Hello ,

Finally! Lots of good news! In this newsletter. 

Finally, for more than a month the daily number of new infections is much lower than the daily number of people who have completely recovered from COVID 19. There are less daily mortalities.

All numbers are better now than in late June-early July before the start of the second wave. Many restrictions have loosened, although it is still state of emergency in Peru, with limited mobility allowed at night and on Sundays. The state of emergency is on until Oct 31, after which new regulations will replace. It is likely that Peru will open even more after this date. 
There are studies indicating that Peru is getting close to herd immunity. 
 

All in all, this means that we are now able to offer some less complicated birdwatching itineraries for local naturalists, and visitors from abroad as flight are resumed. 

 

From Oct 5, commercial international flights of less than 4 hours journey are again allowed. We are receiving flights from Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay. 

This means that you can come to Peru via these countries. If your transit is short, you would not have to pass immigration in the connecting country.  

 

To enter Peru you must have a PCR COVID 19 test done and showing negative result and being no older than 72 hours when you board the plane to Peru.

There are also a number of direct repatriation and humanitarian flights to and from US and Europe, but for these you supposedly need a compelling reason for visiting Peru.

Birdwatching may be compelling to you, but it may not impress airline and immigration staff. It seems however that little is checked, so it could well be that you could get on one of these flights in case you find them. KLM/Air France and Iberia have run such flights to/from Europe and Delta and LATAM to/from the US.    

There is no quarantine enforced once you enter Peru. You may or may not face quarantine in your own country when going back, so this must be taken into account. 
 

Peru is slowly preparing to receive tourists safely. Many of the archaeological attractions in Cusco will be open from October 15 and Machu Picchu will open in November. 
 

I realize that many people feel it is not safe to travel before there is a vaccine. People in the risk groups should be particularly careful and I don't encourage them to travel. On the other hand, for many of us, birds and travel is what we live for. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of people who want to travel as soon as possible and many who firmly believe that we have to learn to live with the virus, but to do so with responsibility and care. The big question everyone is asking me. Can you travel in Peru safely?

I'd say you can. You should know this:
There are a number of policies in place. Virus-safe AC in the airplanes, COVID 19 test prior to travel, temperature control and screening as you board the plane and as you enter the country and you have to be wearing a face mask at all times - all this will diminish the risk of infection.

In our van we have to wear face masks. All surfaces in the vehicle are disinfected several times per day. There is abundant supply of gel and alcohol in the car. Temperature is taken twice daily of passengers and staff. 

Hotels and restaurants follow additional COVID 19 protocols.

When birding we will also keep social distancing and use a cell phone screen for the telescope while phonescoping. 

All in all, these measures should make you feel safe, if you decide to travel to Peru.
 

In order to promote our Central Peru Satipo road project, give some very needed work and income to our staff, and provide a fantastic offer for anyone who normally can't afford to go birding in Peru with a professional bird tour operator, we have decided to offer our flagship 5-day Satipo road trip at a ridiculously low price. 

 

Residents of the countries that have direct flights to Peru (Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay) + residents of Costa Rica get 50% discount, everybody else gets 30% discount on this trip. 

There are four departures. Oct 19, Oct 26, Nov 2 and Nov 9.  Group size between 3-6 people. 
Guiding in Spanish (except Oct 19 departure) but names of birds in English of course. 
Don't miss this opportunity - especially if you live close in the Latin American region or the US (with flight via Panama, Bogota or Quito/Guayaquil). 

In a previous newsletter, I shared this video in Spanish with you (subtitles can be activated) about our condor project that we presented to MINCETUR. 

Guess what? We won! We are getting funding to build the hide, to do marketing and provide basic salaries for 6 months from the Peruvian Tourism Ministry. 

If this pandemic has taught me one thing it is to find new solutions for the company. That is a good a thing. 

I have had this idea to promote condor watching in the Santa Eulalia canyon for over 15 years, and now there is finally a project in the making. The last couple of weekend I have organized hikes to the condor watching spot at Punkayan. It has the potential to become very popular.  

Here are some more footage taken with a basic iPhone 6 (only one camera and no optical zoom).

The hides will be built in early January. During November and December we shall habituate the condors by feeding them safe carcasses at the feeding station.
I am sure this will become a great eco-resource in Lima and not only for birders. 

 

With Peru opening up, and international flights having resumed it is again possible to plan for proper birding trips with all COVID 19 protocols in place.

Full month birding - or just two weeks?
We have two clients interested in doing a full month in Peru and two additional clients who want to do a complete Central Peru tour. Therefor, I have scheduled Central Peru 16 days and North Peru 16 days back to back with Central Peru starting on Nov 16 and North Peru starting on Dec 2. 
This means we have two spots still on the first program and four spots for the second program. Any takers?

 

It is quite remarkable how Christmas Eve and New Years Eve fall on a Thursday this year. Assuming, you don't work on these days and you are free on Saturdays, if you take three days off from work it gives you a holiday lasting from December 24-January 3.11 days!
If you take three more days off from work Monday December 21-Wednesday December 23, you'd enjoy a holiday of 16 days from December 19. Wow!

Of course, for many people Christmas is spending time with the family, but there are also a lot of people who dread this time of year, and see it as an opportunity to get away from all the bustling and hustling. 

We offer a 10 day North Peru trip between Dec 22-Dec 31. One can also join the trip with just five days between Dec 26-30 starting in Jaen. One may also do an extension to the Scarlet-banded Barbet Jan 1-3, and one may have time to do some birding in Lima prior to the start of the tour in the North. Hit me back with an email if this sounds interesting.

Bird Photography North Peru in January. 

I have just got some requests for a short bird photography trip in Northern Peru in January with an extra day added for the lek of Marvelous Spatuletail. Tentatively, the departure is on Jan 10. 

 

It is difficult to train when there are no particular goals of upcoming races. All marathons I considered for this year have been cancelled. However, more and more virtual races are announced, so I have signed up for a virtual Autumn Marathon to keep me motivated. I only have five weeks to get in shape. The virtual marathon will be run in Lima on Nov 15. 

 

Thanks for reading. Hit me back with an email if there is anything you wonder about. Next weekend it is the Global Birding weekend and Global Big Day. I am considering entering our team. If you want to join us, anywhere in the world, let me know so we can do a great impact together. I shall update you tomorrow about this, so stay tuned. 

Saludos

 

Gunnar