#birding #argentina #future #ideas #latam #travel

NW Argentina

Cerro de los Siete Colores, Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sites of interest

Top target birds

Rufous-throated Dipper
Andean, Chilean, and James's Flamingos
Ducks, coots, Horned Coot
- Diademed Sandpiper-Plover (not always reliable)
Burrowing Parakeet

Endemics or near-

Practical reasons for interest

Variety of landscapes and elevations, great scenery
Wine

Concerns

Currency exchange
- Though this Dec 2025 trip report suggests that it may have stabilized? See what news coverage and local sources say?
Meal times and lengths
Some bad roads, far from civilization
- How long are these drives? See Robby's maxim, and gauge value in visiting Cordoba, Chaco, etc.
  - Cordoba 7-hr drive from Tucuman
Extremely high altitudes

Itinerary thoughts

References

Trip reports

Poulsen - Oct-Nov 2025
McCloy - Dec-Jan 2023-2024
Jansen - Oct-Nov 2023
Matheve - Dec 2022
Delforge - July 2022
Branch - Jan 2022
Gordijn - Dec 2018

Podcasts

Naturally Adventurous - S6E27 - Argentina with Andres Vasquez
Naturally Adventurous - S3E25-27 - Argentina Intro, Top birds 11-6, Top birds 5-1
Chasing Feathers - 78-82 - Miramar, San Jose de las Salinas, Taffi del Valle, Rio Sosa & Yala NP, Laguna de los Pozuelos

Evaluation (preemptive)

Birding quality - 4/5 - birds supposedly extremely reliable at territories with coordinates, unclear how fun or satisfying that might be. Lots of brown Furnariids and finches. But Yungas and waterbirds should be great.
Logistical ease - 3/5 - Great information from numerous independent reports inspire confidence on site-finding and overall feasibility. But currency exchange, meal timing/length, and road quality could be major annoyances nearly every day.
Landscapes - 5/5
Culture - 4/5
Bang-for-the-buck - 5/5 - relatively cheap flights, and on-the-ground cheap too (partly due to ongoing inflation and strength of USD)
Overall - 4.2 - B-