BEST OF EASTERN VENEZUELA – see the Tepui specialities without trekking, plus the Orinoco Delta and Northeast

PRICE INFORMATION

Birdquest Inclusions: Our tour prices include surface transportation, accommodations, meals and entrance fees.

We also include all tipping for local guides, drivers and accommodation/restaurant staff.

We also include these flights in our tour price:

Caracas-Puerto Ordaz

Puerto Ordaz-Caracas.

Deposit: 20% of the total tour price. Our office will let you know what deposit amount is due, in order to confirm your booking, following receipt of your online booking form.

TO BOOK THIS TOUR: Click here (you will need the tour dates)

The single supplement will not apply if you indicate on booking that you prefer to share a room and there is a room-mate of the same sex available.

This tour is priced in US Dollars. Amounts shown in other currencies are indicative.

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency will be pleased to arrange your air travel on request, or you may arrange this yourself if you prefer.

BEST OF EASTERN VENEZUELA BIRDING TOUR: DETAILED ITINERARY

Best of Eastern Venezuela: Day 1  Our Best of Eastern Venezuela birding tour begins this afternoon at Caracas Simón Bolívar International Airport. We will overnight at a nearby hotel.

Best of Eastern Venezuela: Day 2  Morning flight to Puerto Ordaz. Puerto Ordaz is part of the twin city of Ciudad Guayana.

After crossing the mighty Orinoco River, we will drive northwards through the oil-producing country of eastern Venezuela, where ‘nodding donkeys’ are a typical feature of the savanna-like llanos.

We will make a few roadside stops along the way to break the journey and we are likely to encounter a number of open country and wetland species typical of the llanos country of Venezuela. These will include our first chances of species such as White-faced Whistling Duck, Great and Western Cattle Egrets, Wood and Maguari Storks, Neotropic Cormorant, Black, Turkey and Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures, White-tailed Kite, White-tailed, Roadside and Savanna Hawks, Yellow-headed Caracara, (Northern) Crested Caracara, American Kestrel, Limpkin, Purple Gallinule, Wattled Jacana, Southern Lapwing, Common and Ruddy Ground Doves, Scaled and Eared Doves, Brown-throated Parakeet, Green-rumped Parrotlet, Orange-winged Amazon, Smooth-billed Ani, Black-throated Mango, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Plain Thornbird, Cattle Tyrant, the pretty little Vermilion Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Great Kiskadee, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, White-headed Marsh Tyrant, Grey-breasted Martin, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Southern House Wren, Palm and Blue-grey Tanagers, Red-breasted Meadowlark, Carib Grackle, Giant and Shiny Cowbirds, Black-striped Sparrow, Ruddy-breasted Seedeater and Grassland Sparrow. With a little luck, we will also come across Whistling Heron and Aplomado Falcon.

Eventually, we will reach the hills and mountains and travel onwards to the Caripe region for a four-night stay.

Best of Eastern Venezuela: Days 3-5  The main attraction of the Caripe region is the occurrence of a number of species that are either endemic or near-endemic to the cloudforests in the northeastern corner of Venezuela. The flashy White-tailed Sabrewing (a hummingbird that also lives on Tobago) prefers shady patches of Heliconia, while the unobtrusive and well-camouflaged endemic White-throated Barbtail behaves more like a mouse as it forages among moss-covered trunks. The dainty and endearing endemic Sucre Antpitta, looking for all the world like an egg on legs, hops around in the densest thickets but can sometimes be hard to see, as can the skulking endemic Paria Brushfinch. We will also explore one of the few remaining patches of suitable habitat for the endemic and endangered Grey-headed Warbler and have a very good chance of encountering this Red Data Book species. The rare Urich’s Tyrannulet is another speciality we will be hoping to see. This poorly-known species was first rediscovered in this area in 2007.

