, we’ll bird some more in the yungas forests around Salta, and stay out late to look for several species of nightbirds, including Montane Forest Screech-Owl, Rufous Nightjar, and Scissor-tailed Nightjar.

Day 8: Salta to Cachi

After the late night of owling, we’ll have a fairly relaxed start. After breakfast, we’ll drive south of Salta, and then turn west into the mountains. The road snakes up a steep valley known as the Cuesta del Obispo, where roadside scrub and woodland hold some extremely localized species like Bare-eyed Ground-Dove, Rufous-sided Warbling-Finch, Maquis Canastero, Rufous-bellied Saltator, and Zimmer’s Tapaculo, along with more common birds, including Yellow-billed and Tufted Tit-Tyrants, White-browed Chat-Tyrant, and Rusty Flowerpiercer. On the far side of the pass, the road drops into the “Monte Desert” characterized by tall, columnar cacti. This is home to two more Argentine endemics, the ghostly Sandy Gallito and noisy White-throated Cacholote. It’s also the best place on the tour for the well-named Elegant Crested-Tinamou. We’ll have one night in the pleasant village of Cachi.

Day 9: Cachí to Cafayate

We’ll return to the desert after an early breakfast, looking for anything we missed the previous day. Later in the afternoon, we’ll drive south through one of the most scenic areas on the continent with rock formations reminiscent of the American west. En route we’ll check out a breeding colony of Burrowing Parakeets – some years it is very active, and other years it is completely vacant. Even if we don’t see them at the colony, they are easy to find in other places around Cachi and Cafayate. Cafayate is world-renowned for its wine, and we’ll spend one night in a hotel right in the vineyards. A dirt road near the hotel has White-fronted Woodpecker, and gives us another chance at some species such as Chaco Earthcreeper and Ultramarine Grosbeak if we still need them.

Day 10: Cafayate to Tafí del Valle

South of the Cafayate we return to the Monte Desert, looking for White-throated Cacholote if we haven’t seen it yet, as well as the handsome Ringed Warling-Finch and White-fronted Woodpecker. As we head up into the mountains, we’ll target the rare endemic Steinbach’s Canastero, as well as a few more common species we may not have seen yet, such as Scale-throated Earthcreeper, Gray-hooded Sierra-Finch, and Ornate Tinamou. We spend two nights in Tafí del Valle. In the afternoon, we’ll first bird a lake below town that usually has a good selection of waterfowl. Among the more common species, we could also find Red Shoveler and Rosy-billed Pochard, while other possibilities include Red-fronted and Red-gartered Coots, South American Snipe, and Correndera Pipit. Later in the afternoon, we’ll drop down into the forested Rio Los Sosa Valley. Here we’ll check the river for Rufous-throated Dipper (if we didn’t see it at Yala) and Torrent Duck, and should find the endemic Yellow-striped Brush-Finch.

Day 11: El Infiernillo and Rio Los Sosa

We’ll bird this high mountain pass at dawn for Buff-breasted Earthcreeper, Tucuman Mountain-Finch, Andean Tinamou, White-browed Tapaculo, and Hellmayr’s Pipit. Flower patches lower down the valley could have Andean and White-sided Hillstars, Giant Hummingbird, or Sparkling Violetear. The plan for the afternoon will depend on what we still are looking for; this will likely include Tucuman Parrot, and we’ll stake out a reliable spot for this rare bird late in the afternoon.

Day 12: Tafí to Tucumán

We’ll drive about 2 hours to the city of Tucumán, where the tour ends. We plan to arrive in time for mid-day flights to Buenos Aires, allowing for plenty of time to transfer to the international airport of onward connections.

Day 1: Buenos Aires

Arrival at Buenos Aires airport and transfer to your accommodation.

Day 2: Buenos Aires – City tour

During the morning visit the city of Buenos Aires. This tour gives you the emotion of a multiple Buenos Aires. We will see the symbol of our city: the obelisk. We will visit different squares such as Plaza de Mayo, Plaza San Martín, Plaza Congreso. Avenues like Corrientes, Mayo, 9 de Julio, among others. Historical neighbourhoods: La Boca, San Telmo, Montserrat. Elegant neighbourhoods such as Palermo and Recoleta, and the most modern: Puerto Madero. Parks such as Lezama and Tres de Febrero. We will also visit financial and commercial areas and a Football Stadium.

Day 3: Buenos Aires – Ushuaia

Transfer to the airport. Flight to Ushuaia. Arrival and transfer to the hotel.

Day 4: Ushuaia - Tierra del Fuego National Park

Represents the southernmost protected area, the only National Park that has coastlines, covering a stretch of 6 km. Wide over the Beagle Channel and an area of 63,000 hectares. It is reached by the National Highway No. 3 to N.A. Ushuaia, met along the way Pipo River, Monte Susana, Ensenada Bay, Redonda Island sighting, lake Roca Casita del Bosque, Laguna Verde and Negra, beaver dam, Lapataia Bay, marking the end of the route, to 3,242 km. Federal Capital. The topography of the park is extremely varied, everything is a series of craggy mountains, rivers, valleys and lakes, resulting in varied landscapes from the picturesque and lively stream to the mass of towering mountains, or the extraordinary spectacle of the majestic Canal Beagle . During the spring and summer, you can admire varied and colorful flowers: mutillas, violet, primrose, white orchids, armories, white and yellow daisies, and the various tree species: Cinnamon, Wood Dura Notros Lenga Ñire, Burgundy presenting as Misodendro parasites and the Llao Llao, observing lichens, which hang in the form of a beard. The most common mammals are foxes and rabbits, living in the Park also muskrat and beaver. Among birds, Upland Goose and gray-headed, steamer ducks and great grebe, the black carpenter and rayadito giant, as the Park presents exclusive marine birds such as albatross, the oystercatcher overo the white Cauquen and mammals such as seals and otters sea.

