Dates & Prices

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Dates: 20th Sep – 4th Oct 2026

Price: £4,795 Places available

Single Room Supplement: £0

Deposit: £750 per person

Price Includes: Accommodation, all meals, ground transport, services of guides

Not Included: International travel, domestic flight within Peru, travel insurance, drinks & other personal items

Conservation Donation: Butterfly Conservation Europe

Leader(s): Adrian Hoskins + experienced local guide

Group Size: Minimum 3 & maximum 6 guests

Grade: Generally easy walking at a gentle pace on mostly level ground

Holiday Highlights

  • Visit some amazing butterfly sites. in Peru – home to at least 4,000 species of mind-boggling beauty & variety!
  • See stunningly beautiful swallowtails, morphos, owl butterflies, glasswings, hairstreaks, metalmarks, firetips, banners, sisters and much more!
  • An amazing 593 species recorded on the last trip!
  • Led by tropical butterfly expert Adrian Hoskins and an experienced local butterfly guide
  • Very small group of no more than six guests to provide you with unrivalled viewing and photographic opportunities
  • Relaxed pace of this tour is also ideally suited to photography, with freedom to explore locations at your leisure
  • Contribute to Butterfly Conservation with a donation from every place sold

Join us in Peru to see & photograph a breathtaking array of butterflies!

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An exciting tour to Peru for a bonanza of brilliant butterflies to gaze at & photograph!

After the hugely successful tour featuring nearly 600 species, we’re heading back to Peru in 2026 – & you can join us!

Peru is one of the best butterfly destinations in the world, with well in excess of 4000 recognised species, and dozens more still being discovered each year. It’s perfectly possible that on this trip we may see species that are entirely new to science. On our previous trips to Peru we’ve typically photographed between 400-500 species in a fortnight, so bring plenty of memory cards and batteries!

As well as the hordes of stunning butterflies, we’ll see a great variety of colourful and fascinating shield bugs, damselflies, grasshoppers, beetles and more. In the evenings we’ll often be able to run a moth sheet – and the moths of Peru are staggering in their variety of shapes, patterns and postures.

Our tour begins in Peru’s ancient and fascinating city Cusco, where we will have a night to relax after our long flights. The next day, after breakfast, we have a 5 hour drive by minibus to reach our simple but comfortable mid-elevation ecolodge on the Cusco to Puerto Maldonado road in the eastern Andes. We will stop at various sites along the route to see and photograph butterflies.

We have 6 nights based at the ecolodge. Each day we’ll have excursions to different butterfly habitats, with travel times of between 10-45 minutes from the lodge. We’ll be exploring quiet roadsides, forest trails, and along the edges of small streams (you’ll need rubber boots) where we expect to see a huge variety of butterflies mud-puddling, basking on foliage and nectaring at flowers. These will include several Morpho species, Owl butterflies, Daggerwings, Banners, Numberwings, Sisters, Swallowtails, Sulphurs, Glasswings, Hairstreaks, Metalmarks and Skippers.

Next we return to Cusco in our minibus, following the same route we arrived on, stopping along the way to search for butterflies, admire the Andean scenery and see some local culture. We have one night at Cusco, followed by an early morning flight back to Lima, which is the hub for our connecting flight to Iquitos, deep in Amazonia. We have 6 nights at Iquitos in a comfortable city hotel. Each day we’ll have excursions to various parts of the Allpahuayo Mishana reserve, where we exect to see many exciting Metalmarks, Hairstreaks, Glasswings, huge Firetip skippers, Leafwings, Satyrs, Cattlehearts and a great variety of Nymphalids, Pierids and Swallowtails.

On our last day we’ll visit an arboretum at Iquitos University, where there are plenty of trails to explore and where doubtless we’ll add even more species to our list. Finally we fly back to Lima, for our flights home that evening or the following day.

Travel

This tour starts and ends at Cusco airport in Peru. The internal flights (Lima-Cusco return, and Lima-Iquitos return) are NOT included in the tour cost. Guests will be notified which international and domestic flights to book at least 3 months prior to trip. Road travel is by minibus. There is no boat travel involved.

