Arrival in Santiago with overnight accommodation at a hotel near the airport. Check-in is available from approximately 3:00 pm. In the evening, your birding and wildlife guide will meet you at the hotel to review the itinerary, answer any last questions, and discuss important details before the trip begins.

Early in the morning, we’ll fly from Santiago to Arica, a city near the Peruvian border. This area, known as the “Big North,” encompasses the vast Atacama Desert and the high-altitude Andean steppe, or Altiplano.

Despite being in the driest desert on Earth, birding here is made possible by rivers and small watercourses fed by runoff from the High Andes, creating fertile valleys and lush floodplains that form rich oases in this harsh environment.

After birding around Arica’s surroundings, we’ll make stops along the way as we travel to the farmland outside Arica and then on to the town of Putre.

En route, we’ll be searching for a number of specialties, including Peruvian Thick-knee, West Peruvian Dove, Croaking Ground-Dove, Groove-billed Ani, Burrowing Owl, Andean Swift, Peruvian Elaenia (the northern form of White-crested Elaenia), Vermilion Flycatcher, the local race of Bran-Coloured Flycatcher (a strong candidate for a future split), Cinereous Conebill, Chestnut-throated Seedeater, Blue-black Grassquit, Slender-billed Finch, Peruvian Meadowlark, and many more.

After an intensive day of birding, we’ll arrive in the beautiful town of Putre, located at 3,500 m.a.s.l. (11,483 ft). This charming Andean village will serve as our gateway for the next day’s exploration of high-elevation ecosystems.

In the heart of the Altiplano of the ‘Big North’, about 50 kilometers from Putre, we’ll arrive at Lauca National Park—a place of exceptional natural beauty.

Declared part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) in 1981, the park is framed by the towering, snow-capped volcanoes Pomerape and Parinacota, which rise above 6,300 m a.s.l. (20,669 ft) and reflect beautifully in the deep blue waters of Chungara and Cotacotani Lakes—two of the park’s most iconic attractions. The highlight of the day is dazzling Chungara Lake, considered the highest-altitude lake in the world. Among the high-Andean specialist birds found here are Andean Grebe (the local form of Silvery Grebe), Puna Teal, Giant Coot, and Andean Gulls, alongside a variety of more widespread duck species.

As we drive up toward the lakes, we’ll scan the high-altitude bogs for the stunning and elusive Diademed Sandpiper-Plover. Other key targets in this area include Puna Rhea, Andean Flicker, White-winged Cinclodes, Black Siskin, Puna Tinamou, Puna Ibis, Andean Goose, Mountain Caracara, Andean Lapwing, Puna Plover, Andean Avocet, Puna Miner, Puna and White-fronted Ground-Tyrants, Andean Negrito, Glacier Finch, and White-throated Sierra-Finch.

The lakes themselves host large flocks of flamingos, and with luck, we may observe all three species: Chilean, Andean, and Puna (James’s). After a day immersed in sweeping landscapes and high-Andean birdlife, we’ll return to our lodge in Putre.

We’ll spend the morning birding around the small Andean village, searching for Bare-faced Ground-Dove, White-throated Earthcreeper, Yellow-billed Tit Tyrant, Canyon and Dark-winged Canastero, Blue-and-Yellow Tanager, Cream-winged and White-winged Cinclodes, Streaked Tit-Spinetail, D’Orbigny’s and White-Browed Chat-Tyrants, Chiguanco Thrush, Black-throated Flower-Piercer, Golden-billed Saltator, Black-hooded and Ash-breasted Sierra-Finches, Greenish Yellow-Finch, Band-tailed Seedeater, and Spot-winged Pigeon.

In the alfalfa fields on the outskirts of the village, we’ll also search for the secretive but vocal Ornate Tinamou.

Around midday we’ll drive slowly down the windy mountain road back to Arica looking for any birds we may have missed on the way up to Putre. Night in Arica.

Our main targets in this area will be the hummingbirds: Oasis Hummingbird, Peruvian Sheartail, and the endemic—yet critically endangered—Chilean Woodstar, whose global population is estimated at just 350 individuals.

To search for this dazzling endemic, we’ll head south to the Camarones Valley, home to the species’ largest remaining population.

In this same valley, participants will also have the chance to see several highlight species, including Pied-crested Tit-Tyrant, Tamarugo Conebill, and the recently recorded-for-Chile Raimondi’s Yellow-Finch. After lunch, we’ll drive to Iquique. Night in Iquique.

The day begins with an exciting 6-hour pelagic trip into the productive waters of the Humboldt Current, offering excellent opportunities to observe a mix of sub-Antarctic seabirds and warm-water petrels. During the excursion, we may encounter Salvin’s, Buller’s, and Black-browed Albatrosses, Northern Giant-Petrel, White-chinned and Westland Petrels, Sooty Shearwater, Elliott’s and Markham’s Storm-Petrels, Peruvian Diving Petrel, Humboldt Penguin, Chilean Skua, and Swallow-tailed Gull.

Closer to shore, we’ll look for Red-legged and Guanay Cormorants, the striking Inca Tern, Peruvian Booby, and Peruvian Pelican.

