Northwest Argentina: The High Andes, Yungas, and Monte Desert

12 days
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
Additional images not provided by operator
Video not provided by operator
4.8/5 Excellent
100+ reviews  
99%
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
Small Group Tour
From the lush yungas forest with its distinctive avifauna, to the dramatic cactus-studded Andean deserts, to the high altiplano with its flamingo-studded lakes, this tour offers a fascinating variety of habitats and birds. There is a huge number of different species for birders who have only visited the north Andean countries, with evocative names like earthc...
From$3,990
See departure dates

Member Savings

Save up to $700!

Sign in to see which companies give additional
savings to Travelstride Members (it’s free)

Unlock Savings

Overview

Trip type
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Highlights

    • From dry lowland forest to flamingo-studded lakes high in the Andes, you will experience a fascinating variety of habitats and birds.
    • You will 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 in the Yungas forests.
    • In Monte Desert you will see the White-throated Cacholote, as well as the handsome Ringed Warling-Finch and White-fronted Woodpecker.

What's this trip about?

    From the lush yungas forest with its distinctive avifauna, to the dramatic cactus-studded Andean deserts, to the high altiplano with its flamingo-studded lakes, this tour offers a fascinating variety of habitats and birds. There is a huge number of different species for birders who have only visited the north Andean countries, with evocative names like earthcreepers, brushrunners, cachalotes, and gallitos. We cover a lot of ground on this tour, but it is quite comfortable thanks to Argentina’s good infrastructure and friendly people. Wine aficionados will enjoy sampling the great local vintages during our evening meals.

Compare to similar trips

Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeIntimate group - max of 8 people
Age rangeNo age restrictions
Flights and transportAll internal ground transport included
Start CitySalta
End CityTucuman

Travel Themes

  • Birding
  • National Parks
  • Nature & Wildlife

Destinations

  • South America
  • Argentina

Attractions

  • Andes Mountains

Activities

  • Bird watching
  • Wine Tasting

View Similar Trips

Itinerary

Travel Map

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-...

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 Tana...

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 dr...

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-ba...

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, Che...

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 extreme...

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 ...

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 ...

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 Spar...

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.

Want a tailor-made trip instead?

Your trip, your way, planned by an expert:

  • You choose budget, destinations, activities, transport & lodging type
  • Expert designs the itinerary for you, and once approved, takes care of logistics
Design custom trip

Dates & Availability

Price From $3,990
Price per day$333
Single supplement (single occupancy)$350
Last Updated: 8/2/2018

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Tropical Birding.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

Travelstride Gift Card
One card, thousands of extraordinary trips
Gifts Card

Tropical Birding Reviews & Ratings

4.8/5  Excellent
Excellent
164
Great
13
Average
6
Disappointing
0
Terrible
1
Write a Review

Other Tropical Birding Reviews

G

GiorgiJijiashvili

Sep 2020

Written on

jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj…

jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

I

Irene

Mar 2020

Written on

Great Birding - and Great Support when problems arise

My fourth trip to Ecuador with Tropical Birding was going fabulously! Guide José was finding birds that I had missed on my prior visit to the eastern Andes and even...

A

Andrew Metcalfe

Mar 2020

Written on

High Andes to vast Amazon commencing 23/2/20

Exceeded all my expectations. Simply an amazing experience. Our guide Jose is undoubtedly the best bird guide I have ever been with. Everything worked perfectly and ...

Write a Review

Travelers also viewed

Tour Operator

Tropical Birding

none
View Profile

We’re Not Your Average Tour Company

A level of expertise is not needed to join our trips, but enthusiasm is

Our goal is to have as many people getting as much joy out of birding as possible. Although our guides can hold their own anywhere in the world, you will never feel intimidated by our guides or other clients. They all understand that the trip is about seeing birds and having a great time, not by showing how great we are to others.

Most of our trips are in the tropics

The world is filled with incredible birding destinations, so we have decided to concentrate on those areas that can be tricky for most people to visit alone. The tropics support 80% of the world’s bird species, and the diversity and numbers of birds can at times be overwhelming. Birding can be tough with many similar species in the same flock, and with others so secretive that they can only be located by voice. We have built up a storehouse of knowledge on where to find some of the world’s rarest birds, and our tours offer the finest birding on the planet. You will finish your trip not only with plenty of birds, but also with a real understanding for the areas you have visited. We also do many trips to other areas outside the tropics, but all these sites are ones where we think that we can really add value to your birding experience.