Tour leader

Your tour leader is Adrian Hoskins, author of “Butterflies of the World”, “1000 Butterflies” and several scientific papers. Adrian has vast experience of neotropical butterflies, having undertaken numerous tours to Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela, as well as over a dozen previous tours of Peru. We’ll also have a local English-speaking butterfly guide who will put liquid baits along the trails and foliage to attract butterflies. Please note that we don’t shepherd you around in a group pointing out and identifying butterflies on the spot. Instead, we encourage you to explore the habitats at your own pace and take time enjoying your photography. In the evenings we’ll assist with identifications from your cameras and laptops, and Adrian will provide pfd files that illustrate a high percentage of the butterflies we are likely to see.

We aim to make booking and travelling with us as easy as possible, but we understand you may wish to ask us about certain elements of the tour or about your travel to get to the tour destination. To help we’ve enabled a direct email service to our tour leader, so please feel free to contact him by clicking the button below.

Contact the tour leader

Identification Guide

Here is a fantastic and free resource to help guests to prepare for the tour and to help with identifications during or after it.

Butteflies of The Neotropics

          

Day 1 – arrival to Jorge Chávez Lima airport, connect with flight to Cusco (3400m elevation). Overnight Cusco hotel.

Day 2 – transfer to ecolodge on the Cusco to Puerto Maldonado road in the eastern Andes. (870 meters altitude). 5 hrs. By minibus. Overnight ecolodge.

Day 3  – excursion to butterfly habitat 6kms from lodge. Overnight ecolodge.

Day 4 – excursion to butterfly habitat 40 minutes from lodge.

Day 5 – excursion to butterfly habitat at La Tranca, 30 minutes from the lodge. Overnight ecolodge.

Day 6 – excursion to lower elevation butterfly habitat. Overnight ecolodge.

Day 7 – excursion to revisit the most productive of the previously visited sites. Overnight ecolodge.

Day 8 – return to Cusco by minibus, following the same route. Overnight Cusco hotel.

Day 9 – fly Cusco to Lima, connect with flight to Iquitos. Rest and overnight Iquitos hotel.

Day 10 – Alpahuayo Mishana reserve (1 hrs by minibus). Overnight Iquitos hotel.

Day 11 – Picuro Yacu (40 minutes from hotel). Overnight Iquitos hotel.

Day 12 – Picuro Yacu (different part). Overnight Iquitos hotel.

Day 13 –  Allpahuayo Mishana reserve (different part). Overnight Iquitos hotel.

Day 14.- Iquitos University Arboretum, exploring trails to observe butterflies.

Day 15 – Depending on the flights, we return early or in the afternoon to Lima airport.

Please note that this is an outline itinerary and may be subject to change if local road or weather conditions make it necessary.

To follow

Do I need vaccinations?

We can give general advice, but it is every guest’s responsibility to check with their doctor or travel clinic and to comply with any compulsory vaccinations listed by the Embassy or High Commission of the country you are visiting. Our advice is that you are vaccinated against all common tropical diseases including typhoid, cholera, meningitis, hepatitis etc and that you take anti-malarials if visiting lowland areas of the tropics. If a yellow fever vaccination is required but you are denied one due to your age, you should obtain a yellow fever vaccination exemption certificate instead.

Will I need a visa?

This will vary according to your nationality. We can provide advice regarding UK passport holders, but ultimately it is the guest’s responsibility to check with the relevant Embassy or High Commission and comply with all relevant passport, visa and any other entry conditions. We do not organise visas for you. We cannot be held accountable if you are refused entry for any reason. We recommend using the official visa website of the country in question, and not a commercial visa service, which will take longer to process your application and will cost more.

Are people allowed to collect specimens?

No, the collecting of specimens is strictly prohibited on all of our tropical tours, and in many countries it is illegal or against park regulations and can lead to arrests and very heavy fines.

Do you have a net policy?

