Hummingbirds of the Sacred Valley - Cusco

Posted By : MatthewEisenson
This is a brilliantly designed tour, and I would highly recommend it to any birder who is staying in Cusco or the Sacred Valley.

The hummingbird garden at Ensifera Camp is an incredible destination on its own. The site is literally buzzing with hummingbirds. On the day we visited, Sparkling Violetears were the most abundant species, but we also got great looks at Sword-billed Hummingbirds and others. Aside from hummingbirds, the big highlight of our visit to Ensifera was the Undulated Antpitta, which had first shown up a few days before we arrived. We were lucky to see the Antpitta make an appearance hopping around a compost pile in the woods behind the feeders.

However, what really impressed me about this particular tour was how Jose Lescano, the expert guide, driver, and owner of the company, had designed the route to include so many interesting stops between Cusco and Ensifera. Jose picked me up at my hotel in Cusco at 6:30am, and we soon found ourselves driving down a country road toward Lago Piuray. The drive on the country road was extremely productive. We were spotting new birds from the car every few minutes, and we pulled over many times to get closer looks at local specialties, such as Rusty-fronted Canastero and Cream-winged Cinclodes.

At Lago Piuray, we saw good numbers of most of the waterfowl I was hoping to see, including good looks at Andean Geese. The only bird on my target list that we missed was Puna Teal. However, Jose knew another good spot for Puna Teal, and we eventually picked it up on the way back from Ensifera at small pond near Huaypo. On the drive between Lago Piuray and Ensifera, we stopped at a scenic overlook to look at the snow-covered mountains and were lucky to find a Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle perched in a tree nearby.

Jose is an excellent guide, and he is extremely responsive by email, which made planning this excursion very easy. One final thing I should mention is that this tour is fairly customizable, especially if you book it as a private tour. Personally, I was keen to stop the car and get out whenever we heard interesting birds, which meant that we ultimately spent less than an hour at Ensifera. However, Jose explained that some other guests prefer to make fewer stops along the way and spend more time with the hummingbirds at Ensifera, which he can also accommodate.
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Posted On : 2024-06-25 13:59:51

Posted By : tatumwalker
This was the most magical experience and Jose’s passion made it that much more enjoyable. Hummingbirds have always been special to me, but I had no idea I could see so many different types in one perfect place. The efforts Jose and his team are making to protects Peru’s natural resources are Nobel and I hope you book this trip and have an incredible time like we did.
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Posted On : 2024-06-02 16:25:52

Posted By : F9152TYmatthews
This was an outstanding experience. The Hummingbird Garden at Ensifera Camp is a jewel—it's positively thrumming with hummers! I added 21 species to my life list, including 10 hummingbird species. Our guide, Jose Luis, was warm, gregarious, and incredibly knowledgeable about birds. And he's doing fantastic work to spread the joy and love of birdwatching in Peru.

10/10 would recommend this tour, or any of Machupicchu Birding's tours!
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Posted On : 2024-04-22 23:01:23

Posted By : Karen K
Fantastic experience to see a variety of hummingbirds! José provided such insight into the birds and the area. He is an excellent guide. He identified the hummingbirds birds and spotted many other birds.His enthusiasm is apparent. The experience is a must for those who enjoy hummers. The visit to the lake was a tranquil location to observe waterfowl.
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Posted On : 2022-03-16 08:48:06