Day 1: The tour starts this evening with arrivals into Santa Cruz International Airport (VVI), where we will overnight.

Day 2: We will spend our first morning birding at nearby Lomas de Arena, located on the southeast side of Santa Cruz. This regional park is part of the northern border of the Chaco bioregion and protects some spectacular sand dunes and grassy savannas. Interesting species include Red-winged Tinamou (more often heard than seen), White-bellied Nothura, and range-restricted Bolivian Slaty Antshrike, as well as more widespread species such as Chaco Puffbird, Blue-crowned and Yellow-chevroned Parakeets, Plain Tyrannulet, Chotoy Spinetail, White-banded Mockingbird and sometimes Red-legged Seriema, just to name a few. We will then take a midday flight to Riberalta, where we will stay for the next two nights. We may have some time in the late afternoon for some first explorations in the area. Night in Riberalta.

Day 3: Our primary reason for visiting this remote corner of the country is to look for the highly localised Masked Antpitta, an endemic species restricted to typical gallery forests and riverine habitats around Riberalta. Interestingly, the Riberalta area has a wide range of habitats ranging from dry Cerrado habitats to more humid Amazonian forests. Time permitting, we will explore some of these habitats, and there will certainly be a lot of new birds to be seen. There is a nice list of key birds, with regular sightings in the area of species such as Pheasant Cuckoo, Purus Jacamar, Ocellated Crake, Flammulated Pygmy-Tyrant and White-bellied Seedeater. Night in Riberalta.

Day 4: We will spend some more time in the Amazonian forest, searching for whatever we might have missed the previous day, and if we have time, we will also visit some Cerrado habitats, where typical birds like White-eared Puffbird, Rufous-sided Scrub Tyrant, and White-rumped Tanager among many others are expected to be found. We will then take an afternoon flight to Trinidad, where we will spend the next two nights.

Day 5-6: We will have a full day and most of the next day to explore the bird-rich plains of the Lianos de los Moxos in the province of Beni. We will start our birding in Loreto to look for another very rare species, the critically endangered Blue-throated Macaw, once thought to be extinct in the wild and rediscovered a few years ago in this area. Endemic to the lowland of the Beni region in Bolivia, there could be fewer than 100 individuals remaining in the wild, and here we have a very good chance of seeing this incredible bird, without having to take an expensive charter plane to a private reserve where other groups need to stay for several days. We might find other species of parrots, including Blue-and-yellow, Red-and-green, Golden-collared and Chestnut-fronted Macaws, Turquoise-fronted Amazon, Yellow-chevroned, Peach-fronted and Dusky-headed Parakeets. In the nearby gallery forests, we will also look for some other key species, including the endemic and extremely rare Unicoloured Thrush, restricted to a small range of the floodplain forest of the Río Mamoré, although a great deal of luck is needed in order to see it, as well as the near-endemic Fawn-breasted Wren, the local form of Plain Softtail (potentially a future split), the local race of Velvet-fronted Grackle, Spix’s Guan, Plumbeous Ibis, the range-restricted Orinoco Goose, Hudson’s Black Tyrant, Long-tailed Reed Finch, Sulphur-bellied Tyrant-Manakin, Buff-bellied Hermit, Pale-crested Woodpecker, Screaming Cowbird, and with luck, Razor-billed Curassow or Gray-eyed Greenlet. At this time of the year, there are usually Upland and Buff-breasted Sandpipers in the short grassy areas too. This department of Bolivia is one of South America’s most bird-rich areas, and the wide, watery plains should allow us to amass a great list of more widespread species during our short visit here. On day 6, we will fly back to Santa Cruz in the early afternoon, and then we will drive to Los Volcanes National Park.

Day 7: We will spend a day and a half at Los Volcanes, birding the foothill forests adjacent to the Amboro National Park. Our base will be at the famous Refugio Los Volcanes, surrounded by impressive red cliffs and certainly one of the most spectacularly located birding lodges in the Andes. We will focus on a several key species here, including Slaty Gnateater, the near-endemic Bolivian Recurvebill (sometimes hard to find), Bolivian Tapaculo, Yungas Manakin, Yungas Dove, Black-banded Woodcreeper, Rufous-breasted Wood Quail, Grey-throated Leaftosser, Short-tailed Anthrush, Military Macaw, Western Fire-eye, Chestnut-backed Antshrike, Sclater’s and Buff-barred Tyrannulets, Ochre-cheeked Spinetail, White-bellied Pygmy-Tyrant, Grey, Brown and Black-capped Tinamous (all more often heard than seen), and White-throated Piping Guan. We will keep an eye out for Blue-browed Tanager, a species that is hard to see anywhere but is regularly sighted here. If we are lucky, we will also have a first chance to locate the range-restricted Yungas Pygmy Owl, and at night, we will go out and look for Rufescent Screech Owl and Band-bellied Owl. Night at Los Volcanes.

