Promperu - Birding Routes

PERU: A TRUE PARADISE OF BIRDS (2004)

The Birds along the Inca Trail

APREC *

The Association for the Rescue of the Ecosystem of Cajamarca - APREC with the support of the Regional Chamber of Tourism - CARETUR, the Peruvian Association for Adventure Tourism and Eco-tourism - APTAE and a team of scientist who have decided to document the natural resources of the Valley of Cajamarca, offer as of last year a "soft-trekking product" along the original trail from the ancient Inca Trail system, together with two regional Tour operators. The "Qhapaq Ñan" leads through the lower Andean region of Cajamarca in northern Peru, from Chile in the South to Ecuador in the North of South America.

The trail leads the visitor from the valley floor to the higher Andean plains with their lakes and grasslands, through a series of landscapes of exceptional beauty,. The diversity of the topography of Cajamarca has created a great variety of habitats, which together have become the home of over 120 different species of birds, including various raptors, hummingbirds, doves, gulls, ducks and flycatchers. Some species are abundant and easy to see, like the many egrets, and others are rare and more difficult to find, like the Grey-bellied Comet, an endemic hummingbird that has been declared in danger of extinction.

Considered as an important destination for domestic tourism for many years, Cajamarca has now developed products for international tourism that offer the access routes by road, a newly rebuilt airport and the quality lodging needed to attend foreign guests. The region has an ideal infrastructure and the still untouched nature that make of it an ideal destination for people who seek nature tours and eco-tourism.

An average visit of 3 to 4 days allows the traveler to visit at least two or three of the important sites of this region. These natural areas can be reached by walking one of the four soft-trekking circuits that APREC has developed and that are now being offered by two national and some international travel agencies like Laguna Seca Tours and Cajamarca Travel in Peru, or be guided or driven with comfortable local vehicles to the various sites where the endemic species of birds can be found.

The main trekking circuits in Cajamarca are:

1.	The Grey-bellied Comet Route to Sangal. This trekking route leads the visitor to the Sangal Canyon and the villages of Sangal and Luichupucro, 14 Km north of the city of Cajamarca. The canyon was formed by the Chonta river and is the hidden habitat of the Grey-bellied Comet, an endangered hummingbird endemic to a few valleys of North Peru. Along the trail one can also find a great diversity of wild flowers like Alonsoas, Calceolarias, flowering trees of Campanilla and Ada.

2.	The Coyor Fortress Route. The Inca trail that goes to the south lead us to lake San Nicolas, where the original population, the Caxamarcas built their last military fortress in their effort to stop the advance of the Incan empire. The landscape with soft slopes is ideal for visitors who seek trails that require little trekking experience. Lake San Nicolas offers a relaxing environment, where only the flapping and singing of the Andean birds break the monotony of the place.

3.	The Combayo Necropolis Route. The trail starts in the village of Combayo, after a two-hour trip from the city of Cajamarca at over 9000 feet. This route allows us to discover the remains of an ancient Cajamarca graveyard, carved in the solid volcanic rock on the mountainside. After a three hours hike the visitor arrives to the Chicche canyon, where a very special ecosystem can be found, with its own bird species and a great diversity of vegetation and also a variety of small and colorful orchids and large alders and quinual trees.

4.	The Tambo Inca Route. This trail offers the possibility to visit the landscape of the Paramus of Cajamarca, locally know as Jalca. The average altitude of this trail is 10,000 feet, and runs from the village of Ingatambo to the Inca bridge of Rumichaca in Granja Porcón. The diversity of flora and fauna offers a peculiar vegetation and species that include the "pajonales" where the grass Calamagrostis, known as "paja" or "ichu" is pre-dominant.

APREC has made it possible to walk these trails with the help of a series of field guides available locally from the Tour operators. As of today, APREC has published six of the thirteen field guides that will be presented in the next few years. The six published guides are: "The Great Inca Trail Guide", describing the trekking routes and showing the areas of interest that can be visited; "Experiences of Landscape and Flora", a guide for the visitor interested in learning about the wild and cultivated flora that can be found along the Inca Trail; "Geological History", a guide describing the events that happened millions of years ago, when the landscape of the Andes rose form the continental plate; "Landscape and Wildlife", showing us the animals, including a list of mammals, reptiles and amphibian, that can be found along the Inca trail, and giving advise and suggestions as to be able to watch them without disturbing their habitat; "Agro-ecological technologies", presenting the ancient technologies that even today the farmers practice to work the soil in harmony with nature; and the field guide "The Birds", that was published after one year of extensive field work including the help from Peruvian as international ornithologists.

With this last guide, APREC has published the first Field Guide to the Birds of Cajamarca, describing over 120 bird species that can be found following the ancient trails of the Cajamarca Valley.

This field guide is a very useful bilingual (Spanish/English) document for any birdwatcher who wants to start experiencing birding of Northern Peru endemics. In the whole of Northern Peru one may find over 180 endemic bird species that can be seen in a ten days trip starting in Cajamarca with the Grey-bellied Comet and following the road to Celendin, where one may see the rare White-tailed Shrike-Tyrant, great variety of Canasteros and Spinetails, the Marañon Valley, to see the Gray-winged Inca-Finch, Buff-breasted Tanager, Back-Chesnut Thornbill, Marañon Thrush, Yellow-faced Parrolet, and some other endemics. Continuing the journey, one can also visit one of the bird richest cloud forests of the world, Abra Patricia and the "Bosque de Protección Alto Mayo", in the Amazon and San Martin regions.

* APREC
Civil Association for the Rescue of the Ecosystem of Cajamarca, was born as a result of a combined effort on behalf of both public and private institutions. It has gathered a team of scientists who are working together to develop the natural and historical resources of the Cajamarca valley, in coordination with the local inhabitants offering the benefits that ecotourism can bring.
Web: www.aprec.org

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