The endemic Venezuelan Sylph also occurs here regularly, and there is even a good chance for the rare endemic Venezuelan Flowerpiercer. We should also encounter the endemic Caracas Tapaculo, although the local form here may represent a distinct species restricted to northeast Venezuela. Fruiting trees often attract hungry near-endemic Groove-billed Toucanets and sometimes the endemic and very aptly named Handsome Fruiteater.

These are rich forests, and our list will grow rapidly. In the higher areas and wetter hill forest, other interesting species may include the scarce endemic Guttulate Foliage-gleaner and Crested and Stripe-breasted Spinetails, and we will also have a chance of the spectacular White-tipped Quetzal, the localized Klages’s Antbird (a bamboo specialist), and the smart Ochre-breasted Brushfinch. More widespread species that we are likely to find include Rufous-vented Chachalaca, Swallow-tailed Kite, White and Great Black Hawks, Green Hermit, Collared Trogon, Golden-olive and Red-rumped Woodpeckers, Red-billed Parrot, the ground-hugging Grey-throated Leaftosser, Plain-brown, Olivaceous, Black-banded, Strong-billed and Cocoa Woodcreepers, Northern Plain Xenops, Plain Antvireo, Slaty Antwren, the sneaky Black-faced Antthrush, Mountain Elaenia, Olive-sided, Pale-edged and Golden-bellied Flycatchers, Coopmans’s Tyrannulet (named after the late Paul Coopmans, our greatly missed guide and friend), Smoke-coloured Pewee, Slaty-capped, Olive-striped and Cinnamon Flycatchers, Yellow-legged Thrush, Blue-and-white Swallow and the attractive Blackburnian Warbler. On a day with good thermals, the huge Ornate Hawk-Eagle is possible here, and we may also encounter the elusive Sooty-capped Hermit, or even a flock of swift-flying Lilac-tailed Parrotlets, or the rare and attractive Cerulean Warbler.

Caripe is known for its famous Cueva de los Guacharos (‘Cave of the Oilbirds’), so eloquently described by Alexander Von Humboldt in his travel journals. He also gave the Oilbird its scientific name, Steatornis caripensis. A visit to this largest cave in Venezuela, situated in a rocky limestone canyon, is a real experience.

Before entering, we will spend some time near the cave’s entrance, where flocks of Scarlet-fronted and endemic Venezuelan Parakeets roost on the cliffs and White-tipped Swifts skirt the higher ridges. Bold Inca Jays hope for scraps at the picnic tables, whilst Bat Falcons sometimes perch high on their lookout posts.

As soon as we enter the cave we will hear the Oilbird’s strange snarls, clicks and groans, reminiscent of Donald Duck in a rage. They are amongst the very few birds that use echo-location and live in the first 2300ft (700m) of this more than 6 miles long (10 kilometres long) cave. The floor is covered with palm and laurel fruit stones (Oilbirds are strictly frugivorous), and we will soon detect these large, nightjar-like birds on their nests, situated on the higher ridges between impressive stalactites. More than 10,000 Oilbirds are assembled here, so the cave offers a truly amazing spectacle, and at dusk, there is a massive exodus when they all fly out to commence the foraging journeys that can take them up to 30 miles (50 kilometres) away. Most birds leave the cave in the first hour after dusk, often accompanied by large numbers of bats.

Here, the roadside forest is also lively, and the incessant calling of a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl is likely to attract a number of mobbing birds, which may include Rufous-and-white and Rufous-breasted Wrens, Trilling Gnatwren, Tropical Gnatcatcher, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, American Redstart, Golden-crowned Warbler, Tropical Parula, Lesser Goldfinch, Bananaquit, the attractive Blue-naped Chlorophonia, colourful Summer, Tooth-billed, White-winged, Blue-capped and Turquoise Tanagers, the localized Black-headed Tanager, Green, Purple and Red-legged Honeycreepers, Blue Dacnis and Trinidad and Thick-billed Euphonias.