Day 8: Full morning birding the area of Los Volcanes looking for key species we might have missed the day before. After midday, we will head towards Samaipata for a two night stay. We will explore different sections of the region, crossing typical Andean picturesque valleys where we should amass several new birds of limited distribution such as Black-and-chestnut Warbling Finch, Black-capped Warbling Finch, Ocellated Piculet and Moss-backed Sparrow. We will keep an eye out for other birds like Giant Antshrike and the uncommon Dull-coloured Grassquit. Hummingbirds will also be plentiful in the area: Great-billed and Planato Hermits, White-vented, Sparkling and Lesser Violetears, if lucky he range-restricted Slender-tailed Woodstar, Glittering-bellied Emerald, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, White-bellied Hummingbird, Black-throated Mango and the stunning Red-tailed Comet can all be seen. Other more widespread species include Short-tailed Hawk, Green-cheeked and Blue-crowned Parakeets, Buff-browed Foliage-gleaner, Sooty-fronted Spinetail, Variable Antshrike, "Marcapata" Rufous-capped Antshrike, "White-bellied" White-crested Tyrannulet, Ochre-faced Tody-Flycatcher, Rufous Casiornis, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Blue-and-yellow Tanager, Golden-billed Saltator, and more. Night in a very nice “boutique” hotel in Samaipata.

Day 9:  We will spend most of the day at Quirusillas, birding around Laguna Esmeralda in search of Tucuman Amazon and Red-faced Guan, both restricted to this region and to northwest Argentina. There will also be a chance to see Slender-tailed Woodstar, Huayco Tinamou, Yungas Guan, White-throated Antpitta, the tricky Dot-fronted Woodpecker, Golden-winged Cacique, Pale-legged Warbler, White-browed Brushfinch, Spot-breasted Thornbird, Stripe-crowned Spinetail and Bolivian Tyrannulet. Night at Samaipata.

Day 10: Early this morning, we will make our way to the Red-fronted Macaw Reserve along the Río Misque, our base for the next night. Before that, If the road is in good condition, we will visit a cloud forest area in the early morning that can be very good for the rare Green-backed (Straw-backed) Tanager, and we will have a fair chance to see the rare Black-winged Parrot too. Our lunch stop is usually a good spot for Bolivian Earthcreeper. We will arrive at our final destination just in time to get to the cliff and enjoy the Red-fronted Macaws in the late afternoon light. This is possibly one of the most amazing birding experiences in the whole world, definitely rivalling the Lear's Macaws of NE Brazil. Other species of parrots may also join the fest, including Cliff, Mitred and Grey-hooded Parakeets, while other new species such as Blue-tufted Starthroat, White-fronted Woodpecker, White-tipped Plantcutter, Andean Condor, Grey-crested Finch, Bolivian Blackbird, Chaco Puffbird, Andean Swift, Southern Martin, Ultramarine Grosbeak and Greater Wagtail Tyrant can also be found. In the evening, we will go out in search of Scissor-tailed Nightjar. Night at the Red-fronted Macaw Reserve.

Day 11: Today, we will spend the early morning birding around the Red-fronted Macaw Reserve and then we will drive to Comarapa, where we will stay for the next two nights. Once in the dry forest near Comarapa we will look for other key birds such as the stunning Cream-backed Woodpecker, Olive-crowned Crescentchest, Rufous-sided, Ringed and Bolivian Warbling Finches and Great Pampa-Finch. Night in Comarapa.

Day 12: With a predawn departure, we will start climbing up to the Siberia cloud forests. In contrast to the arid Comarapa and Tambo areas, we will quickly see the change in habitat to humid rainforests typically covered with epiphytes! Our main targets here include the endemic Rufous-faced Antpitta, Trilling Tapaculo, near endemic Light-crowned Spinetail (here of the buff-crowned race), Bolivian Brushfinch, Blue-capped Puffleg and local races of Common Bush Tanager, Blue-winged Mountain Tanager, and Black-throated Thistletail. Other good birds may include Maroon-belted, Golden-browed and Kalinowski's (Crowned) Chat-Tyrants, Rufous-bellied Bush Tyrant, Plumbeous Tyrant, Andean Slaty Thrush, White-eared Solitaire, Violet-throated Starfrontlet, Brown-capped and Spectacled Whitestarts, Barred Becard and more. Later, during our descent to Comarapa, we will also search for the near-endemic Grey-bellied Flowerpiercer and other species like Green-barred Woodpecker, Rusty-vented Canastero and Rusty-browed Warbling Finch, and we may have some time leftover for birding the drier zone around Comarapa to look for anything we might have missed earlier. Night in Comarapa.