We are the company that actively supports bird conservation

We do not just give lip-service to protecting the threatened birds our livelihoods depend on; we are active in all aspects of bird conservation. This not only involves generation of funds for purchase of endangered habitats, but also includes consulting for conservation organizations, training guides, and establishing the avitourism industry in developing nations. One project that some of our staff members are near fanatical about is getting more people into casual birding. There are no short term payoffs to our guides for this, but we believe to our very core that getting more people into birding is the ultimate way to get more people to preserve these creatures.

We offer the best value birding tours on the market

We have managed to strike a balance by providing world-class tours without charging outrageous prices. While this is not the means by which we differentiate ourselves from the other operators, it is a pleasant side-effect of being the most efficient operator in our target destinations. A quick comparison with other companies will show that while we still stay at the best lodges and have top guides, we retain our more competitive prices.

Birding Tours

Tropical Birding has been operating birding tours since our inception in 2001, and we offer a wide range of trips to destinations all over the globe. Our trips are led by expert guides who are themselves passionate birders and naturalists. Some of our tours are fast-paced trips that target every possible endemic, whereas others are more relaxed-pace trips with a stronger focus on other types of wildlife or cultural activities.

Custom Tours

Please contact us, and we will be happy to design an itinerary to suit your needs. If you can get a few friends or family members to come with you, you might be surprised at how inexpensive these tours are, and they offer you the flexibility of choosing when, where and with whom you travel.

Photography Tours

Tropical Birding offers a series of Photo Journeys to the best destinations on the planet for bird and wildlife photography. On these trips we get you to where the animals are, and we do whatever we can to get the animals to you. The objective of these trips is not to instruct on how to use a camera, and much of the photography is opportunistic. We’ll always be out at the best times of day for photography, but will not necessarily stop shooting just because conditions are not optimal.

About Travelstride

Find your perfect trip

An epic selection of pre-planned trips on every continent, for every style. Thousands of itineraries from over 1,000 trusted travel companies.

Save time

Use simple search and comparison tools to easily find the best trip. Don't sweat the logistics — travel providers plan for you.

Save money

Book directly with the operator. See inclusive packages for the best values, and get access to amazing deals.

Travel confidently

Read unbiased user reviews, pick the operator that suits your needs, and connect with them directly.

Logistics

Accommodation

,Good to excellent
Guides
Sam Woods Sam’s obsession for birds began with a pair of tits in a Royal London park at age 11. Working for TB fits in perfectly with his plan of building up a massive world list, and now he guides on five continents. Now well known around the world for his affable English gentlemanly demeanor and his skilled guiding, his prodigious output of trip reports has almost surpassed those qualities. Sam supposedly resides in Ecuador, but his schedule hardly allows any time there. Sam uses Swarovski binoculars and a Swarovski scope. Andrés Vásquez Andrés has been chasing birds all over his native Ecuador for a decade now. As part of our team he has not only explored his country extensively but also he has birded Peru, Brazil, Southeast Asia and South Africa learning new families and tons of new birds. Based in Quito, when not in the field, he can be found at his computer working on book publishing; he has already released several wildlife guidebooks for Ecuador, including a fieldguide to the birds of Northwest Ecuador, one for the birds of the Amazon and he is close to releasing a wildlife book for the entire country. Andres guides in the neotropical region. Andres uses Leica binoculars and a Kowa scope.
Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
Visa requirements
Visa requirements vary depending on your country of origin and your country of destination. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the relevant requirements. For a handy tool that can help you quickly find the requirements, please visit this link .
Age Requirements
No age restrictions
Additional Information

Climate:

Mostly pleasant temperatures; it can get down to near freezing early in the morning at the high elevation, but usually warms up quickly. This tour is entirely in the Andes, so it usually does not get super hot.

Difficulty:

Fairly easy. Nearly all birding is from roadsides. Three days are spent at high elevation above 3400 m (11,500 ft).

Trip ID
tropic1-NorArgTro

Become a member

(it's free)
  • Save up to $700 per person
  • Access members-only specials
  • Personalize trip recommendations
Sign up and save
Top Tour Companies on Travelstride:
All 1,600+ companies >
Sign in to reveal savings up to $700 per person!