We will also spend some time in pursuit of the numerous hummingbird species found in the area. We will explore overgrown coffee plantations and the nectar-rich blossoms of the flaming-red Erythrina trees, enabling us to witness the antics of an excellent selection of ‘colibris’. As well as the aforementioned White-tailed Sabrewing and Venezuelan Sylph, we will also be on the lookout for the endemic Green-tailed Emerald and the diminutive, range-restricted Rufous-shafted Woodstar, which sometimes visit flowering trees in the coffee plantations, and, with luck, we will find one or both. Other possibilities include the stunning Golden-tailed Sapphire, Brown and Lesser Violetears, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, Blue-tailed Emerald, Copper-rumped Hummingbird and Long-billed Starthroat. Tennessee Warblers, Orange-crowned Oriole and Crested Oropendolas often join in to sip the nectar. If we are very lucky, we will even come across the exquisite little Tufted Coquette.

In the more open woodland, the hard-to-see Little Tinamous call from patches of shrubby growth, and here we will encounter other new species such as Fork-tailed Palm Swift, Pauraque, Pale-vented Pigeon, Squirrel and Striped Cuckoos, Zone-tailed, Grey-lined and Short-tailed Hawks, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Barred and Black-crested Antshrikes, Ochre-lored and Yellow-olive Flatbills, Black Phoebe, Northern Tropical Pewee, Boat-billed, Streaked, Social and Rusty-margined Flycatchers, Golden-fronted Greenlet, Chivi Vireo, Bicoloured Wren, Pale-breasted and Spectacled Thrushes, Northern Waterthrush, Silver-beaked and White-lined Tanagers, Olive-grey Saltator, Grey and Yellow-bellied Seedeaters and Blue-black Grassquit, and we may also come across the secretive Red-billed Scythebill or the attractive Lance-tailed Manakin.

Best of Eastern Venezuela: Day 6  Today, we return to Puerto Ordaz, where we will spend the next two nights.

We will spend some time along the way in a fine tract of habitat where the ‘Black-dotted’ Piculet, endemic to northeastern Venezuela (but currently lumped in Scaled), can be seen. This diminutive woodpecker has had a chequered taxonomic history, and is probably still worth looking for,  as these things change, so we will still make it one of today’s prime targets. Some other exciting birds inhabit the forests here, and we have a very good chance of finding the range-restricted Little Hermit and White-chested Emerald, the gorgeous Crimson-hooded Manakin, and the fairly widespread but localized Velvet-fronted Grackle (the local form guianensis may represent a distinct species).

More widespread species possible in this area include Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Cocoi, Capped and Striated Herons, Anhinga, Snowy Egret, Plumbeous, Double-toothed and Pearl Kites, Black Hawk-Eagle, Crane Hawk, White-tipped and Grey-fronted Doves, Blue Ground Dove, White-eyed Parakeet, Blue-headed Parrot, Yellow-crowned Amazon, Greater Ani, Short-tailed Swift, Glittering-throated Emerald, Black-necked Aracari, White-throated Toucan, Green-backed and Guianan Trogons, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Swallow-winged Puffbird, Cream-coloured, Lineated and Crimson-crested Woodpeckers, Straight-billed Woodcreeper, the water-loving Silvered Antbird, Northern Slaty Antshrike, Jet and White-bellied Antbirds, Yellow-bellied and Forest Elaenias, Yellow and Southern Beardless Tyrannulets, Helmeted Pygmy Tyrant, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Lesser Kiskadee, Long-tailed Tyrant, Piratic Flycatcher, Cinnamon Attila, the noisy Stripe-backed Wren, White-winged Swallow, Tropical Mockingbird, Buff-breasted Wren, Cocoa Thrush and Yellow-rumped Cacique. With luck, we will also find the elusive Little Cuckoo, American Pygmy Kingfisher, the uncommon Yellow-crowned Elaenia or the attractive Black-capped Donacobius.

Best of Eastern Venezuela: Day 7  A little-known area for birders, the vast Orinoco Delta has produced some species new to science in recent decades. Today we shall explore the waterways and river islands in search of these special birds.

