Day 1: The tour starts this morning at Cordoba International Airport (COR), from where we will transfer east to Laguna Mar Chiquita. Prime targets include the breeding-endemic Dinelli’s Doradito, South American Painted Snipe, Dot-winged Crake, plus numerous other interesting species like White-fronted Woodpecker, Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper, Chaco Earthcreeper, Freckle-breasted Thornbird, Olive-crowned Crescentchest, White-tipped Plantcutter, White Monjita, Red-crested Cardinal, Chaco Sparrow, Great Pampa Finch, Corrondera Pipit, amongst others. The lake also hosts huge numbers of Chilean Flamingo (occasionally a few of the other two species are floating around too), plus we will aim to find Ringed Teal and Rosy-billed Pochard. Night at Miramar.

Day 2: We’ll have a second chance at the Laguna Mar Chiquita specialties today before moving west to Icho Cruz for overnight.

Day 3: Birding the rugged Pampa de Achala, regional endemic species and subspecies to search for include Darwin's Nothura, Olrog’s Cinclodes, Córdoba Cinclodes, “Córdoba” Streak-backed Canastero, “Sierran” Long-tailed Meadowlark, and Hellmayr's Pipit. Afterwards, we transfer further north to an area which is one of the best in which to find Black-bodied Woodpecker (perhaps the hardest Chaco endemic), plus impressive Blue-tufted Starthroat, unique Crested Gallito, Stripe-crowned Spinetail, Straneck’s Tyrannulet, Greater Wagtail-Tyrant, Golden-billed Saltator, Black-and-chestnut Warbling Finch, and a wealth of other birds. Night in Capilla del Monte.

Day 4: We will have this morning to look for the rare woodpecker again before moving north towards Salinas Grandes for an overnight stay. Salinas Grandes are the third-largest salt flats in the world and home to Salinas Monjita, almost exclusively restricted to these saltpans! Dry chaco thornscrub surrounding these flats host the near-endemic Spot-winged Falconet, along with Brushland Tinamou, Chaco Puffbird, Lark-like Brushrunner, Crested Hornero, Short-billed Canastero, Lesser Shrike-Tyrant, White-banded Mockingbird, Ringed Warbling Finch, the declining Black-crested Finch, and many more. It’s a very birdy site and we’ll have an afternoon and next morning to enjoy the avian diversity of this unique region! Night at Salinas Grandes.

Day 5: After a morning birding in the Salinas, we will drive to Tafí del Valle for a two-night stay. Some initial exploration might well reward us with the rare Yungas endemic Rufous-throated Dipper or the more straightforward Yellow-striped Brushfinch, our two main targets in this forest. Night in Tafí del Valle.

Day 6: Exploring Infiernillo Pass, home to some localised Argentinian endemics like Moreno's Ground Dove, White-browed Tapaculo, and Tucuman Mountain Finch. Other regional or more widespread specialties include the stunning Red-tailed Comet, White-browed Chat Tyrant, Cordilleran Canastero, Buff-breasted Earthcreeper, Streak-fronted Thornbird, Subtropical Doradito, Black Siskin, and more. An optional hike higher up a remote ridge should produce the very localised Scribble-tailed Canastero and perhaps Boulder Finch. In the afternoon we will explore the yungas forest below Tafí del Valle again, focusing on finding the aforementioned dipper and brushfinch plus perhaps Torrent Duck, Buff-banded Tyrannulet, Brown-capped Whitestart, and some widespread species. Night in Tafí del Valle.

Day 7: After some final birding in the Tafí del Valle area, we will make our way towards the scenic Calchaquíes valleys, and more specifically, Amaicha del Valle and Cafayate. We will now have entered the Monte, a strip of very dry inter-Andean desert entirely restricted to Argentina. Here, we’ll have our first chances to find several endemics like Sandy Gallito, White-throated Cacholote, Steinbach's Canastero, Black-crowned Monjita, Monte Yellow Finch, and many other regional specialties. Some Chaco birds also occur in these dry habitats, and this is one of our best oportunities to come across the tricky Black-legged Seriema! We will be passing through some absolutely breathtaking scenery, with the screams of Burrowing Parrots as background ambience as we continue to Cafayate looking for Tufted Tit-Spinetail and Patagonian Mockingbird on the way. We will go owling tonight and hope to find the near-endemic Chaco Owl. Night in Cafayate.

Day 8: This morning we will make our way out of the Monte Desert through the stunning Quebrada de las Conchas. We will have further opportunities to look for the Monte endemics before an afternoon visit to the sublime Valle Encantado, Here we hope to find endemics and near-endemics like Zimmer’s Tapaculo, Rufous-bellied Mountain Tanager (formerly considered a Saltator), and Maquis Canastero, amongst others. This is also an excellent site to actually see Andean Tinamou, as opposed to only hearing it! Night in Chicoana.