Day 13: Afterwards it will be a long driving day, heading for Cochabamba, where we will stay for the next 3 nights. We will have a little time to stop on the way to look for the superb Wedge-tailed Hillstar. On arrival, we will visit the nearby lake where we should see a variety of ducks. Night in Cochabamba.

Day 14: We will spend one full day in the Chapare region in search of various specialities. The main road here passes through a diverse range of habitats in a relatively short distance, first traversing high-altitude puna habitats and then dropping into high, untouched elfin forest, more temperate and subtropical forests, and eventually, further away, the lowlands. We will start by spending some time at a high pass looking for one of our major targets of the trip: the endemic Black-hooded Sunbeam. From there, we will be searching for the nominate race of Black-throated Thistletail, Bolivian Tyrannulet, Bolivian Antpitta, Scaled Metaltail, Black-winged Parrot, Blue-banded Toucanet and Hooded Mountain Tanager, while other Andean goodies like Band-tailed and Barred Fruiteaters, Three-striped, Black-eared and Orange-browed Hemispingus, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Chestnut-crested Cotinga, White-collared Jay, Yungas Warbler, Pale-footed Swallow, Fulvous Wren, Slaty Finch, Barred Antthrush (heard much more often than seen), Stripe-faced Wood Quail (very difficult), Black-streaked Puffbird, Olivaceous Siskin, Golden-headed and Crested Quetzals, Versicolored Barbet, Olive-backed Woodcreeper, Unadorned Flycatcher, Lanceolated Monklet, Geoffroy’s Daggerbill, Gould's Inca and Andean Cock-of-the-rock are all possible in the area and we will devote much of our time here to search for them! Night in Cochabamba.

Day 15: Today, we will start climbing the Quillacolla road starting in the northwest of Cochabamba. Our ascent soon has us at higher altitudes, with stunning views of towering cliffs and peaks (including Cerro Tunari at 5035m) and our first foray into Polylepis woodland. We will make a few stops on the road focusing on our main target birds here, including the endemic Cochabamba Mountain Finch, Bolivian Warbling Finch, Rufous-bellied Mountain Tanager, Maquis Canastero, the high-altitude subspecies of Olive-crowned Crescentchest, Brown-backed Mockingbird, and Rock Earthcreeper. Other interesting species we may well see during our ascent include Andean Tinamou, Streak-fronted Thornbird, Giant Hummingbird, Red-tailed Comet, Cinereous and Giant Conebills, Rufous-rumped Bush Tyrant, Puna Tapaculo, Red-crested Cotinga, Buff-breasted Earthcreeper, Tawny Tit-Spinetail, and the more abundant Brown-capped Tit-Spinetail. We will have another chance here for Wedge-tailed Hillstar and Yungas Pygmy Owl. Eventually, we will reach the highest point, where more good birds should join the party: Andean Hillstar, Bright-rumped Yellow Finch, Black-billed Shrike Tyrant, Crested and Andean Ducks, Yellow-billed Pintail, Andean Coot, Andean Gull, Andean Flicker, White-winged Diuca Finch, Slender-billed Miner, Cordilleran Canastero, and a large variety of Ground Tyrants including Puna, Ochre-naped, Spot-billed, Cinereous and Taczanowski’s. We will also keep an eye out for more elusive species such as Darwin’s Nothura, Grey-breasted Seedsnipe and Boulder (Short-tailed) Finch, all possible today. Night in Cochabamba.

Day 16: We will leave Cochabamba and drive to Oruro, where we will overnight. We will pass through puna habitat for a time, stopping to look for Ornate Tinamou, White-winged Cinclodes, Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail, Cordilleran Canastero, and Puna Yellow Finch. Birds expected to be seen on the different lakes include Andean Goose, Andean Avocet, Puna Plover, Silvery Grebe, Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, Wren-like Rushbird, Andean Lapwing, Andean Negrito, Plumbeous Rail, James’s, Andean and Chilean Flamingos, Puna Ibis, Baird's Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, Aplomado Falcon, Golden-spotted Ground Dove and more. Night in Oruro.