As we work our way around the river islands, we shall be in search of the fairly recently described endemic Rio Orinoco Spinetail and an as-yet-unnamed form of Stigmatura that resembles the Lesser Wagtail-Tyrant of the Amazonian river islands, but which may be a distinct species (‘Orinoco’ Wagtail Tyrant). We should also see a number of other river island specialists here, including River Tyrannulet and Riverside Tyrant.

As we turn our attention to more tangled and taller forest, we will be looking for the recently-described endemic Delta Amacuro Softtail and the spectacular, range-restricted Black-chested Tyrant. There is also a form of Tolmomyias flycatcher here that might prove to be yet another species new to science. It is somewhat reminiscent of Grey-crowned Flycatcher, but has a rather distinctive vocalisation, pointing to the likelihood that it may better be regarded as a separate species.

In addition to these species, we may well see a number of other wetland and riverside species such as Horned Screamer, Osprey, Long-winged Harrier, the fish-loving Black-collared Hawk, Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Yellow-billed and Large-billed Terns, Black Skimmer, the striking Blue-and-yellow Macaw, the amazing Hoatzin, Amazon, Green and Ringed Kingfishers, Striped Woodcreeper, Rusty-backed Spinetail, Spotted Tody-Flycatcher, Fuscous Flycatcher, Pied Water Tyrant, the somewhat unpredictable Lesson’s Seedeater, Yellow-browed Sparrow and the pretty Orange-fronted Yellow Finch. Time permitting, we will also look for White-bellied Piculet and devote our attention to the spectacle of several male Crimson-hooded Manakins attending their lek.

Best of Eastern Venezuela: Day 8  Early this morning we will be trying to find the uncommon and little-known Carrizal Seedeater not far from Puerto Ordaz. Whilst searching, we may come across the smart Two-banded Puffbird and Orinoco Saltator, and will no doubt see a number of widespread species that occur in the area, such as Groove-billed Ani, Plain-breasted Ground Dove, Common Gallinule, Least Grebe, Green Ibis, Black-crowned Night Heron, Laughing Falcon, Pale-breasted Spinetail, Northern White-fringed Antwren, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Scrub Greenlet, Purple-throated Euphonia, Eastern Meadowlark, Yellow Oriole, Yellow-hooded and Oriole Blackbirds, American Yellow Warbler and Grey Pileated and Saffron Finches. Afterwards, we will drive south, making a stop at the bridge over the Rio Cuyuni where we will hope to see two river-loving hirundines, the attractive White-banded and Black-collared Swallows.

Later, we will arrive at the remote settlement of Las Claritas for a five-night stay. We may arrive in time for some initial exploration.

Best of Eastern Venezuela: Days 9-12  From our base at Las Claritas, we will explore three major habitats: the forested slopes of the tepuis along the Escalera, the grassland and scrub of the Gran Sabana and the fringes of the Guianan rainforest. Sadly, much of the lowland forest that we used to visit has been cleared, meaning that some of the lowland species that we used to see have become much more difficult or impossible on this tour. Fortunately, all of these species have a wider distribution and can be found elsewhere, such as in neighbouring Guyana, where some of the forests have fared somewhat better until now.

A suite of bird species have a distribution limited to the tepui region that comprises the borderlands of southeast Venezuela, southwest Guyana and far northern Brazil, and it is, of course, these specialities that we will be concentrating on.

To the south of Las Claritas, we soon reach La Piedra de la Virgen, a huge rock that marks the start of the Escalera, the escarpment leading up to the Gran Sabana. The rock also marks the boundary of Canaima National Park, one of the largest national parks in the world. Provided it is clear as we climb to the top of the Escalera and reach the Gran Sabana, we shall enjoy spectacular vistas of steep-sided, flat-topped tepuis rising like islands out of a sea of windswept grassland and forest that stretches away to the horizon and the borders of Brazil.

