We will take an early flight from Santiago to Calama, the largest city in the desert. From here we’ll drive (1 hr) to San Pedro de Atacama, our base for this Andean birding adventure. Heading south from San Pedro we’ll visit an area with Tamarugo forest, one of the few tree species that grows in this arid landscape. Here we’ll look for a specialist of these woods, the Tamarugo Conebill. Other species of interest include Cinereous Conebill, Gray-bellied Shrike-Tyrant, Chiguanco Thrush and Scale-throated Earthcreeper.

Continuing south we’ll reach the twin lagoons Miscanti and Miñiques, richlu coloured lagoons nestled among striking moutanins. These Andean lagoons are the most important nesting sites in Chile for the Horned Coot, a high localized Altiplano species. This area is also good for Puna Tinamou, Puna (Lesser) Rhea, Andean Goose, Golden-spotted Ground Dove, Andean Gull, Puna Miner, Cordilleran Canastero, Black-hooded, Plumbeous and Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch, Bright-rumped Yellow-Finch and Black Siskin.

After a nice picnic lunch we’ll visit Chaxa lagoon located inside the Salar de Atacama, an absolutely massive salt pan. Here we’ll enjoy the amazing and dazzling landscape and look for several birds that feed in these salty waters. Particularly the Chilean, Andean and Puna Flamingos. Additionally, the Andean Avocet, with its peculiarly up-curved bill, and Puna Plovers, scurrying along the salty shore, are also seen here. We will spend the night in San Pedro de Atacama.

Early in the morning we will head north of San Pedro to the Tatio Geysers, the third largest geyser field in the world. We’ll arrive at this geological spectacle as the sun rises over the horizon and enjoy a cup of hot coffee or tea and some breakfast. The parking lot here is great for Andean Gull and many species of Sierra-Finches.

From here we’ll visit several high elevation wetlands. The landscape will be amazing – with snowcapped volcanoes and vast landscapes of Puna habitat. These high elevation bogs are the haunts of two high Andes ‘endemics’, the sought-after Diademed Sandpiper-Plover and Red-backed Sierra-Finch. Other interesting species seen in these wetlands are Crested Duck, Yellow-billed Teal, Puna Teal, Andean (Slate-colored) Coot, Giant Coot, Puna Ibis, Puna Snipe, Gray-breasted Seedsnipe, Mountain Caracara, Straight-billed Earthcreeper, Andean Negrito, Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant, Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant, Black-hooded Sierra-Finch, Mourning Sierra-Finch, Greenish Yellow-Finch. Night in San Pedro de Atacama.

After breakfast we’ll start our way back towards Calama, an area of more sheer and desolate desert. In areas seemingly devoid of all life we’ll look for an enigmatic specialist. The Grayish Miner, a species that seems to handle the driest of places. Part of the furnariid family, but sometimes behaving more like a tyrant, it’s definitely an interesting species to see. After lunch in Calama we’ll head to the airport for our early afternoon flight back to Santiago.