Day 17: Today we will explore some different sections of the lakes close to Oruro, searching for whatever species we might have missed, and afterwards we will drive to Quime, making a stop to search for the elusive Darwin's Nothura. Night in Quime.

Day 18: This morning, we will travel along the remote Inquisivi road in search of another mega target: the endangered and endemic Bolivian Spinetail, only discovered in 1993. Another good bird here is the distinctive local race of the Green-cheeked Parakeet (showing yellow wings here), as well as Striped and Green-barred Woodpeckers, Golden-rumped Euphonia, Rusty Flowerpiercer and Black-backed Grosbeak, amongst others. Continuing on our way to La Paz, we should have time for more stops in puna grasslands and upland bogs, searching for anything we might have missed so far. Night in La Paz, the highest capital city on the planet at 3640m.

Day 19-20: Today we will make our way towards the Coroico road for a two-night stay. We will have two full days to explore this marvellous road. Once again, we will start exploring the high puna habitat around La Cumbre at 4600m and then start heading downhill along the old Coroico road, also named the “death road”.  Starting from the higher elevations and on our way to lower sections, we are expecting to find Andean Ibis, Rufous-capped Thornbill, Great Sapphirewing, Glacier Finch, Rufous-bellied and Grey-breasted Seedsnipes, Black Siskin, range-restricted Peruvian Sierra Finch, White-browed Conebill, White-fronted Ground-Tyrant, Giant Coot, Tawny Tit-Spinetail, Puna Tapaculo, Stripe-headed Antpitta, Scribble-tailed and Line-fronted Canasteros and more. We will then explore the mid-elevation area of Chuspipata, where we will look for more key species in the Yungas forests: the restricted-range Diademed Tapaculo and near-endemic Scimitar-winged Piha, at the easier and most accessible place in the world to see it. As we keep dropping in altitude, the temperate forest of this road should provide excellent birding, as pristine forests stretch from the main road in every direction. Highlights could include Sickle-winged Guan, Chestnut-crested Cotinga, Plushcap, Yellow-billed Cacique, Bar-bellied Woodpecker, Gould’s Inca, Buff-thighed Puffleg, Rufous-booted Racket-tail, Grass-green and Slaty Tanagers, Striped Treehunter, Fulvous Wren, Ochraceous-breasted Flycatcher, Upland Antshrike and stunning Golden-collared Tanager, just to name a few. At night, we will try for the usually very difficult to see Cloud Forest Screech Owl. Although infrequently seen, we have a chance for Hooded Tinamou and Yungas Tody-Tyrant. Nights at Coroico.

Day 21: We will spend the morning birding along the Coroico road looking for anything important we might have missed the previous days and then drive to Lake Titicaca via La Paz. We will enjoy endemic Titicaca Grebes from our very comfortable accommodation, as well as Puna Teals, Plumbeous Rails, Many-colored Rush Tyrants and Black Siskins. Night near Lake Titicaca.

Day 22: We will drive to Sorata and spend our final morning of the main tour searching for the highly localised and endemic Berlepsh’s Canastero, as well as Huayco Tinamou. Those finishing the tour today will transfer back to La Paz International Airport (LPB) this evening, while those continuing on the extension will drive north.

APOLO OPTION: The road to Apolo gets regularly severed for long periods by rain and landslides, so getting there is far from guaranteed no matter what time of year we choose. Rather than charging a higher price for an extension which may ultimately not pay off, we have decided to set it up without an Ornis leader. Interested participants will go with our excellent local bird guide at a reduced cost, with the understanding that if the road is impassable then that is the end of that. 

Birding opportunities if the road is impassable are limited, since no targets are likely to remain around La Paz after the main tour. We are not able to get money back from ground arrangements in Apolo so no alternate plan can be provided, but we will arrange hotel nights in La Paz until international flights home are scheduled. Cost of this extension will be determined based on group numbers closer to the date of departure. 

Starting on Day 22 of the main tour after birding at Sorata, participants would drive north to Charazani and then onwards to Apolo the next day. Return to La Paz International Airport would be in the afternoon of Day 27. Primary targets include Inti Tanager, "Palkachupa" Swallow-tailed Cotinga, Yungas Tyrannulet, Yungas Antwren, Black-bellied Antwren, Inambari-Tambopata Antwren, and Straw-backed Tanager.