The use of butterfly nets, even for temporary ID checking, is strictly prohibited on all our tropical tours. Virtually all species can be identified from photographs, and prior to the tour you will be provided with full information about any websites, books or downloadable pdfs that will help with identifications.

Do you operate moth lights?

On butterfly tours sometimes operate moth lights (with a sheet, not a trap) at certain locations, but much depends on where we are and on whether the hotel or lodge allows us to operate a UV light in their garden. On moth tours we endeavour to use hotels or lodges that allow us to operate a moth light every night, although this can’t be guaranteed. You need to be aware that moth lights can harm your eyesight and bulbs can occasionally explode, so you should wear eye protection. You may pot moths temporarily after the other guests have photographed them, but must release any captive moths at dawn the next morning.

What will the accommodation be like?

We always try to use the best available lodges or hotels that are as close to the habitats as possible. Please be aware that hotel standards in poorly developed countries may not be as high as in developed countries. Availability of wi-fi, hot showers and laundry services cannot be guaranteed. We advise against leaving valuables, especially money, in hotel rooms.

Can I have a single occupancy room on this tour?

On most of our tropical tours single rooms are available at no extra cost, please check the relevant webpage.

Are domestic flights within the destination country included in the tour cost?

No, if your tour involves any onward domestic flights you must book and pay for these yourself. You will be told which flights to book, at least 3 months prior to the tour, and all guests must be on the same flight.

Age groups?

Generally most of our guests are in the 50-80 age group, and includes singles, couples and friends. If you are over 70 please enquire about suitability.

What will the travelling be like?

Usually we use a 7 or 9 seater air-conditioned minibus although this will vary from tour to tour. The butterfly sites are typically within 30 mins to 2 hours drive of the hotels, and if longer journeys are involved we endeavour to have at least a couple of long butterfly stops along the route, weather and local conditions permitting. Road conditions and accommodation are likely to be below the standards found in Europe and North America and journeys can sometimes be delayed by landslides, strikes or road accidents, so a positive mental attitude is essential if you and other guests are to fully enjoy these tours. Some tours include boat journeys, in which case you will always be provided with life jackets.

What is the meal plan?

On most of our tropical tours we have breakfast in our hotel or lodge. Lunches are almost always in the field, and typically consist of sandwiches, biscuits, fruit and soft drinks. Bottled water is always supplied. Dinners are at our hotel/lodge or at a local restaurant according to location. We can usually cater for vegetarian, gluten free etc, but this can’t always be guaranteed, and you should advice us (and remind us) of any special dietary requirements.

Level of fitness?

On most tours we rarely wander more than 1-2kms from the vehicle. We may spend an entire day at some locations, or may visit 2 or 3 locations the same day. Generally the terrain is easy but at some sites you may have to clamber over small boulders or ascend slopes, and there may be hazards such as tree roots across paths. Often butterfly sites will be beside shallow streams so conditions can be muddy and rubber boots are advisable. Please enquire if you have any doubts about your health or fitness and we’ll give our honest advice.

Tour style?

On tropical tours we don’t shepherd you around pointing out and identifying every butterfly, as it becomes unmanageable due to the large number of species and the difficulties of spelling out endless scientific names. Instead, guests are actively encouraged to split up and ramble at their own pace, making photography easier for everyone. Guests are requested to stay within earshot of the tour leader or other guests at all times, and must return to the vehicle or meeting place at a pre-determined time. The tour leader will be walking back and forth in the habitats checking regularly on guests, and pointing out any special butterflies that they may have overlooked. In the evenings the tour leader assists with identifications from your cameras or laptops. About a fortnight after the tour, guests receive a provisional list of species seen, with dates and sites noted. A trip report and the final species list are sent to guests about 2-3 months after the tour ends.

Group size?

On all of our tropical tours the minimum group size is usually 3 guests and the maximum group size is always 6 guests. This allows us all to travel in the same vehicle, it makes it much easier to find suitable hotels close to the habitats. It also allows photographers to spread themselves out along paths without disturbing each other, and helps to minimise trampling at sensitive sites.