In the afternoon, we’ll board our flight back to Santiago. Night in Santiago.

Central Chile is one of the world’s five Mediterranean Ecoregions, defined by cold, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. Bounded by the towering Andes to the east, the Atacama Desert to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west, this region’s isolation has fostered remarkable rates of endemism in both flora and fauna—earning it a spot among the 25 Global Biodiversity Hotspots.

On our first full day in the Santiago area, we’ll explore the Mediterranean scrublands of the Andean foothills and ascend into alpine habitats, making several stops at varying elevations. Here, we’ll search for high-altitude specialists such as Greater Yellow-finch, Creamy-rumped Miner, and White-sided Hillstar, along with other notable Andean birds.

At our picnic spot, we often enjoy Andean Condors soaring overhead, while Rufous-banded Miner, Gray-hooded Sierra-Finch, and Greater Yellow-finch come close, searching for crumbs left behind from lunch. We’ll also keep an eye out for Variable Hawk, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, and Mountain Caracara.

In the surrounding foothills, we’ll focus on six Chilean endemics: Chilean Tinamou, Moustached Turca, White-throated and Dusky Tapaculos, Crag Chilia, and Dusky-tailed Canastero.

This day offers a perfect introduction to the birds of Central Chile—from widespread species to local specialties. As we climb into higher elevations easily reached from Santiago, we’ll also be rewarded with spectacular mountain views. In the afternoon, we’ll return to the hotel. Night in Santiago.

Leaving early from Santiago, we’ll head to the coastal city of San Antonio, the starting point for a full day of birding along Chile’s Pacific coast. Just south of the city, we’ll visit a recently established reserve at the Maipo River estuary—one of central Chile’s most important wetlands. Here, we’ll enjoy large flocks of gulls, Black Skimmers, terns, pelicans, and a variety of shorebirds.

The reedbeds near the reserve entrance offer great opportunities to spot the stunning but elusive Many-colored Rush-Tyrant and Wren-like Rushbird, as well as Yellow-winged Blackbird and Sedge Wren.

Along the beach, seawatching may yield sightings of Red-legged and Guanay Cormorants, Peruvian Boobies, and even Chilean Skuas. After scanning the mudflats for migrant shorebirds and possible rarities, we’ll turn our focus to passerines, searching for the rare Ticking Doradito (a recent split from Warbling Doradito), Spectacled Tyrant, Correndera Pipit, and the Chilean endemics Dusky Tapaculo and Dusky-tailed Canastero.

Driving north along the coast, we’ll stop for lunch at a seaside restaurant on the rocky shore—an excellent spot to find the Chilean endemic, the Chilean Seaside Cinclodes. In the afternoon, we’ll visit more protected wetlands, searching for Spot-flanked Gallinule, Black-necked and Coscoroba Swan, Plumbeous Rail, Black-headed Duck, and possibly the secretive Stripe-backed Bittern. We’ll also visit a nearby Peruvian Pelican colony where a few Humboldt Penguins are breeding. Overnight in Valparaiso.

Albatrosses are undoubtedly the stars of the show. Commonly seen species include Salvin’s, Black-browed, Northern and Southern Royal, while Buller’s and Chatham Albatrosses appear less frequently.

Other noteworthy tubenoses include Masatierra, Juan Fernández, White-chinned, and Westland Petrels, as well as Peruvian Diving-Petrel, Northern Giant Petrel, and Wilson’s Storm-Petrel (with the local Fuegian subspecies). Rounding out the seabird list are Red Phalaropes, Guanay and Red-legged Cormorants, Kelp Gull, and South American Tern.

After our pelagic trip and a delicious lunch, we’ll continue birding along the coast north of Valparaíso, focusing on the scarce and elusive Stripe-backed Bittern and any coastal species we may have missed the previous day. Return to Santiago for the night.

The Yeso Valley is renowned as one of the most accessible locations to observe the elusive and striking Diademed Sandpiper-Plover. This beautiful and enigmatic mountain shorebird breeds in the valley’s high-elevation bogs and will be our primary target for the day.

At Albatross Birding, we’re proud to have led a long-term research project on this species, giving us deep insight into its behavior and an excellent track record for successful sightings. In addition to the Sandpiper-Plover, there are many other interesting species we’ll be stopping to look for as we make our way to higher elevations.

Among the highlights are the Chilean endemics Crag Chilia and Moustached Turca, as well as Torrent Ducks navigating fast-moving rivers. We’ll also encounter a variety of Andean specialties, including White-sided Hillstar, Andean Goose, Scale-throated Earthcreeper, Black-fronted and White-browed Ground-Tyrants, Greater Yellow-Finch, Yellow-rumped Siskin, soaring Andean Condors, and the striking Mountain Caracara. As we reach higher elevations, we’ll have the chance to spot more localized and rare species like Creamy-rumped Miner and Grey-breasted Seedsnipe.

The scenery here is nothing short of spectacular—towering mountains, turquoise lakes, hanging glaciers, and rushing white-water rivers create an unforgettable landscape. In the afternoon, we’ll return to Santiago. Night in Santiago.