Day 9: We will leave Chicoana early and go up the Valle Encantado again, making some stops to try to find Huayco Tinamou (though this species can be annoyingly hard to see in the tall grasslands). We will be targeting the same important species mentioned for yesterday, plus others like Red-tailed Comet, Grey-hooded Parakeet, Mitred Parakeet, Rock Earthcreeper, Brown-capped Tit-Spinetail, and Rufous-sided Warbling Finch. We will then make our way towards Taco Pozo, stopping en-route for Black-and-chestnut Warbling Finch if still needed. Night in Taco Pozo.

Day 10: We will have a full day birding around Taco Pozo, which should allow us to connect with all remaining Chaco endemics. The list of specialties and other birds we’ll be looking for is long and we’ll be working hard to connect with all of them, including Quebracho Crested Tinamou, Chaco Chachalaca, Chaco Puffbird, White-barred Piculet, Stripe-backed Antbird, Great Rufous Woodcreeper, Little Thornbird, Brown Cacholote, Cinereous Tyrant, Plain Inezia, Southern Scrub Flycatcher, Rufous Casiornis, Black-capped Warbling Finch, and the splendid Many-coloured Chaco Finch. We also have our second chance for the tricky Chaco Owl and Black-bodied Woodpecker. Night in Taco Pozo.

Day 11: After some final birding in Taco Pozo, we will make our way towards the stunning Yungas forests of the fabulous Calilegua National Park. On the way we will make some stops to look for Greater Rhea, Red-legged Seriema, and Whistling Heron. Nights in Libertador General San Martin.

Day 12-13: Two full days will allow us to truly enjoy the Yungas forests of Calilegua National Park! Prime targets in these temperate mossy forests will be the astounding Blue-capped Puffleg, Yungas Guan, Tucuman Amazon, Dot-fronted Woodpecker, White-throated Antpitta, Giant Antshrike, Yungas Manakin, White-browed Brushfinch, Moss-backed Sparrow, Two-banded Warbler, and Pale-legged Warbler, amongst many others. Raptors are always in evidence here, and we have quite good chances for Solitary Eagle or Black-and-chestnut Eagle. 

The lower elevations of Calilegua encompass some drier habitats, home to some specialties like Toco Toucan, Cream-backed Woodpecker, Green-cheeked Parakeet, Yellow-collared Macaw, Ochre-cheeked Spinetail, Black-capped Antwren, and several more common species. Night birding in Calilegua can also be rewarding, but the road conditions sometimes make it a very tiring and late-night affair. We will make sure to see the near-endemic Montane Forest Screech Owl, but also have chances for the mythical Buff-fronted Owl, Yungas Pygmy Owl, and perhaps Rufous Nightjar. Nights in Libertador General San Martin.

Day 14: After some final birding in Calilegua, we will start a fairly long drive to another great stretch of Yungas forest at Yala, making a few birding stops on the way. Our hotel usually has Yungas Sparrow and Plush-crested Jay in the garden! Night in San Salvador de Jujuy.

Day 15 Today, we’ll spend most of our time birding the Yungas forest at Parque Provincial Potrero De Yala. Prime targets in the region will mostly be Yungas endemics like the threatened Red-faced Guan, Slender-tailed Woodstar, Yungas Dove, Rothschild’s Swift, Spot-breasted Thornbird, Rufous-capped Antshrike, Slaty Elaenia, Sclater's Tyrannulet, Plumbeous Black-Tyrant, Rusty-browed Warbling Finch, Fulvous-headed Brushfinch, Rust-and-yellow Tanager, and Andean Slaty Thrush. This is the best site to find the sought-after Rufous-throated Dipper, should we have missed it previously. Night near San Salvador de Jujuy.

Day 16: We will be leaving the Yungas behind early this morning, stopping a few few altiplano lakes where we have our first chances at James's Flamingo, Andean Flamingo, Giant Coot, Puna Teal, Puna Ibis, Andean Avocet, and more. After switching to 4WD vehicles and searching for specialties like Puna Yellow Finch, Bright-rumped Yellow Finch, and Citron-headed Yellow Finch, we will make our way towards the impressive Abra de Lizoite at 4540m elevation where the restricted-range Red-backed Sierra Finch is common and we have another chance to see Boulder Finch. A bit lower down, we will visit a boggy area to look for the superb Diademed Sandpiper-Plover! If we succeed quickly and road conditions allow, we aim to make it all the way to Santa Victoria looking Tawny Tit-Spinetail, Bolivian Warbling Finch and Bolivian Earthcreeper. Night in La Quiaca.

Day 17: First searching for Wedge-tailed Hillstar, Rusty-vented Canastero, Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail, and Black-hooded Sierra Finch in some canyons near town, we will continue westwards during the morning. Ornate Tinamou and Golden-winged Ground Dove are common as we make our way through the extremely scenic Quebrada de Humahuaca to reach remote lakes on the altiplano, the favourite habitat of the impressive Horned Coot. We have more chances for all three flamingo species, plus a wealth of other birds like Puna Plover, Puna Miner, and Brown-backed Mockingbird. There is a small chance for Tawny-throated Dotterel and Grey-bellied Shrike Tyrant if we keep our eyes peeled. 

Day 18: Some final birding this morning before driving to Salta, where the tour ends this afternoon at Salta International Airport (SLA).