The most sought-after birds of this magnificent area are, of course, the many tepui endemics. At the edge of the plateau, the rivers plunge over sheer sandstone cliffs into the forest far below. Here amongst the giant tree ferns and epiphyte-encrusted trees resides such iconic birds as the gorgeous White Bellbird, although we shall hear many more than we will see. Where waterfalls cascade down the forested slopes, we should encounter the Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock, although sometimes one must be content with just a glimpse of an orange fireball flashing through the trees. Other endemics we will be on the lookout for include Fiery-shouldered Parakeet, Tepui Swift, Rufous-breasted Sabrewing, the exquisite Peacock Coquette, Velvet-browed Brilliant, Tepui Toucanet, Tepui Spinetail, Tepui (or White-throated) Foliage-gleaner, the unobtrusive Roraiman Barbtail, Roraiman Antwren, Roraiman Antbird, Tepui (or Brown-breasted) Antpitta, the handsome Red-banded Fruiteater, Rose-collared Piha, Tepui Elaenia, Ruddy Tody-Flycatcher, Sierra de Lema Flycatcher, Black-fronted Tyrannulet, Flutist Wren, Tepui Vireo, Pantepui Thrush, the lovely Tepui Whitestart, Roraiman Warbler, Golden-tufted Mountain-Grackle, Olive-backed Tanager, the recently split Black-hooded Tanager and Tepui Brushfinch. We can also expect the range-restricted McConnell’s Spinetail, Guianan Warbling Antbird, Streak-backed Antshrike, Guianan Tyrannulet, and Scarlet-horned, Orange-bellied and Olive Manakins, as well as the nominate form of the Foothill Screech Owl (sometimes split as Roraiman Screech Owl).

Less easy-to-come-by endemics are Tepui Tinamou (straightforward to hear, but we need a bit of luck to see one), Blue-cheeked Parrot, Tepui Parrotlet, the restless Copper-tailed Hummingbird, Tepui Goldenthroat, Chapman’s Bristle Tyrant and Greater Flowerpiercer, but with perseverance, we should find one or two of these.

Quietly wandering along the road, we will hope to come across one of the legendary mega-flocks of the lower Escalera. These multi-level flocks can comprise as many as 50 species, including some of the endemics mentioned above. The flocks may be ‘led’ in the understorey by Cinereous and Dusky-throated Antshrikes, and these are joined by Wedge-billed, Buff-throated and Chestnut-rumped Woodcreepers, and Amazonian Plain Xenops. In the understorey, we will also look out for White-flanked and Grey Antwrens, Yellow-margined Flatbill, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Tawny-crowned Greenlet, or even the skulking Eastern Woodhaunter or Ochre-throated Foliage-gleaner. Higher, another flock leader, the smart Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo may give away its presence with its repetitive song, whilst also in the canopy we will look for species such as Ash-winged Antwren, Wing-barred Piprites and the scarce Buff-cheeked Greenlet, whilst colour may be added by Orange-bellied Euphonia and Turquoise, Paradise, Speckled, Spotted, Yellow-bellied, Bay-headed, Burnished-buff and White-shouldered Tanagers. With luck, the ultimate flock leader, the very dapper Fulvous Shrike Tanager, will also appear, accompanied by the awkward-looking Sharpbill, now once again placed in its own family. Loud calls may lead us to the vociferous Yellow-throated Flycatcher, whilst we will be hoping that woodpeckers, including Golden-spangled Piculet and Golden-collared Woodpecker, will join the group.

