Henry Vagrant/Animalia
Truly dedicated birders are known to plan travel around their obsession, and there are of course thousands of fantastic birdwatching destinations to choose from. But several stand out that should be on their lifetime bucket list. The following seven represent the highest global diversity, endemism, and spectacle in birdwatching—spanning the Amazon, Andes, wetlands, savannas, cloud forests, temperate migration corridors, and tropical rainforest, making them perennial benchmarks for avid avian enthusiasts worldwide.
Manu National Park, Peru
In the country´s southeast, part of the western Amazon basin, this 5,800-square-mile expanse (top) is widely regarded as the most species-rich birding area on Earth, spanning Andes, cloud forest, and Amazon lowlands in one continuous corridor. Birders have recorded up to 1,050 species here, including harpy eagle (above left), Andean cock-of-the-rock, macaws, and a huge diversity of hummingbirds. The best time to come is May–September, and to get here, you fly into Cuzco, then take an eight-to-12-hour overland and river journey into the reserve — a true wilderness expedition that only contributes to Manu´s mystique.
GRID-Arendal/Joseph C. Boone
Mindo Cloud Forest, Ecuador
A cloud forest is a tropical or subtropical forest where its always cloudy, and this one, in this country’s northwestern Andes Chocó region is another of the planet’s biodiversity hotspots, with 550-600 avian species packed into a birding zone spans of about a hundred square miles. Plate-billed mountain toucan (above left), cock-of-the-rock, tanagers, and more than 40 types of hummingbirds are highlights. Prime seasons are June–September and December–February. Mindo is a drive of only two to 2½ hours from Quito Airport, also making it one of the world’s most accessible elite birding sites.
The Pantanal, Brazil
Stretching across central South America—mostly in Brazil but also with some portions in Paraguay and Bolivia—the world´s largest tropical wetland covers about 75,000 square miles, and the open wetlands support 650–700 species, including the hyacinth macaw (above left) and jabiru stork, and its openness makes the Pantanal unusually beginner-friendly compared with dense rainforest birding. The dry season (July–October) concentrates birds and improves visibility. Most visitors fly into Cuiabá and drive two to four hours to lodges along the Transpantaneira.
Great Rift Valley and Lake Naivasha, Kenya
The East African Rift Valley in central Kenya is one of the continent’s great ecological corridors, and Lake Naivasha lies within it. The accessible birding zone covers roughly 140 sq. miles and supports 500–550 species, of which the most frequently spotted are flamingos (above), fish eagles, hornbills, and savanna raptors. November–April brings migrating fowl. From Nairobi Airport, the lake is a two to two-to-2½-hour drive, making it one of Africa’s easiest elite birding bases.
Danum Valley Conservation Area, Malaysia
In northeastern Malaysian Borneo, this valley harbors the Sunda Shelf rainforest, one of Southeast Asia’s last intact lowland rainforests. The reserve covers about 170 sq. miles and is home to 340–380 species, with standouts including Bornean bristlehead and spectacular hornbills like the rhinocerous hornbill (above left). March–October offers the best hiking conditions. From Lahad Datu Airport (just under three hours flying time from Kuala Lumpur), access requires a two-to-2½-hour four-wheel drive drive into pristine jungle.
Doñana National Park, Spain
At the mouth of the Guadalquivir River in the southern Andalusia region, Doñana is Europe´s most important wetland migration hub—so much so in fact that it´s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park covers about 210 square miles and supports 360 to 400 species, including Spanish imperial eagle (above left) and huge migratory flocks; in spring and fall they are truly sights to behold. Seville Airport is the gateway, followed by a drive of an hour to an hour and a half.
Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA
This stretch of the southernmost U.S.–Mexico border is a biological transition zone between temperate North America and the tropics, so among the 500 to 525 species here are a few tropical ones found nowhere else in the U.S., such as the green jay (above left), the plain chacalaca, the altamira oriole, the great kiskadee, and the groove-billed ani. The broader birding region spans about 4,000 square miles, and the birding is boffo all year round (although winter tends to be especially good). You get here by flying into McAllen Airport, then it´s just a 45-minute drive.
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