Day Trip BIRD WATCHING
MEJIA SANCTUARY

Overview

Lagunas de Mejía National Sanctuary (Santuario Nacional Lagunas de Mejía) is a protected area on the coastal plain of Peru, in Islay Province, Arequipa, in the mouth of the Tambo River. It is a sanctuary for migratory and resident birds, and was designated a Ramsar site in 1992.
One of the purposes of this protected area is to provide a sanctuary for Nearctic migratory birds, as it is a unique habitat on almost 2000 km of coast on the Pacific Ocean. A total of 209 species of resident and migratory birds can be found in the park including: (the grey gull, the sanderling, the Black skimmer, Belcher's gull, the kelp gull, the Grey-headed gull, the White-tufted grebe, the Great grebe, the White-cheeked pintail, the Cinnamon teal, the Common moorhen, the Virginia rail, the Cocoi heron, the Snowy egret, the Little blue heron, the Chilean flamingo, among others).
Some of the mammals reported in the area are: (Molina's hog-nosed skunk, the lesser grison, the Sechuran fox, the marine otter, Pallas's long-tongued bat, and the montane guinea pig).
The aquatic ecosystems harbor species of fish like monengue (Dormitator latifrons), lisa (Mugil cephalus) and pejerrey (Basilichthys sp.); and crustaceans like Cryphiops caementarius and Ocypode gaudichaudii.
Amphibians like Rhinella limensis and reptiles like the endemic tiger Pacific iguana and Phyllodactylus sp. also inhabit the sanctuary.

"TO BE ABLE TO SEE BIRDS IT IS NECESSARY TO BE PART OF THE SILENCE."
 ROBERT LYND

USEFUL INFORMATION
Duration: 11-12 hrs
Starting Point: Arequipa hotel
Final point: AREQUIPA hotel
Destination: “MEJIA SANCTUAR”
 Theme: Birdwatching and hiking
Difficulty: Easy
Group size: Minimum 2 participants
Availability: All year Long
Requirement: Regular Physical condition

Itinerary

7:00 am pick up passengers from their hotels, bus terminal or Airport, then we follow the Panamerica highway toward southwest until Cocachacra Valley where we have one stop to take pictures of the sugar cane fields and the sugar factory (Chucarapi) later we stop again but this time at the small craft factory of local sweets known as Alfajores we taste some and we will see how people process their delicious delicacies, after that we continue along the Tambo River crossing some little towns to finally get to Mejia Birds Sanctuary   
Once we registered our names in the guestbook we start the adventure at the small interpretation center where we get information about the birds, their nesting places and migration routes the little place has a model of the entire national sanctuary so this is going to give us a better idea about each lagoon their viewpoints that we are going to visit and the best place for a pleasant walk for all visitors.
At the Birds Sanctuary of Mejia 209 bird species have been identified among migratory, residents, occasional and rare who arrive to feed and live stationary. This bird watching tour takes about 2hrs in the sanctuary, includes time to enjoy the beach and have a picnic on the shores of the Pacific Ocean If time permits, we do a short walk along the seashore to observe more birds over this intangible area rich in see wildlife, then we board our vehicle to go to Mollendo the biggest town this province enjoy the lunch based on see food and after that will be ready to go back to Arequipa following another route that crosses part of the Arequipa desert ending the tour between 6:00 pm or 7:00 pm approximately.

Bird Watching Tour Includes

· Official Tour Guide 
   (Spanish / English)
· Entrance to Mejia sanctuary
   (Ticket s /. 30.00)
· Pick up from the hotel
   (For all the participants)
· Public bus  
   (Standard Service)
· Private vehicle
   (Superior Service) only
· Flexible Departure time
   (Superior Service) only
· Pick up from the bus station or airport
   (Superior Service) only
· Sea food Lunch
   (Superior Service) only
· Snacks, Water
· Binoculars
· Physical information
   (about birds in the sanctuary)

It Does Not Include

X Hotel in Arequipa
X Travel insurance
X Alcoholic drinks
X Tips for the Guide

What do you need to bring?

· Summer clothes
   (November to May)
· Winter clothing
   (June to October)
· Hat or cap
   (to protect from the sun)
· Sunscreen cream
· Photo camera
· Sunglasses, towel
· Swimsuit
   (if you want to go to the beach)
· Sandals, personal things
· Extra money

NOTE

· THE SUPERIOR SERVICE
Everything is INCLUDED
· THE STANDARD SERVICE
shares a group with other participants
· To stop for having lunch at traditional restaurant is only available for those who apply to Superior Service
· Departure time could be More flexible for Superior Service
· We have a price for SOLO traveler
· Our price does not include the transfer fee if you pay through Paypal

PERU ULTIMATE EXPEDITION
not only offers this option, if you like to be out of the ordinary and regular excursions, let us know to send you our secrets trips.
 Our group of experts is prepared to develop the trip on the way that you prefer, if there is any special activity that you want to do, contact us that we will kindly answer you.
We are experts in Mountaineering, Rafting, Mountain biking trekking in the deepest canyons in the world Colca and Cotahuasi, we also develop horseback riding, hiking, rock climbing, bird watching, and visits to the largest petroglyph deposit in the world, cave paintings or any other excursion that we can combine to create the best experience that you deserve.
We operate in Lima, Pisco, Paracas, Arequipa, Puno, Cusco Puerto Maldonado among others to obtain an immediate response from our travel agent, contact us at whatsapp number +51939394105 or our corporate email:
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