Cliff Flycatchers can be found in their typical microhabitat, and Rufous-brown Solitaires utter their liquid incantations. Other interesting species we will be hoping to find include Spix’s Guan, the fascinating Bearded Bellbird and the scarce Blackish Nightjar, and more widespread species we may well encounter on the forested slopes include Greater Yellow-headed Vulture, Broad-winged Hawk, Band-tailed and Ruddy Pigeons, Red-and-green Macaw, White-collared Swift, Sparkling Violetear, Masked Trogon, Grey Antbird, Black-capped Becard, Black-hooded Thrush (a dull subspecies here), Coraya Wren, Blackpoll Warbler, Green Oropendola, the smart Yellow-green Grosbeak and Fulvous-crested Tanager. If we are in luck, we will also find one or two of the more difficult-to-encounter species, such as the timid Black Curassow, Common Potoo, the scarce Blue-fronted Lancebill, Straight-billed Hermit, Great Jacamar, Lined Forest Falcon, the seldom-seen Plain-winged Antwren, Short-tailed Antthrush, Scaled Antpitta, or the rare and localized Roraiman Flycatcher.

Higher, in the savanna areas, we will look for the skulking Russet-crowned Crake, Plain-crested Elaenia, Short-crested Flycatcher, Tawny-headed Swallow, Black-faced and Red-shouldered Tanagers, Wedge-tailed Grass Finch and Rufous-collared Sparrow. We may also be fortunate enough to come across the impressive Giant Snipe and we may watch a Brown Jacamar sally forth from a dead limb at the edge of the forest.

The Las Claritas area lies at the edge of the Guianan rainforest which holds a different suite of birds. Sadly, much of the original habitat has now been destroyed, but we should be able to explore a few remaining pockets of more lowland forest. The first hours of the day reveal Channel-billed Toucans perching on exposed limbs whilst flocks of tanagers and saltators peruse the forest edge. We should still hear the piercing ‘whee-wheee-oo’ of a Screaming Piha at its lek, surely the most evocative sound of the South American rainforest. Hearing this fascinating bird is much easier than seeing it and we shall have to search the foliage diligently before this drab cotinga, which stays almost motionless whilst calling, can be located. Another splendid cotingid, but often not an easy one to find these days, is the amazing Capuchinbird (or Calfbird), whose unearthly calls sound like a blend between a cow and a chainsaw. Sadly the original lek in this area no longer exists, but birds are still occasionally seen as they travel through the forest, and we will certainly keep a careful eye out for them.

Noisy flocks of Cayenne Jays move through the Cecropia trees, and we will keep a careful lookout for the dramatically beautiful Crimson Topaz. Amongst the many other species we may find at lower elevations closer to Las Claritas are Little Chachalaca, Plumbeous and Scaled Pigeons, Grey-rumped, Band-rumped and Lesser Swallow-tailed Swifts, Rufous-breasted, Streak-throated and Reddish Hermits, Grey-breasted Sabrewing, White-necked Jacobin, Black-eared Fairy, Yellow-tufted, Waved and Red-necked Woodpeckers, Olive-backed Foliage-gleaner, Amazonian Plain Xenops, Mouse-coloured Antshrike, Pygmy, Long-winged, Todd’s and Spot-tailed Antwrens, Black-throated and Dusky Antbirds, Whiskered Myiobius, Ruddy-tailed and Ochre-bellied Flycatchers, Yellow-crowned and White-lored Tyrannulets, Black-tailed Tityra, White-necked Thrush, Buff-throated Saltator, Black-faced Dacnis and Swallow Tanager. If we are fortunate, we will come across some of the scarcer species, or species that just make it to the areas of accessible forest, such as the rare Marail Guan, Versicolored Emerald, White-chinned and Blue-chinned Sapphires, the smart Black-faced Hawk, Amazonian Motmot, the localized Guianan Toucanet, Black-spotted Barbet, the raucous Red-throated Caracara, Brown-bellied Stipplethroat, Rufous-throated Antbird, the lovely Spangled Cotinga, the range-restricted and aptly-named Tiny Tyrant-Manakin, Golden-headed Manakin and Opal-rumped Tanager.

Eastern Venezuela: Day 13  Drive back to Puerto Ordaz for an overnight stay, stopping for anything of interest along the way.

Eastern Venezuela: Day 14  The extension ends with a morning flight to Caracas International Airport.

(Most international departures from Caracas are in the afternoon or early evening.)