Day 5: Ushuaia– Calafate

Transfer to the airport. Flight to Ushuaia. Arrival and transfer to your accommodation

Day 6: Perito Moreno Glacier with nautic safari

Departure from the morning to travel the 80 kms distance separating El Calafate Perito Moreno glacier, unique in the world in constant progress. During the trip you know beautiful places in the Andean foothills, along the south bank of Lake Argentino. After crossing the river Centinela and Mitre, was reached at Brazo Rico to enter the National Park Los Glaciares. Bordering the Lake Rico began to spot the icebergs floating on the water until we can finally appreciate the full extent of this natural wonder has been declared by the United Nations as World Heritage. Stay in place and return to El Calafate.

Day 7: El Calafate

Day at leisure to discover this amazing ville by your own or enjoy some suggested optional excursion.

Day 8: Calafate – Puerto Natales

Regular bus to Puerto Natales.

Day 9: Torres del Paine

The excursion begins visiting the Milodon Cave, a natural monument located on Benitez Hill, 25 kilometres from Puerto Natales, where in 1895 were found remains of extinct animals like Sabre Toothed Tiger, American Horse and a large mammal known as Milodon. It is necessary to walk for half an hour to go into the cave and observe the stalactites, places where the remains were found and a replica of Milodon.

Afterward a technical stop is held in the village of Cerro Castillo, where there are possibilities for shopping, enjoy the coffee service or just for a break.

Continuing the trip toward Torres del Paine National Park, visitors will be able to enjoy the most diverse landscapes, such as, the Magellanic deciduous forest and the vast Patagonian steppe dominated by the wind and aridity. On the way is possible to find two species members of the local fauna: the Patagonian guanaco, South American camel and relative of Llama, and the endemic lesser Rhea (Ñandu), relative of the African Ostrich. Once we get to the park, which is a biosphere reserve with a surface over 242.000 hectares, the landscape changes drastically becoming unforgettable due its dozen lakes populated by marine birds, and in the background granite picks dominating the area. Turquoise lakes, waterfalls and mountains covered by ice are the predominant landscape inside the park. A walk for 15 minutes into the park is necessary toward the Waterfall (Salto Grande), which is communicating two big lakes inside the park; Nordenskjold and Pehoe Lakes. After lunch the trip continues with a walk on the shores of Grey Lake, where blue icebergs can be seen, and in the background the vast Grey glacier. Depending on the requirements, the return is done by the same road, or by the new road bordering lakes Toro, Porteño and Sofía.

Day 10: Puerto Natales – Punta Arenas – Puerto Montt/Puerto Varas

Transfer to Punta Arenas on Regular Bus. Arrival at Punta Arena’s airport. Flight to Puerto Montt. Arrival and transfer to the hotel in Puerto Mont or Puerto Varas.

Day 11: Puerto Montt/Puerto Varas – Andean Crossing - Bariloche

Andean Crossing. This pioneering journey quickly became one of the attractions of Lake Todos los Santos and Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, the first national park in Chile and the second oldest in America. The circuit offers travelers the opportunity to marvel at the nature of two national parks Andean environment, the Pérez Rosales in Chile and the NahuelHuapi in Argentina, "surf" the Andes through lakes and rivers, visit places magic, as Puerto Blest and Peulla, and enjoy, in the headwaters of the course, two beautiful cities: Bariloche and Puerto Varas

Day 12: Bariloche – Short Circuit with Campanario mount

Circuito Chico is a Scenic Tour on which to enjoy good food as well as the beautiful views. The scenery is magnificent along the whole drive, and there are several natural lookouts, such as López Bay and "Punto Panorámico" panoramic lookout. Cerro Campanario, a hill standing "in the center of the landscape" (Km 17), has a chairlift that will carry you up to "the heights of amazement" to enjoy the most beautiful view in the area.

Tasty specialties at several tea houses and restaurants along the way add flavor to the scenic tour. Hotel LlaoLlao and San Eduardo Chapel, opposite Puerto Pañuelo, are unique tourist attractions. If you have time, the easy paths through LlaoLlao Municipal Park provide an opportunity for a peaceful walk through the forest. Another alternative is to drive a few more kilometers to the traditional village Colonia Suiza with its unique atmosphere of a historical old rural settlement.

Other attractions along Circuito Chico are regional craft products including knitted garments, woodwork, candles, pottery and cosmetics, among others. Don’t miss the Small Circle Scenic Tour!

Day 13: Bariloche

Today you have a free day to enjoy and spend on your own.

Day 14: Bariloche– Buenos Aires

Transfer to the airport. Flight to Buenos Aires. Arrival and transfer to your accommodation

Day 15: Buenos Aires

Transfer to the airport.